Chapter 408: Robin’s Entry: Trust and Suspicion on the High Seas

Robin strolled out of the cabin with ease, folding chair in hand. She leaned against the wall, resting her chin on her palm as she spoke to Luffy.

She’d given this a lot of thought before picking this crew. There was no way she’d just climb aboard any random pirate crew.

From what she knew, the Straw Hat Pirates hadn’t caused any major trouble since setting sail. Plus after watching them closely the whole journey — okay, secretly watching — she hadn’t seen any red flags.

No one on this ship struck her as sneaky or conniving. It really did seem like a safe place to stay for now. And if something did go wrong, well, she could always jump ship and find another crew. This was just a temporary refuge, after all.

If, after some time, she realized this crew wasn’t a fit, she’d just pick the right moment and quietly leave.

“Oh? So that’s how it is? Well, I guess that’s that. Sure, you can come aboard.” Luffy gave it a quick thought, then answered right away.

“Luffy?!” Everyone stared at him in shock. This was their first time meeting this woman, so why invite her to join like this all of a sudden?

And she worked for Baroque Works! How could they trust her so easily?

“Don’t worry, everyone. She’s not a bad person,” Luffy said, trusting his gut.

His instincts told him Robin wasn’t bad news. In fact, her joining the crew felt just right.

“That’s awesome, just awesome!” Of course, nobody was happier with this decision than Sanji. He swayed behind them like an overexcited puppy.

With a new sexy big sister aboard, Sanji was all in, practically raising both hands and feet in approval.

“One Flower Bloom!” Using her Devil Fruit ability, Robin made an extra arm sprout from the deck, waving it playfully.

The move made Luffy laugh, and with that little signal, it was clear—Robin was officially part of the crew. Zoro, watching the scene, picked up his sword and sat down on the side, crossing his legs to meditate.

If Luffy had made the decision, Zoro had nothing more to say. Still, he kept his guard up, letting his Observation Haki spread subtly around Robin so he could always keep an eye on her.

Since Luffy gave the green light, Gin and the other newbies scattered to their posts. The ship cruised ahead toward the next island at a mellow, comfy pace.

“You must be the ship’s doctor. I bet your medical skills are incredible,” Robin said, knowing that if she wanted this crew to become her real home, she’d have to win over every member.

Winning their trust, especially from Luffy, Chopper, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami, was key. If she could do that, the rest would come easy.

Gin and the other two were just trainees—they didn’t matter much. Convincing the core members was all she needed.

“Idiot! I’m not happy just because you said that!” Chopper barked, but his body gave him away. He peeked out from behind Luffy, his cheeks flushed and a goofy little grin sneaking across his face as he fidgeted from side to side.

He hid behind Luffy, but half his body was showing, obviously thrilled at Robin’s praise.

“Stop looking around and answer me properly!”

Usopp dragged over a table and set it in front of Robin. Pulling up a bench, he sat down and shot her a look like she was a criminal on trial.

A total stranger, and one they’d just fought as a member of Baroque Works, suddenly wanted to join their pirate crew? No way he’d let her pass this test so easily.

Usopp scratched his nose with his right hand, thinking it wouldn’t be so easy to get past him.

But Robin knew there were certain hoops a stranger needed to jump through to join a new crew. She didn’t mind Usopp’s grilling one bit—she just smiled back at him.

“Let me ask again—what’s your name?” Usopp grabbed a notebook and pen, getting serious.

But after a moment he realized something was off and quickly introduced himself. “Ah… Uh, my name’s Usopp! Nice to meet you… I mean, really nice to meet you!”

He was actually kind of gentlemanly—he didn’t judge her just because she worked for Baroque Works.

“I’m Nico Robin,” she replied, answering the question while making another hand bloom with her Devil Fruit and continuing to tease Luffy and Chopper.

Win over the captain, and the rest would be easy.

“Alright… Nico Robin.” Usopp jotted down the answer and pressed on. “What’s your job?”

“Archaeologist.”

“So-ga! Archaeologist?” Usopp echoed in surprise—he’d never met an archaeologist before.

As he racked his brain for what exactly archaeologists did, Robin gave her answer.

“My family’s been doing this for generations.”

“I see, so that’s your background,” Usopp said, taking notes again.

Zoro, watching from behind, broke out in a cold sweat. What was up with this?

Usopp’s interview methods were hilariously crude.

“And then?”

“I became an archaeologist and was put on the World Government’s wanted list when I was eight.”

“For the past twenty years I’ve been hiding and surviving, always on the run.”

Usopp picked up on the big detail. “So you’ve been on your own since you were eight?”

He couldn’t even picture how a kid would survive for twenty years, dodging danger on the open sea.

“Well, I say that, but a child couldn’t survive alone. Not really,” Robin said simply.

“So to protect myself, and achieve what I wanted, I had to deal with some less-than-great people along the way. That’s just how it is.”

“So Crocodile was just one of them, huh?” When Robin finished, Usopp finally understood.

No wonder an eight-year-old girl could last twenty years drifting across the sea.

Which meant Robin must have experienced all sorts of things none of them could imagine.

Come to think of it, was her joining their crew just another calculated move…?

“That’s right. I joined to find the poneglyphs. Thanks to Crocodile and all of them, my work behind the scenes became smoother—and I know I can help you guys too.”

Usopp, watching Robin’s confidence, asked, “Alright, confident lady—what are you really good at?”

“Assassination!”

Usopp nearly toppled off his chair, shouting toward Luffy, “Luffy, based on this interview, I’d say she’s extremely dangerous!”

But Luffy and Chopper were on the other side of the deck, too busy roaring with laughter as Robin’s many hands kept tickling them.

Usopp’s face morphed into a pointy-toothed snarl as he yelled, “Are you guys listening at all?!”

Bang!

Up on the second-floor balcony, Nami slammed her high heels against the wall, making a loud noise. “Honestly! Can’t believe we let her run circles around us. Useless! She’s been a vice president at that criminal company this whole time.”