Chapter 117: Robin Boards the Ship [62K]

"Mm..."

Robin suddenly heard a faint murmur coming from her knees.

Awake?

She lowered her head, only to find the black-haired boy still had his eyes tightly shut, sleeping soundly, merely muttering gibberish under his breath.

So he was talking in his sleep?

Curiosity suddenly stirred in Robin; after hesitating for a moment, looking left and glancing right, she ultimately couldn't resist.

Quietly and carefully, she leaned down, pressing her ear close—

And then she happened to hear exactly this sentence:

"The sea is vast; one day, companions will appear who will protect you..."

!!!

Robin's pupils constricted, her breath abruptly halting.

How could this be...

How did he know this sentence?

In a daze, painful, dark memories surged back like a tide: her hometown burning fiercely in Xiong Xiong flames, people fleeing desperately, and that massive figure laughing "Tai hi hi hi hi"—

Was it a coincidence, or...?

Just as her heart was in chaotic turmoil, Siano's groggy voice came again to her ear:

"My path of dreams has too many enemies..."

"I want to live!... Take me along to the sea as well!"

"..." Robin blinked, quickly calming down.

These two sentences had absolutely nothing to do with her.

As expected.

She had overthought it; it was just a coincidence.

She gazed quietly at the boy's face, then looked at the newspaper lying nearby; the bounty of 540 million Berries on the wanted poster was so terrifyingly frightening...

Such a powerful existence, such a lucky fellow with a large group of companions...

Could it be that, back then, he too had walked alone in the darkness like herself, enduring endless loneliness?

The wind on the turtle's back suddenly stopped.

Siano's eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes while resting on Robin's knees.

Sunlight sliced diagonally across his brow bone, making those pitch-black pupils appear crystal clear.

"Good morning."

As if nothing had happened, he yawned, stood up, turned his head with a smile, and said, "Thanks; that nap was much more comfortable than sleeping on the reefs."

Then his gaze shifted, noticing the newspaper, and he immediately became interested, "Ho, did the bounty come out this quickly? Let me see..."

Rustle! He shook the newspaper open.

"Tsk, why is it only over five hundred million Berries... As expected, if you haven't reached the New World, they won't give too high a price; eh, has Nami's bounty risen to eighty million Berries already?"

Robin pressed her lower lip.

This reaction... wasn't right.

When a normal person wakes up to find themselves lying on a strange woman's lap, shouldn't their first words be "Who are you"?

Recalling the sentence the other party had spoken yesterday, she simply asked directly, "Do you know me?"

"Huh?"

Siano poked his head out from behind the newspaper, "Of course."

Nico Nico Ni; he could recognize her even if she were burned to ash.

Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "You fellow, you've been following right behind our backs the whole way, haven't you?"

Robin was slightly stunned, revealing a trace of astonishment, "You... you discovered this long ago?"

"Nonsense."

Siano casually folded the newspaper and spoke in an offhand tone:

"Starting from Whiskey Shanfeng, I noticed someone following us from afar; although they hid very well, they occasionally still slipped up... It's just that at the beginning, I didn't know it was you."

At the beginning, I didn't know it was you?

Robin keenly caught this phrase, yet her expression remained unchanged: "How rude; being a stalker is hardly an identity worth praising."

"That's true enough, but you really are an out-and-out stalker!"

Siano grinned, stepping closer step by step, looking down at Robin below who, though clearly somewhat flustered, was still striving to maintain a calm and composed demeanor:

"Your ability should allow you to grow any part of your body anywhere within your field of vision... for example, eyes?"

Siano suddenly leaned down, staring at her eyes from close range.

"If I hadn't mastered Observation Haki, I truly wouldn't have noticed at all; I looked while practicing boxing, looked while eating and drinking, looked while fighting—what exactly are you trying to do?... Say, you weren't peeking while I was bathing, were you?"

"..."

Robin suddenly smiled, blinking her eyes, "Guess?"

"Just kidding; after all, you aren't Sarutobi Ayanpu."

