Chapter 228: He Is Still Alive

"Vivi, go ahead and attend the festival first."

Robin forcibly suppressed the unease in her heart, turned to look at Vivi, and forced a faint smile onto the corners of her mouth:

"Father is still waiting for you."

"I'll be fine... on my own."

Vivi didn't quite understand, blinking her eyes.

Seeing Robin's calm demeanor, she nodded dazedly, yet didn't forget to urge:

"Then, Ro... Sister Nefertari, if anything happens, remember to let me know~"

Now that the crisis in Alabasta had dissipated, Vivi, who had once borne everything alone, had finally set down the Weight on the Shoulder, revealing the innocence befitting a girl her age.

After learning of Robin's past, the hatred once in her heart had entirely transformed into sympathy, and by now she truly regarded Robin as her own older sister.

But the more this was so, the less willing Robin was to drag Vivi into the matters that lay ahead.

The abnormal chill on the doorknob, and the hair-raising aura permeating the room—far stronger than that of Crocodile—confirmed one thing for her.

Twenty years ago, the man who ended Saul's life was now behind this very door.

No matter how the subsequent issues unfolded, no matter what her own fate might be, at the very least, this country should not be implicated.

"Understood."

A forced smile tugged at Robin's lips; she couldn't help but reach out and pat Vivi's head:

"You must have fun too~"

"Mm-hmm~"

Vivi nodded repeatedly, turned, took a few steps, and vanished at the end of the corridor.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

The crisp sound of footsteps grew fainter and fainter until it vanished completely; only then did Robin exhale a long breath, turn around, and push open the ward door.

Creak~!

Before the door had even fully opened, Kuzan's towering figure and that slightly lazy face appeared before Robin once again.

"Saxi won't pay attention to Dana~"

Kuzan waved casually at Robin; his gaze fell upon her, yet it only made Robin's scalp tingle with numbness.

"Nico Robin."

Robin gritted her teeth and spoke:

"Nico Robin is already dead."

"That kind of false news might fool others, but it won't fool me."

Kuzan shook his head:

"Rest assured."

"If I wanted to take your life, there would have been countless opportunities over the past twenty years; besides, if I were to make a move here, a certain troublesome fellow might rush to fight me to the death."

Robin froze for a moment.

Only now did she realize that, including Admiral Kuzan standing before her, two of the Three Admirals—the face of the Marines—had already gathered in Alabasta.

Gao Wen was strong, even overwhelmingly powerful beyond her imagination.

But even now, Gao Wen was no match for Kizaru, let alone facing another Marine Admiral of Kizaru's caliber.

Faced with a lineup of two allied Admirals, even the Four Emperors, who roam the New World and represent the pinnacle of pirates in this era, would suffer severe losses.

With Gao Wen's strength, whether he could even survive was itself a question.

For a moment.

Robin's heart was filled with extreme anxiety:

"If your target is me, I will do anything you ask, please..."

"Let the captain and the others leave!"

As she spoke.

Robin closed her eyes, pressed her lips tightly together, and several thoughts of death had already arisen in her heart.

"Oh~"

A hint of unusual color flashed in Kuzan's eyes.

Over these years, he had consistently followed news of Robin, witnessed the hardships of her journey, and seen just how far she was willing to go in order to survive.

That was not merely cherishing life, but rather the final obsession left to her by her late mother, Olvia, and by Saul.

To live on; only by living on is there hope.

But at this very moment, Robin chose to use herself to exchange for a chance for Gao Wen to escape...

Kuzan no longer knew how to describe his feelings at this moment.

During this voyage, he had heard Gao Wen's name countless times from Zephyr's mouth.

Even Kizaru had expressed approval of this person named Gao Wen, going so far as to say that, setting aside their stances, Gao Wen would be a decent person.

For Kizaru, things like 'stance' had never held any practical meaning; how could Kuzan not understand the intent behind those words?!

But the more this was so, the harder it became for him to comprehend...

"Gao Wen, Gao Wen, Gao Wen..."

"What kind of magic does that guy possess?!"

Wholeheartedly ready to die, Robin at this moment felt far more open before Kuzan; mentioning Gao Wen now, a hint of longing even surfaced in her eyes:

"I have been in exile for more than twenty years."

"I have seen kind people reveal ugly faces because of my bounty, and I have also encountered conspirators who wanted to exploit my ability to decipher the Poneglyphs."

