Aranea didn’t deliver a fatal blow to Nami. Instead, she drove a fist into Nami’s abdomen, sending her crashing into a stone pillar behind her, a strike identical to her opening move.

"Stop!"

By the time Aranea finished her punch, Robin, who had been on the ground with her hands corroded by acid, had already forced herself back up.

"You still want to keep fighting?" Aranea waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it. There’s no need for me to even draw the gun-lance from my back."

Robin looked up. Indeed, Aranea had been carrying a massive gun-lance on her back the entire time. Throughout the battle, she had relied solely on her Devil Fruit powers to leave the three of them speechless and battered, with Raki’s fate remaining unknown.

Robin had not set foot in the New World for over twenty years. While she had heard of Logia types and knew of elemental counters, for instance, using water against Crocodile’s sand, she surmised that Aranea’s steam should be countered by lightning. However, she knew nothing of Haki.

She couldn’t use lightning. She couldn’t win.

Realizing this, Robin lowered her crossed arms. Both Nami and Aranea blinked in surprise.

"I am no match for you," Robin said with blunt honesty.

"Heh, you certainly know when to fold. I’ve met many pirates who knew they were outmatched but insisted on charging in anyway." Aranea paused, her gaze shifting as she scrutinized Robin. "Wait... are you Nico Robin? The pirate who gained a 79 million berry bounty at only seven years old?"

A flash of panic crossed Robin’s face. Aranea simply shook her head. "Sorry. Letting those Shandia go twice has already taught me how much trouble mercy brings. Even if you’ve lost your will to fight, I still can’t let you go."

As Aranea spoke, steam began to billow from her palms, looking as though it could corrode the very air itself.

Despair washed over Nami’s face. Am I going to die here? To die in such a pathetic way?

"Wait!" Robin raised a hand to stop her. "I can pledge my loyalty to you, but you must let the Straw Hat crew go."

Nami was stunned, having no idea why Robin would say such a thing.

Is she sacrificing herself to infiltrate the enemy camp to save us?

Yes, that must be it! After all, I’ve done the same thing before. It’s no big deal. Nami consoled herself in her mind.

The steam in Aranea’s palms didn’t stop. She studied Robin with curiosity in her eyes. "You... what do you have that would interest the Captain?"

Aranea’s eyes roved up and down Robin’s body, guessing aloud, "Is it Flower-Flower Fruit ability? Your figure? Your body... or something else?"

Even in such dire straits, Aranea’s "thug-like" commentary made both Nami and Robin’s faces flush. Yet, it was the reality of the situation; Aranea truly couldn’t imagine what Robin possessed that could attract Alucard, a man currently closing in on the top of the Yonko.

"One of the Three Ancient Weapons, the Sea King Poseidon, Princess Shirahoshi, is already with the Immortal Pirates, isn’t she? In that case, wouldn’t you want the next Ancient Weapon?"

The moment Robin spoke, the steam in Aranea’s hands vanished. She stared intently at Robin, remaining silent for a long time.

Sensing she had hit a nerve, Robin quickly added, "You know I am from Ohara. You should know that I can read the Poneglyphs. When I was with Crocodile, I deciphered the location of Pluton."

Aranea could no longer remain calm. After a long silence, she said, "This... I need to consult the Captain."

Aranea leapt onto a stone house and dialed her Den Den Mushi.

Nami struggled to her feet, preparing to grab Robin and bolt, but Aranea suddenly commanded, "PX-2, PX-3, PX-6... watch them."

No sooner had Aranea spoken than three identical giants emerged from the woods to the left, the shadows of the stone pillars, and from within the stone houses.

Pacifistas!

And there were three of them.

"The Warlord... Bartholomew Kuma!" Robin gasped in shock. "Wasn’t it said that he died a long time ago?"

One Pacifista watched Robin, another watched Nami, and the third stood between them to prevent any contact.

Soon, the call went through. Inside an ancient castle, Alucard, who was currently browsing through old books while waiting for the results of Dr. Vegapunk’s research and dissections, pressed the receiver on the Den Den Mushi atop a small wine table.

"Captain, it’s me, Aranea Highwind."

Alucard held a glass of red wine in one hand while leafing through an ancient tome brought back from his hometown castle in the North Blue. "Isn’t Vegapunk in full charge of the Sky Island affairs?"

"Ah, well, no. During the battle with the Government, I accidentally found an interesting ’Easter egg,’" Aranea joked. There were very few people who dared to joke with Alucard like this.

Robin watched Aranea from a distance, thinking with dread: She called him ’Captain.’ The one on the other end of that Den Den Mushi... must be that man.

"Robin, Robin."

At that moment, Nami whispered to Robin, "Don’t worry. We’ll definitely come to rescue you as soon as possible."

Nami was fully convinced that Robin was doing exactly what she used to do: temporarily surrendering to the enemy camp for the sake of the crew’s safety, waiting for a chance to escape.

Robin could only manage a bitter smile. If it were any other pirate crew, she might actually have intended to do that.

But the Immortal Pirates...

Robin recalled the famous internal conflict within the Immortal Pirates years ago. Alucard had quelled the rebellion single-handedly, and to this day, no one dared to even think of mutiny, a tale still discussed by many with awe.

Even top-tier New World experts like Lucky Roux had nearly lost their lives, only being saved out of respect for Whitebeard. What skill or courage did she, Nico Robin, have to betray the Immortals after joining them?

On the other end, Aranea finished reporting Robin’s intel and awaited Alucard’s command.

"Pluton, one of the three weapons... is that so? I didn’t know that was still on the table..." Alucard muttered to himself.

"Captain, how do we handle this?" Aranea asked for instructions.

"I cannot simply sit by and watch those ’Gods’ in the Government grow more powerful... Bring her back."