"Sauron!!!!"
Robin's tearful cry echoed across the entire bay.
She knew Sauron was dead, dead because of her choice.
At that moment, Robin did not dare look back at Sauron's corpse. She merely turned away and continued crying.
"Have you felt how fragile life is?"
Ross crouched down, gently lifted the crying Robin into his arms, and placed her on his shoulder.
At his current height, there was more than enough room for Robin to sit on his shoulder.
Nor was he worried that Robin could threaten him. With his current physique, it was impossible for her to even break through his defenses. She was nothing more than a harmless little girl.
"Waaah..."
Robin merely pressed her lips together as tears continuously streamed down her cheeks.
She did not agree with Ross's words, but she did not dare refute him.
She was afraid.
Afraid that, in a moment of displeasure, Ross would kill her mother too.
If she could not even protect her own mother, then would Sauron's sacrifice not have been in vain?
"Robin, do you still remember my name?"
With Robin in tow, Ross walked step by step toward where Sauron had died.
"I remember. Saint Jaygarcia Ross!"
Robin nodded forcefully while covering her eyes with her hands.
She had already seen the fallen Sauron. The big man who had comforted her with that strange laugh was dead!
"Very good. Remember this name. Brand it into your heart."
Ross calmly watched Sauron's corpse. His tone was clearly gentle, yet his words carried an icy chill:
"People others cannot kill, I can kill with ease. Problems others cannot solve, I can solve with ease. Everything in this world depends only on whether I wish to do it."
"Your choice this time has brought me pleasure."
"As grace, you may freely name a person or ask a question. So long as it interests me, I will grant you a future corresponding to the outcome you desire."
"Take a good look at the corpse before you, Nico Robin. This is the consequence of your choice, and the fate of those who oppose me."
At some point, Robin had lowered the hands covering her eyes. She simply stared blankly at Sauron's corpse.
Poor girl...
Standing beside Ross, Gion looked at Robin with pity in her eyes.
How could a girl her age understand what power meant, or what it meant to be strong?
Yet at this moment, through his actions, Ross had forcibly broken through her mental defenses and planted a seed called "Saint Jaygarcia Ross" within her.
Robin herself might find it difficult to understand the fear this seed brought her, but it would certainly take root in the future and become the greatest shadow in her heart.
Gion had actually seen quite a few children like this.
Among those whose homes had been destroyed by pirates, the few survivors left behind were all in roughly the same state of mind.
After growing up, most of them became extreme.
Either they threw themselves into darkness, or they resisted darkness through extreme means.
It was said that when Sakazuki was young, he had watched helplessly as pirates slaughtered his hometown and family. That was what had shaped his current personality.
But no matter what, this girl named "Nico Robin" would never be like an ordinary girl in the future.
Gion silently withdrew her gaze and her thoughts.
She had joined the Marines because she was, in truth, a kind person.
But regarding Robin, she had considered speaking up, yet in the end, she did not know what to say.
Without Ross, given Robin's identity and her experience helping Sauron these past few days, death would have been her final destination.
Even if she had survived by chance, Ohara would inevitably have been destroyed, and she would no longer have been able to remain an innocent girl.
So what could Gion possibly say?
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Perhaps there were things more important than life, but surviving in this world was already an immense blessing.
If anyone was to blame, it was Robin's irresponsible mother.
Knowing the consequences of researching forbidden knowledge, she had still dragged herself, her family, and even her hometown into the abyss before she possessed any power.
"Let's go."
When Ross saw Robin gradually stop crying and the look in her eyes as she watched Sauron slowly become calm, he knew he had succeeded.
His identity as part of the World Government meant he was destined to stand against these historians.
Since that was the case, he might as well make Robin completely fall into darkness and become the greatest fear buried deep within her heart.
There were many ways to like and possess someone. Ross was not bound by form; he only cared about the final result.
Leaving Robin seated on his shoulder, Ross headed toward the Tree of Knowledge.
Now, it was time to wrap things up.
As Ross walked toward the Tree of Knowledge, he suddenly received a call from Sakazuki.
"What is it?"
"A historian aboard the evacuation ship has surrendered. Should we eliminate all the civilians, or only execute the ringleader?" Sakazuki's cold voice came through.
"Surrendered?"
Ross raised an eyebrow. That was quite a novel word in the Pirate World.
After considering the distance, Ross said directly,
"I'm not far away. Detain him and everyone who knows about this. I'll handle the rest when I arrive. For now, arrange for the other civilians to evacuate."
"Understood!"
Sakazuki swiftly hung up and began acting according to Ross's orders.
Without Ross's command, he would have chosen to kill everyone in the know. To protect the Marines' reputation, he might even have executed every civilian.
But since Ross intended to come personally, he would not interfere.
"Gion, inform Spandine. Have him detain everyone. We'll be there shortly."
"Yes!"
Gion nodded and began contacting Spandine through a Den Den Mushi.
She was also rather curious about this historian who had suddenly surrendered.
They had already hidden aboard an evacuation ship, yet someone had actually come looking for death. Such things were rare indeed.
They were very close to the harbor and arrived in five minutes.
Sakazuki had been waiting for some time. Upon seeing Ross arrive, he immediately nodded to him.
"Sauron has already been executed, Sakazuki. Shall we make a wager?"
Once they met, Ross did not go see the person who had surrendered first. Instead, he turned his attention to Sakazuki.
Compared to Sakazuki, this S-class prize, the historian could be ignored entirely.
"What do you wish to wager on?" Sakazuki frowned slightly.
He did not enjoy gambling, but if there were appropriate benefits to gain, he did not mind playing along with Ross.
"Whether anyone will go collect Sauron's body," Ross said with a smile.
"Collect his body? Does he have accomplices?" Killing intent appeared on Sakazuki's face.
The companions of a traitor were surely all villains. They all deserved death!
"Of course not. I mean only his fellow Marines. Do you think any of them will go?" Ross asked.
"Impossible. There are no such fools among the Marines involved in this operation!"
Kuzan's figure flashed through Sakazuki's mind, but he still gave his answer without hesitation.
"Then let's do this. If a Marine goes to collect Sauron's body, I win. Otherwise, you lose. How about it?" Ross said with a smile.
With just one wager, Ross was confident he could complete the reward for defeating him.
An S-class defeat reward was equivalent to an A-Class kill reward. His strength was about to make another tremendous leap.
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