"Navy? Kuzan?!"
Her pupils instantly contracted.
Staring at the face that had haunted her midnight nightmares, Nico Robin felt her legs weaken beneath her.
Had she not been seated on the sofa, she would have collapsed to the floor.
Observing this scene,
Moses wasn't the least bit surprised.
Glancing back at the silent Kuzan beside him, Moses quietly walked over and plopped down on the bed.
Crow Dabao perched curiously on the chandelier, watching the scene unfold.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Perona's eyes darted around before she scampered over, kicked off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed beside Moses.
Leaning in, she whispered into his ear, "Why'd you bring the big guy here? Are you handing Robin over to the Navy?
Can't we not? She's actually pretty nice."
"But I can't beat the big guy. How about you ambush him with your Hollow Doll?" Moses whispered back. "Then we can dump him into the sea."
"Wouldn't that be kinda bad? He's sort of our friend, isn't he?"
"Then what do you suggest?"
Moses asked.
Perona thought for a moment. "Hmm, how about calling your grandpa up here?"
"They're master and disciple, both Navy—they're on the same side."
"Then what do we do?" Perona anxiously nibbled her thumbnail. "But I don't want her to get caught!"
"Hey Peipei, when did you two get so close? I didn't know that."
"Moses, you know what? She knows so much! No matter what I ask, she can explain it all. And her Devil Fruit power is really pretty too.
Pink petals! She can even grow arms and legs—kinda like my ability!"
Listening to Moses and that ghost girl whispering on the bed—"brazenly" discussing plans to deal with him—Kuzan felt his blood pressure rising.
Then he turned to Nico Robin, who was staring at him with terrified, hate-filled eyes, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Seriously, why did he suddenly feel like the villain here?
Scratching his head, he cleared his throat and uttered something utterly absurd:
"So, uh, Nico Robin, like I said, I'm not your ally.
But you're just too dangerous. Now that I've run into you again, I can't be bothered to arrest you. Nor do I want to haul you back to the West Blue. Our battleship will be passing Reverse Mountain soon anyway.
So, I'll give you two options. One—I dump you in the East Blue to fend for yourself. Two—you stick with the kid who caught you, and he becomes your watcher.
Choose."
Moses gave Kuzan a strange look. Just as he'd guessed, Kuzan clearly had some lingering attachment to Nico Robin.
But making him the watcher?
Were you serious? This was a joke.
Nico Robin's mind was in chaos.
She wondered if she was hallucinating.
After five years of being hunted like a rat, she had fallen back into the hands of the very man who started it all—only for him to say something like this.
A bitter, ridiculous feeling welled up inside her.
She was nothing but a clown.
A puppet to be manipulated.
Utterly powerless to resist.
Glaring furiously at Kuzan, she rasped, "Do I even have a choice?"
Kuzan replied quietly, "You do. Pick one."
"Ha!"
How ironic. Nico Robin looked at the monstrous man before her whom she couldn't resist, feeling weary and no longer wanting to run:
"I choose the second option. I don't want to run anymore. I'll stay right under your nose. If you ever want to take my life, just go ahead."
Kuzan nodded indifferently, then turned his gaze to Moses, who wore an expression of eager curiosity. Though it gave him a stomachache, he maintained his composure:
"I'll leave this woman under your supervision."
"Right. And remember—don't teach her any combat abilities."
Moses raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips:
"Got it, bro. You can count on me. I definitely won't teach her the Six Styles, swordsmanship, or anything like that. I won't help her develop her Devil Fruit powers either, and I certainly won't teach her any of those three types of Hegemony or whatever."
He patted his chest as he made his promise.
Kuzan's eye twitched.
Three types of Hegemony? You can even teach Conqueror's Haki?
He fell silent at Moses' bold claim.
"Hope you keep your word. Now, have your bird let me out."
Moses snapped his fingers and tilted his head. "Big bro~, just turn around and jump out the window. You'll be out in no time."
Kuzan's face twitched as if he was holding something back.
Seeing this, Moses decided it was better not to push his luck. He glanced at Crow Dabao and raised an eyebrow. Crow Dabao understood immediately.
A ripple spread beneath Kuzan's feet.
Then, he sank downward.
And vanished from the room.
Moses looked at Nico Robin, who radiated an air of despondency, and turned to Perona. "You'll share a room with her these days. There's no extra bedding for her."
