One Piece: I Became a Legend by Seeing Proficiency

At Dongze's words, Robin's heart gave two uncontrollable thumps. After all, those texts were why the World Government had put a bounty on her head.

"Doesn't that worry you, Mr. Dongze?"

"You don't need to fish for answers. I know why you're wanted, and I know where those texts are!"

"But until you're strong enough, don't reveal the truth even if you find it. You'd only hurt yourself and others!"

He knew Robin was searching for the Poneglyphs, and he knew where to find them.

Two in Alabasta, one on Sky Island, two in Ohara, one Robin had encountered while on the run, two on Fish-Man Island, one in Zou, three in Big Mom's Totto Land, and one in Kaido's territory.

Those were the ones that had appeared so far. But if two of the Four Emperors had them in their territories, he suspected Red-Hair and Whitebeard would have some too.

Then there was Laugh Tale, the Final Land. The Poneglyphs there were probably the most complete of all.

Robin sank into sorrow at his words. Memories of her childhood surfaced again, and Ohara vanishing in cannon fire remained a nightmare she could never forget.

Before she could lose herself in it, his voice interrupted her memories.

"Come on, my navigator! Time to work!"

Robin wiped the corners of her eyes and wrinkled her nose. "You really don't know how to be gentle with a lady, Mr. Dongze!"

A chance encounter with Buggy: I can't beat him!

"Captain Buggy!"

"This is bad! Dongze the Pirate Hunter is in town!"

"He'll kill us! Let's run!"

A small tavern was packed to the rafters.

Cackles rose above the din, and most conspicuous of all was an enormous male lion.

They were the notorious Buggy Pirates of the East Blue.

Word had spread that a madman had appeared in the East Blue and was hunting pirates. Countless pirates had died at his hands. Nearly all of them had gone into hiding, and Buggy's crew was no exception. They had spent the last two weeks holed up in this town.

They had thought they were finally safe, only for that bringer of death to arrive in town.

"Looks like he isn't going to let us go. Damn it!"

"Captain! What do we do?"

"Why don't we fight him?"

"Yeah! Let him see how strong Captain Buggy is!"

Listening to their baffling confidence, Buggy's mouth nearly twitched itself into a cramp. He slammed the table. "Shut the hell up, all of you!"

"That guy isn't an ordinary pirate hunter. From what I've heard, he's killed dozens of pirates, all of them powerful fighters with bounties on their heads!"

"If you rush him, are you trying to get yourselves killed?"

"Idiots!"

Once their captain had spoken, the crew gradually fell silent.

Mohji the beast tamer swallowed. Suppressing his fear, he asked quietly, "Captain! What do we do, then?"

Buggy glanced over his crew. He was scared to death himself. Of everyone in the East Blue, Dongze was the last person he wanted to meet. When Dongze set out, nothing was left standing. That was no joke.

His mind went blank. He meant to tell them to wait a moment, but nerves reduced it to one word. "Wait."

The crew stared at him. "Wait?"

At a time like this, what were they waiting for? Death?

Cabaji's eyes lit up. In an instant, he supplied an explanation of his own. "I see! Dongze's in town, but that doesn't mean he came for us. Our best move is to wait and see!"

"That's Captain Buggy for you!"

Buggy was dumbfounded. Was that what he had meant? Even he hadn't known. With nothing to say, he kept his mouth shut and downed two bottles of liquor. Fine. You've got a point. Everything you said is right!

"Mr. Dongze, where are we going?"

Dongze ruffled his hair. "Don't you want some new clothes?"

He remembered that shopping was one of the things women back in his world loved most. He had assumed it would be much the same in the pirate world.

Robin didn't seem very interested, though. Was she the exception?

He quickly abandoned that shallow assumption. Once he explained, Robin's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Thank you so much!"

"Mr. Dongze!"

Dongze's mouth twitched twice at the sight of her. All right, I was wrong about you. So you're like that too, Robin.

"Mr. Dongze, what do you think of this one?"

In front of the fitting-room mirror, Robin wore a bikini that showed off her figure to heart-stopping effect.

Dongze froze at the sight of her. He was a normal person—no, a normal man. Who didn't like a beautiful woman?

All right.

He had to admit it. He wanted her too...

"Mm!"

And so, with Dongze nodding along, Robin launched into a shopping spree. They stopped only when there was nowhere left to hang another bag.

Dongze quietly breathed a sigh of relief as they left the shop.

Walking beside him, Robin felt unexpectedly light, as though a crushing weight had suddenly lifted from her shoulders. She no longer feared someone would attack her without warning. She could walk openly in the sunlight again.

