At this point in time, Nico Robin should have been secretly wandering,
The World Government and Navy had been fruitlessly searching for Nico Robin for years. Known as the "Demon Child," Robin had slipped through their grasp time and time again. Yet somehow, Doflamingo had managed to track her down.
"Where exactly did you find her?" Lakeman asked, his voice carrying a touch of intrigue, his red eyes gleaming.
"My subordinates found traces of her activities in the West Blue. Eventually, we tracked her to a kingdom she had infiltrated," Doflamingo replied with a mysterious smile. "Take a guess which kingdom it was."
Lakeman was taken aback and asked with amusement, "Could it be the Black Hemp Kingdom?"
"Bingo." Doflamingo snapped his fingers and laughed. "It's your very own Black Hemp Kingdom."
Lakeman chuckled. He hadn't expected that he and Nico Robin would cross paths in such a way. Although O'hara was located in the West Blue, and it was natural for Nico Robin to be active in the area after leaving O'hara, it was almost unbelievable that she would end up in his Black Hemp Kingdom.
"Why would she enter the Black Hemp Kingdom?" Lakeman asked curiously.
"I don't know, but my subordinates have a theory," Doflamingo said with a grin. "The World Government purged the royal family, and since you haven't taken over, the internal affairs have been in a semi-paralyzed state. The people are anxious, and control over the country has dropped to an all-time low. Chaos is a good place to hide."
"She's a smart girl."
Lakeman nodded, finding the explanation reasonable. He expressed his thanks to Doflamingo.
While Doflamingo might see a lot of potential in Nico Robin's identity as the Demon Child and the possibility of probing what secrets Ohara once uncovered, Lakeman was most attracted to Nico Robin herself.
"Another genius," Lakeman thought to himself.
During her two decades on the run, Nico Robin had barely developed her Devil Fruit abilities or trained much. Yet, after joining the Straw Hat Pirates, in just two short years, she had seemingly awakened her Hana Hana no Mi powers, defeating Black Maria in Wano.
Her growth rate was even more astonishing than Rob Lucci's. While Lucci had also awakened his Devil Fruit within two years, he had undergone rigorous training, fully mastering the Six Powers and understanding Life Return. Nico Robin, on the other hand, had a body not much stronger than the average person, yet she had achieved Devil Fruit awakening in one leap.
"To avoid wasting her natural talent, once I bind her to me, I'll need to push her to train hard," Lakeman mused, stroking his chin. "Just like Hancock."
At dinner,
"Go bring the seven Devil Fruits we bought at auction before and take the three Devil Fruits given to us by Doflamingo as well," Lakeman ordered the butler.
"Yes, Master," the butler said. After a while, he returned, carrying all ten Devil Fruits and placing a treasure chest containing them in front of Lakeman.
After finishing his meal, Lakeman returned to his residence with all the Devil Fruits and summoned the Boa sisters.
"These are the Devil Fruits I have prepared for you. I believe all of you are very obedient now, so these are your rewards. You can choose any one to eat."
Under the sisters' surprised gazes, Lakeman pointed to the ten fruits. "The one on the left is for Hancock, a Paramecia-type, the Mero Mero no Mi. The other eight are Ancient Zoan-type Snake Snake Fruits—Anaconda, Wannabee Snake, King Cobra, and Titanoboa models. The others are Paramecia types like the Slow-Slow Fruit, and Mythical Zoans, such as Ice Phoenix, Cerberus, Pegasus, and Bakeneko."
"The fruit for Hancock has already been decided by me, but you two sisters can choose any other. If either of you doesn't want these Devil Fruits, you can wait for the next opportunity. But it's hard to say when that might be."
With that, Lakeman pushed the box toward the three sisters.
The Boa sisters didn't hesitate for even a moment. Instead, they eagerly reached out, each taking a Devil Fruit and stuffing it into their mouths.
The three sisters understood the rarity of Devil Fruits. Even the most ordinary ones were worth hundreds of millions of Beli, and they were incredibly hard to come by. What Lakeman had found were even more precious Paramecia and rare Ancient Zoan types, and even legendary Mythical Zoans, making them even more valuable.
"Ugh, this tastes terrible..."
"Worse than eating something a hundred times worse than poop."
"I feel like throwing up..."
All three of them turned pale. Even Hancock, who had to endure some rather unpleasant-tasting liquids almost daily, found the taste hard to bear.
Lakeman watched them thoughtfully. He didn't smell any trace of the fruit itself.
"According to the original story, Devil Fruits are unnatural powers, rejected by the heavens," Lakeman pondered. "That disgusting taste is probably the body's way of rejecting them."
He didn't dwell on the thought too much. He would wait a while, after binding a few more geniuses with Devil Fruit abilities and collecting more Devil Fruit proficiency. Then he would eat the Steal-Steal Fruit and directly awaken it after eating, due to the many proficiencies stored in the system.
The proficiencies stored in the system would ensure his mastery over the fruit, unlocking its true potential without the need for years of training. In one swift move, he would ascend to a level of power that even other Devil Fruit users could only dream of.
