Robin's Whereabouts · Loyalty Link

"I knew you weren't an ordinary Marine!" Bezos said excitedly. "What ordinary Marine would have this kind of bearing and methods? Don't worry, Chief. I, Bezos, only have two hobbies in this life: gathering intelligence and reading the intelligence I gather. You gave me the chance to fulfill my dream. If I betrayed you, I wouldn't even be able to respect myself!"

"Very good." Yang Yunzhi nodded. "Then your first task is to rebuild and expand your intelligence network on Ghost Mulberry Island. I'll give you 200,000 Beli as startup funds. Use it to recruit and train intelligence agents and establish bases. As a first step, you must at least put the entire West Blue under surveillance!"

Bezos's eyes lit up. "Two hundred thousand! That's enough to last me a year!"

Yang Yunzhi was somewhat surprised. "Two hundred thousand goes that far?"

"I mainly recruit orphans and beggars. They don't cost much!"

"But if you recruit too many, 200,000 won't last a year!" Yang Yunzhi patted Bezos on the shoulder. "Actually, according to my plan, this 200,000 is your monthly budget!"

"Spend it generously. The organization isn't short on money!" Yang Yunzhi said. "Besides, help me find out where that black-haired woman went—her name is Nico Robin. She's an Ohara survivor, the World Government's wanted 'Devil Child.'"

Bezos sucked in a breath. "The Devil Child... no wonder she had such a special aura... Wait, Chief, you're looking for her? But she's wanted by the World Government..."

"Isn't that perfect?" Yang Yunzhi said directly. "She's one of us, and she's talented. Our organization needs people like her."

Bezos nodded thoughtfully. "Understood."

He closed his eyes and instantly issued orders to every intelligence agent through the newly established Link Network. Through Little Bean's monitoring interface, Yang Yunzhi saw dozens of instructions being sent out at once:

[Little Bug: Go to the docks and investigate the White Wave's voyage records from eighteen days ago.]

[Old Lame (beggar leader): Ask every beggar in the dock district whether they saw a tall black-haired woman eighteen to twenty days ago.]

[Barmaid Lily: Check the Seagull Inn's guest registration records.]

Less than ten minutes after the orders were issued, the first report came back:

[Little Bug: I found something! The White Wave's first mate said that black-haired woman disembarked at Emerald City in the South Blue. She bought a ticket for the Spice Islands!]

More information quickly followed:

[Old Lame: Three beggars remember her. They said she read at the harbor café every afternoon and seemed very quiet.]

[Lily: The Seagull Inn's register had a false name, but the owner remembers that she stayed in room 303 for twelve days.]

[Dockworker A-Qiang: She only carried a small leather suitcase when she boarded. It looked very light.]

Bezos opened his eyes, and they gleamed with the sharpness unique to an intelligence expert. "It's basically confirmed. Nico Robin took the White Wave to Emerald City in the South Blue eighteen days ago and planned to transfer to a ship bound for the Spice Islands. She kept an extremely low profile during her stay on Ghost Mulberry Island. Other than the library and café, she hardly went anywhere else."

He paused, then added, "But there's something strange... Around twenty-three days ago, an especially tall man was looking for her too. He questioned several people at the docks, and the description he gave was exactly the same as yours. But he only stayed for half a day before leaving on a Marine warship."

Yang Yunzhi's heart tightened. "A tall man... Was he wearing a Marine coat, with fluffy hair, and riding a bicycle?"

"Yes, yes, yes! The dockworkers said he really was riding a bicycle—and he rode it straight in from the sea!" Bezos looked surprised. "Chief, you know him?"

"That was Admiral Aokiji, one of the three Marine Admirals." Yang Yunzhi said gravely, "He was looking for Robin too... but it seems he didn't find her."

He quickly analyzed the situation. Aokiji had come twenty-three days ago, while Robin had left eighteen days ago. There was a five-day gap between them. That meant either Aokiji hadn't found Robin, or he had found her and let her go. With Aokiji's strength, if he truly wanted to find her, it would have been impossible for him to fail.

The more likely possibility was that Aokiji knew Robin was here but hadn't arrested her. He had merely been "watching" her.

"What expression did that man have when he left?" Yang Yunzhi asked.

Bezos recalled the information he had received through the link. "The dockworker said he looked... a little melancholy. He stood at the harbor for a long time, staring out at the sea, and only left after letting out a sigh."

Yang Yunzhi was basically certain now. Aokiji knew Robin was here, but he had chosen to let her go. That fit Aokiji's conflicted attitude toward Robin in the original story—on one hand, he felt guilty toward her because of the Ohara incident; on the other, he was confused about justice. Perhaps he also believed she could uncover the true history.

