One Piece: Fist of the World

The Uninvited Confrontation

"That kid over there!!" A rough voice suddenly came, followed by several burly guys walking up to Rhodes and the others.

"You are lucky. The ship is still well preserved." The leader was nearly 3 meters tall, holding a huge machete. Combined with his muscular body, he looked very imposing. "But I've got my eyes on your ship! Get all your people off the ship, or else—"

Whoosh—

The machete in his hand swung down suddenly, the heavy blade slashing the ground, causing it to tremble slightly. A huge crack spread from where the blade touched the ground. "I will do it myself and throw all of you into the sea!"

There was a strange flash in Nia's eyes. I was threatened by my peers.

"Hm?" Rhodes raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at the people in front of him. I don't know him, he's just an ordinary pirate.

But... Feeling a hidden gaze, Rhodes looked past the burly man in front of him, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face. Not far behind the sturdy man, on the ground, there was a strangely growing hand with an eye in the palm, which was staring at Rhodes closely. After Rhodes's gaze fell on it, a trace of horror flashed in that eye, and then it suddenly turned into petals and dissipated.

On the pirate ship behind, the black-haired woman suddenly widened her eyes and felt her heart stop beating. It turned out to be this pirate! She was always good at gathering intelligence, so she recognized Rhodes's identity in an instant. And he was discovered in an instant. He is indeed a powerful character! Moreover, from the look in the other party's eyes just now, he knew her identity!

"It's really a special fate." Thinking back to the eye that had just turned into petals and disappeared, a hint of unknown meaning flashed in Rhodes's eyes. The user of the Flower-Flower Fruit, Nico Robin!

"Huh? Are you scared?" Looking at the red-haired boy in front of him muttering something, Borgman became more and more impatient. He had seen many pirate kids like this, who rushed into the sea without knowing the consequences, and were too scared to speak after encountering real pirates.

"Who are you to dare to speak so arrogantly in front of us?" Nia glanced at the pirates in front of her, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. "Trash fish?"

Borgman's eye twitched. It had been a long time since anyone dared to talk to him like this since he chopped a Marine branch colonel in half with one sword!

"I'm the Machete Borgman, with a bounty of $58 million Beli!" Without saying anything more, Borgman swung the machete in his hand, about to chop the woman who had just spoken in half.

BANG!!

A fist suddenly stretched out and hit Borgman's machete. "It's better not to bother Boss Rhodes with such trash!" Penguin grabbed the brim of his hat with one hand, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes. "It's a good opportunity for me to try out my new ability!"

"Damn it, I was beaten to it!" Failing to find a decent opponent, Shachi could only target the remaining pirates.

Rhodes's Encounter with Nico Robin

No longer paying attention to the enemy stopped by Penguin and Shachi, Rhodes changed direction and walked towards the pirate ship of this group of pirates. Nico Robin is on board.

"Hm?" A hint of doubt flashed across Nia's eyes, but was soon replaced by excitement. After defeating the enemy, of course, you have to plunder their treasure! Pirates who can reach the Grand Line must have some savings!

"Treasure! Treasure!" Following behind Rhodes, Nia was so happy that she almost jumped up.

"You don't really like money, do you?" Law, who was on the other side of Rhodes, couldn't help but speak.

"This has nothing to do with money, you are so vulgar!" Nia shook her head, her eyes almost lighting up. "It's the joy of finding treasure and harvesting it!"

Law also shook his head. He totally couldn't understand what the other party was thinking.

"What are you going to do!?" The crew members who stayed on the pirate ship looked at their captain and officers being beaten by the other side's crew, and then looked at Rhodes and his group who were walking slowly towards them, and they couldn't help but tremble.

Thump-thump-thump-thump

The only response to the pirates was Rhodes's slow yet firm footsteps. Seeing Rhodes and his group approaching, the other party tightly grasped the weapon in his hand, but his body retreated uncontrollably step by step, making way for Rhodes and his group.

"You were the one secretly observing me just now, right?" After passing through the group of pirates, Rhodes came to a woman with long black hair. Although she was wearing glasses to conceal her face, Rhodes recognized her identity at a glance.

"How rude." Facing Rhodes's gaze, the other party was slightly flustered for a moment, then quickly adjusted herself, and a smile appeared on her face. "Then I don't know how I can get you to forgive me."

"You are very sensible about the times." Rhodes looked at her, feeling a little strange. He was just a newcomer who had just debuted, and the bounty on his head was only $71 million Beli. He wasn't someone who could make anyone bow down to him.

"My bounty isn't even as high as yours, Nico Robin!" When Robin heard the other party reveal her identity, a trace of panic flashed in her eyes, but she tried hard not to lose her composure.

"It seems you haven't seen the latest newspaper." Robin kept a faint smile on her face. "You are a pirate with a bounty of $210 million Beli!"

"The bounty has increased?" Rhodes was slightly stunned because, after crossing Reverse Mountain, they hadn't received the latest newspaper.

"Of course, it's not just you. The bounties of the others have also increased." As she spoke, Robin's eyes inadvertently swept over the battle on the shore. The two men who fought were also members of the Rhodes Pirates, but they weren't even wanted for their crimes! Just the officers on the ship who didn't even have a bounty on them had the power to defeat Borgman, who had a bounty of $58 million Beli. This pirate group is even more powerful than what you see in the newspapers!

"We can talk about the bounty later. It was indeed rude of me to snoop before without permission." Robin's mind was spinning rapidly. This is Twin Capes, and there's nothing nearby to provide cover. What's more, even if we are in town, we won't be able to escape from them on our strength.

"So, how about I join you?" If you can't beat them, join them! This was how she had always been: using any means necessary, at any cost, struggling hard in this dark world, searching for a glimmer of hope. Robin showed a professional smile and offered to apply for a job. "I have some strength, and I am good at gathering intelligence."

"Good suggestion!" Rhodes nodded. He had originally planned to recruit the other party; after all, she was the only person in the world who could interpret the Poneglyphs. Although the process was a little too easy, and it was hard to determine how sincere the other party was, as long as they were on his boat, they would be his people sooner or later. "Then, the first task is to take away all the valuables on this ship!"

"Of course, I'll leave the water and food to them. After all, I'm not a demon."

"To be honest, Captain Rhodes, I also joined them temporarily before entering the Grand Line. But because I have some talent in collecting intelligence, I had some status on the ship before." Robin led Rhodes into the cabin very naturally. "This is the warehouse where they store their spoils, but the more valuable things should be in the captain's room upstairs. I'll take you there."

Rhodes followed Robin to the captain's room on the upper floor, leaving Nia, Law, and Bepo to sort out the treasures in the warehouse.

"Is this what Rhodes said? We'll recruit people after we get to the Grand Line?" Looking at Rhodes entering the captain's room with Robin, Nia was slightly stunned. "So casual?"

"Don't worry." Law just took a glance and then looked away, sorting out the things in the warehouse with peace of mind. It seems that their financial situation is not good, and there is nothing valuable in the warehouse.

"Rhodes won't make mistakes in this kind of thing."

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Rhodes has successfully recruited Nico Robin, a highly valuable asset to his crew, and has also learned about his significantly increased bounty. How might Robin's presence and abilities change the dynamics of the Rhodes Pirates, and what new challenges might their higher bounties bring as they venture further into the Grand Line?