Shiki glanced down at her, his eyes carrying a mix of cold indifference and disdain.
"Little girl, you're barking up the wrong tree," he said calmly. "I'm no saint. While I can't stand these government rats hiding in the sewers, I'm not about to act recklessly for your sake."
Nami's heart plummeted to the depths, but she refused to give up.
"I'm not asking for a handout!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. "I can help you! I'm a navigator—my skills are useful to you! If you'll just save us, I can serve you! I'll prove my worth!"
Hearing this, Shiki actually raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat interested in her proposal.
A good navigator was hard to find.
But just as quickly, his expression returned to a cold calm.
He shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of frustration.
"In the past, I might have taken you up on that offer." He gestured vaguely at himself. "But now... my position is different. I'm Ron's bodyguard, and causing an incident would only bring him headaches. I'm not interested in such a losing deal."
"Ron?" Nami's head snapped up.
The name.
The name she'd heard on the Den Den Mushi.
It was her last, one-in-a-million lifeline.
"I know Ron!" she shouted desperately. "He's the vice-captain of the Whitebeard Pirates! Our captain, Luffy, is Ace's brother! And Ace is a member of the Whitebeard Pirates! Helping us wouldn't be aiding outsiders! Please!"
"Hmm?"
Shiki frowned, studying Nami thoughtfully for a long second.
The connection was there.
But Ace's brother was Straw Hat Luffy and Nico Robin belong to the Strawhats pirates.
Which meant the Poneglyphs... which meant the World Government…
'Screw that.'
This wasn't a simple rescue; it was a whole mess of world-ending headaches.
"Not interested," he declared, his voice final.
Nami's eyes dimmed.
She knew she had no way out. Her last hope had just shattered.
Just then, the CP9 members began to close in again, their professional patience clearly at an end.
Kalifa's cold laughter rang in her ears.
"It seems you have no escape left, Cat Burglar. Surrender quietly—you might suffer less."
Nami gritted her teeth, a final spark of defiant fury igniting in her eyes.
She clenched her fists, murmuring under her breath, "Even if I'm alone... I'll never give up."
The CP9 members, meanwhile, were secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Shiki choosing not to interfere was the best possible outcome.
After all, facing this living legend, even they couldn't be confident of escaping unscathed.
But their hearts were still roiling with the aftershock of what they'd heard.
Shiki, that unruly, untamable legend, would actually work for someone?
"What kind of joke is this?" Kaku murmured quietly, his tone full of disbelief. "Shiki submitting to someone?"
"This world is getting more and more absurd," Kalifa added coldly, though a flicker of unconcealed shock passed through her eyes.
Now was not the time to dwell on it.
They refocused on their mission.
Lucci glanced up at Shiki one last time.
"Since you have no intention of interfering, we have no orders to apprehend you. Our mission is only to take Nico Robin. We hope you won't obstruct us."
Upon hearing this, Shiki merely waved his hand casually, his back still turned.
"Do as you please. I have no interest in your trivial government games."
His attitude somewhat reassured the CP9 members, but it also made them even more curious about the "Ron" behind the legend.
The vice-captain of the Whitebeard Pirates… what kind of existence could make a monster like Shiki willingly serve him?
However, just as CP9 prepared to take Robin away, Nami's despair had reached its peak.
Watching Robin surrounded, she felt utterly powerless.
Tears filled her eyes as she whispered, "Robin... I'm sorry... I can't do anything..."
Robin glanced back at Nami, her eyes filled with a sad tenderness and determination.
She said softly, "Nami, don't blame yourself. This is my choice. You must survive... One day, we will meet again."
Yet at this exact moment of ultimate despair, a deafening, unfamiliar roar suddenly echoed from the skies!
Immediately after, a massive crimson dragon descended from the sky, carrying an unparalleled momentum as it crashed directly into the empty space between CP9 and the Straw Hat crew.
The tremendous impact instantly cracked the solid ground, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
The CP9 members were forced to leap back by the sheer force, their faces filled with shock and new vigilance.
Nami stared wide-eyed, unable to believe the scene before her.
As the dust gradually settled, a tall figure slowly emerged from the dragon's back.
He wore a white cloak, his long black hair flowing in the wind.
His eyes were cold, his face refined, and his entire aura was one of extraordinary, effortless control.
His appearance seemed to freeze the surrounding air.
"Ron..." one of the CP9 agents whispered, recognizing the face from the new wanted posters.
"Just like the reports… he's the vice-captain of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"He looks so young!"
Ron's cold gaze swept across everyone present—past a shocked Nami, a resigned Robin, and an amused-looking Shiki—finally settling on the government agents.
"CP9," he said, his voice quiet but carrying an icy edge. "Messing around in my territory… you'd better have a good reason for that."
With those hostile words, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
The members of CP9 wore grim expressions, an ominous premonition rising in their hearts.
Were they really this unlucky?
Just when they were morbidly curious about the legendary Ron, he actually showed up?
Meanwhile, Nami stared blankly at the man who had descended from the sky on a dragon, the very man whose name she had just shouted in desperation.
A tiny, impossible glimmer of hope rekindled in her eyes.