"What? You're telling me the Marines sent to capture Nico Robin were completely wiped out?! Useless! A bunch of incompetent fools! What good are they?!" Spandine's furious voice roared into the Den Den Mushi, directed at the unfortunate Marine on the other end.
"Director Spandine, sir, there were extenuating circumstances! We had already captured Nico Robin, but someone suddenly appeared and rescued her—"
"Extenuating circumstances?! I don't care about your excuses! You bunch of worthless idiots can't even capture one little girl! What use are you?!" Spandine vented his fury, unleashing a torrent of abuse.
Silence met him from the other end; the Marine wisely chose not to provoke Spandine further.
After taking a moment to compose himself, Spandine spoke again. "Where is Nico Robin now? And who rescued her?"
"Well, sir, according to reports from civilians, Nico Robin and her rescuer are still on that island. As for the rescuer... we have no information on him yet. The locals didn't recognize him at all. Apparently, he's incredibly strong, and rumor has it he's a Devil Fruit user."
"This troublesome?" Spandine pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed. "Fine, leave it. I'll handle this myself. Keep me informed immediately if there are any developments."
"Yes, sir! Understood!"
A calculating glint entered Spandine's eyes. He knew the perfect person for this task, someone who absolutely wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.
His mind made up, Spandine immediately went to find Sengoku to relay the information to Kuzan. He wouldn't dare approach Kuzan directly—better safe than sorry. Once everyone was gathered, Spandine cut straight to the point. "Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Kuzan, I've just received word. Nico Robin was captured, but someone intervened and rescued her."
Hearing Nico Robin's name, Kuzan, often perceived with a near-paternal connection to the girl later in life, shed his usual lazy demeanor and listened intently.
"What happened? Who rescued her? This is blatant disregard for our authority!" Sengoku fumed.
"Did they escape?" Kuzan asked, surprisingly direct.
"No, they didn't. They're still on the island. Our people have eyes on them," Spandine replied, casting a meaningful glance at Kuzan. "However, the rescuer is reportedly very powerful—a Devil Fruit user. Our forces were no match for him."
"A Devil Fruit user, hm? That certainly complicates things," Sengoku mused. "The Marines in the West Blue are indeed weaker; it's understandable they couldn't handle him. It seems we'll have to dispatch someone from Headquarters."
"Exactly my thoughts," Spandine readily agreed.
"Ara rara... In that case, I suppose I should go," Kuzan volunteered immediately, a hint of his laid-back drawl returning. "After all, Nico Robin did slip through my fingers before. Consider this making amends for that past failure."
"Vice Admiral Kuzan is undoubtedly the most suitable choice," Spandine chimed in, offering a quick bit of flattery.
"Is that so? Very well, Kuzan. You handle it," Sengoku agreed, pleased with Kuzan's proactive stance. This was how a young, promising Marine should act—taking initiative, not lounging about.
With the matter settled, the three men departed, each satisfied for their own reasons, harboring their own hidden agendas.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo remained oblivious that Kuzan—Aokiji—was now heading his way. Not that he would have cared even if he knew. He was practically itching for a chance to test his strength against someone like Aokiji, to gauge the gap between them.
He and Robin had spent several peaceful days on the small island, the time serving to cultivate a connection between them, deepening their bond. The island's residents, wisely recognizing Doflamingo as a dangerous force, gave him a wide berth. However, the persistent whispers and pointing behind their backs still affected Robin, paradoxically making her cling even more tightly to Doflamingo for security.
One day, as Doflamingo and Robin were eating together at a table, the atmosphere between them comfortable and pleasant after days of relative harmony:
"I'm leaving," Doflamingo announced abruptly. Though their time together had been agreeable, all good things must end. He had to move on. In truth, Doflamingo was lying; he was waiting for someone—Aokiji. But since Aokiji hadn't arrived yet, Doflamingo decided it was time to proceed to the next stage of his plan.
"Then I'm going with you," Robin mumbled around a mouthful of food, the statement sounding perfectly natural to her.
"I have no desire to drag around dead weight," Doflamingo stated coolly.
"I'm not dead weight!" Robin retorted immediately. "I'm very useful! I can do anything!"
"Fuffuffuffuffu," Doflamingo chuckled. "I don't take in useless things. Following me won't lead you anywhere good, Robin."
"It's true! I am useful! I'm not useless! I know a lot of things! And even if I don't know something, I can learn! I don't care! I just want to follow you!" Robin insisted urgently, her eyes fixed desperately on Doflamingo.
"I'm someone who crawled my way up from hell, Robin," Doflamingo cautioned again. "Stick with me, and you're bound to get hurt."
"Hell? I've already seen hell. I'm not afraid," Robin declared resolutely.
"Fuffuffuffuffu! Such big words from such a little girl. Do you even know what hell is?" Doflamingo laughed, but his tone turned sharp, unsettling.
"I... I..." The sudden shift in his intensity startled Robin, rendering her speechless.
"Well, that's that," Doflamingo said abruptly, setting down his knife and fork with a sharp clatter against the plate. He pushed back his chair and stood, leaving Robin alone at the table.
"Why...? Why don't you want me?" Robin whispered, doubting herself, not even noticing at first that Doflamingo had actually left.