Wasn't this peaceful life what she had always wanted? Feeling the sunlight above her, she wished for the first time that a moment could last forever.

Fate had played an enormous joke on her, though. She was a pirate, yet she had ended up beside a pirate hunter.

Remembering their earlier agreement made her uneasy again.

Everything before her was wonderful, but who knew what the next moment would bring?

It was like the weather on the Grand Line. One moment the sky could be clear; the next, wind and rain could be raging.

Shopping with a woman was no easy task. Even Dongze, with all his patience, had nearly reached his limit. Robin, meanwhile, looked as though she could keep going. A chill ran through him, and he swore he would never go shopping with her again.

They went to the town's only restaurant for a proper meal. Aside from necessary supplies, Dongze rarely went ashore. Obsessed with raising his proficiency, he wanted to spend every moment training.

Now Robin was with him, and the pressure of her father, Admiral Aokiji, loomed over his shoulder. For the foreseeable future, he would barely have a moment to rest.

But the moment Dongze entered, the little restaurant fell silent.

The Buggy Pirates went white as sheets.

The world had a strange sense of humor. They had thought the town was remote and large enough that Dongze would never come here, and they would be safe.

They had overlooked one fact: this was the only restaurant in town.

Well...

"Hey, Captain Buggy! What do we do now?"

Cabaji's legs had begun to tremble. Dongze's reputation as a scourge of criminals who left nothing standing was etched into their bones.

Buggy tugged at his hood, his hands shaking like leaves.

"Wait," he whispered through chattering teeth.

"Wait" again!

This time, Cabaji and the others weren't so confident. The executioner was right there beside them. He could end their lives in an instant.

The benches felt like beds of nails beneath them. Watching Captain Buggy sit motionless, they squirmed like ants on a hot pan.

Their captain, however, remained rooted to the spot.

But was he truly that composed? Buggy's legs felt like noodles. He couldn't summon a scrap of strength. Forget running—he could barely stand.

It wasn't that he didn't want to leave. He couldn't.

The moment Dongze had entered, Buggy had felt a power settle over him. He knew exactly what it was.

He might not be much of a fighter, but he had been an apprentice aboard Pirate King Roger's ship. He knew what he was dealing with.

"Observation Haki!"

And at an astonishingly advanced level.

The instant he recognized it, he had nearly leaped up and cursed.

How could a monster like that turn up in a backwater like the East Blue?

We're still playing low cards, and you open with the strongest hand? Come on, man!

With strength like that, why not go to the New World? Why pick on small fry like us?

He understood now why Dongze was so terrifying. For a swordsman to have Observation Haki at that level, what did that say about his Armament Haki?

Run from someone like that? Buggy laughed bitterly to himself.

Like hell!

Running would get us killed even faster!

The minutes dragged by. Every member of the Buggy Pirates was in agony, nerves stretched taut, afraid the executioner might behead them at any moment.

To their surprise, Dongze never made a move. It was as though he hadn't seen them. He paid, then left with Robin.

Outside the restaurant, Robin asked in confusion, "Mr. Dongze, those were the Buggy Pirates!"

"I know!"

"Then why didn't you..."

Dongze was silent for a long while before saying helplessly, "I can't beat him!"

Robin froze. She hadn't expected that answer. She didn't believe for a second that Dongze couldn't beat Buggy.

Yet he didn't look as though he was lying, just as he hadn't when he'd given her his reason before.

So what was going on?

Robin tried to work out what he really meant.

Dongze saw her expression and guessed what she was thinking, but he didn't explain. Just as he couldn't afford to provoke her father, Aokiji, he couldn't afford to provoke Buggy's close friend Shanks either.

He wasn't going to be reckless. If this gamble backfired, he'd have nowhere to turn.

"Man, I still need to get stronger!"

A shady merchant and the young Cat Burglar

Each day called for renewal, and this was another new day.

A new day brought a fresh start.

The vast sea glittered in the sunlight. Aboard an unmarked sailboat, Robin sat beneath a parasol in a revealing swimsuit, a small notebook in her hand. Her quill flew across the page, leaving a stream of formulas as she worked on some calculation.

Dongze, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a black-and-red slash burst from the open sea. Moments later, crimson spread across the water!

The sword energy that followed shattered a towering wave. Rain poured down, breaking Robin's concentration, and she instinctively drew her long, pale legs beneath the parasol.

The rain made the parasol creak. Robin came back to herself and puffed out her cheeks. She had finally found a way forward, and now she had lost her train of thought.

The sudden downpour nearly drove her mad. She had finally persuaded that bastard to take her to find the Poneglyphs, but the condition was that she solve the problem she had just been working on.

Now she had wasted another day.