"You really don't care at all, do you?" Buggy couldn't help saying as he watched her calm demeanor.
"Don't care? If I died here, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Doesn't death mean freedom? ...Actually, I've thought about how I might die for a long time: hanging, execution by firing squad, assassination, or being buried at sea..." Robin gazed at the wick of the oil lamp, which could go out at any moment, and spoke slowly. "With you here, Red Nose, I don't think we'll be too lonely when we die."
Robin's sorrowful tone gave Buggy the creeps. For a moment, he genuinely sensed that she was determined to die, and wasn't joking.
When Robin was eight, a Buster Call struck her homeland. From that moment on, she lost everything. Friends, family, teachers—all the beautiful things in the world were like two parallel lines, forever beyond her reach. Later, she was slapped with a bounty of seventy-nine million for allegedly destroying six Navy warships. To survive, she struggled to make her way through a dark world of betrayal, and that life had consumed twenty years of her life.
It was easy to imagine that she wasn't nearly as strong as she seemed on the surface. She was more like someone who would collapse if even one more straw were laid on her.
Buggy fell silent for a while, then tilted his head up slightly to look at Robin, who stood half a head taller than him. His right hand detached from his body and gently rested on Robin's head. He worked himself up emotionally, doing his best to make his voice more persuasive.
"Never stop moving forward on the path toward your dreams. You can never predict the future, or know whether the road ahead is a thorny forest or a flower garden surrounded by butterflies. Try to keep going. Maybe a wonderful group of companions will be waiting for you there, ready to share your joys and sorrows and listen to your past and future. In that moment, you might see the true answer to the world. At the very least, it's not time for you to turn in your test yet!"
"Red Nose..."
The most fragile string in Robin's heart was suddenly plucked. Her eyes stung, and tears streamed down her face before she could stop them. She covered her mouth with one hand and bowed her head, sobbing quietly as crystalline tears fell one after another to the ground.
Over all those years on the run, she had encountered pirates, bounty hunters, and even ordinary people. Every one of them had cursed her for betraying them and despised her existence.
This was the first time anyone had encouraged her to keep living. It was like a fire suddenly lighting up in the cold of night, warm and moving.
Buggy took a small clown handkerchief from his inner pocket and silently offered it to her.
Robin accepted it and studied it in her palm. Instead of using it to wipe her tears, she carefully folded it and tucked it into her breast pocket. Then she wiped her tears with her sleeve and broke into an awkward, somewhat comical smile. "I must look ugly when I cry. A friend once told me that whether you're sad or happy, you should smile more. That's how you'll be happy. Dereshishishishi—"
"What a strange laugh." Buggy looked at Robin helplessly. He knew that laugh came from Robin's only friend, but he still couldn't help commenting on it.
"It's not strange at all. I only laugh like this when I'm happy... Anyway, Red Nose, let's look for another exit."
The sadness gradually faded from Robin's face, and she returned to her usual calm. If not for her reddened eyes, you couldn't tell that she had just been crying.
Buggy took out a Den Den Mushi with half its hair intact, leaving just one eye exposed. "If they put Seastone at the entrance, the other places probably won't be easy to break through either. No point wasting our strength. I brought a Den Den Mushi. Let's get them to open it from the outside."
He dialed, and the Den Den Mushi opened its eyes. Cabaji's voice came from inside. "Captain Buggy!"
"Cabaji, you're still in the village, right?"
"Yes. Our people are all waiting for your orders. Just as you instructed, we bought food and drinks from the villagers at market prices and loaded them onto the ship."
"Good. Bring some men to the forest to the west. I left cross marks along the way. Follow them to the Ancestral Ruins. I'll wait for you here. My Red Nose will guide you... Damn it, why would my Red Nose guide you?!"
He hung up and tucked the Den Den Mushi back into his pocket. Buggy rubbed his forehead helplessly. This irritating side effect kept making him say stupid things.
Robin said, "It'll probably take half a day to a full day to get here from the village. Looks like we'll be spending the night together."
