— — — — — — — —
About half an hour later…
Kaito sensed that Robin and the others had finished their conversation, and she was getting ready to come find him.
Without waiting, he took the initiative and returned to them, smiling as he looked at the two women. "So? Finished talking?"
"Robin-chan, are you coming back with me, or do you want to stay here for a while?"
Robin immediately replied, "I'll go back with you. Staying here might bring unnecessary trouble or even danger to Elbaf and Saul."
"I'm worried that the World Government might find out that Saul is still alive."
Hearing this, Kaito shook his head with a smile. "You don't have to worry about that."
"At least for now, I haven't detected any World Government spies monitoring Saul."
"Of course, that doesn't mean they haven't planted informants among the giants."
"Since you've made up your mind, let's go."
"If you ever miss Saul, just tell me anytime, and I'll bring you back."
Anyway, Robin's favorability toward him had already reached the required level—far exceeding it, in fact. He planned to contract her as soon as they returned.
Once the contract was in place, Robin could teleport here anytime she wanted, without needing him to escort her.
Robin nodded, touched by his words, and sincerely thanked him, "Thank you, Lord Kaito."
"Don't call me 'Lord.' Just call me Brother Kaito."
Kaito chuckled, reaching out to pat Robin's head. Then he asked, "Do you want to stay here a little longer, or should we head back now?"
"Let's go back. We've talked enough for today. I'll visit again next time."
Robin glanced at Saul, and when he nodded in agreement, she turned back to Kaito and confirmed her decision.
"Alright, then let's go."
Kaito nodded, took Robin's hand, and gave Saul a slight nod as well. "See you again."
With that, he teleported away with Robin.
— — —
In the next moment, Kaito and Robin arrived back at the Sky Island base.
Seizing the opportunity, he explained the contract's details to her, outlining its pros and cons.
Robin was surprised. "So, Kuina and the others, along with the rest of the base members, only gained their training techniques after making a contract with you?"
"And their ability to teleport—don't tell me that's part of it too?"
Robin was sharp. She instantly grasped the key point.
"You got it."
Kaito nodded. "It's not that I didn't want to teach you before. It's just that these techniques are incredibly valuable and important. They can't be shared with non-contractors, or it would be dangerous for me."
Robin nodded in understanding, smiling easily. "You don't have to explain. Those techniques are clearly precious. Whether you share them or not is entirely up to you. No one else has the right to question it. If I were in your position, I'd do the same."
"I trust you. I'm willing to form a contract."
Her gaze was firm, full of unwavering determination.
"Alright."
Kaito smiled and nodded. With a thought, a contract rune materialized between his brows and floated toward Robin.
"Touch it with your hand and confirm your acceptance in your mind."
Robin nodded without hesitation and reached out to touch the rune.
In the next instant, a voice echoed in her mind, asking for her consent to the contract.
Robin didn't hesitate and agreed immediately.
The rune then merged into her hand, traveling up her arm before settling into the center of her consciousness.
The moment it did, an immense flood of information surged into her mind—details of the past and future of the Pirate World, as well as glimpses into the Ninja World's history.
Along with it came knowledge of advanced techniques: Primal Chakra Refinement, Meditation Methods, Life Force Techniques, and many other powerful skills.
The sheer volume of information was overwhelming, forcing Robin to close her eyes and focus entirely on processing it all.
---
Over an hour later…
Robin finally opened her eyes, filled with awe. She looked up at Kaito, astonished. "So, this is the truth? You and Kushina and the others… you all came from another world?"
"Heh."
Kaito chuckled knowingly. "Surprised? I couldn't tell you before the contract, but now you know."
Robin nodded repeatedly. "I understand completely! That makes perfect sense."
"By the way, can I visit the Ninja World someday?"
"A world full of ninjas sounds fascinating!"
As an archaeologist, Robin was deeply intrigued. She wanted to see it all firsthand—the unique ninjutsu, the history, the culture… everything.
"Of course."
Kaito smiled. "Now that you're contracted with me, you're welcome there anytime."
"I've already made arrangements. The first time you go, you'll appear at a designated teleportation point."
"There will be people to welcome you and help set up your identity in that world."
"However, for your first visit, it's best to go with Mikoto and the others."
"They can act as your guides, showing you around Konoha and other parts of the Ninja World."
Just because Robin had been staying at the Sky Island base didn't mean she wasn't familiar with Mikoto, Kushina, and the rest.
Far from it.
Kushina, Mikoto, and the others visited the Sky Island base almost every week. Sometimes for training, sometimes just for fun. Occasionally, they would even take Robin along to other bases for a change of scenery.
Over time, thanks to Robin's natural social skills, they became good friends.
So, without hesitation, Robin agreed to Kaito's suggestion. "Alright! I'll ask Kushina and the others for help."
Then, after a slight pause, she looked at Kaito with curiosity and asked, "Are all those things you told me about our world's past and future really true?"
"I'm supposed to join that pirate crew called the Straw Hats in the future?"
"Since you saved me and brought me here, has my fate already changed?"
Kaito nodded affirmatively and gave her a look of approval. "You're smart. You understand that the future isn't set in stone."
"The future information I provided is what would have happened if I hadn't appeared."
"But ever since I arrived, many things have started changing."
"The more of us that come here, the longer we stay, and the more we do, the more the future shifts."
"So, use that information as a reference, but don't take it as absolute truth."
Robin nodded in understanding. "Got it! At the very least, this information has deepened my understanding of our world. I now have a much clearer picture of the people and powers involved."
She couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement at having such a god-like perspective over history.
"This will be incredibly useful for my future growth!"
Kaito smiled approvingly. "I'm glad you understand."
She really was a smart girl.
After that, Kaito patiently guided Robin through the basics of Primal Chakra Refinement. He helped her form her own chakra seed and extract her chakra successfully.
Once that was done, he took her to the Shimotsuki Village base and handed her over to Kushina and Mikoto. "I'll leave Robin in your care, Kushina and Mikoto," he said. "She's now one of my contract holders, so make sure to help her with her training."
"Oh, and she also wants to visit the Ninja World. You two can be her guides."
Kushina grinned and pounded her chest. "Leave it to us! Hehe!"
Then, she grabbed Robin's hands with a big smile and congratulated her. "Robin-chan, congratulations! You're finally contracted! Now we can train together and grow stronger side by side!"
Robin smiled warmly. "It's my honor."
She then stole a quick glance at Kaito, her eyes filled with gratitude.
If not for him, she would have had to endure over a decade of suffering.
Even if she eventually joined Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates, she would have faced numerous hardships and uncertainties.
But now, she felt that her future was bright and full of possibilities. Still, she loved the Straw Hat Pirates and she was planning to help them all get contracted as well.
"Oh, right!"
Mikoto suddenly remembered something and turned to Kaito. "Did you remove the Devil Fruit's curse and will from Robin yet?"
"Huh?"
Kaito blinked in surprise. "I actually haven't."
He then turned to Robin. "Don't resist. I'll take you to the Space-Time Gate to remove the curse and will of your Devil Fruit."
"This way, you'll no longer be affected by seawater or Seastone. At the same time, the hidden dangers of your Devil Fruit will be eliminated, and you'll even be able to consume additional Devil Fruits."
"Alright!"
Robin had already read about this possibility in the information Kaito had provided, but with everything happening so fast, she had temporarily forgotten about it.
Now, she certainly wouldn't refuse. This was an incredible opportunity.
"Great!"
With a wave of his hand, Kaito transported Robin into the main dimension of the Space-Time Gate.
Before Robin could react, he focused his thoughts and extracted the curse and will of the Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit) from her body.
.
.
.