Chapter 221: Kizaru, You've Gone Too Far!

"This is where my daughter, Nico, rests to recover from her illness."

"Since birth, she has suffered from a severe hereditary disease and has never appeared before the world."

"She is not the person you are looking for."

Cobra lifted his gaze, looking coldly at Kizaru.

Kizaru remained completely unmoved, indifferently pushing up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, his gaze passing over Cobra to land directly on Robin lying in the bed.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the ward grew cold to the extreme.

Gao Wen retracted his aura, pressed against the outside of the window, his heart also tightening at this moment.

As a Marine Admiral, Kizaru was, among the current three admirals, the one with the deepest schemes and the best at hiding them.

Gao Wen had never expected Cobra's clumsy lie to fool Kizaru.

Now, it was not just Cobra gambling; Gao Wen was gambling too.

What he was betting on was Kizaru's unwillingness to invite trouble, and the ambiguous justice Kizaru had always upheld.

The justice upheld by the current three Marine admirals differed from one another.

Aokiji was the most pure.

In his youth, he too upheld Burning Justice.

But this kind of justice most requires a firm, flawless banner to support his actions.

Yet once that banner collapses, or becomes stained with filth, Aokiji will begin to waver in his stance and in his view of the Marines' deeds.

This is also the reason why Aokiji's justice has shifted from burning to lazy.

Akainu, on the contrary, pursues the result of justice.

As long as the ultimate goal can be achieved, sacrifices, dishonorable acts, and even the most evil aspects during the process are acceptable to him.

From this perspective, Akainu's justice aligns most closely with the philosophy of Sengoku, or rather, the high command of the Marines.

It is a pity that Akainu acts too extremely, to the point where even Sengoku cannot endure it.

Only Kizaru navigates between the two, finding the balance point most suitable for himself.

As long as the final result is favorable, rules can be ignored by Kizaru to a certain extent, yet he simultaneously retains a degree of human feeling.

The most typical example is the turmoil caused by the landing on the Sabaody Archipelago during the Worst Generation in the original story.

Luffy, leading the group, even beat up a Celestial Dragon, an act that could practically be said to have pierced the heavens.

Yet in the end, Kizaru merely captured a few insignificant pirate groups to report back, leaving not a single one of the main targets, the Supernovas of the Worst Generation, untouched.

One must know.

Facing the Supernovas at that stage who had not yet fully developed, if Kizaru had wished, even with Silvers Rayleigh intervening to block them, the Straw Hat Pirates might have barely escaped, but the others absolutely would not have gotten away.

It can be said this way.

Among the current three Marine admirals, Kizaru is the one with the least reverence for the rules of the World Government and the authority of the Celestial Dragons.

Now that Alabasta has just escaped a crisis, if it were to be targeted by the World Government again due to Robin's influence, the common people of this country would live even more harshly.

From Kizaru's standpoint, he would most likely not do such a thing.

For Gao Wen, if faces were truly torn off here, it would mean this Warlord of the Sea skin, not yet warm, would have to be discarded, followed by no shortage of trouble from the Marines.

The loss would outweigh the gain.

Moreover, even if Kizaru acted forcefully here, Gao Wen was confident he could take Robin and leave.

If Cobra followed the original plan to shift the blame onto Gao Wen, plus Alabasta's status, he would not suffer too much impact.

Thinking of this.

Gao Wen held his breath, his gaze fixed on the room inside.

Seeing only that after a long silence, Kizaru turned to look at Cobra and said expressionlessly:

"Do you know what you are doing?!"

"Of course."

Cobra's eyes were firm:

"This is my daughter's hospital ward; I ask you to leave!"

"Surely the Marines wouldn't act on such a ridiculous reason against a member nation of the World Government, or even against one of the Twenty Kingdoms that founded history?!"

"Or perhaps..."

"You have done such things far too many times already?!"

As his voice landed.

The Marines present were憋得 (held back until) their faces turned crimson.

The Marine officer who had just questioned Cobra could not help but step forward, arguing:

"The Marines would absolutely never do such a thing!"

"Is that so?!"

A tone of mockery permeated Cobra's voice as his gaze fell upon Kizaru:

"Among the towns destroyed by the Buster Call over these years, how many people were guilty, and how many were innocent?!"

"Or could it be—"

"Ma ma~"

Kizaru spoke, interrupting Cobra's words, and the expression on his face softened at this moment:

"Perhaps we have mistaken the person."

"Lord Borsalino, although the appearance differs slightly from the wanted poster, that face is absolutely—"

The adjutant beside Kizaru could not help but speak up in argument, but his words were cut off before he could finish as Kizaru pressed a hand on him.

Kizaru warned slightly:

"There are plenty of people in this world who look alike."

"Moreover, if I mistakenly arrest the wrong person, the paperwork and such would give me a terrible headache~"

"Hey~"

"Princess Nico?!"

Robin's breath hitched, her heartbeat accelerating in that instant.

She knew her answer might determine whether the Marine Admiral before her would choose to act or turn a blind eye.

Summoning all her strength, she spoke in as calm a tone as possible:

"I am quite troubled by this as well."