When she finally looked up, the realization hit her—Doflamingo was gone. Panic surged through her. She scrambled away from the table and ran back towards the hotel, desperate, hoping to find him there.
"Don't abandon me! I don't want to be alone again!" she thought frantically. Bursting through the hotel room door, she cried out, "Big Brother, are you here?"
The room was empty.
"Am I alone again? Mama... Saul... What do I do now?" Robin sank to the floor, biting her lip, fighting back tears.
"No! I refuse to live alone like this anymore! I will find you! Big Brother can't have gone far! I can still catch up!" Her resolve hardening, Robin immediately dashed out, heading straight for the coastline.
Watching her from the shadows, Doflamingo allowed a cruel, charming smirk to grace his lips. The fish has taken the bait.
He hadn't gone far, of course. He would never truly abandon Nico Robin. But this step was necessary—like breaking a hawk, it required time and pressure to forge the desired loyalty.
Finally, Robin spotted Doflamingo's distinct figure standing by the shore. The gloom weighing on her heart lifted instantly. She hurried to catch up.
"Big Brother! I caught up to you!" she gasped, breathless.
"Hm? Robin? What are you doing here?" Doflamingo feigned surprise.
"I just decided I wanted to set sail," Robin replied cleverly. "Looks like we're heading the same way."
"Is that so?" Doflamingo deliberately played along. "Funny, I wasn't planning on setting sail just yet."
"Oh, really? Well then, I'll just wait here," Robin said without a hint of shyness, her eyes locked onto Doflamingo, terrified he might vanish again.
"Robin," Doflamingo said, his tone becoming serious. "I'll say this one more time. There's no future in following me. I am an enemy the World Government cannot forgive. The Marines are constantly hunting me."
"I'm also someone the World Government cannot forgive," Robin countered immediately, meeting his gaze squarely. "The Marines are always trying to capture me too. Doesn't that make us a perfect match? I'm not afraid."
"Fuffuffuffuffu. Robin, you know I have no interest in carrying excess baggage," Doflamingo repeated his earlier point. Before Robin could reply, he cut her off, unleashing a barrage of piercing questions.
"Don't answer yet. Can you truly accept it? Following me means bathing in rivers of blood. My path forward is paved with enemies, powerful enemies. Can you obey my commands without question? Can you entrust your very life to me? Can you kill for me? Can you sacrifice yourself for me? Can you bear the weight of my trust?"
The onslaught struck Robin like a physical blow, stunning her into silence. She lowered her head, unable to respond.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world," Doflamingo continued relentlessly. "I saved you merely out of pity. If you want to follow me, what price are you willing to pay? What can you offer?"
He leaned in slightly. "This world is cruel, Robin. Cold-blooded. The weak are destined to be trampled. What crime did the scholars of Ohara commit? They merely sought to study history. But they made one fatal error: they were weak. If they had possessed the power to rival the World Government, they wouldn't have perished. In the end, their own weakness sealed their tragic fate."
"No one was inherently wrong. The only crime is weakness. Weakness is the original sin. The weak will always be oppressed. This world is ruled by the strong—whether it's the World Government, the Marines, or Pirates, ultimately, only power speaks."
Hearing these words from Doflamingo shocked Nico Robin to her core. It was a brutal perspective, yet... she found herself starting to agree with its harsh logic.
'If Mama had been strong, would she have died? If Ohara could have challenged the World Government, would it have been destroyed?' Such possibilities flooded her mind.
"The weak have no rights," Doflamingo pressed on, continuing his indoctrination. "Dignity, respect—all of it must be taken by force. Running away solves nothing. If you fear your enemies, they rejoice. But if you fight back, you'll find even powerful enemies aren't invincible. The world is only as large as your ambition makes it."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "Think carefully, Robin. Do you want to become strong? Everyone's destiny is in their own hands. It's not about relying on companions or naive passion. If you truly wish to follow me, then first, you must possess the unwavering desire to become strong yourself. Only then can your companions confidently entrust their backs to you."
Doflamingo's words struck Robin like lightning, a sudden, jarring clarity washing over her, reshaping her understanding of the world.
"Have you truly decided?" Doflamingo asked, pressing his advantage while the iron was hot.
Robin didn't answer immediately, complex emotions warring within her.
Seeing her hesitation, Doflamingo simply turned and began to walk away again, leaving her standing alone, lost in thought.
He had walked several dozen meters when Robin's voice finally rang out from behind him, filled with newfound resolve.
"I want to become strong! Let me follow you! I will become someone you can rely on, someone whose back you can trust! We'll depend on each other for our very lives! I swear I won't hold you back! Even if the path ahead is filled with enemies, I will face them alongside you! Your enemies are my enemies! We are one!"
Doflamingo stopped. He turned slowly, looking back at Robin.
"Then you must be prepared to discard everything," he stated gravely. "Our enemies are numerous, after all."
"I'm ready!" Robin declared, running towards him. She threw herself into his arms, her voice taking on a slightly possessive, almost playful tone. "Don't even think about leaving me behind again. I'm sticking with you!"
"Fuffuffuffuffu!" Hearing her words, seeing the fire in her eyes, Doflamingo let out a genuinely pleased laugh.
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