Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 37: Nicole Robin, the Outstanding Traitor.

Robin was also a little confused by what Bane said.

How did the topic suddenly shift to this?

Although Nico Robin originally planned to first make contact with Bane, then sow discord between Bane and Crocodile, ultimately causing them to fight, she hoped to use this opportunity to get rid of Crocodile, or better yet, eliminate him.

Yes, Robin also wanted to silence them; she was also very insecure.

Even so, Bane's proactive invitation to her to take down Crocodile still left her feeling quite uneasy.

Nico Robin, who has survived years of wandering among various criminal organizations, has a life filled with betrayal and being betrayed.

Therefore, the moment Bane uttered those words, several guesses had already flashed through her mind.

Could it be that Crocodile already knew Bane, and now Crocodile is using Bane to test me?

Could it be that Bane is actually a member of the World Government, and he wants to use me to get rid of Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and then deal with me as well?

Will it?

In short, a variety of dark thoughts flashed through Robin's mind.

However, she remained outwardly calm, and even feigned a troubled expression a few seconds later, saying, "I clearly heard our club president say that he had no contact with you, so I assumed there was no conflict between the two of you. How did things suddenly turn out this way?"

After a slight pause, Robin asked again, "Even if you say that, I should at least know the reason, right? Why would you want to target our president? Is there some misunderstanding? I can act as a mediator and help you resolve this."

"What misunderstanding could there be?" Bane waved his hand dismissively. "I have never had any contact with Crocodile, nor do I know him, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to kill him."

Then, Bane exhaled another puff of smoke and said, "As for the reason, as a bounty hunter, it's reasonable for me to want to kill a pirate, right? Even if he's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, it's better this way; it will enhance my reputation and prestige on the seas, won't it?"

Nico Robin didn't try to refute anything, lest she anger Bane. It wouldn't be worth sacrificing herself for Crocodile, and she didn't have that kind of loyalty.

But she couldn't just agree like that, so she tactfully said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Bane, the president has treated me quite well, and I have no intention of betraying him. I'm sure you wouldn't like a traitor, would you?"

Bane listened to this, looked into Robin's eyes, and after a moment of silence, said, "But didn't you grow up surrounded by betrayal and intrigue? Loyalty is the cheapest thing to you. Do you really think Crocodile would trust you?"

Nico Robin couldn't refute this. She didn't know how much this person knew about her, but it was definitely more than she imagined. Saying anything now would only make things worse, so it was better to remain silent.

But she also knew that if she remained silent again and again, the man's patience might run out, and then she would be in danger.

So after a brief silence, Robin spoke up: "Crocodile certainly doesn't trust me, but I can't trust you either, and I certainly can't betray him because of your words. Because you give me the feeling that you're more dangerous than him. With him, at least I still have some initiative, but with you, I only feel danger, deadly danger, so..."

As she spoke, she kept observing Bane's expression. Whenever Bane's expression changed in a negative direction, she would decisively change her words.

But judging from her near-perfect ability to read people, none of the things she said, including the change in honorifics, made the man in front of her feel uncomfortable at all. This puzzled her and made her even more unable to see through him.

"So you need to be able to trust me... Hmm, that's a bit difficult, so it's definitely not that requirement. Let me think." Bane stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then a look of realization appeared in his eyes. "I see. You need me to clearly tell you what your value to me is? Only when this value is confirmed can you trust me to a certain extent. At least until this value ends, I won't just throw you away or even exchange you for someone else's new value?"

Robin didn't speak, but her expression already showed that she agreed with what Bane meant.

In fact, her cooperation with Crocodile was the same. She knew that Crocodile wanted to use her knowledge to decipher the Poneglyphs and obtain the Ancient Weapons, so she could trust Crocodile to a certain extent. This trust was based on this need.

Robin judged that Crocodile would not harm her before he had information about the Ancient Weapon, and would even protect her from various forces. As it turned out, this was indeed the case over the years.

