Robin's Descent into the Abyss

Longinus knew very well that, in certain respects, the Marines and pirates were not fundamentally different.

Among pirates, strength always came first. Otherwise, no matter how much power or wealth one had, it was merely a juicy piece of meat in the eyes of wolves.

As for the Marines, in the original course of events, Fujitora and Ryokugyu had no accomplishments whatsoever, yet they surpassed Momousagi and Chaton, the two Marine Admiral candidates, and were directly promoted exceptionally to Marine Admiral. That was the best proof that strength overrode everything.

And aside from strength, one's own factional influence was the most important link.

All pirates knew very well that no one could become the Pirate King alone. Thus, even the Four Emperors of the future continuously recruited forces in the New World.

Take the future Shichibukai system, for example. Hawk Eyes might have been the strongest among the Shichibukai, but he was also the least feared.

Because even if someone truly offended him, they only needed to hide out at sea. Hawk Eyes, lacking any faction of his own, would have had a hard time finding them.

The same was true within the Marines. Why was it that, when competing for the position of Fleet Admiral, everyone selectively ignored a certain someone? Aside from Yellow truly having no ambition for the position, it was also because he had no factional support within the Marines.

Therefore, Longinus, who harbored unspeakable ambitions, had begun building his own G2 Faction two years ago.

He had even never abandoned the idea of entering the Marine Headquarters Recruit Training Camp. Aside from hoping to receive systematic instruction, he wanted even more to subtly cultivate his own forces within that training camp.

With memories from a soul from another world, Longinus naturally understood how much those training camp members could aid him in the future, just as a certain Jiang's first pot of gold had been Whampoa Military Academy.

Longinus, still maintaining his radiant image, did not linger for long. He quickly followed the information he had gathered and headed toward the central area where the pirates had gathered.

Although he knew that the little girl who had escaped was most likely Robin, the future mature beauty, Longinus had no intention of deliberately searching for her.

After all, as a Marine "hero," he naturally could not do something as foolish as secretly sheltering a government fugitive. That would be no different from openly defecting.

As for capturing Robin and handing her over to the government, Longinus had no such pointless idea either. On one hand, who knew whether those ruthless Cipher Pol agents would silence her forever? On the other, he did not wish to offend Aokiji, who felt guilty over his friend's death.

So perhaps the best outcome was to pretend he knew nothing at all!

The place where the slaves were hidden was backstage at the food festival venue. Felix had originally thought such a chaotic place would be more suitable for trading, but unfortunately, he had overlooked one point: once the merchandise escaped, it would also be much harder to find.

At that moment, the pirates pacing back and forth were all somewhat agitated. They all knew how highly their captain valued that little girl.

Aside from her considerable price, she was even more a channel for their captain to establish connections with those true Big Shots. For that, their captain had even brought along most of their combat strength to fight other large pirate crews.

If they could not find the escaped slave before their captain returned, every last one of them would end up on the gallows.

"Damn trash! You still haven't found her after all this time?"

"Captain Ginyu, we've practically turned this venue upside down, but we still haven't found any trace of that brat! I heard that brat is especially good at hiding and running away. She also ate the captain's Devil Fruit earlier. I suspect... she's already escaped!"

"Idiot, useless trash! Our people sealed off every entrance long ago. That brat only just ate the Devil Fruit. Do you really think she has enough stamina to use her ability?" the black-clothed man at the front scolded harshly.

"Besides, you said yourself that she's good at hiding and running away. Since we've searched everywhere else, perhaps... she's hiding right under our noses!"

"Captain Ginyu, th-this can't be possible, can it? That brat actually has that kind of nerve?"

"Hmph! She even dared to steal the captain's Devil Fruit. Do you think she has guts or not? Search! Search this entire area inside and out!"

Watching from the shadows, Hina asked softly, "Big Brother Longinus, do you think that little beggar really dared to come back here?"

Longinus's expression was equally strange. Under the perception of his powerful Observation Haki, Robin's tiny body had nowhere to hide. What was this? An unintended act yielding an unexpected result?

"Not only did she come back here, she's also... carrying out something crazy!"

"Something crazy?" The clever Hina quickly understood, covering her little mouth as she gasped. "She wants to save the other slaves?"

Longinus nodded. It seemed Robin had not been wanted for very long, and much of her human kindness still remained in her heart.

Unfortunately, what she did not know was that even if ninety-nine percent of the people in this world were kind, they still could not withstand the darkness of that one percent!

"Come quickly! Come quickly! That thief has come back!" A shrill scream swiftly jolted the pirates awake. Before they could sort out their thoughts, they hurriedly grabbed their weapons and rushed to block the entrance where the slaves were being held.

"Th-this... could it be..." Hina looked at Longinus in disbelief, unable to believe what she had heard.

"This world has never lacked idiots. There are even plenty of fools who would rather harm others even at their own expense." Longinus gently nodded, confirming her guess.

Outside the temporary cage holding the slaves, Robin's little face had gone pale. Listening to the commotion outside, she seemed utterly at a loss. No matter what, she was only an eight-year-old child. The nightmare she had experienced half a year ago had already left her mentally exhausted, while the betrayals and deceptions she had encountered recently had pushed her to the edge of collapse.

Even so, she had bravely returned here, hoping to save the others, because she knew her escape would cause those pitiful people to suffer the pirates' wrath.

Now, her kindness had been torn to shreds. She gradually sank into the abyss, standing there alone, her thin little body looking helpless. She did not even intend to ask the person who had exposed her why they had done this.

The other slaves inside the cage had also fallen from heaven into hell, glaring murderously at the person who had spoken up earlier.

It was a little boy who did not look much older than Robin.

"Why did you do this? Are you insane?" the slaves in the cage demanded frantically.

"We can't escape! If we get caught, we'll definitely be killed!"

"If you didn't want to run, that was your business. Why did you destroy our hope of escaping?"

A trace of twisted malice appeared on the little boy's face, which should have been innocent and carefree. "No! Why should you get to escape? It isn't fair! You all have to stay here with me!"

The other slaves were stunned by this bizarre logic. Only after a long while did they come back to their senses. "You little bastard, you were the one who didn't want to escape..."

"I don't care! If I don't dare to run, then none of you can run either!" Hearing the growing commotion outside, the little boy seemed to find courage in himself. He replied forcefully, "You'd all better shut up! If you dare insult me again, be careful, or I'll report to those pirate lords that you and that thief are accomplices!"

"What right do you have to call her a thief? Robin only did it to save us..."

"She's a selfish thief! It's because of her that we've been terrified this whole time. Besides, if she really wanted to save us, why didn't she give us that magical power too?"

The little boy looked at Robin with jealous resentment. "If... if I had power like hers too, I wouldn't have been too scared to run away. This whole situation is all her fault!"

Thanks to Bai Shi-Qi You for the 100 reward, Danmo Qichu for the 100 reward, 1004003 for the 500 reward, and Lazy Goat for the 200 book coin reward. Robin actually obtained her Devil Fruit ability back in Ohara. I made a slight change here, which should... probably... maybe... perhaps not have much of an impact! ()