"Continue investigating Robin's whereabouts in the South Blue." Yang Yunzhi ordered. "Also, how much do you know about the Oniki Clan?"

I came all this way. It wouldn't feel right not to do something, would it?

Bezos immediately rattled off the details. "The Oniki Clan originally came from Wano Country and moved to Ghost Mulberry Island sixty years ago. The current clan head, Oniki Isshin, is sixty years old and a master swordsman. He possesses the Origin Heart Sword, one of the Fifty Skillful Grade Blades. That sword is a straight double-edged blade. It mainly attacks through thrusting and stabbing, completely different from ordinary swords."

Yang Yunzhi's heart stirred. A straight double-edged sword... wasn't that a Han sword? It was precisely the weapon most suited to the swordsmanship imparted by the system.

Bezos continued, "Oniki Isshin fought frequently when he was young, and now his body can't quite hold up anymore. The struggle over the Oniki Clan's succession has become intense. Oniki Isshin has two sons and a daughter. His eldest son, Oniki Ichiro, manages trade; his second son, Kijiro Oniki, controls territory; and his third daughter, Nobuko, handles legitimate businesses—casinos, pleasure districts, hotels, and the like. Each of them has their own supporters. Undercurrents are swirling across the island. They could start fighting at any time."

"You're interested in the Origin Heart Sword?" Bezos sharply noticed the change in Yang Yunzhi's expression when he mentioned it.

"A little." Yang Yunzhi admitted, "My swordsmanship style requires that kind of weapon."

"That's easy." Bezos said, "When they start fighting, we can fish in troubled waters. Or... Chief, why don't you challenge him directly? With your strength, taking down Oniki Isshin shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Yang Yunzhi stared steadily at Bezos. He wanted to know whether Bezos was testing him or simply fearless through ignorance.

But judging from the fluctuations in Bezos's brainwaves transmitted by Little Bean, this was probably not a test.

Then he was just born on a small island, without a formal education, and didn't understand politics.

What kind of subordinate told his own superior to go challenge someone to a duel?

Oh, Liu Bang's subordinates had once told Liu Bang to duel Xiang Yu. Never mind.

It seemed he would have to give Bezos a lesson later and teach him how to get along with his superior.

Yang Yunzhi said, "My identity can't be exposed. As for the sword, we'll talk about it after we find Robin."

The two talked for a while longer about the details of building the organization.

Bezos proposed training three types of intelligence agents on every island. The first would be permanent base personnel responsible for gathering and transmitting daily information. The second would be mobile "couriers" responsible for relaying and verifying information between islands. The third would be specialized "deep divers," tasked with long-term surveillance and in-depth investigations of important targets.

"But there's a problem." Bezos said. "The linking ability requires you to be present to establish the initial link. In other words, every time we reach a new island, you have to go there personally before I can link the intelligence agents on that island."

Yang Yunzhi nodded. "That's exactly what I'll be doing next—I'll travel through the West Blue and establish link points, then hand them over to you afterward. As for you, first straighten out Ghost Mulberry Island's intelligence network. Deepen the intelligence work, then train a group of core personnel."

Bezos rubbed his hands excitedly. "Understood! Before you return, I'll turn Ghost Mulberry Island into an impenetrable fortress!"

Before leaving, Yang Yunzhi gave Bezos a case filled with cash and authorized him through the Primary Link to fully manage Ghost Mulberry Island's secondary network.

"Oh, right." As Yang Yunzhi was about to leave, Bezos suddenly asked, "Chief, what is our intelligence organization called?"

Yang Yunzhi looked back. "Our organization has no name."

"No name?" Bezos did not understand.

"A true intelligence organization shouldn't have a name." Yang Yunzhi said, "A name means a label, and labels make it easy to identify and track. We must be formless like water and everywhere like air. When our enemies try to investigate us, they'll discover that we don't exist—yet we're everywhere."

Bezos savored those words, the light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter. "Formless... everywhere... I understand! Don't worry, Chief. I know what to do!"

Yang Yunzhi nodded, turned around, and disappeared around the street corner.

He did not leave Ghost Mulberry Island immediately. Instead, he found an inn and waited for more definite news about Robin from Bezos. At the same time, he activated the Byakugan and scanned the entire island again, especially the places Bezos had mentioned—the library, the Seagull Inn, and the harbor café.