Similarly, she was certain that once Crocodile got what he wanted, it would mean that she had no value here and Crocodile would definitely kill her!

So before that, she wants to take care of Crocodile!

Now, she needs Bane to give her a suitable reason to prove that she is needed by him. Only this need can help the two of them establish a small foundation of trust in a short period of time. As for the future, that depends on their various performances.

The two were talking in a rather convoluted way, to the point that even Zoro, who was standing to the side, couldn't quite understand. He looked at Nami, seemingly wanting her to explain it to him in a low voice, but Nami just gave him a cold, indifferent glare.

On the other side, after thinking for a moment, Bane spoke again: "This is not difficult, but I don't want to prove these things. Let me put it this way, whether you trust me or not, in my eyes, you have no choice at all, because I know you better than you think, and at the same time, I have chips and reasons for you to run away that you absolutely cannot refuse."

Robin didn't believe such words at all. Through their brief conversation, she had already judged that Bane seemed to be very patient and tolerant towards her. So at this moment, she added some probing in her words, wanting to see if this tolerance and patience was even greater than she guessed.

Therefore, at this moment, Robin changed his tone slightly, deliberately saying in a provocative manner, "Is that so? If you have such leverage that I can't refuse, such an inescapable reason, then why do you need to communicate with me in this way? You could just threaten me directly, order me around, couldn't you? After all, I can't refuse."

Bane paused for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter: "So you thought I was lying to you? Hahaha, no, no, no, it's just because I admire you. I admire your courage and responsibility in fighting against those scum on Mary Geoise to the end, even though you bear the infamy of being misunderstood by the whole world, the guilt of being the so-called son of the devil who wants to destroy the world, Ohara, and you still insist on conveying the voice of Ohara to the future, and in preserving a spark of history."

Robin was somewhat moved by Bane's words. He stared blankly at the meat in his bowl, as if something had touched him and he was lost in memories.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

But how could a woman who has grown up in darkness open her heart and trust others so easily just because of a few words?

"So, what is it that I can't refuse and what is the reason I can't escape? I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm past the age where I'd be foolish enough to trust others just because they praise me and say nice things," Nicole Robin said softly.

At that moment, her eyes regained their clarity and rationality.

"What an unlovable woman. No one will like someone like that." Bane curled his lip, then tapped the wooden tabletop with his finger, looking into Nico Robin's eyes and said, "Former Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Haguval D. Saul is not dead. He is hiding somewhere, and I know where. That's one thing. Now, would you like to hear the second?"

When Saul's name came out of Bane's mouth, Nico Robin, who had been restraining her emotions and trying to appear as rational as possible, suddenly slammed her hands on the table. She didn't speak, but her eyes were filled with light and expectation, no longer endless darkness. Her hands trembled as she pressed them on the table.

After a moment, she seemed to have composed herself and was able to speak properly. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "And the second one?"

Bane admired her even more now. At a time like this, she was able to maintain a sense of restraint and rationality, prioritizing obtaining as much information as possible instead of pressing Saul about his situation. That was quite admirable.

So Bane didn't keep them in suspense any longer and said, "Secondly, those precious books in the Tree of Ohara weren't destroyed in the Buster Call. A large portion of them were preserved and are now hidden somewhere. So, would you like to hear the third point?"

Nicole Robin wanted to nod and ask what the third point was, but she knew that with just these two points, she couldn't refuse. Bane was right; he had bargaining chips she couldn't refuse and reasons she absolutely couldn't escape!

So now, she needs to demonstrate her excellence so that her new boss will be satisfied with her soon and tell her the answers to the first two questions.

Therefore, Robin suppressed her curiosity and anticipation, and gave a wise and gentle smile, saying, "No need, Lord Bane. We can talk about how to defeat Crocodile now."

"Hahaha, I admire you more and more, Nico Robin!" Bane laughed and praised.

(End of this chapter)