"Who are you?"
At that moment, Nico Robin had shed her earlier indifference; her expression now conveyed shock and seriousness.
Albert observed the arm that had transformed into flower petals and vanished. He shrugged and reassured her, "Calm down, don't worry. I didn't intend to capture you. I just want you to be my partner."
Robin looked at Albert's earnest face and thought of her years of wandering and betrayal, and her heart grew cold.
A partner? Robin scoffed, "Heh, I doubt you'll feel the same way soon."
Albert flexed his muscles and declared earnestly, "I wouldn't do that. I'm strong enough to protect my companions."
Nami, who was beside him, chimed in, "Exactly, big sister! Albert is incredibly strong. He saved me from a terrible fate."
Bartolomeo, indignant, shouted at Robin, "Damn you! Don't casually question my boss. He's the top boss in the entire world!"
Robin noticed Nami and Bartolomeo's fierce defense of Albert, a look of longing flickering across her face before her cold demeanor returned.
"I have a job now, so I won't join you."
As Albert eyed Robin's unyielding stance, he sighed, realizing his persuasive skills were still lacking.
In a moment of self-deprecation, he pulled out a significant item, a Poneglyph.
"What did you just say?" Robin, who had been cold just moments before, suddenly exhibited a wave of anxiety.
Albert teased, "I said Poneglyph. I know where three of them are."
"Tell me quickly, where are the Poneglyphs?" Robin sprang onto the ship, urgency in her voice.
Albert continued to tease her, "Why should I tell you?"
In a hurry, Robin grabbed Albert, insisting, "Just tell me where the Poneglyphs are! If it takes joining you, I agree. Just tell me!"
As Albert stood close to Robin, he couldn't help but notice her mature allure and the subtle floral scent she carried. He thought, 'It's no surprise she's a user of the Flower-Flower Fruit; her scent is far better than any perfume I've encountered.'
Then he heard Robin's words.
"Anything?" he asked, captivated by her charm. "Really? Anything?"
Bang…
Nami kicked Albert, sending him crashing into the sea.
"Are you flirting with a girl right in front of me, like I don't exist? Hey!"
Watching Nami unleash her fury on Albert, Robin couldn't help but laugh softly; this crew was truly amusing.
Feeling deflated, Albert returned to the ship using Moonwalk, removed his shirt, wrung out the water, and protested, "Nami, I was just trying to invite Robin to our team!"
With indignation, he defended himself, adamant that he wasn't admitting to having fantasized about Robin. He didn't care whether Nami believed him; he knew his own truth.
Bang bang...
Nami punched Albert's head twice, jabbing her finger at him as she scolded, "Don't think I didn't catch your thoughts just now! I know what you think when you lift your butt!"
With a noticeable bump on his head, Albert felt a headache coming on. He thought, 'It's just a natural instinct for men to admire beauty; besides, there's a saying about heroes being inherently lustful.'
However, he wisely held his tongue; voicing such thoughts would only make matters worse. He shot Bartolomeo a glance that seemed to say, 'What are you waiting for? Help me out of this!'
Bartolomeo, reading the situation, looked between Albert and a furious Nami and decided to feign innocence, gazing at the sky as if nothing was amiss.
Rotating his eyes at Bartolomeo's nonchalant behavior, Albert thought, 'You.. wait, one day I'll get even with you.'
Unfazed, Bartolomeo sighed internally, 'The boss has guts, provoking the fearsome Nami! He's a real man. Thank goodness I'm clever; helping him now could ruin my future.'
"Nami, I was wrong! I promise to earn a lot of money for you in the future!" Albert quickly pulled out a significant item.
Money? The mere mention perked Nami up, "Isn't your money mine? You'd better not think about keeping it all to yourself!"
Uh... Albert realized he had forgotten that ever since they got together, Nami had control over their finances, leaving him with a paltry thousand Berries to spend each month.
He hastily clarified, "Nami, that's not what I meant. I'm promising to find treasures for you in the future."
"That sounds much better, hum! I'll let you off this time."
As Albert observed Nami drop the issue, he wiped his brow, grateful that the storm had passed.
Turning to Robin, who was enjoying the spectacle, Nami said assertively, "If you want to join us, you'll have to pass my test first. Otherwise, you can't join... uh, I won't let you."
The astute Robin saw through the banter and produced a cloth bag with a smile, "Really? I brought some treasures from 'Baroque Works.'"
Nami's eyes lit up as Robin spilled out gems from the bag, instantly entering "$_ $" mode. She clasped her hands together and declared, "I approve your joining! Albert, bring her aboard!"
Whoosh whoosh…
Feeling desolate, Albert was struck by two arrows, 'What do you mean by 'bring her aboard and use her'? Hey, I'm not an object—no, that's not what I meant!'
"Nami, didn't you just object?" Albert reminded her quietly.
Nami rubbed her face against the bag of gems, "What? I didn't say that! I just said Robin's a good big sister."
Albert was left speechless, reflecting, 'Nami, I'm your husband! How could you sell me out for shiny rocks?'
However, he understood Nami's feelings; she sensed that Robin meant him no harm. As for her earlier anger, it was simply her instincts as a woman—if she hadn't been angry, that would have been unusual.
Standing up, Albert approached Robin, extending his hand, "Welcome to our crew."
As Robin shook Albert's hand, she smiled, "I'll take care of you, but can you tell me where the Poneglyphs are now?"
He nodded, "Of course, but how about you give me the permanent pointer to the Alabasta Kingdom first?"
Albert wanted the pointer to expedite their journey, solve Robin's dilemma, and he recalled how Luffy had been stuck in Little Garden. He wanted to avoid a year of being trapped.
"The permanent pointer to Alabasta?" Robin asked. "Are you really heading there? There's going to be a war soon."
"I'm aware, but there's a historical text located in Alabasta."
"Historical text!" Robin gasped, then pondered, "So there really is a historical text in Alabasta. It seems Krentdal didn't lie to me."
She took out the permanent pointer to Alabasta and handed it over to Albert, eagerly urging, "Let's set sail quickly!"
"Sure, but tell me, Robin, what do you want to eat?"
Robin settled into a chair at the table, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hand, "I'd like a cup of coffee. By the way, where's my room?"
"I'll arrange a room for you right away."
Albert designated the last available room for Robin on the ship. Now, they had three, one for Robin, one for Bartolomeo, and one for Nami and himself. If they planned to recruit more members, they would need to squeeze them into one room, making it clear that a larger ship was necessary when they reached Water Seven.
He guided Robin to her quarters, prepared her a cup of coffee, a glass of juice for Nami, and made dessert for both before returning to cook dinner. Bartolomeo, on the other hand, suffered silently as Albert held a grudge against him.
Following dinner, Albert celebrated Robin's official addition to their crew, marking her place among them.
Afterward, Albert invited Robin into his room to use his internal energy to open her meridians and teach her how to harness it. As Robin practiced the techniques he shared, she was instantly amazed. Unlike Nami, who was just starting out, Robin had witnessed many things during her years on the run and had never encountered such a quick and easy cultivation method. This only deepened the mystery surrounding Albert in her eyes.
Want to read more of this fanfic [20+ chapters], and support me :- Patreon.com/Theuntamed0 [Character's art are uploaded there, you can check them out if you like.