Chapter 220: Be My Daughter!

At the same time.

Countless Marines gathered from all corners of Alabasta City toward the palace, triggering waves of startled cries.

As the commander-in-chief, Kizaru had already been notified long ago.

He casually picked up the coat from the chair, draped it over his shoulders, and prepared to go hunt down Robin.

However, he halted his steps because of a wanted poster lying on the desk.

"Nico Robin..."

"If it really is this woman, things will become difficult instead."

Looking at the still-youthful face on the wanted poster, Kizaru's expression was complex.

What happened at Ohara was no secret within the Navy, or rather, among the Navy's high command.

Back then, the matter of Aokiji intentionally letting Robin escape was personally suppressed by Sengoku; otherwise, this single mistake alone would have destined Aokiji to never attain the position of Navy Admiral.

Kizaru was naturally fully aware of this.

"This truly presents me with a difficult problem, when it was clearly the mess left behind by that fellow Kuzan~"

"Never mind, that fellow was coming here anyway; I might as well return this hot potato to him, and furthermore..."

Kizaru pushed up his glasses, a trace of coldness appearing in his gaze:

"Crocodile, Knight Gao Wen, Golden Lion; if there is anything capable of attracting these three to appear in Alabasta simultaneously."

"A woman capable of deciphering the Poneglyphs should be sufficient, no?!"

"If that is the case, I cannot simply stand by and ignore it."

"Lord Borsalino!"

Suddenly.

A solemn voice interrupted Kizaru's thoughts, and he turned his head back.

There stood a tall Navy officer with a stern countenance, standing at the doorway with an extremely Solemn expression.

"We have already sealed off the Alabasta Palace; please act immediately!"

"Ara ara~"

"Don't be so impatient~"

Kizaru sighed, then lingered no longer, turning around and striding away quickly.

Creak~!

The room door closed.

A gentle breeze blew the wanted poster on the desk into the air; printed on the wanted poster was precisely the photo of young Robin weeping amidst the artillery fire.

How could such a person possibly possess the ability to destroy Ohara?!

Alabasta Palace.

The commotion outside the window had long since awakened Robin.

She raised her hand to pull out the IV tube from her body, barely propped herself up, and looked out through the crack in the window.

All that entered her eyes were countless Marines gathering like a swarm of ants.

They wore pure white uniforms and held aloft the banner of justice, just like those so-called righteous Marines who had burned Ohara to ashes back then.

This familiar scene made Robin unconsciously bite her lips tight:

"Has this day... finally come?"

"For someone like me, does merely existing bring trouble upon the companions around me?!"

At this moment, Robin felt only a chill penetrating to her bones, causing her body to tremble slightly.

Her experiences in Alabasta during this period, whether Cobra's kindness or Gao Wen's sincere recruitment and care, all seemed like an illusion to her.

And now, the beautiful dream had ended.

Robin suddenly realized.

She was still alone, no different from the young girl who had desperately escaped through the path Aokiji carved out from the sea of fire back then.

"How can someone like me possibly have, or deserve, true companions?!"

"Betrayal, flight, and finally dying like a stray dog in some unknown corner—that is my ultimate destined end, isn't it?!"

Accompanying Robin's muttering, she unconsciously bit her lips until they broke, flowing with crimson blood.

A few breaths later.

Robin's gaze gradually became resolute:

"Alabasta has just begun to recover from its trauma and cannot bear another injury; my captain still has the dream of creating an ideal paradise and cannot lose his status as a Warlord of the Sea."

"To resolve the current problem, I must alone take everything upon myself—!"

Bang—!

After a loud explosion, the ward's window suddenly shattered.

Robin unconsciously closed her eyes, yet a familiar voice reached her ears:

"This broken place is no longer safe to stay."

"Come with me!"

This voice carried an tone of unquestionable authority, appearing even exceptionally cold and hard.

Yet at this moment, it made Robin feel an inexplicable, indescribable warmth.

Her heart was filled.

"Captain?"

Robin slowly opened her eyes, only to see Gao Wen standing upon the windowsill, looking at her with a indifferent gaze.

"This oversight is mine."

"Your identity is sensitive; once the Marines discover you, endless pursuit awaits."

"We should withdraw."

"Captain, you..."

Robin opened her mouth, tried several times, but failed to emit a single sound, finally stammering:

"Once the Marines discover you, if you take me in, your Warlord status cannot be maintained, and even Utopia will..."

"What nonsense!"

Gao Wen curled his lip:

"Once you board my ship, you are my person; so much useless talk!"

"I cannot leave."

Robin shook her head.

She knew exactly how great a risk Gao Wen had taken coming to rescue her this time.

She knew even better that if she merely nodded now, Gao Wen would definitely lead her to break through the encirclement and escape, allowing her to find the place of belonging she had long hoped for.

There would be companions, there would be her own destination.

But... at what cost?

If Gao Wen withdrew at this juncture, it would undoubtedly confirm the fact that he was sheltering her.

