Hearing the people from the Baroque Works rushing toward him, Kai remained calm and unfazed, showing no sign of concern. Cobra, standing behind him, was far more anxious and shouted, "Mr. Kai, step back! Let the soldiers handle this!"
"There's no need. This'll be quick," Kai replied.
In a split second, his eyes narrowed as a wave of Conqueror's Haki surged from his body. The attacking enemies immediately collapsed to the ground, unconscious, their eyes rolled back.
"Done. Let's call it a day," Kai said as he casually walked toward the palace, leaving everyone else dumbstruck by what they had just witnessed. The Baroque Works members were felled without so much as a punch.
"That power… it's terrifying," Cobra murmured in shock. As he looked around, tears welled up in his eyes—everything was finally over.
One Day Later ~ Alubarna Palace
"Your Majesty, the post-crisis reconstruction is progressing smoothly under Princess Vivi's guidance," said Igaram, captain of the Royal Guard.
King Cobra smiled with relief. "I knew I could count on Vivi."
Suddenly, Cobra remembered something and asked, "By the way, how are our benefactors doing?"
Igaram chuckled, "Oh, they've been eating non-stop since yesterday.
"But…" Igaram hesitated.
"What is it?" Cobra asked, noticing his hesitation.
"Miss All Sunday, who was Crocodile's subordinate, is with them."
"WHAT?!"
Palace Dining Hall
"Why are you here?!" the crew shouted in unison, startled to see Robin calmly reading a book at the table.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Robin replied with a sly smile.
"Are you joking? You're a Baroque Works assassin!" Usopp stammered, attempting to sound brave.
Robin shrugged. "Those days are behind me now."
"Like we're just supposed to forget about that?" Usopp snapped.
After a while, the crew slowly settled down. Nami crossed her arms and asked coldly, "So, what do you want?"
"I'd like to join your crew. Is that alright?"
"What?!" The room erupted again in disbelief.
"Impossible!" Nami shouted, followed by Usopp and Chopper, who voiced their own objections. Even Zoro remained stoically against it.
But then, Sanji stepped forward, stars in his eyes. "My beautiful lady, you are more than welcome aboard. Please, ask me for anything!"
"Thank you," Robin said with a soft smile.
And just like that, Sanji was knocked out cold by his own infatuation.
"You perverted idiot!" Zoro and the others shouted in unison.
Robin then turned to Luffy, "Captain, what do you think?"
"Sure!" Luffy answered without a second thought.
"You idiot! Don't just agree like that!" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper yelled, frustrated by Luffy's casual acceptance.
"Oh, Chopper, you're so cute!" Robin said, smiling at the tiny reindeer.
"Even if you compliment me, I won't be happy, you jerk!" Chopper muttered, utterly defeated by the flattery.
Kai watched the entire scene unfold with amusement. Despite all the changes, it seemed fate had led Robin to join the crew anyway. She was even more strategic this time, winning them over one by one.
"You're not coming on the ship, no matter what!" Nami declared before turning to Kai for backup. "Kai, say something!"
"Huh? Me? I've got no problem with it," Kai said, sipping his tea nonchalantly.
"Not you too…" Nami groaned.
"I have a bag of jewels I took from Crocodile," Robin said, pulling out a small pouch filled with gleaming gems and placing it on the table.
Nami's eyes widened. She walked over, took Robin's hand in hers, and said, "Please, you must join our crew Sister!"
Zoro and Usopp stared in disbelief. "Well, I guess it's up to the two of us to protect this crew," Usopp muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah," Zoro replied.
"Hey, Usopp!" Luffy called out, but suddenly, two arms sprouted from Usopp's head, courtesy of Robin's Devil Fruit power.
"I'm Chopper~" Robin teased, making the crew burst into laughter.
Zoro sighed, realizing he was the last holdout. Walking over to Kai, he sat down and asked, "Why'd you let her on board?"
Kai smirked. "Why not? It'll be more fun with her around, don't you think?"
Zoro shot him a skeptical glance but didn't push further. The decision had already been made, so why keep fighting it?
Kai let out a small sigh of relief when Zoro stopped questioning him. He couldn't exactly explain that Robin was destined to join the crew. Things were playing out as they should.
As the meal came to an end, Cobra, Vivi, and Igaram entered the dining hall.
"Oh, it's delicious! Thanks for the food, old man!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning.
"I'm glad to hear that! We were worried the food wouldn't suit your tastes," Cobra said, smiling.
"No way! This chef's amazing! I'd love to meet him and challenge him to a cooking duel!" Sanji chimed in.
"Oh? Which handsome man dares challenge my cooking?" A voice called out as someone identical to Igaram, but clearly not him, entered the room.
"Two Igarams?!" Luffy's eyes widened.
"No, this is Igaram's wife, Miss Terracotta," Vivi explained.
The crew: "WHAT?!"
"There's a limit to how alike couples can be…" Zoro muttered, looking utterly bewildered.
As the meal concluded, Cobra made a suggestion, "There's a large bathhouse in the palace. Would you all be interested?"
"A bath?!" (☆▽☆)
Everyone's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect.
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.