"I didn't expect you to be so decisive," Lakeman said with a smile.
The sisters finally started to recover from the nauseating taste.
"I didn't expect you would choose Ancient Zoan instead of Mythical Zoan."
"Ancient Zoan types are incredibly rare. It's hard to expect to find better fruits than these."
"Exactly, Logia and Mythical Zoan types are nearly impossible to come by."
"There are a lot of useless Paramecia fruits too. Finding a good one is extremely difficult."
The Boa sisters spoke slowly. They were well aware of the value of Devil Fruits.
"Go get familiar with your new powers," Lakeman waved them off, allowing them to go train.
All three of the sisters had excellent natural talent. That very night, they mastered the basics of their Devil Fruit abilities. The two younger sisters could transform into giant snakes the size of rooms, while Hancock could create hearts that turned people into stone.
Of course, Hancock's love-based power had no effect on Lakeman. An overwhelming amount of Haki could wash away the effects of Devil Fruits. Trafalgar Law would later confirm this firsthand. As for Lakeman, his Armament Haki was so strong that Hancock's love attacks couldn't even penetrate his defenses.
Several days later, Lakeman boarded a ship, leaving the Donquixote family to head to the Black Hemp Kingdom in the West Blue. After he left, Doflamingo also set off for the Sabaody Archipelago, where the auction plans were unfolding smoothly.
The Black Hemp Kingdom wasn't technologically advanced, but it was rich in biological resources, making its residents physically robust. This had led to the rise of many powerful figures and pirates. Since the royal family was a World Government affiliate, they had received a special potion formula from the government. Using the kingdom's resources, they produced a series of enhancement potions to build a powerful royal guard.
The Black Hemp Kingdom was tightly controlled by the royal family, until the day the CP (Cipher Pol) organization of the World Government swept in overnight and wiped out the entire royal family and nobility, leaving behind an empty kingdom that became Lakeman's territory, awaiting his takeover.
Without its ruling class, the kingdom plunged into chaos and turmoil. Although CP forces maintained some order in the capital, they could not control the entire country. This wasn't due to Cipher Pol's incompetence, but because they couldn't act freely without their master,
Lakeman, having arrived. Besides, even if the entire Black Hemp Kingdom were destroyed, as long as its rich biological resources remained, it would be easy to rebuild a prosperous kingdom.
"This is also why I chose the Black Hemp Kingdom," Lakeman mused.
In a small town outside the capital, a young woman with dark hair and emerald-green eyes was quietly working as a nurse. She had disguised her appearance—reshaping her eyebrows, altering her facial expressions, and wearing colored contact lenses when she went out. Additionally, three years had passed since the Ohara Incident, and few people could recognize her now.
"The chaos in this country has led to a massive flow of people, giving me a chance to forge a new identity," the young woman thought with a faint smile, exuding an elegant, intellectual aura. "As long as nothing goes wrong, I should be able to stay here for quite a while."
Using her extensive knowledge, she had successfully disguised herself as a medical student from a major city. Since everyone needed medical care, the town didn't hesitate to accept her as an outsider once they learned she was a nurse. However, she didn't know that, at the same time, the CP officials in the Black Hemp Kingdom had received a phone call from the sea.
"Saint Lakeman, this is CP3, 5, and 7 reporting to you," a man with sunglasses spoke steadily into the receiver.
Before he could finish, a lazy voice interrupted him from the other end of the line. "You don't need to tell me all those boring details. I trust in your abilities."
The man was momentarily stunned. The surrounding CP agents also showed surprised expressions. It seemed that the young Celestial Dragon didn't care much about the Black Hemp Kingdom.
"Understood. We won't fail your trust," the man replied respectfully.
"Mmhm…" Lakeman murmured lazily, then brought up the matter he was actually interested in. "I need you to investigate something for me."
"Yes, sir. What is your command?" the man replied eagerly.
"Check the past three months for any suspicious outsiders in the entire Black Hemp Kingdom," Lakeman instructed.
"Understood." The man's voice was filled with determination.
"Do a good job," Lakeman encouraged, then hung up.
In the capital of the Black Hemp Kingdom, the man put down the phone with a look of helplessness. The CP members around him all wore bitter expressions.
"Suspicious outsiders from the past three months? In the whole kingdom?"
"This is going to be a massive amount of work."
"And covering the entire country…"
"We won't get any sleep for the next week."
The CP members shook their heads in dismay, but Saint Lakeman's orders couldn't be refused. And so, a secret and rapid investigation began across the Black Hemp Kingdom.
A week later, a large-scale arrest operation was launched.
In a small town far from the capital, Nico Robin woke up in the attic of a clinic, gazing at the bright sunshine outside the window. A peaceful smile appeared on her face. Coming to the Black Hemp Kingdom had given her a sense of tranquility and calm that she hadn't felt in a long time.
Tap… tap… tap…
As she was thinking this, three people with strange movements and cold expressions appeared on the road outside the clinic. There was a chilling aura about them, like killing machines trained by some special department.
