Chapter 116: Robin Joins the Crew
"Mmm…"
Robin suddenly heard a soft mumble from her lap.
Is he waking up?
She looked down, but the black-haired young man's eyes were still closed, and he was sleeping soundly, just muttering something in his sleep.
So he's talking in his sleep?
Robin's curiosity was piqued. She hesitated for a moment, looked left, then right, and finally, she couldn't resist.
She quietly and carefully leaned in, her ear close to his lips—
And she heard him say, "The sea is vast. One day, you will find friends who will protect you…"
!!!
Robin's pupils constricted, her breath catching in her throat.
How…
How does he know those words?
In a daze, the painful, dark memories came flooding back: her burning hometown, the people fleeing for their lives, and the massive figure laughing, "Dereshishishishi"—
Is it a coincidence, or…?
As her mind reeled, she heard Shane's drowsy voice again. "The path to my dream is fraught with enemies…"
"I want to live!… Take me with you, out to sea!"
"..." Robin blinked, and she quickly calmed down.
Those two sentences had nothing to do with her.
So it was just a coincidence.
She quietly looked at the young man's face, then at the newspaper beside him. The bounty of 540 million Berries was so terrifyingly high…
Such a powerful being, such a happy guy with a group of friends…
Could it be that he, too, had once walked alone in the darkness, enduring an endless solitude, just like her?
…
The wind on the turtle's back suddenly died down.
Shane's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes on Robin's lap.
The sunlight slanted across his brow, making his dark pupils shine.
"Good morning," he said, as if nothing had happened. He yawned and stood up, then turned and smiled. "Thanks. That was a much more comfortable sleep than on the reef."
His gaze then fell on the newspaper, and his interest was piqued. "Whoa, the new bounties are out already? Let me see…"
He shook the newspaper open.
"Tsk, only a little over five hundred million… I guess they don't give you a high bounty if you don't go to the New World. Huh, Nami's bounty went up to eighty million?"
Robin bit her lower lip.
This reaction… is not right.
Shouldn't a normal person's first words upon waking up and finding themselves on a strange woman's lap be "Who are you?"
Remembering what he had said yesterday, she decided to ask him directly. "You know me?"
"Huh?" Shane poked his head out from behind the newspaper. "Of course."
Nico Nico Nii~, he'd recognize her even if she were burned to a crisp.
He shrugged. "You've been following us this whole time, haven't you?"
Robin was taken aback, a look of surprise on her face. "You… you knew all along?"
"Of course," Shane said, casually folding the newspaper. "I noticed someone was following us from a distance ever since Whiskey Peak. You were well hidden, but you slipped up a few times… I just didn't know it was you at first."
You just didn't know it was me at first?
Robin keenly picked up on that sentence, but her expression remained calm. "How rude of me. A stalker is not exactly a praiseworthy title."
"You're right about that, but you are a full-fledged stalker!" Shane grinned, stepping closer and looking down at Robin, who was trying her best to appear calm despite her obvious nervousness.
"Your ability… it lets you sprout any part of your body anywhere in your line of sight… like your eyes?"
Shane suddenly leaned in, his face close to hers.
"If I hadn't mastered Observation Haki, I would have never noticed. You were watching when I was training, when I was eating and drinking, when I was fighting… what's the deal with that? Don't tell me you were peeking when I was taking a bath too?"
"..." Robin suddenly smiled and blinked. "What do you think?"
"Just kidding. You're not Sarutobi Ayame, after all," Shane said with a dry laugh and straightened up. "But your flustered expression is quite amusing."
Who's the flustered one here? Robin thought, speechless. After a moment's silence, she said softly, "Since you knew all along, why didn't you expose me?"
"Hey, don't try to take control of the conversation," Shane said, annoyed. "Shouldn't I be the one asking that? What do you want, following us around?"
"..." Robin bit her lip, not answering immediately.
What could she say?
That she was at the end of her rope and was looking for a new protector?
That she was envious of their bond and wanted to be a part of it?
But someone like her, a monster who only brought trouble to others, did she really have the right…
"Why not just be honest?" Shane's voice interrupted her thoughts. "The 'Devil Child,' Nico Robin, the last survivor of Ohara, a genius scholar who earned a doctorate in history at the age of eight and has a bounty of 79 million Berries from the World Government…"
He knows!
He really knows!
Robin's pupils constricted, and her body visibly stiffened. Her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.
