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In the living room of Alabasta Palace…
The Straw Hats carried on with their usual carefree antics, utterly unfazed by the grandeur of their surroundings or the seriousness of the occasion. For them, joy was the natural order of life.
The palace guards looked on in astonishment. After all, every prince, noble, or king who had ever stepped into this room carried themselves with strict decorum. Yet here was this group of unruly pirates treating the palace like their own backyard.
What shocked the guards even more was Princess Vivi herself. She laughed heartily with the Straw Hats, showing no concern for the royal dignity befitting her title.
Ace, Sabo, Nico Robin, and Mr. 2, though not official members of the crew, found themselves swept into the Straw Hats' energy. Among them, Mr. 2 quickly bonded with Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp, seamlessly joining their antics.
Meanwhile, Conan—summoned by Ikki and now destined to be a part of the crew—stood out. Luffy was thrilled to have a new member aboard and enthusiastically tried to rope Conan into their fun.
Conan, however, resisted. "I'm an adult. I don't play childish games," he declared firmly.
Despite this, he found himself reluctantly participating, and before long, Conan's protests crumbled.
Ace was deep in conversation with Ikki, Zoro, and Sanji, sharing stories and offering advice about handling Luffy's penchant for trouble.
On the other side of the room, Sabo was attempting to persuade Nico Robin to join the Revolutionary Army. Ikki, though engaged with Ace and the others, kept a watchful eye on their discussion.
He could tell that Robin was hesitant. Having been a pawn under Crocodile's control for so long, she was wary of becoming entangled with another large organization, even one like the Revolutionary Army.
While Robin's ultimate goal was to uncover the truth of the Void Century, she didn't want her knowledge to bring harm to innocent lives. She didn't know enough about the Revolutionary Army to trust them entirely.
Instead, she found herself more intrigued by the Straw Hats.
The reason was simple: the Straw Hats had risked their lives to help a princess they barely knew stand against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It was the kind of reckless kindness that no rational person would display—and precisely why Robin found them so compelling.
And then there was their captain.
Luffy wasn't just any ordinary pirate. One of his brothers was the second-division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, and the other was a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Army. With such strong connections, joining the Straw Hats seemed like the safest option, whether for temporary refuge or for her own long-term plans.
Most importantly, if she asked to join, Luffy would surely agree without hesitation. And with Sabo as his older brother, Robin figured he wouldn't make things difficult for her.
Sabo, however, was unaware of Robin's internal calculations.
"Nico Robin," he said earnestly, "I know the World Government is hunting you. You don't have to worry—the Revolutionary Army will protect you, no matter what."
Robin smiled politely but didn't waver. "Thank you for the offer, Mr. Sabo, but… I've been under Crocodile's thumb for far too long. Right now, I just want to live a simpler, freer life."
As she said this, her gaze drifted toward Luffy.
At that exact moment, Luffy was demonstrating to Conan how to stick chopsticks into his nose and mouth simultaneously.
Conan, utterly exasperated, muttered, "Only a ghost would do that, right?"
But somehow, despite his protests, Conan eventually succeeded.
Seeing Nico Robin's subtle glance toward the Straw Hats, Sabo quickly realized what she was thinking. While it wasn't the outcome he had hoped for, after some thought, he didn't find it unacceptable.
If Robin joined the Straw Hats, she would still be allied with the Revolutionary Army indirectly through Luffy. Besides, having her outside the Revolutionary Army might be safer.
The Revolutionary Army was vast, with countless members—and inevitably, some of them were spies for the World Government. If the Government discovered Robin was with the Revolutionary Army, it might escalate into a full-scale war.
Still, such matters would require discussion with Dragon before any decisions were made.
After spending over an hour in the palace's living room, everyone moved to the royal dining room under King Cobra's guidance.
However, before they could arrive, a shrill scream rang out from the kitchen nearby.
Although small in stature, Conan immediately recognized the tone of the scream and darted toward the sound, arriving in the kitchen first. Inside, he found a man lying on the floor, clutching his chest, his face blue.
Ikki entered moments later and took one look at the scene before shaking his head. "Of course. It's Conan again."
The victim was a kind-hearted kitchen assistant, someone no one believed could have been killed. The initial assumption was that he had accidentally eaten poisonous food.
But Conan, after carefully analyzing the scene and gathering clues, determined it was a homicide.
Through deduction, Conan identified the culprit—a fellow kitchen assistant and supposed friend of the deceased.
The motive? The murderer believed his wife cheated on him with him, leading to feelings of anger and murderous intent.
However, the truth came out when the murderer's wife stepped forward, revealing that the deceased had been secretly organizing a surprise birthday party for the murderer. Misunderstanding the secrecy, the murderer had jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Realizing his tragic mistake, the murderer fell to his knees and broke into tears.
Conan, standing silently in the corner, watched the events unfold with an emotionless expression.
Ikki, observing Conan, couldn't help but think to himself: Why does it feel like the art style of One Piece has changed?
Of course, such an episode didn't dampen the Straw Hats' mood. Luffy, in particular, seemed even more intrigued by his new crewmate.
Conan's calm demeanor and sharp reasoning during the case had left an impression on Luffy. But what truly excited him was Conan's declaration of being a "detective" and his explanation of what detectives do.
"Welcome to the crew, Conan!" Luffy shouted with excitement.
"We have a detective on the team now!"
"Conan will become the King of Detectives!"
The crew quickly found numerous reasons to celebrate, cheering as they raised their cups.
Even Conan, despite his usual serious nature, found himself smiling at their enthusiasm.
At that moment, Smoker and Tashigi entered the banquet hall, accompanied by a pink-haired woman in a Marine coat of justice—Captain Hina of Marine Headquarters.
The lively and boisterous atmosphere immediately caused Hina to frown.
"Smoker… Hina doesn't like it here. It's too noisy," she said, her voice carrying a hint of irritation.
Smoker chuckled. "You'll get used to it. Don't forget, our mission isn't just to escort Crocodile but to bring at least two members of the Straw Hats—Luffy and his deputy captain—to Marine Headquarters."
Although reluctant, Hina understood the importance of the mission. She sighed and reluctantly sat down next to Smoker.
Seeing Smoker's arrival, Luffy grinned and eagerly handed him three glasses of wine.
"Smoke Man! You're finally here!"
Smoker's forehead twitched with annoyance. "I told you, my name is Smoker!"
"Oh, right, I know—'Smoke Man!'" Luffy replied with a cheeky smile.
Smoker: …
Nearby, Tashigi couldn't help but burst out laughing at their exchange.
Hina's sharp eyes immediately turned to her. "Tashigi," she said sternly, "you used to be my subordinate. Look at you now, laughing at your superior. If you stay with Smoker any longer, you'll be completely corrupted."