Siano straightened up with a dry laugh, "Still, your nervous and embarrassed look is quite interesting."

Who exactly is nervous? Robin fell silent, speechless; after a moment, she said softly:

"Since you discovered this long ago, why haven't you exposed me all this time?"

"Hey, don't arbitrarily try to seize the initiative in the conversation," Siano complained; "I should be the one asking that, right? You following us—what exactly do you want to do?"

"..." Robin pressed her lips together, offering no immediate reply.

How should she say it?

Should she say she was at a dead end and looking for a new boss?

Should she say she envied their bonds and wanted to become one of them?

But for someone of her status, a monster who only brought trouble to others, could she truly be qualified...

"Might as well just be honest about it."

Siano's voice rang out, interrupting her thoughts, "Child of the Demon, Nico Robin, the last survivor of Ohara, a genius scholar who earned her doctorate in history at eight years old, wanted by the World Government for 79,000,000 Berries..."

He knows!

He really does know!

Robin's pupils contracted sharply, her body stiffening noticeably for an instant as her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.

For sixteen years, this identity had brought her nothing but disaster and betrayal, and this scene suddenly felt all too familiar; over these past years, she had been exposed like this, her identity laid bare in a single breath, countless times...

"Don't be nervous."

Siano reached out and ruffled her hair, the motion so natural and fluid that Robin froze for a moment, and Siano himself paused as well.

Huh, why can't I control this damn hand?

It has to be Robin's fault; twenty years of accompanying her in the manga gave him an overwhelming sense of familiarity, making it feel like meeting a long-lost friend the moment they met.

Plus, he had already ruffled the heads of Luffy, Nami, and those two brothers, Zoro and Sanji...

His hand had developed a habit; while talking, it just went up and did it on its own.

"My apologies."

He withdrew his arm as if nothing had happened, smiling cheerfully as he said, "I'm so used to comforting my little sister that I forgot you're older than me; this really isn't appropriate. Anyway... regarding me exposing your identity..."

Siano suddenly crouched down to look the seated Robin in the eye: "It wasn't to threaten you, but to tell you—"

"From today on, those years of living in fear and hiding in the shadows are over~!"

Sunlight danced on his eyelashes, casting a warm halo over the boy's cheeks as he extended his right hand and chuckled:

"Hey, Big Sister Robin, want to come aboard my ship? I happen to be quite interested in the Poneglyphs myself and was thinking of collecting a few more around, so I'm just missing a proper archaeologist."

"..."

Robin stared blankly at the black-haired boy before her.

She hadn't even figured out how to speak yet... she had even given up on that thought, but now she was being actively invited to join the crew?

Sixteen years...

For the first time in sixteen years, someone who knew all her dark past extended not a blade, but a palm warm with living heat.

Those years of being hunted by the World Government, those days drifting among dark forces, now seemed so distant in the face of this absurd tenderness.

She recalled the brilliant smiling faces on the wanted posters, remembering the scene at Little Garden where they played around the bonfire...

That warmth was a dream she had thought forever out of reach.

Now...

Was it now right in front of her, reaching out to her from arm's length?!

"I..."

Subconsciously, she slowly extended her right hand, but at the very moment before contact, she yanked it back as if scalded.

"What are you doing?" Siano glared at her dissatisfiedly. "At a time like this, you're still shrinking back and hesitating? Put it here!"

"You, you don't understand."

Robin's gaze dimmed, her voice so soft it was nearly scattered by the sea breeze, "My very existence is calamity... the forbidden flames of Ohara will burn your ship to the ground, and the World Government will cling to every one of you like shadows..."

She lowered her lashes, casting faint shadows beneath her eyes, "The smiles, the bonfires, the comrades fighting side by side that you see now... one day, because of me, they will all turn to ash."

"So annoying."

Siano rolled his eyes, suddenly grabbing her wrist halfway through its retreat, pressing his warm palm against her cold hand, and forcibly completing the high-five gesture.

"There, that counts as officially joining the crew; pinky swear, no backing out, from now on you have to call me Captain."

