The red dragon soared through the sky, racing across the land below.
By the time Gawain arrived at Whisky Peak, the sun had already set.
The moon had risen, casting a cool glow over the landscape, illuminating everything as if it were daylight.
Robin stood on Gawain's shoulder, her long black hair billowing in the fierce wind.
This would be her first time meeting the rest of the crewmates.
Aside from Nami, whom she had spoken with over the Den Den Mushi, the others were still strangers to her.
At this moment, her long-hardened heart felt an unfamiliar sense of nervousness.
Gawain saw the situation and began introducing his companions on the ship: "Kuro has a gloomy personality; you two should have plenty to talk about. Gin is straightforward but also a bit single-minded."
"Zoro is completely obsessed with his three-sword style. Other than being... Extremely... ridiculously bad with directions, he's relatively normal."
"Sanji is a great cook, but you'd best keep your distance from him."
"Chopper... Van Augur..."
"In short, the people on this ship may have some—"
Halfway through, Gawain couldn't help but recall Nami's mean expression when she was promoting the movie to Chopper and others.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and his voice subconsciously raised a few notes: "Some... Not necessarily small flaws, but overall, they're good people, just with a tendency for some disturbing levels of dark humor."
Robin smiled knowingly: "For example, gathering people to peek at your dark history?!"
"How can you say such vicious words with such a pretty face?!"
"Hehehe!"
Robin covered her mouth and chuckled, and for a moment, even the uneasiness in her heart was reduced by half.
When she realized that this was Gawain's intention, her body suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness. "Here we are!"
Robin subconsciously grabbed the spikes on Gawain's back and looked down.
Dozens of pirates were casually gathered around the bonfire, drinking a glass of beer in their hands.
A man with blond hair and gentlemanly manners was calmly making various dishes for everyone with a cigarette in his mouth, and she even vaguely saw his lips opening and closing; he must have been humming a song.
"This is Sanji."
"The swordsman with three swords at his waist who was forcibly pouring alcohol down the throat of a man with a braid, a cold expression, and a pigeon perched on his shoulder, that's Zoro and Lucci."
…
"That's Gin, and that's Van Augur!"
…
"The lady sitting on the side, sipping red wine, is Kalifa, and the reindeer next to him is Chopper..."
One by one, as Gawain introduced them, the vague descriptions turned into real, tangible figures in Robin's eyes.
A tear formed at the corner of her eye, whether from the wind or from something else; she wasn't sure.
"This... Is my home now."
Robin thought to herself.
The next moment, the red dragon dove downward and landed with a thunderous crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"You're finally here!"
"Captain!"
"And... A newcomer!"
Zoro grinned as he looked at the two people walking out of the smoke and dust side by side, raised his glass, and said: "Cheers!"
His words immediately caused a response from the people around him.
"Cheers to the newcomers!"
"Whoo-hoo!"
Everyone raised their glasses and poured the wine into their mouths. Some people fell asleep, obviously drunk before that.
Everyone raised their drinks and downed them in one gulp. Some collapsed on the spot, clearly already drunk before the festivities even started.
Others, more sociable, rushed up to Robin and introduced themselves.
"I am Gerard, currently a sailor on this ship. Of course, I will not always be a sailor. In the future, Gin's position will definitely be mine!"
"Hehehe!"
Robin chuckled a few times, and before she could speak, she saw a blond figure running towards her from a distance.
It was Sanji who couldn't walk straight when he saw beauty. He kicked Gerard into the crowd.
The latter was not injured but caused a burst of laughter from everyone.
Sanji held the plate in one hand, half-knelt in front of Robin, and said in a gentlemanly manner: "Beautiful lady, I am Sanji, the chef of this ship, and I will be your exclusive knight from now on."
Robin was slightly stunned and instinctively prepared to respond with a ladylike attitude when she felt her hand being pulled up.
At this moment, Sanji's face was full of romantic intent as he leaned in to kiss it.
Robin's mouth twitched: "Sure enough, the captain is right; it's best to stay away from this guy."
"Seis Fleur Slap!"
As the voice fell to the ground, several palms suddenly grew out of Sanji's body and slapped him in the face frantically...
Snap! Snap! Snap!
For a moment, the scene was filled with sounds like firecrackers, and Sanji's face was slapped into a pig's head in just a few seconds.
Everyone was sore when they saw it.
"Hiss... It hurts, it really hurts!"
"Brutal, too brutal!"
"I heard that the newcomer used to work at Baroque Works, but I didn't believe it. Now I see that I should stop hanging around in front of her."
"Yeah, you're right..."
After a few seconds, Sanji held the plate and stood in front of Robin properly, bending his waist to 90 degrees: "Sumimasen. ("I'm sorry)"
"Gomen nasai. (I am sorry)"
Robin smiled at Sanji, but instead of feeling captivated, Sanji felt a chill run down his spine.
For the first time, he truly realized women are noble and worthy of respect, but they can also be terrifying.
Robin naturally had no ill will towards Sanji's thoughts. With a smile in her eyes, she looked around and gradually matched the faces of the people with Gawain's description.
Soon, Robin noticed Kalifa, who was peeking at Gawain in the corner, and her breath was slightly choked.
Something was wrong; this woman's eyes had never left Gawain... Competitor?!
Most likely.
"I'm Nico Robin. My profession is archaeology."
"As for what I like... Rather than saying what, let me say who, and that's none other than Captain Gawain!"
Silence, everyone's gaze snapped toward Robin.
A gust of cold wind blew past, making the flames in the bonfire flicker, casting wavering shadows on everyone's stunned faces.
"So... So direct and bold?!"
In the corner, Nami took a breath of cold air, and the gossip fire in her eyes burned fiercely.
As the saying goes, the greatest sword needs no edge; true skill is effortless.
That level of straightforwardness, paired with a face and body, even she found enticing... Damn, a formidable opponent has arrived.
Gaza, you know I'm on your side... But this time, the competition is just too strong.
So charging double for my services isn't unreasonable, right?
With that thought, a mischievous smirk formed on Nami's lips, her eyes gleaming in the shape of gold coins.
She was ready to make full use of her insider information and squeeze Gaza for every last Belly.
While the crew sat in stunned silence.
Crack!
Kalifa crushed the glass in her hand.
It took everything in her to keep herself composed in front of Gawain.
Such a strong opponent!
"Hiss..."
Although Gawain's personality is not close to women, it is hard to say that he will not be conquered by such a straightforward player.
No, she can't wait.
Tonight, she has to sort out a plan to conquer the captain.
Kalifa took out a handkerchief from her bosom with a stern face, wiped off the wine on her body, greeted Robin with a fake smile, and turned to leave.
However, the scene became even more lively at that moment.
"What the hell, another one?!"
"So many women are after the captain; wait, what's so great about him?!"
A pirate with an oddly shaped face and a body as round as a ball dramatically flipped his slanted bangs, striking a pose as if he were a unique beauty in this world.
His companion couldn't hold back and spat directly in his face.
"That's just too much!"