Leaving

Li Ziming and Robin had, just like that, settled down in Kureha's castle.

"Why haven't you two bastards left yet?!" Kureha waved the cleaver in her hand, looking rather decisive and murderous.

"Oh dear, oh dear, I'm a patient. Isn't it bad for a doctor to chase away a patient like this?" Li Ziming said with a rosy complexion.

"You bastard, you recovered from your illness ages ago! Stop clinging to this place and refusing to leave!" Kureha viciously tugged at Li Ziming's cheeks.

"Ah!" Li Ziming cried out and fell to the floor. "I'm injured! I need treatment! I need to be hospitalized!" With acting like that, Li Ziming had truly mastered the essence of faking an accident.

"You little bastard!" Kureha wanted nothing more than to chop Li Ziming with her cleaver.

"Sorry, Doctorine. We fell out with our boss, so we hope to hide here for a while. We'll leave after that." Robin held Chopper in her arms. On the freezing Drum Island, Chopper's thick fur was the best possible insulation.

"You lot had better get out of here soon!" Kureha said irritably.

"What should we do? Are we leaving?" Robin looked at Li Ziming.

"I don't really mind. I just hope no one takes the liquor from my bar." Li Ziming was indeed getting a little bored staying here.

"Then let's get ready and leave." Robin reluctantly set Chopper down.

"Are you leaving?" Chopper was equally reluctant to part with Li Ziming, who could make delicious food, and gentle Robin.

"Don't worry. If fate allows it, we'll naturally meet again." Li Ziming shrugged and smiled at Chopper.

"Yes. If I can't see cute little Tony again in the future, I'll be lonely too." Robin looked regretfully at Chopper.

"Cute or whatever, I won't be happy just because you say that!" Chopper said happily, twisting his body.

"Where are we going?" Robin looked at Li Ziming.

"To Alabasta," Li Ziming said. "Since Vivi is with the Straw Hat Pirates, she'll definitely ask them to save Alabasta. We just need to go there and wait for them. Besides, if you don't make a trip there, you won't be able to see that Poneglyph."

"By the way, when you spoke to Crocodile last time, you seemed to say that you knew about the Ancient Weapons?" Robin knew that information about the Ancient Weapons was recorded on Poneglyphs. She had been wanted because she was the only person in the world capable of deciphering Poneglyphs, yet Li Ziming claimed to know about the Ancient Weapons. Did that mean he could decipher Poneglyphs as well?

"Alright, Chopper, come with me. I'm going to teach you something." Without another word, Kureha dragged Chopper away. Clearly, she did not want him getting involved in these matters.

Li Ziming watched Chopper disappear and shrugged. "Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus. Of the three Ancient Weapons, only Poseidon and Uranus still remain in this world. There is no completed Pluton, but its construction blueprints were left behind."

"So you know where all those things are?" Robin stared at Li Ziming in disbelief. "Even the World Government fears those things..."

"No, no, no." Li Ziming interrupted Robin. "Rather than fearing the Ancient Weapons, they fear the Poneglyphs."

"The Poneglyphs?" Robin frowned.

"Or Nepeae, or the meaning of D." Li Ziming shook his head. "Only people from the older generation with exceptional status can come into contact with those things. If the secrets within are uncovered, they may bring enormous changes to the entire world. That's why the World Government deliberately calls Gol D. Roger 'Gol Roger' when announcing his name to the public. They're afraid people will notice the D."

"What does D even mean?" Robin did not understand why a single letter could wield such power.

"Who knows?" Li Ziming shrugged. "Like I just said, the people who know are mostly senior figures from the older generation, followed by those who know the full contents of the Poneglyphs. That's precisely why the Marines see you, Robin, as such a thorn in their side."

"Aren't you afraid the Marines will target you for following me?" Robin asked with amusement.

"If they were going to target me, they would have done so long ago. I know no less than you, the Devil Child who can decipher Poneglyphs." Li Ziming smiled. "You're called the Devil Child merely because you can decipher Poneglyphs. Shouldn't someone like me, who explicitly knows about every Ancient Weapon, be called a devil? Thinking about it, that sounds kind of cool."

"Cool, my ass!" Robin said irritably. An arm sprouted from Li Ziming's head and gave him a hard knock. Then she said sadly, "I really envy how optimistic you are."

Li Ziming gently stroked Robin's cheek. "A day spent crying is still a day, and a day spent smiling is still a day. Why not live it smiling? Besides, I'm sure you look better when you smile than I do."

