# Chapter 23: Conditions
Because of the festival attire and masks, Robin didn't notice the two of them as the distance grew closer.
Looking from afar at Nico Robin, Su Xiao noticed that her gaze would casually sweep across the surrounding crowd. Having been pursued by the World Government since childhood, Robin remained vigilant wherever she went.
Robin had a tall, slender figure, her skin was a healthy light brown, her soft long hair draped over her shoulders, and she wore a tight black dress that accentuated her S-shaped figure.
"Ship's doctor."
Robin hadn't fully integrated into the Straw Hat Pirates yet, and her address toward Chopper was still somewhat distant.
"Hmm?" Chopper, in his four-hoofed reindeer form, looked up at Robin. Chopper was originally a reindeer who later ate the Human-Human Fruit, making his intelligence equal to that of a human.
"There's a bookstore over there."
Robin pointed to a bookstore in the distance.
"Really?"
Chopper shot off with a whoosh. Medical books held an irresistible allure for Chopper.
This scene left the composed Robin momentarily stunned, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. The Straw Hat Pirates gave her a feeling different from other pirate crews. If possible...
Robin shook her head. She couldn't stay with the Straw Hat Pirates. After arriving at Water Seven, she planned to part ways with them.
Though reluctant, it had to be this way. She didn't want to harm those companions.
That was right—for the current Robin, the members of the Straw Hat Pirates had already become true companions.
Chopper dashed to the bookstore, turned his head to look at Robin, and asked adorably, "Can I take a look along the way?"
Robin chuckled softly, her eyes filled with warmth as she looked at Chopper.
"Of course, let's go together."
"Great!" Chopper cheered.
At that moment, two figures in festival attire passed by Robin's left and right simultaneously. In that instant, the noise of the street faded from Robin's ears.
"I am CP9."
Blueno's deep voice came through. Robin's body tensed, her mouth slightly open as the breeze stirred her black hair.
"That reindeer is coming too." Su Xiao spoke.
"No."
Robin's head drooped, her shoulders trembling.
"You don't have the right to choose. Blueno, you go. I'll handle Nico Robin."
Blueno grunted in acknowledgment and turned to leave.
Robin clenched her teeth, a dagger sliding out from her sleeve. She said in a low voice, "Do you want to take my corpse back?"
Blueno's steps halted.
"Robin, I'm going into the bookstore first!"
An adorable shout came from the distance—it was Chopper.
Robin forced a smile, trying not to let Chopper notice anything unusual.
"Mm, I'm going to buy a mask over there. If we get separated, come back to the ship to find me."
Chopper hesitated at the bookstore entrance. For some reason, he suddenly didn't want to part with Robin. He didn't know why, but it felt like if they separated now, he might never see Robin again.
"Then... then I won't go first."
Robin's heart tightened. She quickly said, "It's fine. Remember to check if the bookstore has any history books. I'll come find you in a few minutes."
That reassured Chopper, and he happily ran into the bookstore. But Chopper didn't see the gleaming dagger hidden in the sleeve of Robin's arm pressed against her chest—the very dagger that had protected Chopper.
For Blueno, Robin couldn't die. The same went for Su Xiao—he had a side mission. If Robin died before reaching Enies Lobby, he would be forcibly teleported back to Reincarnation Paradise, which would be a huge loss.
If Su Xiao could make a big score in this high-martial world, his strength would skyrocket.
Seeing Chopper safely enter the bookstore, Robin breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and followed behind Su Xiao.
Robin already imagined her fate. With a CP9 agent so close, she knew escape was impossible.
Robin stared blankly at Su Xiao's back. For some reason, she suddenly felt exhausted. Since she was a child, she had been hiding and running, with betrayal and abandonment becoming routine.
At some point, Robin had learned to live cunningly, using others to protect herself, forcing them to face enemies when necessary.
Robin understood ancient texts. No pirate crew would reject her, since Roger's legend was inseparable from the Poneglyphs.
"How stupid."
Following behind Su Xiao, Robin murmured. She was mocking herself. If she had been ruthless enough to use the Straw Hat Pirates, she would never be in this situation. But she couldn't bring herself to do it—she couldn't imagine those who had become her companions lying in pools of blood.
Su Xiao led Robin to an abandoned factory. After entering, he removed the heavy mask from his head and took off the cumbersome robe.
"What are you doing?"
Su Xiao's actions startled Blueno.
"It's nothing."
Blueno quickly understood Su Xiao's intention and nodded.
Seeing Su Xiao remove his mask, Robin crossed her arms over her chest, her body trembling slightly.
CP9 agents had seen her face. Robin knew what this meant—they didn't intend to let her live, so seeing her face didn't matter.
"Nico Robin, you are under arrest."
Blueno spoke, his voice somewhat muffled since he hadn't removed his mask.
"I can go with you, but I have conditions."
Robin's trembling body relaxed. She suddenly felt that living was too tiring, constantly causing misfortune for others. At that moment, she no longer wanted to live, so a smile appeared on her face as the pressure lifted from her.
"You don't have the right to make demands."
Blueno flatly refused Robin.
"No, I do. The knowledge in my mind is what the World Government desperately wants—not just the Poneglyphs, but other knowledge too. That's why the World Government has never killed me outright."
Robin pressed the dagger against her delicate neck, a trace of blood appearing. This showed she had the resolve to stab down.
Blueno's expression changed. This was bad.
"Clever."
Su Xiao's wrist reel tightened.
Zzzz— The sound of metal wire retracting came. Robin's body and arms were bound by Realm Severing Thread.
"Blueno, can you stop bleeding?"
Su Xiao's question confused Blueno.
"What do you mean?"
"If we only need a live capture, then cut off the limbs and bring them back."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Robin's throat went dry, and the arm holding the dagger trembled.
Blueno looked at Su Xiao in surprise. He had a feeling that this person might have worked in similar espionage work before—no, probably in an even more brutal department.
The truth was similar. Su Xiao could even pretend to be from the Dark Division, let alone an agent. The Dark Division of some ancient empires was far more ruthless than any intelligence agency.
Crack.
A crisp sound came from Robin's mouth, and a trace of blue liquid flowed from the corner of her lips.
"You can control my body, but you can't stop my swallowing. My mouth is now full of poison."
Robin actually had such a trick up her sleeve. Considering she had been evading the World Government since childhood, this wasn't surprising.
Robin had two poison capsules in her mouth. The capsule shells were very sturdy, so accidentally swallowing them wouldn't matter.
But if she bit through the capsules, the poison inside would flow out. After swallowing this poison, she would die within a few dozen seconds. This was Robin's last resort.