Chapter 131: "Persuading" a Resigning Employee

After Garen’s little performance, the secret chamber of the tomb fell silent once more.

Robin took the Den Den Mushi she had been hiding in her clothes and held it to her ear, but all she heard was a busy signal. Clearly, Crocodile had been so enraged that he had hung up and was now storming toward the royal tomb, brimming with murderous intent.

"It seems..." Robin gave Garen a long, deep look. "You knew I was a mole sent by Crocodile from the very beginning."

"That’s right. It wasn’t hard to guess," Garen nodded, answering casually. "Crocodile isn't the type to give up easily after a setback. And knowing his personality, he would never just sit by and watch the only person capable of deciphering the Poneglyphs jump ship so easily."

Garen looked at Robin again. "Crocodile will be here soon. I’m going out to deal with him; you just stay here and focus on deciphering that Poneglyph."

"No problem. I will finish my work." Robin wore a professional, practiced smile and added in a soft voice, "Then I wish you success in your battle, my new boss."

The moment those words left her lips, her artificial smile stiffened. She suddenly felt her wrists come into contact with something hard and cold, and her body went limp, as if she had turned into soft dough, drained of all strength. The sudden physical collapse caught her off guard, causing her to stumble and fall directly into Garen’s powerful embrace.

This wasn't a romantic moment for Robin, however. The hand supporting her limp form held a pair of cold shackles, and the other end was already firmly locked onto her fair, slender wrist.

"Seastone handcuffs?" Robin gasped, the name of the special restraints slipping out in a panic.

"Exactly." Garen nodded. With his current wealth and influence, acquiring a few pairs of Seastone handcuffs was no difficult task. He grabbed Robin’s other hand and firmly clicked the remaining shackle into place, leaving her in a helpless, vulnerable state.

"What are you doing?" A look of unprecedented fear crossed Robin’s eyes, and her usually calm, cold voice wavered with panic.

"What am I doing?" Garen gave a light laugh, his expression mocking. "Why, that’s obvious..."

A broad, warm hand immediately pressed against Robin’s waist and abdomen, searching her body without restraint.

"You!" Robin shuddered, her face flushing with heat. Garen did not stop; if anything, he became even more thorough. After a few seconds, he pulled a pile of small items from her clothing.

"Ink brushes, rubbing cloth, a camera..." Garen finally withdrew his hand and tossed the items onto the floor. Looking at Robin’s tight, form-fitting outfit, he muttered to himself with a strange expression, "I really don't know... how you managed to hide so many things on your person."

Robin said nothing, only staring at Garen with a look of defeated resignation.

"As I thought..." Garen said with a touch of sentiment. "You never considered me your new boss at all. You were carrying all these things, planning to record the Poneglyph and leave immediately, weren't you? And your warning about Crocodile earlier wasn't out of concern for my safety—it was to ensure that I would clash with him, making it easier for you to escape in the chaos. As expected of the 'Child of the Devil' wanted by the World Government; your self-preservation instincts are truly sharp!"

Garen had always maintained a degree of caution toward Robin. He knew her history and her nature—he knew she found it difficult to trust anyone and was constantly on guard, like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. He didn't believe he possessed some overwhelming charisma that would make someone like Robin, who had been playing along with him, suddenly swear true loyalty to him. With the Sand Crocodile to deal with, he had no time to keep a constant watch on her, so he naturally had to "take care" of this employee whose loyalty was effectively zero.

"..." With her intentions laid bare, Robin’s face turned pale. The lingering weakness in her body made the usually mature and capable woman appear fragile. "Since it has come to this, how do you intend to dispose of me?"

"Don't worry. I just didn't want the beautiful secretary I just hired to run off so soon." Garen unfolded the rubbing cloth he had confiscated and spread it on the floor before finally setting Robin down, leaving her to sit alone on the cloth as if it were a cushion. "I said it before: I’ll handle Crocodile, you just stay here and decipher the Poneglyph."

With that, Garen walked out of the secret chamber, leaving Robin alone before the Poneglyph she had dreamed of for so long. Before leaving, he made sure to pull the stone door tightly shut. It was heavy, and with the Seastone cuffs on, Robin had no way to push it open, leaving her temporarily imprisoned.

"Sigh... so I've completely fallen into his hands." Robin sighed helplessly and struggled to shift her limp, strengthless body. Her exposed lower leg suddenly felt a chill, and she looked down: she had inadvertently shifted off the edge of the rubbing cloth and onto the cold, hard stone tiles.

She reached out to touch the cloth Garen had carefully laid out for her. Though the air was still cold, the fabric did indeed shield her from the biting frost of the stone floor. It was a trivial gesture, but in all her years, it was the first time someone had done something like that for her. The tension in her heart eased slightly, and she couldn't help but whisper to herself:

"If I follow a boss like him... perhaps things won't turn out too badly, after all?"

***

After closing the heavy stone door, Garen gripped his sword and made his way back up the secret passage toward the surface. As he emerged into the courtyard of the royal tomb, he saw a violent, swirling sandstorm descending from the sky.

Upon spotting Garen, the sand coalesced into the tall, imposing figure of Crocodile, his predatory eyes and twisted expression locking onto Garen.

"Crocodile!" Garen immediately donned a look of utter panic, his body giving a violent shudder. "How are you here?!"

Seeing Garen’s "unconscious" display of "being caught off guard" and "extreme fear," the muscles in Crocodile’s face twisted even further. A surge of fury rushed to his head; feeling utterly played for a fool, Crocodile roared at the top of his lungs:

"Garen, you shameless villain! I’ll make you spit out everything you’ve taken today!"

"Y-you..." Garen stepped back, his acting becoming even more dramatic. "Don't come any closer! I'm actually very strong!"

"Strong? Hahahaha!" Crocodile laughed out of pure rage. "Today, I’ll show you what true power is!"

As he finished his sentence, the sandstorm swirling around him intensified a thousandfold, the air screaming as he unleashed his Devil Fruit powers. Alubarna was located in the heart of the desert—dry, sandy, and windy—making it the perfect environment for his Suna Suna no Mi. Under the full exertion of his fury, the entire royal tomb was engulfed in a massive sandstorm.

Gales howled, sand danced in a chaotic frenzy, and the clear sky was completely blotted out. Looking at this natural disaster brought forth by a single person’s power, Garen couldn't help but feel a profound sense of admiration for Luffy, that young lad who had managed to beat a Logia-type user like Crocodile to a pulp without even using Haki.

The power behind Crocodile’s full-scale assault was far from limited to this. The sand from the surrounding desert was drawn in by his power, flowing in from afar to thicken the sky-choking storm. The swirling winds grew increasingly violent, and the sand carried within them struck the sturdy architecture of the tomb like blades, carving deep, jagged ravines into stone that had stood for centuries.

Just by standing in the midst of the storm, Garen could feel his health bar slowly ticking down. Facing this apocalyptic, terrifying sight, the image of a young girl with orange hair involuntarily surfaced in his mind—the first person he had met in this world, and the one he cherished most.

"Nami..." he muttered. "If you don't make it rain soon, I might just be finished."