For sixteen years, that identity had brought her nothing but disaster and betrayal. And this scene was all too familiar. In the past, her identity had been revealed like this countless times…
"Don't be nervous," Shane said, reaching out and ruffling her hair. The movement was so natural and fluid that it took Robin by surprise. Shane himself was also a little surprised.
Huh, why can't I control this hand?
It must be Robin's fault. After twenty years of the manga, she feels like an old friend.
And besides, he had already ruffled the hair of Luffy, Nami, and even Zoro and Sanji…
It's become a habit.
"My apologies," he said, nonchalantly retracting his arm with a smile. "I'm used to comforting my sisters like that. I forgot you're older than me. That was inappropriate. Anyway… the reason I revealed your identity…"
Shane suddenly crouched down, his eyes level with Robin's. "…is not to threaten you, but to tell you—"
"From this day on, the days of living in fear and hiding are over~!"
The sunlight danced on his eyelashes, casting a warm glow on the young man's face. He held out his right hand and grinned.
"Hey, Robin, want to join my crew? I'm actually quite interested in the Poneglyphs myself and was thinking of collecting a few. I just happen to be in need of a proper archaeologist."
"..."
Robin stared at the black-haired young man before her, stunned.
She hadn't even figured out how to ask… in fact, she had already given up on the idea. But he had just invited her to join?
Sixteen years…
For the first time in sixteen years, someone who knew her entire dark past was not extending a sword, but a warm hand.
The years of being hunted by the World Government, the days of moving from one dark organization to another, now seemed so distant in the face of this absurd gentleness.
She remembered the brilliant smiles on the wanted posters, the scene of them gathered around the bonfire in Little Garden, laughing and joking…
That warmth was a dream she had thought was unattainable.
And now…
It was right in front of her, reaching out to her?!
"I…"
She subconsciously reached out her right hand, but just as they were about to touch, she snatched it back as if she had been burned.
"What's the matter?" Shane shot her an annoyed glare. "Still hesitating at a time like this? Just give me your hand!"
"You… you don't understand," Robin's gaze darkened, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the sea breeze. "My very existence is a calamity… the forbidden flames of Ohara will burn your ship, and the World Government will haunt every one of you like a shadow…"
She lowered her eyelashes, casting a light shadow on her cheeks. "The smiles, the bonfires, the comrades you fight alongside… one day, because of me, they will all turn to ash."
"So annoying," Shane said, rolling his eyes. He suddenly grabbed her retracting wrist and pressed his warm palm against her cold hand, forcing a high-five.
"Alright, that's it. You're officially on the crew. A pinky swear, you can't run away. From now on, you have to call me Captain," Shane said, sitting back down and grinning at the stunned Robin.
"What forbidden flames? What nonsense are you talking about? You've seen the newspaper, haven't you? You saw my bounty, right? Huh?"
"F-Five hundred…"
"It's five hundred and forty million Berries!" he said, holding up six fingers. "Your bounty multiplied by six isn't even as high as mine! Once you're on the crew, your bounty will be the second lowest! When the sky is falling, the tallest one gets hit first! Who's going to have the time to go after you?!"
"But…"
"Are you going to go on about Ohara again?" Shane said dismissively. "Marine Headquarters, the World Government, they sound scary, but what can they do? The sea is vast. They can't possibly send everyone to hunt us down. At most, it would be a Buster Call!"
He sneered.
"One Admiral, five Vice Admirals, that's all a Buster Call is. And I just fought an Admiral and killed or crippled two Vice Admirals… hmph, in any case, if anyone is foolish enough to try and take you back, they'll have to get through me first!"
The young man's voice echoed across the sea.
The sea breeze rustled, and a silence fell over the turtle's back.
"What's the matter, why aren't you saying anything?" Shane laughed. "Are you stunned by how cool I am?"
Robin was taken aback for a moment, then she chuckled.
She lowered her eyes, her fingertips gently brushing the wrinkled fabric on her lap, her voice as soft as a sigh.
"Yes, very cool."
—Of course he was cool. So cool it made her eyes burn.
So… the shadows that had weighed on her heart for sixteen years, in his eyes, were just a piece of scrap paper that he could easily crumple up and throw away?
"Captain," Robin said suddenly.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Shane grinned. So she's finally accepted it. That 'Captain' sounds so good.
"Your poison is acting up again…" Robin said softly.
Huh?
Shane was taken aback. He quickly went to the edge of the turtle's shell and looked at his reflection in the water.
