Chapter 223: Humanoid Succubus

"Huh?"

Gao Wen froze, turning to look at Robin; seeing the latter's face filled with anticipation, he momentarily didn't know what to say, then forced himself to speak:

"Women will only affect the speed at which I draw my sword."

"Hehe~"

Sitting on the hospital bed, Robin propped her chin on one hand and teased:

"Truly a man who doesn't understand romance~"

"Cut the nonsense."

Gao Wen's tone grew slightly colder and harder:

"Regarding the Martial Arts Tournament, give me a straight answer."

"No problem."

Robin nodded:

"However, if during our future travels the captain finds any Poneglyphs or anything related to historical studies, please make rubbings for me."

"Mm."

Gao Wen nodded, temporarily setting his mind at ease; after chatting idly with Robin for a while longer, he turned and left.

"Hehehehe~"

Inside the room.

Robin's soft laughter echoed; Gao Wen rubbed his brow with his hand, unconsciously quickening his pace.

This kind of straightforward player, who makes no attempt to hide her thoughts and possesses extremely high emotional and intellectual intelligence, is far less easy to deal with than Miss Kalifa.

There will be plenty of headaches in the future~

On the other end.

Within the temporary Marine camp.

Kizaru returned to his office and skillfully brewed black tea, while his deputy beside him was so agitated his face turned completely red.

"Lord Borsalino, why?!"

"Why let evil slip away right before our eyes?"

Kizaru did not respond, merely calmly extending the teacup in his hand toward his subordinate.

The latter instinctively took it, glanced at the scalding tea liquid in his hand, then paid it no further mind, casually setting it down on the desk.

The scene from earlier, where he had been rendered speechless by Cobra's questioning, pierced his heart like a sharp thorn.

At this moment, he had even forgotten the proper demeanor of a subordinate.

"Jaguar, taste a sip first; this is premium goods that I worked hard to find~"

"But..."

"No more 'buts'."

Kizaru slowly sat down, leisurely picked up a nail clipper from his desk, began trimming his nails, and said in a lazy tone:

"Say~"

"Jaguar, which carries heavier sin: wrongfully accusing an innocent person, or letting a criminal go free?!"

"I..."

Jaguar was momentarily at a loss for words:

"I don't know."

"Neither do I."

Kizaru's gaze fell upon Jaguar:

"The power in our hands is too great, so great that a single word can decide an ordinary person's fate, yet we are not gods; we do not possess eyes capable of seeing through all evil."

"Even if you have the ability to perceive the utmost evil, interpreting the same event from different angles will yield completely different results."

"Please hold at least a basic reverence for the power in your hands, and think carefully about what kind of existence the justice you bear truly is."

"Lord Borsalino... I was impulsive."

Jaguar came to his senses, reaching out to touch the sash on his shoulders.

For the first time, he realized just how heavy the two characters for 'Justice' printed on that sash truly were.

For the first time, he realized that this man, who faced considerable criticism within the Marines for his overly conciliatory conduct, also steadfastly upheld his own justice.

Even compared to Akainu's excessive aggression and Aokiji's inaction, he was the most clear-headed existence of them all.

"Well, well~"

"Don't be so serious."

Kizaru smiled, once again placing the teacup from the desk into Jaguar's hand; this time, the latter did not refuse, taking a small sip before setting the cup down.

A few minutes later, Jaguar departed.

Kizaru slumped back into his recliner, his gaze crossing the windowsill to rest upon the palace of Alabasta.

The sun hung high in the sky, its light fierce and blazing.

Under the glare of the dazzling golden light, the Alabasta Wang Gong appeared exceptionally towering and magnificent.

It had stood here for nearly a thousand years, and barring any accidents, it would continue to guard this place forever.

"Truly magnificent~"

"Not only Knight Gao Wen, but even Cobra is willing to bear such enormous risks to protect that woman?!"

"Nico Robin..."

After hesitating for a moment, Kizaru picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed a familiar number.

……

……

……

On the sea.

Winds and waves rose, yet could not shake the warships of the Marine Headquarters.

Aokiji stood on the deck, slowly lowering the phonecall worm in his hand, his gaze fixed on the distant scene, his eyes gradually growing cold.

"Nico Robin has appeared in Alabasta, and even has ties to the Alabasta royal family and Knight Gao Wen."

"Are these two sides willing to confront Borsalino head-on just to protect her?!"

Zephyr overheard Aokiji's communication, his expression deeply complex.

What happened at Ohara had never been a secret to him, a former Marine Admiral.

Back then, Sengoku had scolded Aokiji repeatedly over this matter.