Then, he addressed Nico Robin. "Well, since you've decided to stay here, you can rest easy. At the very least, I won't betray you."
"Oh, and 'Nico Robin' is too long to say. Too much trouble. I'll just call you Robin for short."
With that,
Moses stood up and walked out of the room.
Crow Dabao flapped his wings and followed.
Perona trotted over to Robin and patted her shoulder, laughing cheerfully:
"Everything's settled! You won't be taken away. Robin, aren't you happy?"
"Happy?" Robin looked at Perona in confusion. "Why? Aren't you my jailers?"
Perona pouted.
"We're not Marines. It's just that Grandpa Moses is one. That big guy Kuzan isn't a bad person either. I could tell—he didn't have any ill will toward you. If anything, he seemed a little pitying."
"Pity? Toward me? Hah." Robin's face twisted in disbelief, then she sneered. "He's just a bad—"
But then, her expression turned uncertain. "...No, I don't even know what kind of person he is."
Thinking back, he hadn't actually done anything to harm her. Aside from freezing that man, he was the one who let her escape.
"Hahahaha! Anyway, he's not a bad guy. He's actually pretty decent."
"Is that so?"
For now, Robin's heart was a tangled mess.
...
A day later,
The Marine warship crossed Reverse Mountain and entered the Grand Line.
The climate immediately became chaotic.
One moment, the sun blazed mercilessly. The next, rain poured down in sheets, followed by hail, then wind and thunder.
Soon after,
A massive whirlpool formed across the sea.
Under Garp's mighty punch, the terrifying wind pressure caused the entire warship to plummet with the sea before soaring skyward, breaking free from the whirlpool's pull.
As they sailed on.
The sky cleared once more.
As if the previous scenes had been mere illusions.
Crow Dabao perched atop the mast, his bird head drooping as he watched Moses engaged in an intense spar with a lieutenant on the deck below.
Castle Space. Residential Area.
At the windowsill of Perona's room.
Perona and Robin leaned against the ledge, observing the two figures—one large, one small—clashing relentlessly on the warship's deck.
Clang! Clang!
The fierce clashing of steel rang out incessantly!
It was clear the lieutenant possessed greater physical strength than Moses, yet he paled in comparison under Moses' relentless assault.
Robin looked on in astonishment.
"He's so small, yet this strong?"
"Hahahaha, Robin, who exactly are you underestimating? Moses is powerful—he hasn't even used his more formidable abilities yet."
"Besides, that grown man isn't strong at all. Peipei could defeat him in one move."
"Any type of Hollow Doll I summon could knock him out instantly."
Robin seemed skeptical.
Noticing this, Perona pouted and conjured a Negative Spirit in her right hand, tossing it at Robin. In the blink of an eye, it passed through Robin's chest.
The next moment, Robin collapsed into a despondent kneeling position.
"I'm sorry! I was foolish to look down on others. To make amends, please ride me like a horse!"
"Hahahahaha! Well then, Peipei shall graciously accept."
Her Spirit Body floated up, twirled midair, and plopped her petite bottom onto Robin's back.
Seconds later, Robin scrambled up, her face flushed, only to find half of Perona's Spirit Body still protruding from her chest.
Her lips twitched violently.
"I'm easily frightened—stop scaring me."
Warship Deck.
Clang!
The collision of weapons sent sparks flying.
The two combatants separated after the brief exchange.
Moses gazed calmly at him, while Lieutenant Jeff panted, sword in hand, wearing a resigned expression.
"Moses, your weapon quality is too good. It's unfair fighting you."
He eyed the axe in Moses' right hand and the short sword in his left with undisguised envy.
To his discerning eye, he could confidently affirm that both weapons were of Good Skillful Blade caliber.
And among Good Skillful Blades, these were undoubtedly masterpieces.
Envy.
Desire.
Not to mention the two Good Skillful Blades Bogart had been proudly showing off lately.
Heard they were both forged by Moses.
Moses smiled. "Since you're Grandpa's soldier—bring your own materials, 100,000 Belly labor fee, and I'll forge you a sword."
"Really?" Jeff's face lit up with joy. "You're not joking?"
"Believe what you will."
"Deal! I'll prepare the materials ASAP. Until next time."
He knew Moses would be disembarking soon.
"Let's continue."
"Alright."
