# Chapter 333: Robin's Guarded Heart
Robin was a very intellectual woman, even her smile reflected this. There was a strong scholarly aura about her, and her smile easily drew people's favor.
Ian felt the same. After sitting down, he couldn't help but take a closer look at this big sister who exuded a mature, elegant charm.
Robin still wore her cowboy hat, and beneath its brim was a head of glossy black shoulder-length hair. She had deep, dark eyes and delicate features. Perhaps because of her years of constant escape, betrayal, and wandering, Nico Robin appeared quite mature. She knew well how to interact with others. As Ian studied her, she showed no restraint but instead smiled openly, returning his gaze.
What Ian didn't know was that while he was observing Robin, she was observing him as well.
If one were to describe their current state, perhaps the phrase "long-standing admiration without meeting" would be most fitting.
Ian knew of Robin's existence, knew her past, and knew where she was. But before this, Ian had never met Robin. The same was true for her—she had never met Ian before, but she had been following him in newspapers and news reports.
Because the process by which Ian became a Warlord was vastly different from other Warlord members. For example, Crocodile and Doflamingo had become Warlords purely because they had committed heinous crimes as pirates and were eventually co-opted by the World Government. Ian, however, had been opposing the World Government all along, and only when the World Government could do nothing about him did they make him a Warlord.
World Government, Buster Call, Marine Admiral—these words filled Robin's childhood nightmares. The destruction of Ohara was the darkest moment in her heart, and she felt deep fear toward the power of the World Government.
Yet this man, Ian, had directly set fire to the Celestial Dragons' manor in Holy Land Mary Geoise, freeing the slaves. This was a direct confrontation with the World Government. By all logic, such a person should never escape the World Government's pursuit. But Ian had pulled through and even forced the World Government to recognize his status as a Warlord.
That's how people are—when powerless to face what they fear, they secretly admire someone who can stand against that fear, making them a role model to worship.
Yes, what Ian didn't know was that Robin actually admired him deeply inside. That was why she had been following him all along.
After silently gazing at each other for a while, Ian suddenly smiled and asked Robin, "The one who spoke in the crowd earlier was you, wasn't it? Your voice is quite distinctive—I recognized it immediately."
Robin smiled and said, "I hope you don't mind me revealing your identity."
Ian shook his head. Actually, after entering Alubarna, he hadn't intended to hide his identity. Being recognized was even better—that way, Crocodile would find him.
But... Ian rubbed his chin and looked at Robin. "Why did you come? Where's Crocodile?"
As they spoke, the waiter in the tavern had already poured their drinks and quietly left. This tavern was actually owned by Baroque Works. After receiving Crocodile's orders, Robin chose this place to meet and talk with Ian. That was why there were no other customers in the tavern. Even if Ian directly mentioned Crocodile's name, no one else would hear.
A curve formed at the corner of Robin's mouth. She picked up her glass, took a small sip, and said, "You really do know the boss's true identity. I'm curious—do all Warlords have superior intelligence capabilities?"
"Ha!" Ian laughed, knowing Robin had misunderstood. "Don't worry about how I know. These are minor issues."
"Indeed," Robin nodded. "The boss has some concerns about your intentions, so he sent me to make initial contact with you."
Hearing Robin's reply, Ian couldn't help but curl his lips. That Crocodile guy was really cautious. But then again, this kind of caution was normal. No one who became a Warlord was a fool.
But unfortunately, Crocodile would never guess that Ian's real purpose in coming to Alabasta wasn't to find him at all—it was to find Robin. Because of his caution, sending Robin to contact Ian first was actually a good thing, saving Ian a lot of trouble.
So Ian didn't say anything more and directly stated, "Actually, I didn't come here to find Crocodile at all. I came to find you!"
Robin blinked, curious. "Find me?"
"Yeah!" Ian nodded and suddenly said, "Miss Sunday—that's not your real name, just a code name, right? Can you tell me your real name?"
Robin's eyes narrowed slightly, and she smiled. "Is my name that important?"