Only then did Siano sit back down, and under Robin's stunned gaze, he grinned and said:

"What forbidden flames and such nonsense are you spouting? Didn't you read the newspaper? Didn't you see what my current bounty is? Hmm?"

"F-five hundred million..."

"It's 540,000,000 Berries!"

He held up six fingers, "Your little bounty multiplied by six still doesn't reach my level; after joining the ship, your bounty will only rank second to last. If the sky falls, there's someone taller to hold it up; who would have the time to keep focusing on capturing you!"

"But..."

"Trying to emphasize Ohara's uniqueness again, aren't you?"

Siano dismissed it with contempt, "Marine Headquarters, the World Government—they sound terrifying, but so what? The sea is so vast; could they possibly mobilize everyone to hunt us down? At worst, it's just a Buster Call!"

He sneered:

"One Admiral, five Vice Admirals—that's all the configuration of a Buster Call amounts to. And I just fought an Admiral, casually taking down two Vice Admirals in the process... Hmph, anyway, if anyone overestimates their strength and tries to drag you back, they'll have to get past me first!"

The boy's voice echoed across the sea surface.

A sea breeze swept over, and suddenly, silence fell upon the turtle shell.

"What's wrong, why aren't you speaking?" Siano laughed heartily. "Were you struck by how cool my words were?"

Robin froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

She lowered her lashes, her fingertips lightly brushing the fabric on her knees that someone had wrinkled, her voice as light as a sigh:

"Yes, very cool."

—Of course he was cool; so cool that her eyes grew hot.

So that was it... those shadows that had weighed on her heart for sixteen years were, in his eyes, nothing more than waste paper he could crush with a casual flick of his hand?

"Captain." Robin suddenly spoke.

"Hmm? What is it?"

Siano grinned; finally accepting it, huh? Hearing that word 'Captain' felt truly comfortable.

"Your poison has flared up again..." Robin said softly.

Huh?

Siano froze, then hurried to the edge of the turtle shell, peering at his reflection on the sea surface to check his complexion.

A fellow who looked like a hybrid of Thanos and the Hulk was staring right back at him, eye to eye.

His expression instantly stiffened.

Wait.

Did I just stand before Robin with a face like that, spouting all those cool, posing lines?

"Aaaaaah!"

A desperate scream from the youth rang out atop the turtle shell, "Sister Robin, why didn't you tell me sooner!!!"

————

A cold wind howled, and heavy snow fell rustling like goose feathers, wrapping the mountains of Drum Island in a silver coat.

The sea turtle, pipe in mouth, slowly sailed up the river channel deep into the island,

while the towering coniferous forests on both sides had their branches bent low by accumulated snow, with chunks of snow occasionally plummeting down with a 'rustle-rustle'.

"This place is really biting cold..."

Siano rubbed his arms; the white breath he exhaled instantly condensed into ice crystals. He glanced back at Robin, who was pulling her cloak tight, her body trembling, the tip of her nose frozen slightly red.

"Can you hold on?"

Siano couldn't help but ask, "There should be a town not far ahead; the first thing we'll do is find a clothing store and buy you several more winter outfits."

Such is the climate of the Grand Line: unpredictable.

Just one day ago they were in a warm tropics, yet now, nearing this winter island, the temperature had plummeted to minus forty or fifty degrees.

That's right; it was already one day later.

After a full day of sailing, they had finally arrived here.

"Drum Island."

Only when Siano spotted those mountain peaks resembling giant smokestacks from afar did it dawn on him: the so-called "medical powerhouse" where Robin intended to take him to find a doctor was actually Chopper's hometown.

Stereotypes are no good!

Sister, you really ought to update your intelligence.

This country should have by now expelled the vast majority of its doctors, leaving only the "Twenty Doctors" who serve the king; can it truly still be called a medical powerhouse?

"I'm fine, Captain." Robin shook her head slightly. "It's the toxin in your body that matters; we must find a doctor immediately..."

When she spoke the two words 'Captain', she paused; she was still somewhat unaccustomed to it.

