August 16, 1507 (Sea Circle Calendar )
The West Blue, the Naples Sea.
A pirate ship is enjoying a rare afternoon.
Captain Durk, taking a sip of Rum, squinted and whispered to the one- One-Eye first mate, "Has that woman's identity been confirmed?"
One-Eye replied in a low voice, "Yeah, that should be right, but it'll be quite troublesome to make a move."
"It doesn't matter. Didn't the Camorra Family say they'd only give us the weapons if we paid them 50 million Beli? We'll use her to settle the debt." Durk's plan was perfectly executed.
The girl hidden in the cabin, through ears created by her ability, had already overheard the conversation on deck.
Her face showed neither joy nor sorrow, as if she had become accustomed to such betrayal. Although her emotions were not greatly affected, she still prepared her small backpack.
Suddenly, a series of Kikoku erupted from the deck.
"Boss, merchant ship spotted!"
"There?"
"It's to the northwest, about 6 kilometers away from us."
"Hahaha, you little bastards, we're rich! Get closer!"
"Receive!"
Inside the cabin, a hint of reluctance appeared on the girl's face, but she was now in a precarious situation and could only pray that the merchant ship would escape quickly.
The chase at sea lasted for more than an hour.
At this point, the pirate ship and the merchant ship were less than two hundred meters apart.
The pirates on the pirate ship all revealed cruel and bloodthirsty smiles, rubbing their hands together, ready with grappling hooks and planks to board the ship.
However, the next moment, fear and panic instantly appeared on the faces of the pirates.
Because several people on the opposite boat were walking through thin air.
Almost in the blink of an eye, Kuro and his five subordinates stepped onto the deck of the pirate ship.
"Quick..."
Pfft... Just as one of the pirates was about to speak, he suddenly felt a chill in his throat, then clutched his bleeding throat and collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
Durk's face hardened, and he brandished his longsword at Kuro: "Die, you son of a bitch!"
"Heart..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a hole appeared in the location of Durk's heart.
Kuro's figure appeared behind him, his palm clutching a heart that was still beating.
Inside the cabin, the girl witnessed this scene through her abilities and was immediately terrified, her hands and feet turning ice-cold, her eyes filled with shock and fear.
In her eyes, Durk, who had a bounty of 35 million Beli, could easily kill hundreds of ordinary soldiers.
But at this moment, Durk lay like a dead dog in a pool of blood on the deck, so weak and pitiful.
Within minutes, all fifty-odd pirates on the pirate ship were wiped out; these pirates didn't even qualify to become experimental subjects.
Standing on the deck, Kuro picked up a bottle of Rum to wash his hands and the blood from the Espada: "Not planning to come out, Miss Nico Robin?"
The sound filled Robin with even greater terror and despair inside the cabin, but she knew she had no chance of escaping. After all, this was the vast ocean, and as an ability user, she couldn't even swim, so how could she escape?
A short while later.
Robin, pale-faced, emerged from the cabin.
She remained silent, displaying an indifferent expression that suggested she was at the mercy of others.
Kuro's lips curled into a slight smile, "You're very rational."
"Captain, everything of value on the ship has been packed away." Two subordinates brought out two large chests filled with treasure and Beli.
"Let's go then!" Kuro grabbed Robin's backpack strap and took to the air using Geppo. The other five subordinates also used Geppo, but two of them were carrying large boxes.
With a sudden burst of power from Kuro legs, more than a dozen Rankyaku kick blades swept down in an instant.
The pirate ship was instantly dismantled into more than a dozen pieces, and the wreckage slowly sank into the sea.
Glug! Robin swallowed hard.
Before long, the group returned to the Prosperity.
Kuro led Robin into the captain's cabin.
Noah, who wasn't paying much attention to what was happening outside, looked up and saw Robin with a look of despair on her face. Her face was still a little immature, but it also carried a hint of weariness from years of hardship.
Noah put down his pen and used the iron sand to pour the other person a cup of black tea.
A steaming cup of black tea floated onto the tea table to one side.
"Please sit down!"
Suddenly, Robin's eyes widened in surprise, and he asked uncertainly, "You are... Steel Man? Steel Man from the Hidden Ones Organization?"
"The nickname the Navy came up with is really cheesy." Noah didn't care about the nickname at all, but as a cover, it was actually acceptable.
"..." At this moment, Robin finally came to her senses.
In fact, she had been paying attention to the Hidden Ones Organization before, for a very simple reason: the man who evoked such complex feelings in her had clashed with the Concealed Ones Organization just a few months ago.
She calmed herself down and then sat down in a chair nearby. "What are you going to do with me? I don't think you'd hand me over to the Navy for those 79 million Beli, would you?"
"You're very clever." Noah took a sip of his black tea, then smiled and asked, "Why don't you guess my purpose?"
Robin pondered for a moment, "My most valuable asset is the historical knowledge I possess. You need my historical knowledge to achieve certain goals."
" Pride and prejudice are indeed flaws that are difficult for anyone to avoid." Noah fiddled with the planetarium on the desk.
"Your historical knowledge is of little value to me, because I'm not particularly interested in the past. Rather than focusing on the past, it's better to look to the future."
Robin's mind went blank for a moment before he slowly spoke, "... But I am a historian; my existence is to explore the past."
Yes! That's why I can't let you leave.
"Why? Are you like the World Government, afraid of the past?" Robin's voice became urgent involuntarily.
Noah calmly stated his inner thoughts. "Because if you become someone else's pawn, it will hinder my plans. I don't want the enemy to gain more power and thus prevent me from overthrowing the entire world."
Robin was speechless.
Noah casually placed a book in Robin's hand.
Robin glanced at it subconsciously, and her gaze was immediately drawn to it.
The Book of Years
She opened the book and read for more than two hours.
This book contains rubbings of seven Poneglyph, as well as historical materials collected by the Noah Family from some ancient ruins, with the most extensive materials on the history of the Atlan Kingdom.
The origins of those seven Poneglyph are as follows:
One piece was found on the seabed of the East Blue Sea.
One piece was found in the tomb of the Alabasta royal family.
One piece was found in the Alabasta desert.
One piece was found in the Sky Island - Shandora Ruins.
One piece was found on Crab Island in the Lost Sea of South Blue.
Two pieces were found in the Sea Forest of Fish-Man Island.
Robin breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew... I never expected that the Poneglyph I've been dreaming of would suddenly appear before my eyes in seven rubbings."
Then, with a hint of probing in her eyes, she asked, "You really don't want to know the contents of these Poneglyph?"
"I told you you're smart, but smart people often overthink things." Noah's gaze was sharp, as if he could see right through Robin's mind. "Isn't it recorded that the Ancient Weapon Poseidon and Pluton Pluto, and a pirate named Joy Boy?"
"What?" Robin's breathing quickened instantly. "You actually know what's on it?"
"That's why I said, you're not very valuable to me." Noah's nonchalant expression left Robin feeling powerless.