Build The Strongest Family in the Prirate World

There is currently no conflict between the Baroque Works organization and the Figarland Family.

Crocodile, fully aware of the world's vastness, has been working secretly. His goal for Baroque Works is just to establish it as a regular underground group in the first half of the Grand Line. At most, they provide him with information or items like Dance Powder when needed.

Crocodile never saw Baroque Works as his true power base. Even now, its official leader is still only Nico Robin.

However, while there's no conflict between the Figarland Family and Baroque Works, this doesn't mean that other factions under Duke's command have no issues with them.

The Noxus Empire, for example, has long been targeting the Spring Kingdom and Winter Kingdom. Much of the wealth from Uranus Kingdom has already been looted and taken by Baroque Works.

The Noxus Empire invested significant effort in defeating the elites of the Three Seasons Kingdom. But in the end, the capitals' riches from two kingdoms were stolen by Baroque Works. This left Swain and others furious—they desperately needed funds to develop and expand the Noxus Empire!

Even Duke couldn't tolerate this. That money was supposed to be his.

After some investigation, they uncovered the truth: Baroque Works was the group behind the large-scale theft of the kingdoms' wealth. This scheme was orchestrated by Nico Robin herself.

As an organization with a significant reputation in the first half of the Grand Line, Baroque Works had been approached by envoys from the Three Seasons Kingdom. The envoys wanted to hire Baroque Works to fight against the Noxus Empire.

Baroque Works is like a mercenary group that takes money in exchange for completing jobs. And since they needed funds to expand, they saw no reason to reject the lucrative offer from the Three Seasons Kingdom.

However, several senior agents and wealthy leaders from Baroque Works ended up killed by Darius and his forces. But to Nico Robin, this loss didn't matter much.

Robin, who has long grown used to betrayal and manipulation, has a deep understanding of the nature of pirates, bounty hunters, kings, and nobles.

The agents she sent to support the Three Seasons Kingdom's forces were never the true elites of Baroque Works.

From the start, Nico Robin never planned to settle for a simple paycheck from this mission.

Before the decisive battle between the combined forces of the Three Seasons Kingdom and the Noxus Empire, Nico Robin had already sent agents from Baroque Works, including Mr. 2 Bon Kurei (Bentham), Mr. 3 (Galdino), and others, to hide near the waters of both factions. Their plan was simple: once the battle ended, they would plunder the losing side.

Even though she couldn't recruit the original Mr. 1, Daz Bonez, Nico Robin still managed to bring Bentham (Mr. 2) and Galdino (Mr. 3) into Baroque Works.

For pirates and criminals, countries not allied with the World Government are tempting targets. Nico Robin never felt guilty about stealing from the kings and nobles of such nations.

After all, her homeland, Ohara, was completely destroyed by the World Government simply because they studied historical texts. Branded as the "Devil Child" with a high bounty on her head, Robin had endured countless attacks from pirates and bounty hunters. She had experienced the harsh reality of this world firsthand.

Kindness and innocence? Robin had left those behind long ago.

To her, there was no such thing as real justice on the sea. In this world, only the winners define what justice is.

When news arrived that the allied forces of the Three Seasons Kingdom had been wiped out, Bentham, Galdino, and others—following Nico Robin's orders—split into two groups. Along with other pirates and bounty hunters who had their own schemes, they quickly defeated the kingdom's remaining defenders, who had lost morale after their army's defeat.

They pillaged and destroyed the Spring Kingdom and Winter Kingdom. If the Noxus Empire hadn't moved swiftly, even the Summer Kingdom might not have escaped Baroque Works' attack.

"So, it was her who stole all my money in the end?"

Duke's lips twitched, his expression a mix of frustration and complexity.

"Well, she really is my daughter, after all…"

Duke wasn't the original Duke, but this body undeniably belonged to Nico Robin's father. That connection made his feelings toward her complicated.

When Duke learned that Nico Robin had joined Baroque Works and was temporarily under Crocodile's protection, he chose not to seek her out immediately. There was no urgent danger, and he felt uncertain about how to face her.

Why should someone act like a parent simply because of blood ties? Even if that daughter was Nico Robin herself?

But Duke now felt the time had come to meet her. Avoiding the situation wouldn't solve anything.

Duke's appearance in this world had disrupted the timeline, making the future unpredictable. Originally, Nico Robin could have stayed under Crocodile's protection until Luffy arrived to change her fate. Now, however, no one could guarantee her safety.

Even if he didn't know how to approach her, Duke was certain of one thing: he couldn't allow Nico Robin to die before achieving her dreams. She deserved to see the world change alongside Luffy and his crew, ushering in the so-called "New Era."

This world wasn't a lighthearted adventure like the one Luffy and his friends seemed to experience. It was brutal, where death was final, and anyone could die at any moment due to unforeseen events.

For instance, Edward Weevil, who was supposed to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and Pierrot, the undertaker who should've lived much longer—both were far stronger than Nico Robin at this point. Yet now, they were dead.

Duke, along with Ahri and Controller Catarina Devon, began quietly traveling from the West Blue to the Grand Line.

Meanwhile, Vladimir, who had just been recognized as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, successfully reached the New World. As a Warlord, Vladimir didn't need to take the dangerous route through the deep sea like regular pirates. Instead, he used the safer routes controlled by the World Government to cross through Fish-Man Island.

Beehive Island, where Captain John's legendary treasure was hidden, was now within Vladimir's sight.

But there was one problem: Beehive Island already had an owner.