Time slipped by quietly. Night fell, with only scattered lights and the cold moonlight providing faint illumination.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Chaotic footsteps and shouts shattered the silence of the night.
Robin was running desperately, her chest burning from lack of oxygen, every breath carrying the taste of rust.
Behind her was a dark mass of pursuers: not only three hundred Colombo family thugs dressed as clowns, but also over two hundred Marines in standard uniforms, armed with swords and guns.
After an almost ground-scraping search, they had finally discovered her hiding place. To ensure nothing went wrong, the Colombo family had even "called in" Marine support.
As for why the righteous Marines would collude with a notorious mafia family, even actively assisting them?
The reason was simple and cruel—the Colombo family's main clients were nobles from numerous World Government member nations, and they occasionally even managed to establish connections with a few World Nobles.
In the vast Underworld of the West Blue, four of the five strongest families played similar roles, supplying the privileged class with whatever goods they desired.
Naturally, these "sensible" big shots also understood boundaries. Their "business" and activities were generally kept strictly within nations unaffiliated with the World Government.
This satisfied the nobles' various shameful desires without making the World Government lose too much face—after all, only around half the nations in the world belonged to the World Government. The number of non-member nations was unimaginably vast, more than enough for these hyenas to run wild.
What was more, under the World Government's arrogant legal system, civilians of non-member nations... simply did not count as "people."
To the World Government's upper ranks, slaughtering residents of non-member nations was no different in essence from crushing an anthill.
That was why, despite the Colombo family having committed every imaginable crime and murdered countless civilians in non-member nations, the bounties on their core members remained an astonishing zero.
Gritting her teeth, Robin activated her ability as she ran. Dozens of slender arms instantly sprouted from the dirt road beneath her pursuers' feet, trying to trip them.
However, this hastily activated ability had limited effect. Only a few men, clearly hollowed out by drink and lust, stumbled and fell. Against trained Marines and vicious mafia enforcers, such interference was insignificant.
More arms then appeared behind her, pushing with all their strength against barrels, shelves, and other clutter piled by the roadside, trying to block the pursuers' path.
This time, the effect was somewhat better. Some of the pursuers were temporarily held back, but there were simply too many of them. They surged over the obstacles like a tide and continued their relentless pursuit.
Whoosh! A figure using Soru at a speed far beyond human limits instantly appeared on the road ahead of Robin.
Moonlight illuminated the savage scar covering his entire left cheek and the drawn longblade in his hand. He was Morsambia, a Marine Headquarters lieutenant commander stationed in the West Blue.
"Nico Robin!"
Morsambia roared, pointing his blade directly at the staggering Robin.
"Surrender now! You can't escape!"
A trace of resolve flashed through Robin's eyes. Arms instantly appeared at Morsambia's shoulder, elbow, and knee joints, attempting to lock them.
However, the gap in strength was too great. Her arms could not delay Morsambia's movements in the slightest. With a violent shrug of his shoulder, all the arms instantly scattered into petals.
Robin looked desperately at the powerful Marine officer blocking her path, then turned to look at the vicious-looking Marines and gangsters closing in from behind and both sides. A familiar despair seized her in an instant. The flames of Ohara seemed to blaze before her eyes once more.
The encirclement completely closed, and the light of torches and lanterns clearly illuminated her pale little face.
Mobi Sanya wore a cold expression of assured victory as he reached for Robin's slender neck.
"Demon Child, your escape is over..."
Just before his rough fingers could touch Robin's skin—
Robin's body suddenly lost all weight and floated upward, narrowly evading his grasp.
"Huh?"
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Robin continued rising, as though held aloft by an invisible hand.
Then she crashed into a broad yet exceptionally warm embrace. A deep, magnetic voice sounded above her, carrying a trace of barely perceptible concern.
"Did I make it in time?"
Robin abruptly looked up. Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw an all too familiar handsome face. Silver, shoulder-length hair gleamed coldly beneath the moonlight, while those aqua-blue eyes clearly reflected her disheveled appearance.
Years of fear, grievance, and loneliness completely burst through the dam at that moment. Tears rolled down like pearls from a broken string as she choked out a question in a nearly shattered voice.
"Idiot... idiot Adams! You came too late! That day of the Buster Call... where did you run off to?! The professor... the scholars... and Mom... they all... they all..."
A complex emotion flashed through Adams's eyes. He raised a large hand and gently rubbed Robin's hair, damp with sweat and tears. The gesture was slightly stiff, yet careful enough.
"Alright, stop crying. I'm back. We'll talk after we get out of this hellhole."
His gaze shifted from Robin to the increasingly restless crowd below, his eyes instantly turning cold and sharp.
"First, I'll deal with those annoying flies down there."
Below, behind the windows of some residences lining the street, a few bold civilians were peeking out at this unimaginable scene.
The Colombo family's minor leader scrambled over to Mobi Sanya's side, pointing fearfully at Adams in the sky as he stammered out a rapid introduction to his basic information.
After hearing him out, Mobi Sanya's expression became incomparably grave, and he tightened his grip on his blade.
But the justice behind him would not allow him to retreat. He raised his head and shouted sternly.
"Adams! Hand over the person in your arms! She is a major criminal wanted by the World Government for an enormous reward! This has nothing to do with you! Don't ruin yourself!"
Adams answered with three resolute words.
"I refuse."
Suppressing his anger, Mobi Sanya attempted to explain the "stakes."
"What you have done in non-member nations falls outside the Marines' jurisdiction. I can pretend I never saw it.
"But if you insist on obstructing the Marines in the execution of their duties and sheltering a world-class criminal, you will immediately be regarded as an enemy by the World Government and the Marines, and a massive bounty will be placed on your head! Have you considered the consequences?!"
Adams answered with a mocking chuckle.
"That's exactly what I want. I hope the Marines and the World Government don't set my bounty too low."
Before Mobi Sanya could speak again, Adams casually swung his free left hand downward.
"[Earth Dragon: Earth Scroll]!"
Rumble—!!!
The earth instantly let out a groan of unbearable strain. The dirt and stone road beneath everyone's feet churned and heaved as though it had come alive.
In the blink of an eye, three enormous dragon heads made of earth and rock took shape. Carrying a terrifying momentum capable of destroying everything, they slammed down viciously toward the dense crowd of Marines and Colombo family members below.
"Attack! Attack now!"
Mobi Sanya was terrified beyond measure. He gave the order at the top of his lungs while swinging his blade with all his strength at one of the dragon heads.
The minor leader was also scared out of his wits, shrieking for his men to open fire.
Yet whether it was the Marines' desperately slashing blades or the mafia thugs' loudly firing Flintlocks, their attacks only kicked up a few insignificant sparks and fragments against the rocky dragon heads. They could not stop them in the slightest.
Amid countless despairing gazes and piercing screams, the three massive dragon heads mercilessly swallowed everyone below, burying them completely beneath shattered rock and earth.
After the violent tremors subsided, the once-noisy street was left with only deathly silence and a vast stretch of ruins.
Having done all that, Adams's expression did not change in the slightest, as though he had merely swatted a few bugs to death.
Lowering his head, he spoke softly to Robin, who had temporarily stopped crying from shock, as though the earth-shattering destruction just now had not come from his hand.
"Alright, the little problem is solved. Let's go, Robin. I'll take you... home now."
With that, he held the girl tightly and shot into the sky once more, turning into a shooting star that vanished into the cold night sky.
TO BE CONTINUED