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"Now tell me, or I'll kill you."
Robin furrowed her brows, showing clear resistance and caution as she placed the dagger back against Dak's neck.
She couldn't possibly follow a stranger to his place, no matter what he said.
She had been deceived by this trick too many times before.
"Ah, really, I'm trying to have a proper conversation with you, but you just won't listen."
Dak shook his head with a sigh of resignation, then used Armament Haki to harden his neck.
Planning to show off a bit, and let Robin face reality.
A sneak attack might work on him, but could he really lose to Robin in a direct confrontation?
Suddenly, the door to the dark room was kicked open.
Light poured in from outside.
Only then could Dak see clearly where he was - it seemed like a warehouse, filled with food supplies and a corner stacked with somewhat pitiful treasures.
And looking outside through the door, he saw a swaying sky.
Swaying?!
Dak was startled, realizing he was on a ship?!
"Pirates?"
Only then did Dak focus on the group that had just barged in.
Their ferocious and sneaky looks made it clear they were no good - undoubtedly, this was a pirate ship.
Dak's mind raced, quickly understanding the situation.
Robin had somehow managed to sneak onto this pirate ship, planning to use it to escape from Bellemère and then from the Marines.
But Dak was impressed that not only had Robin managed to get on board herself, but she had also dragged him along. That was quite something.
"Heyheyhey, isn't this Nico Robin with a bounty of 79 million Belly?"
The leader of the group wore a large captain's hat, seemingly eager to announce his role as the captain of this pirate vessel.
Armed with a large sword in his left hand and a pistol in his right, he was followed by a bunch of pirates with vile smiles on their faces.
Dak glanced at Robin, then his expression turned strange.
Although Dak didn't know which pirate group this man belonged to, did he really think it wise to act so boldly in front of Robin?
With the power of the Hana Hana no Mi, in a place like the Four Seas where Haki is not widely mastered, killing people would be as easy as slicing vegetables, right?
In the West Blue, there definitely were people not afraid of Robin, such as the famous bounty hunter Daz Bones, later known as Mr. 1, the user of the Dice-Dice Fruit.
This fruit was indeed a natural counter to Robin, with the ability to turn one's body into blades, leaving the Hana Hana no Mi nowhere to strike.
But this guy?
Dak took a closer look and felt this man didn't seem like a Devil Fruit user.
"A small-time pirate with a bounty of 12 million dares to come after me? Yare Yare Dase, it seems money really can make people lose themselves."
Robin calmly put down her dagger and turned around to shield Dak with her body.
Dak couldn't help but secretly smile at this gesture, thinking that Robin must still be very interested in learning about Saul.
It must have been just a scare tactic before. Robin wouldn't kill him before he revealed information about Saul.
"Your Devil Fruit power is indeed terrifying, but as long as you can't eliminate us all in an instant, you're going to be in big trouble."
The pirate captain, with a bounty of 12 million, seemed not at all worried, raising his hand as dozens of his men crowded in, aiming their firearms at Robin.
This man was quite confident.
But he wasn't wrong; if Robin couldn't eliminate these dozens of people instantly, any single shot fired could put her in danger.
Of course, Dak would be in danger too.
But Dak wasn't worried; instead, he was curious to see how Robin planned to handle the situation.
"Do you have the ability to deal with this?"
To Dak's surprise, Robin seemed to be looking to him for a solution.
But this had always been Robin's survival rule: using others to deal with her enemies, and in most cases, she had come this far by doing so.
"I do."
Dak revealed a subtle smile, his gaze towards Robin clearly asking for something in return.
"I'll go 'home' with you."
Robin didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly.
The situation no longer allowed for delays.
Moreover, if Dak was willing to act on her behalf, saving her, it meant he still had use for her. Following him to his place likely wouldn't cost her life; it would just mean serving a new boss.
This was her experience all along.
Though it was experience she wished she didn't have.
"Okay."
Dak, hearing the answer he wanted, nodded without hesitation and then signaled Robin to untie the ropes binding his hands and feet.
He planned to use Conqueror's Haki to deal with these people. Whether the ropes broke or not didn't matter. He just wanted to see if Robin, the cunning woman, would try any tricks. He had to coax her into untying him first.
Robin, unaware of all this, carefully used a dagger to cut the ropes around Dak's wrists.
Cutting the ropes around his ankles was trickier with so many eyes on them. Robin dared not use her Hana Hana no Mi powers openly, as her ability required a specific starting gesture: crossing her arms in front of her chest.
She believed any slight movement would prompt these men to shoot and kill her.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
The pirate captain seemed interested in Robin's body, his eyes revealing a wicked lust.
If he was here just for Robin's bounty, he could have just killed her right then, as the World Government didn't care if the bounty heads were dead or alive.
"This is bad."
Just as Robin finished cutting the ropes on Dak's wrists, her actions seemed to be noticed. She panicked, throwing away the dagger, ready to use her Devil Fruit powers for a desperate attempt.
"Ah, really no choice here."
Dak's voice rang in her ears.
The next moment, she felt as if the small warehouse turned an eerie crimson red, very bizarre.
But something even more bizarre happened immediately after.
The group of men in front of them one by one started to fall, their eyes rolling back as if they hadn't even realized what was happening.
Robin's eyes widened in shock, her mouth slightly agape.
Where had she seen such a scene before?
Racking her brain, she couldn't be sure.
She turned around to see Dak had already cut the ropes around his own ankles with the dagger from the floor.
At this moment, Robin didn't dare make any sudden movements. The fate of those men on the floor was clear for her to see, whether they were dead or alive. She didn't want to end up like them, especially since the man in front of her seemed to have no intention of killing her for the time being.
"What was that just now?"
Robin asked, also testing Dak's mood at the moment.
"Conqueror's Haki."
Dak didn't mind telling Robin about it, thinking she might have heard about Conqueror's Haki before.
This ability wasn't a secret in the vast sea, even in the Four Seas there were some legends about it.
As Dak expected, Robin had indeed heard of it, but the fact that she knew what Conqueror's Haki was only made her more astonished by it.
Her mind couldn't help but harbor doubts.
Who exactly was this man?
(End of Chapter)