"Of course!" Ian laughed. "Because I'm not looking for Miss Sunday—I'm looking for a woman named Nico Robin!"
Robin looked puzzled. "Nico Robin? Who are you talking about? I don't know her, Lord Ian. You must be mistaken, right?"
Although Robin hid it well, Ian still caught a flicker of panic in her eyes when he said her name.
Ian understood her reluctance to admit her real name. If he remembered correctly, Robin's current wanted poster still used the photo from when she was a child. Ever since she fled Ohara, she had been hiding for years. As she grew up, her appearance changed from that childhood photo, so she tried to conceal her real name as much as possible.
After joining Crocodile, she had been using the code name Miss Sunday, lying low within Baroque Works. Having Ian call out her name so directly naturally made her nervous.
"Don't misunderstand," Ian said with a smile. "I'm not going to do anything to you. You know, if Crocodile could find out your true identity, there's no reason I couldn't. Right?"
Robin understood the logic. But the smile on her face faded. She gently pressed down on her hat brim, covering her bangs, and said, "Fine, I am Nico Robin. So why are you looking for me?"
Seeing this gesture, Ian felt a bit helpless. He knew very well that this action of Robin's was a subconscious display of her inner guard against him.
Over the years, Robin had seen too much of the ugliness in people's hearts, so her wariness toward others was severe.
Ian knew that revealing her real name would trigger her defenses, but there was no other way. As he said before, he was looking for Nico Robin, not anyone else. If Robin didn't acknowledge her identity, communication would be difficult later.
After all, Ian was looking for Robin to translate the Poneglyphs...
Ian rubbed his forehead with some headache, feeling he had to make Robin lower her guard. So he thought for a moment, carefully choosing his words. "Robin, can I call you that?"
"Whatever you like. You're a Warlord—I can't change how you address me," Robin said flatly.
Hearing this indifferent tone, Ian sighed and said seriously, "I told you, I know your past and who you are. But I've never thought of harming you or using you. Believe it or not, but if you keep this up, we won't be able to communicate."
Robin looked at Ian, a hint of surprise in her eyes. Ian's serious expression as he said this had some effect. She finally nodded. "Alright..."
Ian looked at her, confirming that she was willing to listen, before speaking again. "I know you're a survivor of Ohara, hunted by the World Government because you can read ancient texts. I deeply sympathize with what happened to Ohara. But the past—whether for you or me—is beyond our power to change. What you need to do is keep living well."
Robin looked up at Ian in surprise. She hadn't expected that after so many years, someone would again tell her to keep living well.
As she listened to Ian's words, Robin finally realized that this Warlord seemed quite different from Crocodile.
Sincerity is an emotion that can infect others. Ian had used this to bring Fujitora aboard, which was what set him apart from many pirates. Now, Robin could feel this difference too.
Smiling, Ian said to Robin, "You're a historian—I know that well. But how much do you really know about the Poneglyphs?"
This question completely stunned Robin.
"You know about the Poneglyphs too?" Robin exclaimed in surprise.
Ian spread his hands and shrugged. "More than you might imagine. Actually, once you enter the New World, you'll understand that the Poneglyphs aren't such a big secret."
"Is... is that so?" Robin stared blankly at Ian.
Ian said, "There are thirty Poneglyphs in total, four of which are red Road Poneglyphs. If I'm not mistaken, what Ohara obtained were the true historical stone tablets..."
He began telling Robin everything he knew about the Poneglyphs. And clearly, this knowledge was something Robin was hearing for the first time. She stared intently at Ian, her ears desperately memorizing everything he said.
Although Robin had been living a life of constant displacement, she still wanted to continue pursuing the Poneglyphs. This was the legacy her mother had left behind, and Robin wanted to fulfill that dream.
But she was alone, with little ability to protect herself. She could only rely on strong figures like Crocodile, using their power to achieve her dreams.
So, even though she could read ancient texts, she had never actually seen a real Poneglyph. Even what Ian was telling her now was something she had never heard before...