A creature that looked like a cross between Thanos and the Hulk was staring back at him.
His expression froze.
Wait.
Was I just saying all those cool things to Robin with this face?
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
A desperate cry echoed from the turtle's back. "Robin! Why didn't you say so earlier!!!"
————
A cold wind howled, and a heavy snow fell like goose feathers, blanketing the mountains of Drum Island in a layer of silver.
The sea turtle, a pipe in its mouth, slowly made its way up the river into the interior of the island.
The tall coniferous trees on both sides were bent under the weight of the snow, and occasionally, a clump of snow would fall with a thump.
"This place is really freezing…"
Shane rubbed his arms, the white puff of his breath instantly turning to ice crystals. He looked back at Robin, who was huddled in her cloak, shivering, the tip of her nose red from the cold.
"Can you handle it?"
Shane couldn't help but ask. "There should be a town just ahead. The first thing we'll do is find a clothing store and get you some winter clothes."
The weather in the Grand Line was like this, unpredictable.
Just a day ago, they were in the warm tropics, and now, as they approached this winter island, the temperature had suddenly dropped to forty or fifty degrees below zero.
That's right, it was now a day later.
After a full day of sailing, they had finally arrived.
"Drum Island."
It was only when he saw the mountains that looked like giant smokestacks in the distance that Shane realized that the "great medical kingdom" that Robin had been taking him to was actually Chopper's hometown.
You can't judge a book by its cover!
Robin, you really need to update your intel.
This country has now expelled most of its doctors, leaving only the "Isshi-20" to serve the king. Can it really still be called a great medical kingdom?
"I'm fine, Captain," Robin said, shaking her head slightly. "The poison in your body is more important. We have to find a doctor right away…"
She paused when she said the word "Captain," still not quite used to it.
In the past, she had called many people by similar titles: "Captain," "Boss," or "Chief"… but it had all been insincere, with countless schemes and precautions behind it.
Only when she said the word to the young man before her, who was several years her junior, did she feel a strange sense of security and reliability.
"What doctor? Didn't I tell you? This poison is no threat to me," Shane interrupted, exasperated. "If we weren't so close to this island already, I wouldn't have even bothered to come! Listen to me, we're going to buy clothes first! No arguing!"
"..." Robin was helpless. She couldn't argue with him and could only nod in agreement.
Shane crouched down and looked at his reflection in the mostly frozen river.
Thank goodness, the poison wasn't acting up right now.
He had checked again on the way here.
The lingering poison from that crazy female Vice Admiral really couldn't cause him any harm, apart from the discoloration of his skin.
But even with the accelerated healing of Life Return, it would still take time to completely detoxify. He estimated at least half a month.
That meant that if he just left it alone, his face would periodically turn that ugly purplish-blue for the next two weeks.
It was a little annoying at most. Shane had already embarrassed himself in front of Robin once; cosplaying as Thanos once or ten times made no difference. He really didn't care.
If he happened to find a doctor, he would get it treated. If not, it didn't matter.
But, "we're so close to this island" was just an excuse. The real reason he had decided to land on Drum Island was this—
Shane glanced at his inventory.
The Devil Fruit Radar was, for the first time in a long time, flashing yellow.
That meant that there was a Devil Fruit within a ten-kilometer radius.
But the last time, with the Flame-Flame Fruit, it had taken the entire crew to find it. This time, with just him and Robin, it wouldn't be easy to find it in this vast expanse of snow.
He hoped for the best.
Shane looked up at the increasingly heavy snowfall.
Hadn't there always been a rumor that Devil Fruits chose their own masters and would appear before the one who was destined to eat them?
...
The old sea turtle docked at the shore, puffing a smoke ring.
"It's completely frozen ahead. We can't go any further. I'll have to ask you to wait here, Mr. Banchi."
The two of them disembarked and stepped onto the land, the snow crunching under their feet as they headed for the distant lights.
The fifty-degree-below-zero temperature didn't bother Shane much. He walked ahead, bare-chested, clearing a path through the forest and also shielding Robin 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, was walking toward them, leaning on a hiking stick.
"That's a Hiking Bear. They're friendly animals that only appear on the winter islands of the Grand Line," Robin recognized it immediately and whispered a reminder from behind. "They're very friendly to humans. If you see one in the forest, you don't have to worry about it attacking. Just nod and give a slight bow."
Is that so?
Shane looked at the big white bear curiously.
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. The white bear immediately bowed slightly in return and then continued on its way, leaning on its hiking stick.