"But Gao Wen was the first; without speaking any logic, without looking at any benefit, just like a willful child, he told me again and again:"

"Live on, I want you to live on."

"Even as a pirate, he is different."

Aokiji's eyes widened, falling upon Robin.

For the first time.

For the first time, he saw something named hope shining excessively upon Robin.

If, in the twenty years following the end of Ohara, Robin was merely a corpse inheriting Saul's will, living numbly like a walking dead,

then now this corpse had truly come alive, filled by an existence named Gao Wen.

She had found the reason and motivation to support her survival.

Was this what Saul had been waiting for all along?!

Aokiji did not know.

But what he did know was that at this very moment, he could not help but begin to anticipate it himself.

What kind of fruit could the flower named Nico Robin, which Saul risked his life to preserve twenty years ago, ultimately bear?

Moreover, if Gao Wen can give Teacher Zephyr an answer, and can give Nico Robin an answer, can he not also give me an answer?!

He can, right?

He certainly can!

The instant this thought arose, Aokiji could no longer sit still; he took one last look at Robin and finally voiced the words he had long suppressed in his heart:

"Although I am still somewhat confused right now and have not yet found my future path, I know that the Navy's decision to destroy Ohara back then was absolutely wrong."

"Oh, right."

Aokiji raised his hand to scratch his head and continued:

"After Ohara was destroyed back then, I searched for a long time but could not find Saul's corpse."

"If he was not burned to ash, then he should still be alive somewhere in this world, and he is watching you too."

As his voice landed, the hospital window slammed open with a bang, and Aokiji's figure vanished into thin air.

The invisible chill within the room was gradually dispersed by Alabasta's scorching air.

A few breaths later.

Robin came to her senses; tears had already slid down her face, and even though she pressed her lips tightly together, she could not suppress the erupting emotions.

"Wu..."

"Wuaaaaaah—!"

The sobbing grew from soft to loud, eventually becoming uncontrollable.

When Vivi, realizing something was amiss halfway there, pushed open the hospital door accompanied by guards, all she saw was Robin collapsed on the ground, wailing.

Her elegant demeanor, her breathtakingly beautiful face...

Every external form Robin possessed dissipated in this moment; she cried like a child.

"Sister Nefu, what happened?!"

"If someone is bullying you, I will definitely bring Kohza to beat them up!"

Vivi waved her small fist, but before she could finish speaking, Robin tightly embraced her in her arms, allowing Vivi to clearly hear Robin's low murmur.

"It's wonderful..."

"Saul, it's so wonderful that you are still alive..."

"I really want to tell you that I have been doing well, that I have a wonderful family, and also a captain who, regardless of any logic, insists on letting me live on."

"..."

Outside Alubarna.

The desert stretched endlessly, the scorching sun hung high in the sky, baking everything.

When Aokiji followed Gao Wen's aura and arrived here, what met his eyes were two figures standing opposite each other.

One was about sixty-plus years old, his hair already beginning to thin.

Yet the aura emanating from his entire body was unimaginably powerful; merely by standing there, he resembled a fierce beast, inspiring awe in anyone who looked upon him.

It was none other than the former Navy Admiral, Zephyr.

The other was in his twenties, with a well-proportioned build, holding a silver-bright long blade, radiating an invisible spirit poised to slash and destroy everything before him.

Invisible spiritual pressures clashed in the void, with faint crimson lightning crisscrossing; this was the rising momentum of the two, and once it reached a critical point, their strike would be earth-shattering.

The scorching air surrounding them felt abnormally heavy at this moment.

"Ah la~"

"Teacher Zephyr actually advised me not to make a move against Gao Wen, yet he himself became impatient long ago, is that it?!"

"Truly..."

Aokiji shook his head; although he urgently wanted to obtain answers from Gao Wen, at this moment he still calmed himself down.

His gaze fixed firmly on the two people in the battlefield, refusing to shift even a fraction.

"Teacher Zephyr is so old yet still as impulsive as a child; only this time, his opponent is a genuine monster."

Kizaru moved over in time, standing shoulder to shoulder with Aokiji, watching everything before them with great interest.

"I wonder how long he can last with his current physical condition."

"Last?"

Aokiji glanced sideways at Kizaru, couldn't help but shake his head, and laughed in disbelief:

"You probably don't know that something transformative has happened to the old man recently."

"The Conqueror's Haki he inadvertently leaks grows stronger every day; according to Mr. Karp, he may have already awakened Conqueror's Haki."

