Encounter with Robin (Please Bookmark and Recommend)

West Blue, Euro Kingdom, Pus Island.

The king and nobles had already left. Citizens who had lost loved ones wept as they lined up to claim the bodies.

On the main road before the docks, groups of Marine recruits bustled back and forth, carrying the wounded into hastily erected emergency tents. Crude hospital beds made from wooden tables and planks were filled with injured citizens. Medics and the island's doctors worked frantically to save them, while anxious, hopeful family members looked toward the tents from afar.

Zephyr stood atop a raised platform, watching the activity below. He said sternly to Zhong Hao beside him, "Zhong Hao, don't say things like that again. If word gets out, it would be nearly the same as making enemies of every nation and noble in the world. Even the Marines couldn't stand against such an enormous force."

"Yes, yes. I was just saying it casually. Don't take it too seriously," Zhong Hao replied perfunctorily. He was a man of firm will with his own convictions, not someone easily swayed by others.

How could Zephyr fail to hear the dismissal in Zhong Hao's words? But he knew that once someone with Conqueror's Haki made up their mind, they would never turn back until death. With a sigh, he said, "You really are like him. I only hope you don't follow in his footsteps."

"Dragon?" Zhong Hao asked.

Zephyr was slightly surprised. "You know about him? That Garp..." He had assumed Garp was the one who told him.

Zhong Hao nodded. "I know a little, but I don't know why he chose this path. Was it because of something? For example... scum like those people just now."

Zephyr shook his head. "No. Even I don't know that. He defected without any warning. It seems only Garp knows something about the reason, while Sengoku vaguely knows a little as well."

Zhong Hao lowered his head and pondered for a while. He had already had some guesses in his previous life. Dragon's revolutionary path might be connected to 'D', as might Luffy's dream of becoming the 'One Piece'. Everything seemed like a massive game of chess, one someone had begun laying out eight hundred years ago. The outcome of that game concerned the state and direction of the world, heralding a new era even grander than the Great Pirate Era Roger had sparked.

There were too many mysteries, and thirteen years remained before the curtain rose. There was no point dwelling on it now, so he casually changed the subject. "How long are we staying on this island? Aren't we supposed to be hunting pirates?"

Zephyr explained, "This island is a famous large island in the West Blue, and it's very prosperous. We're stopping here for the time being to wait for intelligence from the branch. Without information, we wouldn't even know where the pirates are. We can't just wander aimlessly across the sea."

"It certainly is prosperous." Zhong Hao glanced at the wounded still wailing below and the unclaimed bodies, unable to stop himself from making a sarcastic remark. Then he added, "It's rare to come to the West Blue. I'm going to buy some local specialties."

Zephyr pursed his lips and smiled. "You really do have a good mindset. Smoker is still burning with rage, and Hina's emotions are unstable too. By the way, do you have any Beli? If not, you can draw some from the budget first."

"My teacher and I once explored a shipwreck and found some treasure," Zhong Hao said. He pretended to reach into his pocket, but actually took several gold coins from his storage space and spread them across his palm.

"Hmph, I never expected Garp to have that kind of hobby," Zephyr said with a hint of envy.

Zhong Hao smiled and leaped down from the platform.

Pus Island, Central Street.

Zhong Hao first exchanged some of the gold coins for twenty million Beli, then began sweeping through the shops. He bought every kind of local specialty, seasoning, cloth, clothing, medicine, and more along the street, storing them in his space whenever he reached a deserted spot.

Pus Island truly deserved to be called a prosperous major island even by Zephyr. He had spent all twenty million Beli and only cleared out a single street.

When he reached the end of the street, he turned a corner and entered an alley.

"Come out. You've been following me since the first shop. Didn't you just want to corner me somewhere deserted?" Zhong Hao suddenly said after walking thirty meters into the alley.

"Tap, tap..."

A burst of disorderly footsteps sounded. Five fierce-looking burly men emerged from behind him, while another three appeared at the other end of the alley, blocking Zhong Hao in the middle.

One of the men said, "Boss, this brat is definitely a fat sheep. He spends money like water. His family must be loaded."

Another burly man spoke up as well. "Strange. We clearly saw him buy so much stuff. How did it all disappear in the blink of an eye?"

The man called boss was nearly two meters tall. A scar stretched from the corner of one eye to his chin on the other side of his face, making him look especially vicious. "Enough nonsense. Tie this brat up already. There's still an eighty-million-Beli woman waiting to be dealt with in the warehouse."

"An eighty-million-Beli woman?" Zhong Hao had not taken these people seriously and was about to deal with them, but when he heard about a woman worth eighty million, coupled with the fact that they were in the West Blue, a suspicion immediately arose in his heart.

There were already few people in the Four Blues with bounties that high, let alone women. If he was not mistaken, it had to be Nico Robin, the woman known as the Devil Child.

Zhong Hao did not hurry to make a move. He allowed several burly men to tie him up, only asking their leader, "What are you planning to do with me?"

Seeing that Zhong Hao did not resist in the slightest, the boss nodded in satisfaction. "You may be wearing ordinary white linen clothes, but you spend money like water without the slightest concern. You must be some rich young master, right? Naturally, we'll ransom you after tying you up. Hahahaha!"

Zhong Hao thought for a moment, then asked, "After you get the money, will you let me go?"

"Of course..." The boss grinned slightly. "Not. Once someone falls into my hands, no one ever goes back alive. My little brother will have plenty of fun with you. Boys, let's go home. With these two fat sheep, we're getting rich."

"Yes, Boss! Hahaha!" The group burst into unrestrained laughter.

A cold glint flashed through Zhong Hao's eyes as he watched them. Looks like they're repeat offenders. In that case, I won't feel the slightest burden killing them. After all... it's my first time!

Their hideout seemed to be right behind the alley. They did not bother putting a sack over his head or gagging him. After carrying him for just over forty meters, they arrived.

It was a dark, damp place, with dilapidated houses packed together like a slum.

Outside lay bustling streets, while inside was a chaotic area with a dreadful environment.

Zhong Hao suddenly understood. He had originally wondered how a trash king like that could have governed the country so well. So this was the truth behind Pus Island's prosperity. All poverty and ugliness had been hidden away in the corners, leaving outsiders to see only a polished facade.

The group entered a relatively large warehouse. After setting Zhong Hao down, the burly man who had carried him stuck out his tongue and panted heavily. "This brat is so small. Why is he so damn heavy?"

Although the food he ate was ground down into the most basic biological energy, he could lift iron balls weighing several tons, which naturally required sufficient muscular strength. The greater his muscle strength, the heavier his body became. And because he trained in all Six Powers, he had gained a preliminary grasp of Life Return, leaving him with a slender, perfectly proportioned figure despite his considerable weight.

The moment he entered the warehouse, Zhong Hao spotted the black-haired girl with a ponytail curled up in the corner, her hands and feet bound. She looked around fifteen years old, with slightly dark skin, a high nose bridge, and a pretty face filled with deep sorrow and wariness. She wore a tattered gray cloak.

"So it's you, Robin. The woman who can read the Poneglyphs." Zhong Hao curled his lips into a smile. Since he had achieved his goal, there was naturally no need to keep pretending. The ropes around him vanished instantly, stored away in his space, while a blue sheathed longsword appeared in his hand.

Clang—

A flash of azure blade light swept past. The burly man who had been staring at Zhong Hao with disgusting eyes stiffened. A second later, a ring of red appeared around his neck, with thin streams of blood seeping out. Two seconds after that, his head was blasted into the air by the spraying blood.

The sudden turn of events made everyone cry out in alarm. When they turned around, all they saw was a pair of utterly emotionless eyes...