Women are creatures who hold grudges. This is especially true of beautiful women, and equally true of smart women. And for women who are beautiful, scheming, and smart? That goes without saying.
Take Robin, for instance...
Although several days had passed, whenever Nico Robin recalled the incident at Rainbase—specifically that incredibly shameful tortoiseshell bondage—she still felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation and indignation. Her teeth practically itched with hatred.
In her nearly twenty years of wandering and hardship, it was the first time she had been left in such a wretched state by someone else. Therefore, regarding this matter, Robin was determined to get revenge!
It wasn't that she was petty; rather, the pride and reserve deep in Robin's bones demanded that she win a round back.
So, while it appeared that Robin was doing nothing but reading books and drinking coffee on the Going Merry these past few days, this elegant woman was actually silently observing a certain bespectacled man, hoping to find the Sorcerer's weakness.
As a result, naturally, Robin failed to obtain the intelligence she wanted.
Sherlock was also a person who preferred quiet. His style was completely different from the other noisy goofballs on the ship, yet miraculously, he didn't feel the slightest bit out of place on the Going Merry.
At all times, Sherlock's gestures exuded a natural elegance. This gentle and cultivated demeanor was something Robin secretly admired.
Every day, he would sit beside Robin, either reading quietly or sleeping comfortably, completely treating a certain scheming woman as if she were air. This left Robin feeling quite speechless.
Furthermore, for some unknown reason, whenever Robin read beside Sherlock, her mood would become surprisingly calm. It was as if she were sitting in a quiet, empty library. That sense of security was quite enjoyable for the Devil Child, who had been on the run for so many years.
(I have to admit, Sherlock is quite reliable as a companion.)
(However, as long as he is human, he must have a weakness.)
As an archaeologist, Robin had plenty of patience. After seeing that her own observations were fruitless, she naturally turned her attention to Luffy and the others, hoping to gain some useful intelligence.
"Oh? You mean Sherlock? He boarded the ship when we parted ways with the giant whale." Luffy sat on the Merry's goofy sheep figurehead, grinning at Robin who had asked the question.
"He's a very reliable companion, though he eats too much every day."
Indeed, although Sherlock ate methodically and slowly, due to the side effects of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, he needed to consume a massive amount of food daily.
However, hearing this coming from the Straw Hat Pirates' number one glutton felt incredibly ironic.
"Eats too much..." Robin's expression was slightly awkward as she continued to ask, "So, Luffy, why did you invite Sherlock in the first place?"
"Because he's very 'interesting.'"
"Interesting?" Robin looked stunned. She had been secretly observing for days and hadn't found anything about the Sorcerer that bordered on "interesting."
"Yeah, Sherlock is very interesting." The dimwitted captain nodded solemnly.
"At the time, he just inexplicably appeared on the Going Merry. And listening to Sanji, he destroyed a Marine base back in the East Blue. Isn't that interesting?"
"..." Robin remained silent. She really couldn't figure out what was "interesting" about a terrorist who blew a Marine base sky-high.
Or perhaps, the primary condition for this dimwitted captain to recruit a companion was simply whether the person made this brain-wired-differently idiot find them interesting.
"Sherlock?" The blonde cook, who was washing dishes, looked doubtfully at the charming older woman. "Robin-chwan, why are you suddenly so interested in that four-eyed guy?"
"Oh, just a little curious. Why? Can I not ask, Mr. Cook?"
Saying this, Robin looked at Sanji with a beaming smile, the corners of her mouth curving into an alluring arc. She displayed all the unique charm of a mature woman, her moving eyes like clear autumn water, reflecting a certain idiot who had already gone into full love-struck mode. It was an indescribable, myriad kind of romance.
Unlike Nami's slightly youthful sexiness, Robin's charm was like century-old wine, full of unique flavor. To Sanji, this was practically a nuclear weapon. With just a look and a smile, he felt his bones turning to jelly.
"Not at all! Robin-chwan, what do you want to ask? I'll tell you everything I know! I'll hold nothing back!!!"
"As for Sherlock, it seems he doesn't really have any weaknesses," Chopper murmured in a low voice after pondering for a while.
The blue-nosed reindeer, who was originally a bit timid toward this new partner Robin, had completely opened up after a few minutes of conversation.
"Oh?" Robin looked at the cute little creature in front of her and subconsciously patted Chopper's little head.
Although she was an intellectually mature woman, Robin still had the heart of a young girl; specifically, she had zero resistance to cute things.
"It seems Mr. Reindeer likes Sherlock very much."
"Mhm! Sherlock is smart and strong. He's a very reliable partner. My goal is to become a reliable person like Sherlock!" Speaking of this, Chopper's furry face was full of determination.
Perhaps amused by Chopper's cute appearance, Robin revealed a captivating smile.
"Hehe, then you have to work hard, Mr. Reindeer."
"Oh, you want to ask about Sherlock? Hah, Robin, you asked the right person!!!"
Putting down the new type of gunpowder he was mixing, the long-nosed brother stood up from the floor of the Usopp Factory, which was littered with parts. His movements were exaggerated, his face full of excitement.
"To tell the story of Sherlock, we must start with his 'The Goldglint Trading Company,' famous throughout the East Blue..."
Not knowing Usopp's nature for blowing smoke, Robin naively believed him. She sat upright and attentive, listening with rapt attention, her beautiful face full of anticipation.
"...But to tell the story of The Goldglint Trading Company, we must first start with the great Captain Usopp, known to everyone in the East Blue!" At this point, Captain Usopp's eyes burst with intense light, spittle flying everywhere.