But now, looking back on that history, Zephyr felt only a fire inside him, hard to release.

"She is innocent. Ohara is innocent."

Aokiji said nothing; his Marine Admiral's reason still made him immediately recognize the danger:

"According to Borsalino's report, the Golden Lion Shi Ji, Knight Gao Wen, and the captured Crocodile—all three may have come for Nico Robin."

"She can read the Poneglyphs. If she falls into Gao Wen's hands…"

Zephyr said softly:

"If that truly was a history of justice and light, why would the World Government erase it?!"

"Yet whatever secrets it hides, if it falls into pirate hands, it will still inflict irreversible damage upon this world."

Aokiji's gaze turned icy; murder had already stirred in his heart:

"Indeed, my decision back then was a mistake. This time is my chance to correct it."

"Kuzan."

Zephyr raised his hand and patted Aokiji's shoulder:

"If Nico Robin truly boards Gao Wen's ship, you should feel relieved. A man who could say such things could never be utterly evil."

"The fact that Gao Wen values her proves that your decision back then was most likely correct."

Aokiji turned his head, his eyes filled with unmistakable shock:

"What exactly did that man do to you, to make you trust him so completely?!"

If Aokiji had previously felt only a faint curiosity toward Gao Wen because of Zephyr, that curiosity had now transformed into unspeakable astonishment.

Though Aokiji spent most of his time training under Karp, he was still Zephyr's student, one of the most outstanding among them.

He understood Zephyr's nature better than anyone.

Among Zephyr's contemporaries, he was the most steadfast in belief, the one who suffered the greatest blows, yet never altered his convictions.

In less than a month, Zephyr's views had shifted so drastically—so completely trusting Gao Wen's character?!

Within the Marines, only a few veterans who had fought alongside Zephyr could earn his unconditional trust!

"When you meet him, you'll understand."

Zephyr's lips curled into a faint smile as he slowly pulled out several biscuits from his pocket and handed one to Aokiji.

"This is…"

"Try it."

Aokiji took a small bite, feeling a dry, harsh taste flood his mouth, the texture utterly coarse.

He could tell this unpleasantness wasn't due to poor baking—it was the ingredients themselves.

He turned to him in confusion, only to see Zephyr also slowly chewing each biscuit, swallowing after a few bites.

Zephyr then spoke:

"How does it taste?!"

"Terrible."

Zephyr sighed:

"Yet for those people, this food is already an unattainable delicacy."

"Those people?!"

"Ah, the pirates who planted this wheat with me back in Crow Harbor—they gave me these as a gift."

"Pirates?!"

Aokiji froze, as if seeing Zephyr for the first time.

If anyone in the Marines could have done something like this with pirates, it might be Karp, or Borsalino, or even Aokiji himself—but never Zephyr.

Only those who knew Zephyr's life story understood what pirates had done to this man—acts so heinous they outraged heaven and earth.

Yet now you tell me he planted wheat with pirates?!

"Master Zephyr…"

At this moment,

Aokiji began to understand why, back at the Marine Officer Academy's top floor, Zephyr had said he had never truly understood pirates.

"What exactly are Crow Harbor and Knight Gao Wen?!"

He asked the question again, and from Zephyr's lips came the same answer:

"A different world—one that could be called paradise."

"An abnormal pirate."

Whoosh—!

A thunderclap boomed in the sky; lightning tore through the gloom, nearly splitting the clouds apart.

Watching the smile at Zeff's lips, Aokiji felt his mind unsettled.

For the first time.

For the first time, he so eagerly wished to see someone—a pirate, and indeed the pirate with the fastest growth since Red Hair!

"Does he also believe in justice?"

"Quite the opposite."

Zeff shook his head:

"Even if he never said it outright, I can feel it: he equally despises the justice of every Marine."

"The justice of non-killing, the justice of burning, absolute justice..."

"If you really asked him which one is right, he would most likely tell you they're all bullshit."

"Then there must be one correct answer, right?!"

Aokiji, puzzled, furrowed his brows into a '川' shape.

"Who knows?!"

"It would be better for you to ask him yourself."

"Tch..."

Aokiji habitually pouted, but his displeasure lasted only a few seconds before he turned and walked into the cabin.

A few minutes later.

The warship's speed increased by another large margin; even as the distant storm grew increasingly violent, it could not stop Aokiji's urgent heart.

Several days later.

In a town near Alabasta.

After the Jabra trio assisted Ikaram in soothing the local refugees, they dragged their exhausted bodies and lay down in a random spot.

(End of this chapter)