In the past, she had addressed many people with similar titles—"Captain," "Boss," or "Leader"... —but all insincerely, hiding countless schemes and guards behind them.

Only when facing this youth, a few years younger than herself, and uttering that word 'Captain', did she feel an inexplicable sense of reassurance and reliability.

"What doctor? Didn't I already tell you? This poison poses no threat to me."

Siano cut her off directly in an ill temper, "If we weren't already so close to this island, I wouldn't have bothered coming at all! Listen to me: clothes first! No arguing!"

"..." Robin, helpless and unable to sway him, could only nod in agreement.

Siano squatted down again, checking his reflection back and forth on the mostly frozen river surface.

Fortunately, the toxin hadn't surged up yet.

On the way here, he had already checked carefully once more.

The toxin left behind by that madwoman Vice Admiral, aside from the toxic deposits on his skin, indeed posed no threat to him whatsoever.

But even with the acceleration of Life Return, completely expelling the poison would take time; he estimated at least half a month.

In other words, if left untreated, for the next half-month or so, his face would periodically surge with that unsightly bluish-purple hue.

At most, it was a bit annoying; since Siano had already lost face once before Robin, cosplaying Thanos once or ten times made no difference, so he truly didn't mind.

If they happened to find a doctor along the way, he'd get treated; if not for a while, it didn't matter.

However.

"Already very close to this island" was merely Siano's excuse; the real reason he ultimately disembarked on Drum Island was this—

Siano glanced at his backpack slot.

Inside, the Devil Fruit detection radar was, after a long time, flashing with yellow light.

This meant that within a ten-kilometer radius, there was a Devil Fruit.

However, last time the Mera Mera no Mi was found only after everyone on the ship searched together; this time, with just him and Robin, finding it amidst this vast snowy wilderness would not be easy.

Hope everything goes smoothly.

Siano leisurely lifted his head, gazing at the ever-heavier falling snow filling the sky.

Hadn't there always been rumors?

That Devil Fruits choose their own masters, actively appearing before the person destined for them.

The old sea turtle docked at the shore, puffing out a ring of smoke with a 'puff-puff'.

"It's completely frozen ahead; whether we can cross or not, I'm afraid you'll have to wait here, Mr. Binchy."

The two left the turtle's back, stepped onto land, and with a 'crunch-crunch' treaded through the snow-covered ground, heading toward the lights glowing in the distance.

At minus fifty degrees, the temperature had little effect on Siano; bare-chested, he strode ahead, breaking a path through the mountain forest and, incidentally, shielding Robin behind him from the wind and snow.

Crunch, crunch; the same sound came from the opposite direction.

A massive white bear, at least five or six meters tall, approached them head-on, leaning on a hiking staff.

"This is a Long-Distance Bear, a friendly creature found only on the Winter Islands of the Grand Line."

Robin recognized it at first glance and whispered a reminder from behind:

"They are very friendly toward humans; if you encounter one in the mountains, there's no need to worry about an attack—just nod and bow slightly to each other."

Is that so?

Siano gazed curiously at the great white bear.

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded, and the white bear immediately bowed slightly in return before continuing on its way into the distance, still leaning on its hiking staff.

Huh, it really is quite polite.

"If Nami were here, her first reaction would be to roast it for meat, which would really spoil the scenery."

Siano turned his head and said with a grin, "It's wonderful to have a knowledgeable companion like you, Sister Robin."

"The town entrance should be just ahead."

Robin could do nothing about him; although she had told him just to call her Robin, the young man insisted on addressing her this way.

She pointed toward a small path on the distant hillside, where lights flickered in and out amidst the wind and snow. "Eh?" She suddenly narrowed her eyes. "What is that?"

—On the snowy slope, a small reindeer with a blue nose was fleeing in panic, pursued by five or six soldiers brandishing guns.

"Stop, you blue-nosed monster!"

"Fire, fire! This time we absolutely must catch it!"

"Try not to hit any vital parts; just cripple its legs! We still need to use this monster to capture that damn rogue doctor, Kureha!"