"..." The expression on Robin's face changed slightly, sensing something was wrong.
"I remember it was a sunny spring day. The great Captain Usopp led his 8,000 brave and fearless subordinates into a deathmatch against one hundred thousand Marine soldiers on an isolated island..."
Next, Usopp began to solemnly spout nonsense, perfectly illustrating what it means to brag shamelessly and without consequence.
Two hours later... (PS: Uh, it has to be said that Robin is a very patient person)
Even for Usopp, whose skin was as thick as a city wall, being stared at by Robin's resentment-filled gaze for so long made him feel a bit creeped out.
"Ahem, of course, Robin, the story I told before was a little exaggerated..."
"But, you didn't mention a single sentence of information regarding Sherlock just now." Robin looked at the long-nosed brother calmly, her expression neither happy nor sad.
"Uh... I was just a little too excited just now. I couldn't help myself, hehe, couldn't help myself." Usopp smiled sheepishly. "But Robin, you have to believe me, what I said just now was all true..."
Usopp wanted to say more, but he was stifled by Robin's look, which seemed to say, 'Are you kidding me?'
Glancing once more at the sweating long-nosed brother, Robin sighed silently and stood up to walk toward the door. However, just as she was about to leave the cabin, she suddenly turned back and said:
"By the way, Mr. Long-Nose, I forgot to remind you earlier. The stuff you were mixing before is emitting black smoke."
After saying that, Robin pushed the door open and left, shutting the heavy wooden cabin door behind her with a casual swing.
"Black smoke???" Usopp froze for a moment, then looked back and practically peed himself in terror.
"Ahhh!!! My newly developed Firepowder Star! Robin, why didn't you say so sooner! I..."
BOOM!
With a loud bang, the entire small ship shuddered violently, and billowing black smoke rose into the air.
"Hey, Usopp, what happened to you?" Luffy exclaimed.
"Ahhh, Usopp is injured! Doctor! Where is the doctor? Eh? I am the doctor..." A certain airheaded little reindeer suddenly realized.
True scheming women never look back at explosions!
That night, a secret girl-talk session was taking place in the women's quarters of the Going Merry.
"Hahaha, I really didn't expect Sherlock to do something so stupid." Hearing Nami recount the story of Sherlock accidentally eating the Hell Pepper Star, Robin uncharacteristically revealed an extremely bright and cheerful smile, leaving Nami stunned.
"What a pity. I didn't see him like that with my own eyes. It must have been very interesting."
"Yeah, that expression of his—clearly dying from the spice but still acting tough—was just too cute. I never thought before that Sherlock could have such a goofy side." Nami pulled up the blanket covering her, her beautiful big eyes full of mirth.
Robin reined in her smile and said calmly, "So, he is actually someone who is quite rigid about etiquette."
"Mhm, mhm, you could say that. He really maintains that elegant and composed look at all times, and he always adheres to that set of aristocratic etiquette, unshakeable as thunder." The navigator nodded and continued:
"It's like all of that has already become his instinct."
"Instinct?" Robin repeated in a low voice, then stopped speaking, her mind wandering who knows where.
On a sunny and breezy day, Robin leaned against the railing of the upper deck. Her head was slightly raised, revealing her neck, slender and white as a swan's, as she closed her eyes in thought.
Apart from Zoro, who remained wary of her as a new partner, Robin had already obtained quite a bit of intelligence regarding Sherlock from Luffy and the others. But not a single piece of it made her eyes light up. This inevitably made Robin feel somewhat disappointed.
(Sherlock, are you truly impeccable?) Thinking this, Robin sighed faintly.
Clip-clop, clip-clop. Firm and powerful footsteps approached from the distance.
"Hey." Zoro looked at the charming woman blowing in the sea breeze, frowning slightly as he questioned her, "You've been secretly investigating Sherlock these past few days. What kind of evil scheme are you planning?"
"Evil scheme? No, no, no. I'm just curious about Sherlock." Robin kept a calm face.
"Curious?"
"Yes, curious." Robin glanced at Zoro and smiled gracefully. "I'm very curious—does a person as perfect as him have any weaknesses?"
"Tch, I advise you not to waste your energy. Other than not being able to drink alcohol, that guy doesn't have any other weaknesses," the green-haired swordsman blurted out almost subconsciously.
(Can't drink alcohol?!)
Robin's originally calm, beautiful eyes instantly lit up. Then, keeping her expression unchanged, she asked, pretending to be casual:
"Sherlock can't drink alcohol?"
"Yeah, he said before that if he gets drunk, something very [Terrible] will happen." The green-haired swordsman spoke coolly. "Honestly, as a man, how can you not drink alcohol..."
In the heart of this man who was unhappy without booze, the inability to drink was definitely a major weakness of Sherlock's. However, Zoro himself didn't take it to heart; after all, everyone had their own principles.
And precisely because of this, this moss-head, who had trained his brain into muscle, did not realize that he had inadvertently unlocked the glorious achievement: [Sabotage Your Teammate].
"Is that so..." Hearing this, Robin's face immediately revealed a charming smile that bloomed like a flower.
"...Thank you very much, Mr. Swordsman."
After offering her thanks, this charming woman walked leisurely back into the cabin under Zoro's bewildered gaze, her steps faintly revealing a trace of joy.
"Why did she thank me?" The green-haired swordsman scratched his head. He thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so he gave up.
"Forget it, I'd better get on with today's training."
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