Still Cold

Chapter 29: Still Cold

The battle was about to begin.

A chilling cold emanated from the Admiral before him—Kuzan—as if even the air was about to freeze.

The two met each other's gaze calmly.

However.

Just as Kuzan was exuding cold, his icy face about to ask something.

"Wait a moment." Xia Che, who had been meeting Kuzan's gaze, broke the tense atmosphere. "Let me handle some personal matters first."

He then turned his head to look at Robin beside him and sighed.

"I've been waiting for you to tell me!"

As soon as he said that.

Instantly.

Robin, who had been frozen stiff, trembled slightly. Her bright eyes also flickered, as if she remembered something.

That time.

She had asked the BOSS if he would stop anyone from taking her away.

As a result... she seemed to have broken that promise.

"BOSS, I..."

Before Robin could finish, Kuzan on the opposite side scratched his head with a pained expression, saying somewhat troubledly, "Uh... can you hurry up? I've been waiting here for a long time, I even stayed a whole night. I'm freezing to death."

However.

"How come I heard you stayed at Red Romance for almost a week, only came here yesterday, and even bought a flatbread on the way!" Xia Che retorted without mercy, exposing Kuzan's complaint about work. "After arriving at Marine Branch 16, you complained about the poor accommodation, the presence of so many Marines, and how you couldn't find a quiet place to sleep. So, you ran off again in the early morning and only came back not long ago. You've only been waiting here for a short while?"

As Xia Che finished speaking.

"..." X2

Both Robin and Kuzan fell silent.

Especially Robin, who had been stiff with fear, now wore a strange look on her face as she scanned the Marine Admiral before her.

Red Romance?

Several days?

Something felt off, but she couldn't pinpoint what.

Kuzan, who was being watched by Robin, froze with a troubled expression. His leisurely demeanor instantly turned serious again, and the chilling cold emanated from him once more.

As if he hadn't heard anything Xia Che had said, he regained his Admiral bearing and stated calmly, "So you discovered it long ago?"

"Yes."

Facing Kuzan's question, Xia Che nodded without hesitation and admitted it.

After all, this was territory he had managed for a long time.

Not to mention Garp, who was unexpectedly brought to the sea. If he didn't even notice strange individuals entering his territory, how could he possibly manage?

He would have likely been sent to a court-martial already.

What's more...

This guy hadn't made any effort to conceal himself at all. He walked in boldly, changed his name, and went straight to Red Romance.

Furthermore, the moment his feet were washed in hot water, the water turned cold. The person in charge of Red Romance had already reported this strange occurrence to their superiors.

However.

Kuzan was different from those three inspectors. Those three had come specifically to investigate him, but Kuzan... was perhaps just here for sightseeing.

After all, this guy probably knew Robin was here long ago.

He hadn't come to arrest her for so long, this time he might have just been passing by, and perhaps only stopped to get a foot massage. Therefore, he hadn't paid him any mind.

As a result...

Had the secretary's discount experience card finally expired?

If he wanted to continue experiencing it, he would need to renew the subscription.

Xia Che had been mentally prepared for Kuzan's arrival for years. In fact, Kuzan's appearance now was even later than he had anticipated.

Xia Che nodded and looked at Kuzan before him. "I even know that you asked Red Romance to issue an invoice."

"..."

Did this guy... not know the current situation!

Kuzan, who had maintained his composure, instantly darkened. He averted his gaze, ignoring Xia Che, and his eyes fell back on Robin. "Nico Robin, come back with me to face judgment!"

A piercing cold emanated from him.

As soon as he said that.

Robin's expression froze, her body trembling again. She fell silent, the familiar fear spreading through her mind, her thoughts becoming chaotic. Just as she was about to look up.

A broad, powerful hand firmly gripped her shoulder, and that familiar warmth flowed from the palm onto her cold skin once more.

In this moment.

Robin seemed to snap back to reality. Looking at Xia Che, who stood beside her with a blank expression and hadn't said a word, she displayed that familiar, elegant smile again.

Hadn't she already made up her mind?

"Dear BOSS," Robin said, no longer looking at Kuzan but at the BOSS standing next to her, her voice smiling and elegant. "I'm sorry, can I take back my resignation letter?"

"You can!"

"Then can you win?"

"I'm not sure either!" Xia Che released Robin's delicate shoulder, took a step forward, and placed his right hand on his sword hilt. "We'll have to fight to find out."

He looked at the Admiral before him with a solemn expression.

Of course~

Despite his solemn expression, he wasn't nervous internally.

Because.

He knew.

This guy in front of him wasn't here to capture anyone at all.

If he truly wanted to capture someone, he wouldn't have spent days getting a foot massage at Red Romance and only come after Smoker left.

Moreover, Xia Che, who was familiar with the plot, knew very well:

This guy in front of him, despite exuding a cold aura, wasn't a cold person; he had his own sense of justice within him.

Facing Vice Admiral Hagwalu D. Sauro, who betrayed the Marines due to dissatisfaction with the World Government's actions, after the Marine Headquarters issued a kill order, this guy outwardly chose to freeze him, but secretly only froze his surface?!

And Robin... from an 8-year-old girl, she'd managed to evade capture until now, fooling both the World Government and Marine Headquarters.

He was practically the best actor in the Marines!

Xia Che suspected this guy might have been using the excuse of capturing the Devil Child to go on a publicly funded vacation.

Therefore, this guy's current appearance was probably to assess the strength of Robin's new employer and see if she could be entrusted to him.

If he passed, he would get Robin's renewed contract!

In this moment.

The two met each other's gaze again.

Kuzan also looked at the Marine Colonel before him—Dand Xia Che.

Once a genius Marine Colonel, but after being exiled to the East Blue, his name was no longer heard at Headquarters. Even in the East Blue, he had no battle records.

Some said he had fallen, others said he wasn't a true genius!

But Kuzan knew this kid was very cunning, colluding with the former East Blue Colonel Sean, scamming people everywhere, and amassing money. Although he didn't know his strength, this kid was definitely not simple.

Facing the prospect of his partner being taken away, was this kid finally dropping his pretense?

Kuzan's eyes subtly revealed a hint of anticipation and admiration. Just as he was about to properly assess the strength of this cunning kid.

However.

Suddenly.

"Do you really want to fight? We're quite close to the Konomi Islands and Marine Branch 16. How about we just forget it? You pretend you didn't see anything, and I'll pretend I don't know." Xia Che hesitated for a moment, looking at Kuzan with anticipation. "I'll take you to Red Romance, and I'll pay for everything?"

After he spoke.

"..." X2

An awkward silence fell over the scene once more.

Robin's worried expression froze, and she wore a look of helplessness.

And unexpectedly...

Kuzan, who had been exuding a chilling aura, suddenly stopped. It was as if he was deep in thought.

Then he looked up at Xia Che. Just as Xia Che looked at him with anticipation, a smile appeared on his lazy face, and then...

Ice flowers bloomed.

An aura of coldness, even more biting and chilling than before, swept out in all directions.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

"Wait a minute, you haven't answered yet! And why did it suddenly get colder than before?"