Wow, it's actually very polite.
"If Nami were here, her first instinct would have been to roast it and eat it. That would have ruined the mood," Shane said with a grin, turning his head. "It's great to have a knowledgeable partner, isn't it, Robin?"
"The town entrance should be just ahead," Robin said, helpless. He was supposed to just call her Robin, but the young man insisted on calling her "Robin-san."
She pointed to the path on the distant hillside, the lights flickering in the wind and snow. "Huh?" she suddenly narrowed her eyes. "What's that?"
—On the snowy slope, a small, blue-nosed reindeer was running in a panic, pursued by five or six soldiers with guns.
"Stop! You blue-nosed monster!"
"Fire! Fire! We have to catch it this time!"
"Try not to hit any vital spots! Just cripple its legs! We need to use this monster to catch that damned illegal doctor, Kureha!"
The sharp commands were followed by the sound of flintlocks firing.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The small reindeer stumbled and fell into a snowdrift, the various herbs in its medicine basket scattering everywhere. It looked back in terror, its large, wet eyes reflecting the approaching crowd.
"You can't run now!"
The soldiers surrounded it. The leader of the small squad cocked his gun and sneered, pointing the muzzle at the small creature on the ground. "Speak! Tell us! Where is Kureha?! She's the only one in this country who is still defying His Majesty the King's orders!"
SWISH!
A flash of a blade suddenly cut through the wind and snow. Before the soldiers could react, the flintlocks in their hands were sliced in two.
"..." Robin looked at the figure who had just landed on the ground, a little surprised. "Captain, you're a swordsman too?"
"...What kind of question is that?! Have you forgotten what my epithet on the wanted poster is?" Shane shot her an annoyed glare.
"But that was clearly just a disguise, wasn't it?" Robin said with a smile. "Your specialty is various physical arts. Isn't that sword just for confusing your enemies?"
"..."
So annoying. It's not so great having a smart woman on the crew after all.
Shane pursed his lips and didn't answer. The squad leader suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream—Shane's swordsmanship wasn't very precise, and he had also lopped off his wrist.
Tsk, that's a shame. Shane raised an eyebrow, but he didn't feel any guilt.
He remembered clearly that of all of Wapol's guards, only Dalton had a conscience. The rest were all loyal dogs who had mercilessly hunted down doctors and had cowered in the face of a real enemy. When Blackbeard invaded, Wapol had been so scared he had fled to become a pirate, and these soldiers had all followed him.
"It hurts! It hurts so much!!!"
The squad leader glared at them, his eyes red. "Who the hell are you two?! You dare to interfere with the Royal Guard?! Aren't you afraid that King Wapol will feed you to the cannons?!"
Before Shane could speak, a commotion suddenly erupted from the opposite side.
A soldier was staring at his face, his pupils constricted. He grabbed the squad leader's sleeve and whispered something in his ear.
"What?"
The squad leader was taken aback. Then, as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown on him, he even forgot the searing pain in his severed arm. "You're saying this guy is the great pirate with a bounty of five hundred and forty million?!"
"There's no mistake!" the soldier said, terrified. "His photo has been on the front page of the newspapers for days! A Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters and a Warlord both died at his hands!"
"WHAT?!!!"
The soldiers were in an uproar and began to back away in terror.
"Run… run!" The squad leader's previous arrogance was gone, his voice cracking. "Retreat! Retreat immediately!!"
The soldiers fumbled to help their captain, scrambling away, not even daring to pick up the guns they had dropped.
Shane sneered and sheathed his sword. Robin, beside him, frowned slightly. "Shouldn't we…"
"No need," Shane said, shaking his head. He looked at the tallest mountain in the distance, which was at least five thousand meters high. "Let them be messengers. I'd like to see how Wapol reacts when he finds out I'm on this island."
Robin understood and lowered her quietly crossed arms.
"It's okay now, little tanuki. They won't dare to bother you again," she said, turning to the little blue-nosed creature with a gentle smile. "Where's your home? Do you want us to take you there?"
"..."
The small reindeer said nothing, staring at her warily. It suddenly grabbed its basket of herbs and scurried behind the thickest tree.
Then, it peeked its head out, observing them secretly.
But…
"That's not how you hide, is it?" Robin said, blinking. "Who hides their head behind a tree and leaves their entire body exposed?"
Oh!
The small reindeer, flustered, quickly adjusted its position and hid its body.
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