"Sure. I'd be happy to, if this guy weren't here." Buggy looked disdainfully at the Big Octopus beside them.
"Ka-chu, ka-chu." The Big Octopus waved its tentacles around in protest.
The two sat on the ground with their backs against the wall. The Big Octopus sat down too. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts. The only oil lamp in the underground chamber flickered like a candle in the wind, yet stubbornly refused to go out.
After an unknown amount of time, Robin said softly, "Red Nose."
Buggy didn't answer, as if he had fallen asleep.
Robin took out the handkerchief and examined it closely. It was embroidered with a skull sporting a red nose. It looked a little ridiculous, but for some reason, it seemed adorable to her. She spoke softly. "Of all the pirates I've met, you're the most unusual. I don't know if a Child of the Devil like me can have feelings, but I still want to think of you as my friend. Thank you for giving me courage."
"Mm," Buggy replied quietly.
After that, no one spoke again. Silence and darkness surrounded them. But none of them slept peacefully that night. The Big Octopus still hadn't recovered from Gray's death, Buggy was depressed because he hadn't found the treasure, and Robin kept tossing and turning, deeply affected by Buggy's words.
At last, the Den Den Mushi began to make a "Buru-buru" sound, breaking the stillness.
Buggy picked up the Den Den Mushi again. Cabaji's voice came from inside. "Captain Buggy, we've reached the Ancestral Ruins."
Buggy asked, "What time is it now?"
The Den Den Mushi answered, "It's morning already."
Buggy asked Cabaji a few questions, and Cabaji confirmed that he hadn't found any markings for the switch on the parchment.
Just as expected, the sunlight was too bright. The map markings hidden on the parchment couldn't be seen.
Buggy looked at Robin. "Robin, do you remember where we stepped on the switches?"
Robin nodded.
After he explained how to open the door over the Den Den Mushi, they tried several times. At last, the underground door slowly swung inward.
Dazzling light poured into the underground chamber. It was the rising sun.
Buggy got to his feet and looked back at Robin, who still seemed a little dazed. "Let's go."
"Mm."
Although it was dark here, there was no need to fear the malice of outsiders, and she could keep a brief sense of peace and quiet in her heart. The light outside, on the other hand, seemed like a dark cage slowly taking shape. The moment she left the passage, she would step into this cage, forged from the hostility of the entire world.
"No. Hold on... Nico Robin, no matter how many enemies are waiting ahead, you have to stay true to your own path!" Robin's gaze grew resolute.
The air outside was much fresher than the air inside. As she looked at the glow of the rising sun, Robin tucked the hair by her temple behind her ear and stood there quietly. "Living on, no matter how hard it is... maybe that's not so bad."
She looked at the Big Octopus. "Octopus, do you want to come with me? Maybe we can look out for each other."
"Ka-chu." The Big Octopus nodded its octopus head. Perhaps because Robin knew about its past, it had grown somewhat attached to her. Gray was a factor too, of course.
Buggy asked, "You're leaving?"
"I've been away for a long time. I should go back... Otherwise, some people will give me trouble."
"I see... Mm... Be careful on the way." Buggy didn't try to stop her. He knew he didn't have the strength to take her in; reality was always harsher than ideals.
Robin took Gray's notebook from her breast pocket and handed it to him. "I tore out the diary pages. I thought the rest might be useful to you."
Buggy accepted the notebook but didn't open it right away. He watched Robin leave. "Take care."
"You too, Red Nose..." Robin waved and walked with the Big Octopus down a secluded path. Her final farewell was so quiet that it was hard to make out. "Will we ever see each other again...?"
Her graceful figure was like a beautiful violet. You couldn't help being drawn to her when she was near, and even the fragrance she left behind was so captivating...
Red! Nose! Sir!
A group of pirates who knew Buggy's personality stood there dumbfounded. What kind of enchantment had that woman used on Lord Buggy? The great Captain Buggy hadn't gotten angry at all!