Moses pushed off the deck, charging at Jeff in an instant.
A crescent arc swept upward.
The axe in his right hand tore through the air with razor-sharp brilliance, aiming for Jeff's midsection.
Jeff's eyes sharpened, not daring to lower his guard—getting hit would mean both humiliation and serious injury.
His opponent's weapons were lethally sharp.
"Paper Drawing."
Using the airflow from Moses' swing, Jeff swayed like a willow in the wind, sidestepping the attack.
Witnessing this scene, a crimson glow flickered in Moses' eyes as he swiftly followed up, his axe whirling up and down like a butterfly flitting through flowers.
Cold glints of steel relentlessly pursued his opponent's figure.
Jeff dodged using Paper Drawing techniques, occasionally blocking with his longsword.
Yet Moses' axe carried formidable force with each swing, every clash unleashing a burst of power.
Jeff found himself struggling immensely.
Despite having the physical advantage and greater strength, he was steadily being suppressed.
Moses was too agile—not only did his bizarre axe swings pack tremendous force, but he also frequently stabbed, slashed, and sliced with the short sword in his left hand, poised like a lurking tiger.
What was already a difficult fight became even more frustrating.
His focus was constantly disrupted, and the more he fought, the more stifled he felt. Every time he saw an opening to unleash his swordsmanship, Moses would anticipate and counter it, pushing him back.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more suffocating it became.
Watching Moses grow increasingly fluid with his weapon swings and footwork—
Suddenly,
It dawned on him.
The other guy was using him as a whetstone.
His lips twitched.
As his thoughts churned, he finally understood. Staring at the small-framed Moses, his heart abruptly calmed.
No longer obsessed with victory.
No longer agitated.
No longer fixated on attacking.
He focused entirely on sensing Moses' movements, maximizing the effects of Paper Drawing, dodging and defending with all his might.
Jeff's shifts in offense were instantly grasped by Moses.
Seeing his change,
Moses suddenly leaped forward, his attacks turning frenzied.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
His arms slashed rapidly,
his body circling Jeff in close quarters.
A sturdy wooden stump like this couldn't be wasted—some aspects were stronger than his own, yet not enough to completely overwhelm.
Appraisal
Strength Level: D+
Within the rank of Marine Headquarters Captain, his strength placed him among the elites.
Clang!
A single axe strike knocked his sword aside, leaving him wide open. Panic flashed in Jeff's eyes.
The next moment, Moses took a step back.
Moses grinned. "Getting a bit tired. Let's call it a draw."
Jeff forced a bitter smile and waved his hand. "I lost. But damn, Moses, you're really strong."
A pang of disappointment struck him—he'd actually lost to a kid. But then he remembered: this brat was Vice Admiral Garp's grandson. Suddenly, it didn't seem so bad.
A monster's grandson was a monster.
Wasn't that just natural?
Why bother comparing himself, an ordinary man, to a freak?
With that realization, his expression smoothed over.
Jeff chuckled. "Remember—no standing me up. Next time we meet, you better forge me a good blade."
"That depends on your materials. You're not expecting me to make a Swift Blade out of scrap metal, are you?"
"Then I'd be out of luck."
"Hah! As if. I, Jeff, am not that kind of guy."
After a brief exchange, Moses returned to the ship's cabin.
...
Garp's Room
The moment he entered, he saw Kuzan and Garp turning from the window.
Spotting Moses, Garp laughed.
"You'll be back on Drum Island in half a day. Don't go missing your grandpa too much."
"Got it. I won't."
Garp's face instantly darkened.
"Ara~ ara~, old man, if it were me, I'd definitely give him a Fist of Love right about now," Kuzan teased, fanning the flames.
Moses shot him a sidelong glance, too lazy to engage. He walked to the tea table, picked up his cup, and gulped down the water.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of your special someone. You can go with peace of mind."
Kuzan's mouth twitched as he glared darkly at Moses, grinding his teeth. "There's nothing between us. Stop talking nonsense."
"Mhm, I know, I know. You're not involved at all. Don't worry, I won't go around spreading rumors."
Kuzan silently turned to Garp: "Old man, can I punch him?"
A glint flashed in Garp's eyes as he chuckled: "I'm too old for this. I won't interfere in your affairs."
Hearing this, Kuzan's lips began twitching uncontrollably.
"Hey!"
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/QueenTL
Thanks!