As time moved forward, Nico Robin's private activities continued. After infiltrating certain organizations, she followed their operational goals to refine her own plans.
However, ruins aren't everywhere, and sometimes she would waste time on futile efforts.
Although Ohara summarized some information about the ruins, those records were left many years ago. As everything on the Sea changed with time, that information wasn't always 100% effective.
Sometimes, they only provided a rough clue; the specifics still required her personal exploration.
For historians like them, the exploration of history is about information, but these people generally lack the funds to form expeditions. Those who have the capital are usually not interested in history; they're after ancillary value.
From ancient weapons to ordinary treasures, those are the things they need, and antiques obtained from some ruins are also valuable.
Robin came to the North Sea because there was a famous artifact dealer here, who possessed a large quantity of items extracted from ruins. According to the intelligence she obtained from the previous organization, one of the vases might hold clues relating to a ruin.
The organization originally planned to rob this person, but an unexpected event occurred along the way.
As for why the organization faced such an unexpected event, it unfortunately encountered reports from other legitimate businesses during its operations and was subsequently exterminated by the Navy. Which legitimate business was so enthusiastic wasn't important, as Robin then infiltrated this organization and became a secretary.
After spending some time, she successfully infiltrated this person's residence, but she wasn't the only one targeting him. At the same time, the Donquixote family, also active in the North Sea, had their eyes on this artifact dealer.
The forces in the North Sea were much more complex than the other three seas at this moment. Currently, the most active in the North Sea's underworld were the Donquixote family and the Vinsmoke family.
The Donquixote family, under Doflamingo's leadership, had only begun to rise in the North Sea in recent years. Assassination, smuggling, mercenaries — they would do anything if the price was right. Of course, trading Devil Fruits was also their main business.
Doflamingo knew secrets unknown to ordinary people, giving him access to certain special channels.
The Vinsmoke family was the local power in the North Sea, a renowned clan of assassins in the North Sea's underworld, and also the royal family of the Germa Kingdom.
The Vinsmoke family, as royalty, once used force to control the entire North Sea for 66 days, hence the alias Germa 66.
However, they had no territory, residing in block-like houses carried by giant snails across the Sea, with the status to even participate in the World Government's meetings.
The Vinsmoke family's heritage was long, with a nearly three-hundred-year history. Their peak was naturally the days when they ruled the North Sea by force, stopped only by the World Government.
Later, when MADS disbanded, Judge returned with new technology, even killing the four kings of the North Sea, regaining Germa's prestige. The comic "Sea Warrior: Sky" began spreading in the North Sea after that.
Both families engaged in assassination, giving rise to certain conflicts. The Vinsmoke had their heritage, but it was different for Doflamingo; he needed to accumulate funds through other businesses.
Doflamingo only sought funds, aiming for more preparation when entering the Grand Line in the future. The current Donquixote family consisted of those he saw as future cadres, not even having many small fry followers.
Similar to how Kaidou thought at first, the ordinary people of the Four Seas weren't even enough for him to consider them cannon fodder. Even to become foot soldiers, they needed some qualifications.
As a former Heavenly Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo looked down on the North Sea, and his goals were clear — to seize the country of his ancestors.
After all, most of the prominent strong figures in this world resided in the Grand Line; the initial aim for pirates worldwide was to head towards the Grand Line, leaving the Four Seas mostly to small fry if they stayed behind instead of going to the Grand Line.
Even if Moriah and Crocodile lost their ambition, they only retreated from the New World to the First Half of the Grand Line.
At this time, the artifact dealer Robin was infiltrating was one such person, targeted by the Donquixote family.
Robin spent some time earning that person's trust and was observing where secret rooms might be when a series of gunshots rang out from outside the room. Those seemingly mighty bodyguards fell one by one, and soon, a group of people barged in.
The bodyguards inside the room had just drawn their concealed pistols when bullets were already firing at them.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Leading the group, baby-5's left leg transformed into a flintlock gun — an unscientific repeating flintlock gun. As a bearer of the Arms-Arms Fruit, she could transform her body into various weapons.
Following her were Buffalo and Law, part of the Donquixote family's trials for children. Apart from the still very young half-fishman Dellinger, they all had blood on their hands.
Law's face was covered with many white spots. Although the Hundred Beasts' medicine benefited the body to some extent, it was merely a supplement. The platinum-lead disease continued to progress within him.
The battle wasn't long. These bodyguards could handle ordinary people but were no match for the Donquixote family's nurtured ones and soon lay in a pool of blood, leaving only the bald artifact dealer in the middle and a few servants.
The servants, held at gunpoint, didn't know what to do, while Robin simply caressed Sobble's head, calming it to prevent it from getting frightened.
Due to its temperament, Sobble was far less composed than Inteleon. If it started crying out of fear, it would be the biggest trouble for Robin.
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
The person, capable of running a smuggling business, had experienced some storms. Even with a gun to his head, he didn't panic too much.
"Your hidden treasure."
Law succinctly stated his demand and then directly shot the butler beside him.
"You'd better cooperate, or this is your fate."
At that moment, in Law's heart, his goal was to drag everyone with him; he cared nothing about the life of a bystander.
Under the threat of death, the artifact dealer quickly revealed where the items were hidden, but he wasn't released, as his head was also shot through.
This was Doflamingo's order to them, but just as they planned to continue silencing witnesses, several arms unexpectedly appeared on their bodies.
"Thirty-Four Wheels Flower: Clutch."