At the library, he "saw" the librarian studying an ancient book by lamplight late at night. Some of its writing closely resembled the Poneglyph script of Ohara. In room 303 on the third floor of the Seagull Inn, although Robin had already left, Yang Yunzhi's X-ray vision still found some traces: a faint line of tiny pencil writing beneath the bed boards, a term from the true history.

"So she really did stay here..." Yang Yunzhi murmured.

Early the next morning, Bezos sent more detailed news through the Link Network:

[Chief, I've confirmed it. Robin stayed in Emerald City for five days and changed lodgings three times during that period. She was extremely cautious. She took the Sapphire from Emerald City to Cinnamon Island in the Spice Islands twelve days ago. The Sapphire arrived at Cinnamon Island eight days ago, and after Robin disembarked, she went to the Scholar Inn on the island. It specializes in hosting researchers and history scholars.]

[Also, I found more information about Admiral Aokiji. After leaving Ghost Mulberry Island, he went to Marine Branch 82 in the West Blue. He stayed for one day before returning to the Grand Line. Interestingly, the branch commander is his junior from Marine school.]

Yang Yunzhi was somewhat surprised. He hadn't even gone to Emerald Island or that Cinnamon Island to establish links yet, so how had Bezos already spread his intelligence network there?

Reply:

[Continue monitoring Robin's whereabouts. Notify me immediately if anything changes. Also, begin training Ghost Mulberry Island's core intelligence agents. I've sent you a set of training materials.]

Of course, he hadn't written those materials. Little Bean had.

[Understood!]

After closing the link interface, Yang Yunzhi stood before the inn window and looked toward the South Blue.

"The Spice Islands... Cinnamon Island..." he murmured. "Robin, I won't let you get away this time."

He packed his things, settled the bill, and left the inn. Once he reached an isolated place, he opened a Spark Portal. On the other side was a merchant ship dozens of kilometers away at sea—the route bound for Emerald City in the South Blue.

Just before stepping into the portal, he looked back at Ghost Mulberry Island.

This island would become the first node in his intelligence network. And Bezos, a man born for intelligence work, had already firmly brought forty-three informants under his control through the Link Network.

"Secondary Link... it really is the best ability for building an intelligence organization." Yang Yunzhi praised inwardly. "Little Bean, you've worked hard these past few days."

"Serving Master is my duty." Little Bean's voice was gentle and lively. "Besides, developing new abilities is fun. Once Master is promoted to a higher rank and my computing power improves further, perhaps I'll be able to develop even stronger linking abilities—such as locking onto a target directly through their name or characteristics without needing to imagine their appearance."

"Then I'll look forward to that day." Yang Yunzhi smiled and stepped into the golden portal.

The portal closed behind him, and the sparks dispersed as though it had never existed.

Meanwhile, Bezos sat in his shabby little house. Before him floated one hundred and forty-three pale-blue points of light—each one representing a linked intelligence agent.

With a thought, the points of light expanded into streams of information, every piece updating in real time:

[Little Bug: Three new merchant ships have arrived at the docks. Two are from the West Blue capital, and one is from the Flower Country.]

[Old Lame: Kijiro Oniki's men are collecting protection money in the dock district and got into a conflict with a merchant caravan's guards.]

[Lily: I heard a rumor at the tavern that Oniki Ichiro is preparing to hire outside swordsmen to deal with his younger brother.]

"This is what intelligence work is supposed to be..." Bezos muttered. Without even leaving his home, he could gather countless pieces of information.

When he thought of Yang Yunzhi again, his eyes were already filled with fervor.

He did not know that the secondary mental links produced by the Link-Link Fruit also had a thought-modulation effect. They made those with Secondary Links instinctively draw closer to higher-level linked individuals, producing an effect similar to a loyalty aura.

It could also be called a Loyalty Link.

This was because Little Bean was utterly loyal to Yang Yunzhi, and the links it created naturally inherited that loyal trait.

That was also why Yang Yunzhi did not mind telling Bezos so many secrets related to himself. With the Loyalty Link in place, Bezos could never possibly leak intelligence.

Even if he wanted to, Little Bean monitored his every action. The moment there was even the slightest sign of it, Yang Yunzhi could instantly open a portal and use the Pod's laser weapon to eliminate him directly!

Far away on Cinnamon Island, Robin closed a book about the ancient spice trade and sighed softly. She had stayed at this inn for eight days. It was time to continue onward.

Moonlight spilled across her face through the window, reflecting in those eyes that had seen through far too many truths.

She did not know that this time, what pursued her was not the shadow of destruction, but a net inviting her out of the darkness—a net woven by a transmigrator, one powerful enough to change the world.