Gao Wen would lose his Warlord status; given the combat power he had displayed, his bounty could skyrocket to one billion or even two billion without impossibility, meaning the next to move against him would be a Marine Admiral.

The dream of establishing Utopia would also face layer upon layer of obstruction.

And Alabasta, which had just been reborn from crisis, would fall into peril due to her involvement, while Cobra, who had saved her without holding past grudges, would lose everything.

Compared to these things.

Wasn't sacrificing one person who ought to die anyway the most cost-effective choice?

"The optimal solution right now is for me to shoulder all responsibility."

As her voice landed.

The ward fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of Marine soldiers' footsteps growing closer; the palace gradually descended into chaos.

Inside the ward, the two faced off.

Gao Wen's gaze fell upon Robin; watching her posture of feigned strength, he silently sighed within his heart.

As expected, even if well-hidden, she still possessed a tendency toward self-destruction?

In the original story, when Robin chose to trade herself with the CP organization to protect the Straw Hat crew, she had already revealed this trait.

At this very moment, to protect Gao Wen and the Alabasta royal family, Robin had once again made such a decision.

To speak honestly.

If this incident had occurred before Robin nodded, Gao Wen would absolutely have chosen to stand by and do nothing.

But now it was different; as captain, Gao Wen absolutely could not sit idly by while his crew member faced such a situation.

Furthermore.

What Gao Wen understood even more clearly was.

At this very moment, what Robin truly needed was someone who could stand firmly before her and tell her, "I hope you live on."

This point had likewise been proven in the original story.

The increasingly restless noises from outside the window made Gao Wen lose patience; he extended two fingers toward Robin and said coldly:

"I am giving you two choices right now: either you come with me obediently now, or I knock you unconscious and forcibly take you away."

"Captain, why go to such lengths for someone like me?"

At this moment, Robin's voice trembled.

Because the last person who had so firmly told her to live on had long since vanished without a trace amidst the great fire of Ohara.

At this moment, two figures overlapped before Robin's eyes.

Alabasta also merged with Ohara, which had been burned to ashes in the great fire.

She did not wish to experience such a tragedy ever again.

"What about Alabasta?!"

"If I take you away, the Marines' target will naturally be us; as long as Cobra has any brains, he will know to pin the blame on us at this time..."

"Cough—cough!"

Accompanied by a dry cough.

Cobra pushed the door open and walked in, looking somewhat awkward.

Standing beside him, Vivi turned her head, whistling, pretending to know nothing about what had happened.

"Stop pretending."

Gao Wen directly exposed their disguises:

"Those words just now were meant for you two to hear."

A forced smile tugged at the corner of Cobra's mouth; he nodded toward Robin and said:

"If you are willing to trust me, I actually have a method that can protect Robin while ensuring you are not targeted by the Marines."

Robin's gaze fell upon Gao Wen.

She had thought that since Ohara's destruction, no one would ever again so firmly wish for her to live on, yet Gao Wen was an exception.

At this very moment.

If she had a choice, she only wished to live on forever, staying by Gao Wen's side to see what kind of sight the Utopia he promised would ultimately become.

What she failed to notice was that her cheeks had, at some unknown point, flushed with a layer of red, and her heartbeat had become frighteningly fast.

Gao Wen looked at Cobra and said indifferently:

"Go on."

"Be my daughter, Robin!"

Gao Wen was stunned:

"Do you think you're Whitebeard?!"

"Uh..."

Cobra awkwardly scratched his head.

Gao Wen and Robin had already understood his meaning, though Robin hesitated slightly:

"Will it work?!"

Cobra nodded:

"If we are exposed..."

Halfway through, he glanced at Gao Wen:

"Then you two force a breakthrough, and afterward I'll pin the blame on you!"

"Uh..."

A few minutes later.

Kizaru led a group of marines and forcibly pushed open the ward door.

The crowd filed in one by one.

Kizaru's accompanying adjutant hurried into the ward, preparing to read out Robin's crimes from over the years.

"Nico Robin, you are under arre—"

Halfway through.

The adjutant's voice grew quieter and quieter, simply because Cobra was sitting before Robin's hospital bed, personally feeding her medicinal soup to regulate her body.

Clap!

Cobra set down the medicine bowl in his hand, turned to look at the group of marines, and said with an icy expression:

"Can someone explain to me what exactly is going on?!"

"Even the Marines cannot arbitrarily burst into the Alabasta Wang Gong."

"Although the Nefertari family has not taken residence in Mary Geoise, the blood of gods also flows within us."

"If your explanation does not satisfy me, I will personally submit complaints regarding this matter to the World Government—no, directly to the desks of those Five."

"My lord Cobra, I... I..."

Faced with Cobra's interrogation, the adjutant froze on the spot, stammering in his speech, while in his heart he wished he could slap himself twice.

"Ara~"

"You may withdraw."

Kizaru raised his hand and patted the adjutant's shoulder; the latter, as if granted a great pardon, hurriedly retreated, whereupon Kizaru turned to look at Cobra:

"Someone reported that Nico Robin is within the Alabasta Wang Gong."

(End of Chapter)