"Is that so?!"

Kizaru responded with an indifferent tone.

He did not continue questioning, instead turning his head to gaze out the window.

Outside the Alabasta Palace, countless commoners had spontaneously organized, charging again and again against the defensive line constructed by the Marines.

From Kizaru's vantage point, he could even see that many of them bore scars, yet the fury in their eyes was genuinely heartfelt.

"Those bastards in the Marines!"

"When the Baroque Works caused chaos, they didn't lift a finger; now that matters are settled, they immediately move against my lord Cobra?!"

"Where is the logic in that?"

Amidst the crowd, an elderly man, eyes brimming with hot tears, waved his cane and, filled with hatred, swung it toward the Marines before him.

The latter felt pain, but facing the countless half-naked commoners whom he ought to protect, he ultimately did not strike back, silently executing Kizaru's order to blockade the palace without retreating a single step.

"My lord Cobra, for the sake of people like us, even skimped on his own rations!

"He once held my daughter in his arms; I will never allow any Marine to lay a hand on him!"

The surging crowd pushed the Marine defensive line back continuously; in just a few short minutes, they had already approached the palace gates.

Standing inside the ward, Kizaru watched all this with cold eyes.

A full several breaths passed.

Only then did he turn his head back, gazing at Cobra:

"King Cobra is indeed deeply beloved by the people."

"They are merely ordinary folks struggling desperately to survive; their minds are simple, easily deceived, and easily manipulated by design."

With a completely open expression, Cobra stated:

"But likewise, if you treat them well by one part, they will repay you by ten; I simply wish for them to live a little better."

"Not a bad answer."

Kizaru's expression softened; he took one last look at Robin and remarked meaningfully:

"I hope you, my lord Princess, know how to conduct yourself."

Having said this, Kizaru turned around and departed with his entourage.

Though his adjutant beside him felt unwilling, recalling Kizaru's earlier warning, he could only grit his teeth and leave.

Gao Wen, who had been crouching outside the window, had just breathed a sigh of relief when Kizaru's voice suddenly reached his ears:

"To the one outside the window, this words applies to you as well; if possible, I would rather not have to act against a monster like you~"

Gao Wen's body stiffened; cursing silently that old fox, he immediately flipped up and landed steadily on the windowsill.

In reality.

The fact that Kizaru voluntarily exposed him, who had been hiding outside the window, precisely proved that he had already given up on acting against Robin here.

Realizing this, Gao Wen also breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Kizaru with an embarrassed grin:

"Didn't I come here just to spar with you?!"

"Is that so?!"

Kizaru remarked meaningfully:

"Ah la~"

"These old bones of mine can't withstand your roughhousing; how about giving me a few days off?!"

Kizaru subtly swept a glance at Robin, a trace of mockery curling at the corner of his mouth:

"After all, I still have several reports regarding Alabasta and the Baroque Works unfinished, and the World Government is pressing urgently~"

Gao Wen's expression instantly stiffened, the corners of his mouth unable to help but twitch.

But since he currently had a weakness held in the other's hands, Gao Wen could only hold his nose and accept it.

However.

His primary objective had already been achieved; his Conqueror's Haki had risen to LV-4, and he had even brushed against the threshold of Infused Conqueror's Haki, needing only some time to master it.

Since Gao Wen's main goals were already accomplished, he simply did not dwell on this minor issue.

"As long as you are happy."

"Is that so?!"

A trace of amusement curled at the corner of Kizaru's mouth:

"There are still several high-ranking officers of the Baroque Works..."

Gao Wen nodded:

"I will handle them."

"Several dangerous pirate groups are also lurking in the surrounding areas..."

Gao Wen sensed something amiss:

"I'll handle it."

"As for the Navy's military expenses for this trip..."

Gao Wen erupted in curses:

"You old bastard, you've gone too far!"

"Well, I was just joking."

With that said,

Kizaru, wearing a look of complete satisfaction, led everyone away.

Following Kizaru's orders being passed down, the Marines surrounding the Alabasta Wang Gong also dispersed in an orderly fashion.

The civilians at the scene, under the soothing efforts of palace guards like Pell and Chaka, gradually calmed down and soon scattered as well.

Inside the sickroom.

Seeing the crisis resolved, Robin and the others also let out a long sigh of relief.

"What do we do now?!"

Vivi couldn't help but look at Robin with worry:

"Should we send Sister Robin away?!"

The situation had been critical just moments ago; the slightest mistake could have provoked Kizaru into action, plunging the newly stabilized Alabasta into another great war.

That was not something he, as a member of the royal family, wished to see.

Now that the crisis was lifted, Robin's safety had become a difficult problem facing everyone.

"If we keep her here, what if that person changes his mind..."

"He won't."

"That guy is a Navy Admiral; if he were going to act, he would have done so in that instant just now."

Gao Wen shook his head:

"Letting Robin leave now would only truly confirm her identity."

"At the very least, before Kizaru withdraws, she must not only stay here but also become the Princess of Alabasta."

"A true Princess!"

"However."

"Before that, there is another matter to deal with; where are Jabura and the others right now?!"

(End of Chapter)