Amidst the harsh shouts, the crack of flintlock guns followed immediately.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The little reindeer stumbled and fell into a snowdrift, scattering various medicinal herbs from its basket all over the ground; it looked back in terror, its large, wet eyes reflecting the approaching crowd.

"You can't escape now!"

The soldiers surrounded it in a tight circle; the squad leader at the front clicked the safety catch with a snap, grinned viciously, and aimed his gun at the small creature on the ground:

"Speak! Confess honestly! Where exactly is Kureha? Right now, in this entire country, only that old woman is still resisting His Majesty the King's orders!"

Swish!

A blade light suddenly flared.

A piercing cold glow sliced through the wind and snow; before the soldiers could react, the flintlocks in their hands snapped in two with a crisp sound.

"..." Robin looked at the figure that had landed on the ground, somewhat surprised. "Captain, you really are a master swordsman?"

"... What kind of talk is that! Have you forgotten what my wanted poster nickname is?" Siano glared at her dissatisfiedly.

"But that was clearly just a disguise, wasn't it?" Robin smiled gently. "Your true specialty is actually various forms of martial arts; isn't that sword just meant to confuse enemies?"

"..."

How boring; now that there's finally a smart woman on the ship, this is the downside.

Siano pursed his lips, unwilling to engage further, while the squad leader suddenly let out a wailing scream—Siano's swordsmanship hadn't been quite precise enough, and he had chopped off the man's wrist along with everything else.

Tsk, that was a bit unfortunate; Siano raised an eyebrow, though he felt no guilt whatsoever in his heart.

He remembered one thing very clearly: among Wapol's reserve guards, apart from Dalton, who was a rare conscience, the rest were all loyal lapdogs who showed no mercy when persecuting and capturing doctors, yet only curled up in cowardice when facing external enemies; even when Blackbeard invaded and Wapol was so frightened he went out to sea to become a pirate, these soldiers had still followed him all the way.

"It hurts, it hurts so much!!!"

The squad leader glared with bloodshot eyes. "Who the hell are you two bastards! Dare to meddle in the affairs of the Kingdom Guard, aren't you afraid King Wapol will capture you and feed you to the cannons!"

Before Siano could speak, a sudden commotion erupted from the opposite side.

A soldier stared at his face, his pupils contracting sharply; he abruptly yanked the squad leader's coat tail and whispered something into his ear.

"What?"

The squad leader froze, then as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, he even forgot the excruciating pain of his severed arm. "Are you saying this guy is the pirate with a 540 million bounty?!"

"Absolutely!" that soldier said in terror. "The headlines in the newspapers these past few days have all been his photos! Even a Marine Vice Admiral and a Warlord of the Sea died at his hands!"

"What?!!!"

The soldiers instantly exploded into chaos, retreating in sheer panic.

"Run... run quickly!" The squad leader lost all his earlier arrogance, his voice cracking. "Retreat! Retreat immediately!!"

The soldiers clumsily propped up their armless captain and scrambled away in a frantic dash, not even daring to pick up the dropped guns.

Siano scoffed and sheathed his sword; beside him, Robin frowned slightly. "Don't we need to..."

"No need."

Siano shook his head and looked toward the most towering peak in the distance, one with an elevation of at least five thousand meters. "Letting them serve as messengers is fine too; I'd actually like to see what Wapol's reaction will be when he learns I've come to this island."

Only then did Robin realize, and she lowered her arms, which had quietly crossed themselves.

"It's alright, little tanuki; they won't dare to trouble you anymore."

She turned to look at the little blue-nosed creature and said with a gentle smile, "Where is your home? Would you like us to escort you back?"

"..."

The little reindeer remained silent, glaring at her vigilantly; suddenly, it grabbed the herb basket from the ground and darted behind the thickest tree trunk in a flash.

Then it poked its head out, observing secretly.

However...

"Your method of hiding isn't quite right, is it?" Robin blinked. "Who hides their head behind a tree while leaving their entire body exposed?"

Oh, right!

The little reindeer panicked and hastily adjusted its posture, tucking its body completely behind the tree.

(End of Chapter)