Demon's Child

Gradually, ambition once again gave him near-mad courage, and he spoke his mind, words that even he himself found insane. "I will pursue power and wealth, crave strength, build my own army, and forge an indestructible territory!"

"Because in this world, without power and status, all precious things can be easily taken away, including life, hard-earned wealth, ideals, women, happiness, and everything else—it's all just a false and tragic illusion!"

Tesoro trembled, gripping the key tightly. "If I could have this chance, I would do my utmost for my master!"

You have a year to gain my approval.

Under Tesoro's ecstatic gaze, Miming walked out of the room.

A year is time for Tesoro, and also time for himself.

Opening the envelope under the light, Miming took out the wanted poster inside.

Nico Robin, regardless of life or death, 79 million Berry.

She was just an eight-year-old girl, yet she was called the "Demon's Child."

The information provided by Spandine detailed every appearance of Robin, along with photos provided by the informant. Because her bounty was a staggering 79 million, the reports were a thick stack, mostly from her adoptive families and the gangs that had taken her under their wing.

Behind each photo was a detailed confession from the whistleblower, every word piercing Miming's heart like a knife. In just a few short years, had she been betrayed by so many people?

"My name is Robin, I'm nine years old, and I can do anything!"

"You're back. Actually, some people were looking for you. Hey, you promised you'd give me the money, right?"

"My name is Robin, I'm ten years old, and I can do anything!"

"The child is a good child, but leaving her here would endanger even us. Besides, this is 79 million! That's so much money..."

"My name is Robin, I'm twelve years old, and I can do anything!"

"Hand over Robin! The Marines are looking for Robin! If we don't hand Robin over, we'll all be killed!"

Robin stubbornly escaped time and time again, in the pitch-black night, in the rain, in the sea, in the forest, in the snow... "Hee hee hee hee! Hee hee hee hee!" In the torrential rain, the pursuing marines could only hear her pitiful laughter, which sounded like she was desperately trying to escape.

The record stops at the most recent instance, Nico Robin was fifteen years old.

"Robin! How dare you betray us! Seize her!"

Robin escaped gracefully and calmly, leaving a group of fools who were about to betray her to take the blame.

The Navy describes Nico Robin as a cold-blooded, cunning Demon's Child, an evil girl who will bring utter disaster to those around her.

In the photo, Robin has grown from a little girl into a beautiful dark-haired young woman, gazing at the world with deep, mysterious eyes. Those eyes seem less human and more like those of a black cat.

Miming held the photo, unable to let it go for a long time.

If I had arrived in this world a few years earlier, would I have had a chance to prevent the destruction of Ohara and spare Robin such a tragic childhood? Unfortunately, this is not such a naive world. All I can do is try to free Robin from the curse of fate as soon as possible.

"Is this the person who will become our companion in the future?" Hancock asked curiously. "She's not a slave, so why do we need to rescue her?"

"The shackles of slavery can be broken, and even the brand of Hoof of the Soaring Dragon can be covered with a larger scar," Miming said sadly. "But the scars in one's heart cannot, especially the curse called 'should not have been born,' which makes one feel guilty even while alive."

Miming put away the photos and told the Boa Sisters about the destruction of Ohara and the story of Nico Robin.

Nico Robin's mother was a historian who inherited her late husband's will to unravel the mystery of the "Void Century." This was a subject forbidden by the World Government. After it was deduced that Nico Robin's mother came from Ohara, the island of archaeologists, and that scholars were still secretly studying the Poneglyphs under the Tree of Knowledge, the World Government decided to make an example of her and issued the "Buster Call," wiping out the entire island.

Nico Robin is a genius girl who ate the "Flower-Flower Fruit" at a young age and was ostracized by the children around her, who treated her like a monster. She longed to see her mother, but her mother abandoned her and became a wanted criminal to continue her research on the Poneglyphs. In order to understand why the Void Century was so important, Nico Robin passed the archaeologist's exam at the age of eight and learned the Ancient Script used to record Poneglyph through her own observation.

Tragically, the day Robin met her mother was the day Ohara was destroyed.

Robin escaped with the help of a kind giant, former Marine Vice Admiral Saul. Saul became a traitor because he could not accept the Buster Call and was killed by Aokiji.

Having witnessed the murder of her mother and the scholars who raised her, and the entire island of Ohara being engulfed in flames and vanished from the world, Robin was given a 79 million Berry bounty for becoming the last scholar in the world who could decipher Poneglyph.

Robin began her life on the run from the age of eight.

After hearing Robin's story, the two Boa sisters cried their eyes out, realizing that there were things in the world more tragic than being enslaved.

Hancock scoffed with a hint of jealousy, "How lucky Nico Robin is to be loved so deeply by her master. Those people deserved to die!"

Miming is sweating profusely; you really lack compassion.

"She destroyed six Marine warship full of Ohara civilians!" Hancock scoffed. "Even if those people treated her badly, they were still her people."

"Didn't you hear me? Those ships were sunk by the Navy, and they just pinned the blame on Robin."

"Is that so?" Hancock said haughtily, "Then I am still more beautiful!"

"Yes, yes, you're the most beautiful! I love you the most, and it's never enough!" Miming quickly showered her with praise to prevent her from getting jealous. Recently, Hancock's confidence has exploded, to the point of being a bit narcissistic. I wonder if it's due to the increasing power of the Love-Love Fruit. But there's a benefit: no matter what, it's easy to appease her by simply praising her as the most beautiful.

The wheels of history have begun to turn, and their trajectory is becoming increasingly clear.

Every day, the Bird Family's slaves are sent out to work.

The Boa Sisters and Captain Dais are sent to the arena to participate in gladiatorial combat. They often find themselves in tough battles against the powerful gladiators that the Celestial Dragons have bought from all over the place, but they always manage to win in the end.

Hancock's powerful petrification ability, combined with her overpowered Seastone helmet, Marigold's wild King Cobra power and venom, and Sandersonia's astonishing speed and strength like a python, made them an almost unbeatable trio. Add to that the ever-increasing strength of the towering Dice, and the Saint Sanming ' gladiator team became the undisputed champions of the arena, raking in money hand over fist.