A flicker of just as I expected passed through Robin's eyes. She smiled faintly.
"My usefulness isn't in direct combat."
As she spoke, a blossom spread across the table. From the wood bloomed a single eye… and an ear.
"My ability is extremely helpful when gathering intelligence. I'm confident my value outweighs any risks I bring. So please—allow me to join your crew."
She deliberately put on a slightly tense expression, as though her fate rested in someone else's hands.
At the same time, the corner of her eye swept toward Louis. She quickly simulated his next move.
Robin studied the expression on Louis' face with quiet interest and reached her conclusion:
If an ambitious schemer intends to seize the captain's seat through conspiracy… this is where he should start panicking. My intelligence-gathering ability could easily expose him. So he'll emphasize the risks I bring. He might even try to turn the accusation back on me.
Louis stared at the eye and ear growing from the table. His nose nearly twisted sideways in irritation.
Why couldn't this human barnacle just fall off already?
His face flushed with anger as he raised his voice at Captain Medica.
"Boss! If she can grow an ear, she can grow a hand. If her power can gather intel, it can also assassinate!"
"And she says she's not strong—so she isn't strong? A woman who walks right up to us like this might be hiding something. With an ability like that, what if she makes a move against you? Boss, I'm saying this for your sake. We absolutely cannot take her in!"
Bullseye.
From the corner of her eye, Robin smiled inwardly—exactly as predicted—yet outwardly she showed unease and indignation.
"Captain, until I prove my loyalty, you may assign your most trusted, most loyal, most capable subordinate to supervise me."
Louis was listening carefully. Then something felt… off.
Most trusted. Most capable.
Well. Even if he was technically just here for the paycheck, he had undeniably performed with the utmost loyalty.
Wait.
Wasn't that… him?
If he was assigned to watch her, that meant she'd be watching him right back.
Wasn't that game over?
If Robin boarded the ship and the government came hunting her down, the two of them keeping tabs on each other meant neither could run.
And if he couldn't run—
He was finished.
Robin glanced at him again, running another prediction.
Now he shouldn't dare speak further. Without sufficient justification, continuing would make him look suspicious. The smart move is to cut his losses, maintain his loyal façade, and avoid being assigned to watch me at all costs. If I watch him, he might slip up.
Louis saw the faint flicker of temptation in Captain Medica's eyes.
The boss was moved.
At this point, stopping Robin from boarding would be nearly impossible. So the priority shifted to minimizing damage.
Once Robin joined, the Tequila Pirate Company was doomed.
Under no circumstances could he be assigned to supervise Nico Robin.
If that woman stayed near him, even escaping would become impossible.
Sure, he'd been forced into piracy. Sure, everything he'd earned came from blood and effort. But they had sailed together for quite some time now.
He might as well give the boss one final bit of help.
Right. Once they docked, he'd secretly buy a few extra lifeboats and leave them behind for the captain. Maybe stock up on rum too.
Food wasn't an issue. There were fish in the sea. Aside from Nico Robin, none of them were Devil Fruit users—they could all dive. On the run, no one needed luxury. Rum and raw fish would keep a man alive.
With that resolved, Louis leaned in and lowered his voice.
"Since she's willing to go that far, her loyalty should be secure. In that case, let's accept her. If we distrust those we use, and use those we distrust, what's the point? If I'm sent to watch her, won't that just alienate her?"
Robin felt a pleasant thrill bloom in her chest.
There it was—that intoxicating sensation of seeing through everything.
In her long life on the run, this was one of her few amusements.
When she sobered from that brief indulgence, she found Louis significantly less dangerous.
A man she had completely seen through was, in a way, safe.
Predictable people were manageable.
Unconsciously, she even felt a faint sense of superiority.
I know who you really are. I see through you. You're a double-dealer—an ambitious conspirator with designs on your captain.
Though she lacked proof, ambition alone made him useful.
Captain Medica pondered briefly and nodded. Badel's words made sense.
At that moment, Robin—already showing a trace of mischievous cruelty—glanced at Louis and silently mused:
Let this captain live a few more days. Consider it payment.
She decided that during the voyage, she would keep a close eye on Louis Badel.
Having already mapped out his mindset, Robin deduced that as long as she openly declared she was merely borrowing passage, he wouldn't dare move against such an "important figure" over temporary inconvenience.
And with the powers of the Flower-Flower Fruit, her combat ability was far from weak. Combined with her sharp perception, her safety was assured. Even if monitored, she could easily vanish from his sight.
Besides—
She admitted it.
Now that she had the strength to protect herself, she indulged in a bit of dark amusement.
Life needed its pleasures. Otherwise, the crushing pressure of the World Government and the Marines would have broken her long ago.
Confident she could toy with Louis at will, Robin straightened slightly.
"Captain Medica, I also possess some basic navigational skills. I'm familiar with the sea routes of West Blue."
As she spoke, five or six arms sprouted from the table and began sketching a detailed map.
Reefs. Seasonal winds. Islands. Even local specialties—everything was clearly marked.
Louis and Medica stared in shock.
This level of navigation skill left their ship's navigator in the dust.
If this counted as "basic," then what were they? Illiterate?
Louis and Medica exchanged a glance and found identical confusion reflected in each other's eyes.
"I'm sixteen. I can do anything. Please let me join your pirate crew."
Medica had been holding onto a shred of restraint—
But in the face of that map, he folded instantly.
She claimed her expertise was limited to West Blue.
But she was a navigator.
To expand a pirate crew, you needed more ships.
To have more ships, you needed more navigators.
And she had already provided the solution to the loyalty issue—assign a trusted subordinate to supervise her.
Yes. Supervise.
Or rather—
Attend to Miss Robin, and ensure she felt right at home within the pirate crew.