Feeling the warmth on her cheek, Robin sighed inwardly. Back when she had been fleeing for her life, she had been as optimistic as Li Ziming. But as time passed and she saw more and more darkness, that optimism had long since vanished.

"Ahem!" Kureha coughed twice, making Robin blush at once. Robin threw off Li Ziming's hand, while Li Ziming looked at Kureha with displeasure.

"Kid, what are you looking at? Watch it, or I won't give you these!" Though she said that, she still handed the bundle in her hand to Li Ziming. "Besides some everyday medicine, it also contains the antidote you requested."

"An antidote?" Robin looked curiously at Li Ziming. "Is it for dealing with Crocodile?"

"Yeah. Although I don't plan to fight him again, it's best to make more preparations just in case." Li Ziming accepted the bundle. "Thank you very much, Doctor Kureha."

"Don't say that. If you really want to thank me, don't come back here again." Kureha snorted. "Every time you come, I lose at least ten years off my life."

"Sorry, sorry." Li Ziming smiled apologetically.

"Sorry won't do. You'd better settle your medical bill." Kureha looked at Li Ziming.

"Mm." Li Ziming nodded. As he listened to Kureha list the charges, sweat began to run down his forehead. After waiting for her to finish, he noticed she had not looked at Robin, so he curiously turned his gaze toward her.

"What, you want a woman to pay?" Kureha looked at Li Ziming with utter contempt, her expression clearly saying she saw him as trash.

With no other choice, Li Ziming paid both his and Robin's medical fees. Then he looked at his deflated wallet and mourned silently.

"Here." While Li Ziming was not paying attention, Kureha gave all the money to Robin.

"Hm?" Robin looked at Kureha in confusion, not knowing what she meant.

"A woman must keep control of her man's money, especially when he's the sort who sails the seas. If you're not careful, his soul might get lured off somewhere." Kureha imparted her experience to Robin.

"No, that's not it. We aren't..." Robin explained, her face turning red.

"Come on. If you say the relationship between you two is pure and innocent, who would believe you?" Kureha said impatiently. "When you arrived, you were practically dying, yet you still told me to save that kid first. And that kid, his own body hadn't even recovered, yet he was taking care of you. Who would believe there's nothing between you two?"

"I... sigh..." Robin said sadly. "My situation is rather complicated. It's hard to explain."

"Forget it. This is your business, after all. I can only offer you a piece of advice: when you meet a good man, make sure to hold on to him. Otherwise, you'll regret it later." Kureha spoke earnestly.

"I understand." Robin said helplessly.

"What's wrong?" Li Ziming walked over. The two women had been talking, and he had not intended to intrude. A man inserting himself into women's conversation was not a good idea. But Robin's face was clearly showing sadness now, and Li Ziming could not simply stand by.

"Nothing. I was just asking Kureha about her beauty-care secrets." Robin changed expressions quickly, immediately hiding the sadness on her face.

"Yes. It's just that my methods clearly aren't very suitable for Robin." Kureha played along flawlessly, changing the subject without the slightest awkwardness. "Do you want to know my beauty-care secrets?" she asked Li Ziming.

"No." Li Ziming shook his head. Though he knew they were changing the subject, he did not intend to expose them. He was not confident he could resolve the hurdle in Robin's heart, at least not yet. Rather than bring it up now, it was better to let it pass and gradually change things over time.

"Then let's go." Robin smiled.

"Hmph, don't come back again." Kureha said irritably. "I don't want to see you two bastards anymore."

"That's not certain. Maybe we'll come back to visit you." Li Ziming smiled, dodged the knife Kureha threw at him, and pulled Robin away.

"So we're going to Alabasta now?" Robin was a little worried. "Even if you said you won't face Crocodile, the top members of Baroque Works aren't weak either."

"Don't worry. As long as they aren't Logia users, I'm confident I can fight them." Li Ziming felt no pressure at all. Some special Human-type abilities were not weaker than Logia abilities, and Li Ziming even believed that a Devil Fruit's strength depended on its user.

"You really are confident." Robin truly admired Li Ziming's confidence.

Li Ziming shook his head. "Besides, to be honest, we might not even run into those people." His words carried a hidden implication.

"You mean the Straw Hat Pirates?" Robin was becoming increasingly curious about them. She could hardly wait to see what made them worthy of such high praise from Li Ziming.

"Who knows?" Li Ziming did not intend to state it too definitively. Otherwise, he would only end up embarrassing himself later.