"SAUL!!!!", Robin's cry, tinged with sobs, echoed through the entire bay.
She knew Saul was dead, that he had died because of the choice she made.
At this moment, Robin didn't even dare to look back at Saul's corpse. She just turned her body and kept crying.
"Do you feel the fragility of life now?", Rosse crouched down and gently picked up the crying Robin, placing her on his shoulder.
With his current height, Robin sitting on his shoulder was more than spacious.
He wasn't worried Robin could pose any threat to him. With his current physique, it was simply impossible for Robin to break through his defense. Zhe was nothing more than a harmless little girl.
"Wuuu wuuu wuuu...", Robin only pursed her lips as tears continuously streamed down her cheeks.
She didn't agree with Rosse's words, but she didn't dare to refute him.
She was afraid.
Afraid that Rosse would, out of displeasure, kill her mother too.
If she couldn't even protect her own mother, wouldn't Saul's sacrifice have been in vain?
"Robin, do you still remember my name?", Rosse, carrying Robin, walked step by step toward the direction where Saul had died.
"I remember, Saint Jaygarcia Rosse!", Robin nodded with all her strength, while quickly covering her eyes with her hands.
She had already seen the fallen Saul. That giant who used to comfort her with his strange laughter, was dead.
"Good. Remember this name. Burn it into your heart," Rosse calmly gazed at Saul's corpse. His tone carried gentleness, but his words carried a chilling edge, "Those whom others cannot kill, I can easily slay. Problems others cannot solve, I can resolve with ease. Everything in this world depends on whether I want to act or not."
"Your choice this time has brought me joy."
"As a grace, you may freely designate one person, or pose one question. As long as it interests me, I will give you the future you desire as a reward."
"Take a good look at the corpse before you, Nico Robin. This is the consequence of your choice, and the outcome of opposing me."
At some unknown moment, Robin had already lowered her hands from her eyes. She simply stared blankly at Saul's corpse.
'Poor girl...'
Gion stood beside Rosse, looking at Robin with pity in her eyes.
'A girl of this age, how can she understand what power is, what it means to be strong?'
But at this moment, Rosse's actions forcibly broke her mental defenses and planted a seed called "Saint Jaygarcia Rosse" into her heart.
The fear this seed brought, Robin might not fully grasp it now, but in the future, it would definitely take root and sprout, becoming the greatest shadow in her heart.
Gion had seen many such children.
Those whose homes were destroyed by pirates, with only a few survivors left behind. Their psychological states were all quite similar.
As these people grew up, most would become extreme.
Either throwing themselves into darkness, or resisting darkness in extreme ways.
It was said that when Sakazuki was young, he witnessed his hometown and family slaughtered by pirates. This was what led to his current personality.
But no matter what, this girl named "Nico Robin" would no longer grow up like a normal girl.
Gion quietly withdrew her gaze and pulled back her wandering thoughts.
She had joined the Marine willingly. In truth, she was a kind person.
As for Robin's situation. She had thought about speaking up, but in the end didn't know what to say.
Without Rosse, given Robin's identity and her recent experiences helping Saul, death would have been her ultimate fate.
Even if she somehow survived by chance, Ohara would inevitably be destroyed, and she would no longer be able to live like a pure, innocent girl.
So what could she say?
Perhaps there are things more important than life. But surviving, in this world, was already a huge stroke of luck.
If blame were to be assigned, then blame Robin's irresponsible mother.
Knowing the consequences of researching forbidden topics, yet still, without strength, dragging herself, her family, and her homeland into the abyss.
"Let's go," Seeing that Robin had gradually stopped crying, and her gaze toward Saul had grown calm, Rosse knew he had succeeded.
As someone from the World Government, he was destined to stand in opposition to these historians.
Since that was the case, he might as well let Robin fall into darkness completely, and make himself her deepest fear.
There were many ways to love and possess. Rosse wasn't bound by form, he only cared about the final result.
Letting Robin continue to sit on his shoulder, Rosse stepped toward the direction of the Tree of Knowledge.
'Now, it is time to wrap things up.'
———
While walking on the path to the Tree of Knowledge, Rosse suddenly received a call from Sakazuki.
"What is it?"
["There's a historian who surrendered on the refugee ship. Should we eliminate all the civilians, or just punish the main culprit?"], Sakazuki's cold voice came through.
"Surrendered?", Rosse raised an eyebrow. This word was quite fresh in the pirate world.
After thinking about the distance, Rosse immediately said, "I'm not far from there. Restrain him and anyone with knowledge. As for the rest, wait for me to handle it. You focus on evacuating the other civilians first."
["Understood!"]
Sakazuki quickly hung up and began taking action as per Rosse's orders.
Without Rosse's command, he would've chosen to kill all those with knowledge. And even to preserve the Marine's reputation, might've executed all the civilians.
But since Rosse would be coming in person, he would not interfere.
"Gion, inform Spandine. Tell him to restrain all involved, we'll be there shortly."
"Yes!"
Gion nodded in response and began contacting Spandine with the Den Den Mushi.
She was also quite curious about the historian who suddenly surrendered.
After all, they had already boarded the refugee ship. Yet someone still chose to seek death. Such things were rare.
The group was very close to the port, it took only a few minutes to arrive.
Sakazuki had been waiting for a while. When he saw Rosse approaching, he immediately nodded at him.
"Saul has already been executed. Sakazuki, how about we make a bet?", Upon meeting, Rosse didn't look at the person who surrendered first. Instead, he turned his gaze to Sakazuki.
Compared to the S-rank "hotcake" that was Sakazuki, a historian was completely negligible.
"What kind of bet?", Sakazuki frowned slightly.
He didn't like gambling. But if the reward was fitting, he didn't mind playing along with Rosse.
"Let's bet on whether someone will collect Saul's body," Rosse smiled as he spoke.
"Collect the body? He had accomplices?", Sakazuki's face showed a murderous glint.
'The traitor's accomplices are surely a bunch of villains. They all deserve to die.'
"Of course not. I'm just referring to his fellow Marine members. Do you think any of them would do it?", Rosse asked.
"Impossible. The Marine assigned this time doesn't have that kind of fool!"
Kuzan's figure flashed through Sakazuki's mind for a brief moment, but he still firmly gave his reply.
"Then how about this. If any Marine member collects Saul's body, I win. Otherwise, you win. How about it?", Rosse smiled.
With just one bet, Rosse was confident he could claim the defeat reward.
The defeat reward of an S-rank, equivalent to the kill reward of an A-rank, his strength would take a huge leap forward.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y