"How could it be…"
The moment Nico Robin saw the three individuals, her face turned pale, and her body froze in fear. Almost simultaneously, the three below noticed her gaze, and their sharp eyes shot up toward her.
"We've found a suspicious individual."
One of them coldly declared as he locked eyes with Nico Robin.
Whoosh.
In a panic, Nico Robin ran, not even stopping to put on her shoes.
But how could she outrun Cipher Pol agents?
Bang.
In an instant, the wall of the attic was smashed, and the three figures leapt inside, charging toward the fleeing Nico Robin.
"Cinco Fleur."
Nico Robin's heart sank as she activated her Devil Fruit power, creating three arms beneath the agents' feet to trip them up.
Smack.
But the agents were completely unaffected, kicking the hands to pieces.
"She's a Devil Fruit user?" one of them said in surprise. "Wait a minute."
The three seemed to realize something, and their gazes suddenly became much sharper.
"That's the power of the Hana Hana no Mi."
"You're the Demon Child, Nico Robin."
"We've caught a big fish."
Nico Robin's expression changed dramatically, and she tried to jump down the stairs.
Whoosh.
One of the CP agents used Soru to move at high speed, arriving in front of Nico Robin and grabbing her by the throat.
"Agh…"
Her neck was squeezed, cutting off her air, and fear filled her eyes as her body went limp and she passed out.
In an instant, she was subdued.
"Why did you stop me?" one of the CP agents asked, confused as he looked at the arm holding him back.
"I'm a guy, and you're a guy," the other agent replied, pointing at both of them and then toward the one holding Nico Robin by the throat. "And she's a girl."
The confused agent was even more baffled.
"Nico Robin may be the Demon Child, but who knows if the esteemed Celestial Dragon might have other ideas?" the other agent explained seriously. "I'm just looking out for you."
His colleague suddenly understood and nodded gratefully. "Thanks for the lesson."
Before long, Nico Robin was bound tightly by a female CP agent and taken to the capital of the Black Hemp Kingdom.
At the capital…
"The Demon Child?"
The CP members were shocked to see who had been captured, but their expressions quickly changed.
"Who made contact with her?"
"Did any of you men touch her?"
"Was she handled entirely by the female CP agent?"
"Is she clean?"
They immediately began asking questions. CP members weren't fools. Through certain channels, they had learned a bit about Saint Lakeman's preferences, particularly his unusual affection for his slave, Hancock. Considering Nico Robin's beauty and her age being similar to that of Hancock, the CP agents had every reason to believe that Saint Lakeman might take an interest in Nico Robin.
"Don't worry, she's clean. The female agent handled everything," the two male agents reported.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, then report to Saint Lakeman."
"Yes, this is a major discovery."
"Who knows, Saint Lakeman might even reward us."
"Don't get ahead of yourselves. You ladies, take turns watching over Nico Robin and make sure she's well taken care of."
The CP agents quickly divided up their tasks.
Out at sea…
Brrr… brrr…
The Den Den Mushi rang.
"What is it?" Lakeman asked lazily as he picked up the receiver.
On the other end, the same man from before respectfully reported, "Saint Lakeman, we've captured a high-value target—the Demon Child, Nico Robin."
"Oh? That was fast," Lakeman said with a hint of surprise.
The man's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and the CP members around him exchanged relieved glances, grateful for their caution.
"As expected, he was after Nico Robin," they thought.
"Good thing the capture team was careful."
"Yeah, we've scored a big one by bringing in a clean Nico Robin."
"It seems our lord has a taste for girls around ten or so."
The agents exchanged glances, sharing a strange, silent understanding, but the conversation continued without issue.
"Yes, thanks to your guidance, we discovered Nico Robin, disguised as a nurse in a town about 100 kilometers from the capital," the man said obsequiously, giving all the credit to Lakeman.
"Haha, you're a smart one. I'll remember you," Lakeman laughed in response.
"Serving you is an honor." The man paused for a moment before adding, "Nico Robin is currently under strict watch by our female members. The capture was also handled entirely by them, and she sustained no physical injuries."
"What should we do with Nico Robin next?" the man asked, emphasizing the role of the female members.
Lakeman was taken aback. He hadn't noticed such details, but the man had thoughtfully taken care of everything.
"A real talent," Lakeman mused, feeling more satisfied. "Keep her under tight watch. I'll be there soon."
"Yes. We eagerly await your arrival," the man replied excitedly.
"Alright, that's all," Lakeman said, hanging up.
In the Black Hemp Kingdom, the CP members were elated as they watched the phone call end.
"That's great."
This was their first time working directly under Saint Lakeman, and they hadn't failed.
Now that they had successfully completed this mission, they hoped to earn Lakeman's trust.
"You all heard the orders. Make sure nothing happens to Nico Robin—no mental or physical harm whatsoever," the man sternly ordered.
And so, Nico Robin remained under strict watch as they awaited Lakeman's arrival.
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