His words fell silent.

Countless Marines gathered, looking at Zephyr in the distance, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Is that true?!"

"Teacher Zephyr was once a man who could stand alongside Fleet Admiral Sengoku by mastering Armament Haki to its utmost limit; if he now masters Conqueror's Haki, does that not mean he will be even stronger than before?!"

"Not necessarily, right? His Haki is stronger, but the aging of his body is irreversible."

"Regardless, this proves that Teacher Zephyr is countless times stronger than when he last fought Knight Gao Wen!"

"If he were only at the level of the East Blue, he would absolutely not be Zephyr's match!"

The murmurs around them grew increasingly heated.

Even as time passed, more and more Marines gathered nearby, watching the battle from afar.

Aokiji continued:

"He abandoned the crusher forged by the Marine Weapons Development Department and replaced it with a prosthetic limb that suits him better."

"As far as I know, that prosthetic limb should have been silver originally, but look at it now."

Kizaru looked at Zephyr's prosthetic limb but saw only an arm as black as ink; even Kizaru couldn't help but click his tongue in surprise:

"Top-tier swordsmen can temper their blades into black blades using Haki, but that requires years, even decades of effort."

"Has Teacher Zephyr already achieved this in such a short time?!"

"This Armament Haki is probably not far from his peak, but if that's all he has, he probably still isn't Knight Gao Wen's match."

"Is that true?!"

Aokiji paused, stunned:

"Just how strong is that guy now?!"

"Anyway, if we fight at full strength, he can't beat me, and I can't keep him..."

"What kind of joke is that?!"

Aokiji was startled.

Kizaru's speed, even on this vast sea, is unmatched by anyone.

Combined with his development of the Pika Pika no Mi and his comprehensive combat power, purely in terms of the ability to pin down and engage an opponent, he is currently the strongest of the three Admirals.

But now even Kizaru lacks the confidence to pin down Gao Wen; if Kizaru himself can't do it, it's even more impossible for Aokiji.

"How old is he?!"

"Just a year ago, he was being chased by branch Marines in the East Blue, and now he's—!"

Boom!

Aokiji's words were cut short by a booming sound before he could finish.

A shockwave, as solid as matter, spread outward, kicking up endless sand and dust that rushed toward the assembled Marines.

The battle had begun!

Just the shockwave from these two's initial probe was enough to shatter the internal organs of ordinary people.

Even though these Marines' physiques were stronger than average, they would still be injured by this.

"Ko~wa~i~ne~"

Anticipating this, Kizaru pushed both palms forward; Armament Haki surged from within him, forming a barrier in front of the Marines to steadily block the shockwaves generated by their fight.

"Even after so many years, the old man is still as strong as a monster~"

Aokiji, however, had no heart to pay attention to Kizaru's words; he raised his head to gaze at the dust cloud in the distance.

Although his vision was completely blocked, his Observation Haki perception recreated the scene of their clash in his mind.

An arm wreathed in black Armament Haki clashed mid-air with the long sword emitting a faint blue glow in Gao Wen's hand; in an instant, they had exchanged hundreds of blows.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Like the booming of temple bells, the sounds erupted continuously from the desert, the powerful shockwaves constantly pushing the sand beneath their feet outward.

In just a few dozen seconds, a massive crater a hundred meters in diameter had formed, yet it continued to expand outward.

Seeing this, Aokiji couldn't help but turn back to warn the shaken Marines:

"The coming battle, even just watching from the sidelines, could injure you; those who don't want to die, go back."

Everyone looked at one another, their eyes filled with fear as solid as matter, yet not a single person chose to retreat.

After all, if they couldn't even withstand watching a battle between top-tier powerhouses, how could they protect justice in the future?!

"Truly a troublesome bunch of brats."

Aokiji couldn't help but mutter a few complaints, yet a smile curled at the corner of his lips:

"Then hide behind us and see what you can achieve."

Having said that, Aokiji ignored everyone and walked straight toward the center of the battlefield.

Feeling the violent tremors occasionally transmitted through the ground, his eyes held an indescribable look of shock:

"I finally understand why you hold Knight Gao Wen in such high regard; to be able to fight Teacher Zephyr to this extent?"

"No!"

Kizaru raised his hand to adjust his glasses:

"It must be Master Zefa; the fact that he was even able to exchange blows with him is truly the unexpected part!"

(End of this chapter)