What's going on?
Kuzan stared at Rorschach with a pair of bewildered and confused eyes. He couldn't figure out what that sudden sentence from Rorschach meant at all.
What did he mean, "he let Nico Robin run off with Dragon"?
The amount of information packed into that short sentence was enough to make Kuzan's head spin.
A Marine officer let a pirate go with a Revolutionary.
Oh, wait.
Nico Robin wasn't just a simple pirate.
Her true identity was the sole survivor of the scholar's sanctuary, Ohara, one of the few historians in the world who could decipher Poneglyphs, and the Demon Child who had a 79-million-Belly bounty at the age of eight.
That woman was very special to the World Government.
Since the Ohara Buster Call incident, CP personnel from the World Government had never given up on finding her.
Since Rorschach already knew Robin's name, it was impossible for him not to know that Robin was the sole survivor of Ohara.
Furthermore, why was this kid apologizing to him?
Could it be that the truth about his and Robin's relationship had come out?
Kuzan's heart sank.
That shouldn't be the case.
From the time he let Nico Robin go in Ohara until now, he hadn't had much contact with her.
If the cunning Sengoku or Vice Admiral Tsuru had found out, it would make sense.
But this kid Rorschach had only been in the Marines for a few years, hadn't he?
How could he possibly know about his connection to Nico Robin?
Kuzan's expression kept changing, making Rorschach, who was watching him with a nervous heart, even more anxious.
"Uncle Kuzan, say something. If not, you can, uh, even if we can't find Dragon right now, you can try to contact him and have Robin call you or something. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"What are you talking about? Who needs to contact Dragon?"
Kuzan cut off Rorschach's wild speculation, shook his dazed head, and stared at Rorschach with a serious expression. "What did you just say?"
Rorschach blinked. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone..."
"Not that part!" Kuzan said angrily. "The part about Nico Robin. What exactly do you know? Don't try to fool me. Tell me everything you know."
This annoying kid. I really want to throw a warship at his head.
"Uh... so, this is what happened. That day, I saw Nico Robin..." Rorschach wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, gave a dry laugh, and recounted what happened in Alabasta.
He was straightforward and didn't hide anything.
Kuzan frowned as he listened. "How did you get the contact information for the Revolutionaries? Kid, don't stray down the wrong path. Although Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Teacher Zephyr don't say it out loud, I can tell those old guys are worried that you'll be the next Dragon."
Kuzan wasn't making that up.
Six months ago, when Rorschach's strength was improving by leaps and bounds, Sengoku, Zephyr, Tsuru, and even Garp, who all had high hopes for him, were worried that he would become the next Dragon to defect from the Marines.
This worry grew even stronger after Rorschach's experiences in Spring Queen City, Mock Town, and Alabasta after he set sail.
In particular, Rorschach's passionate speech at the G-2 base subtly aligned perfectly with the ideals of the Revolutionaries on some level.
These seasoned veterans were all concerned that the justice-loving Rorschach would choose the same path as Dragon because of the darkness within the Marines and the World Government.
Sensing the worry in Kuzan's words, Rorschach reassured him, "Don't worry, Uncle Kuzan. I won't leave the Marines. To me, the Marines are my home, and you are my family."
"Family, huh..." Kuzan's expression softened. He nodded, lowered his voice, and continued to ask, "Then what's the deal with the Revolutionaries?"
"Well, this is what happened. In Spring Queen City, I met Sabo, the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff, and Karasu, the North Army Commander..."
Rorschach explained what had happened in Spring Queen City.
"Then Sabo gave me his private Den Den Mushi number and told me to call him if I ever needed anything. You know, I'm a Marine officer who represents justice. How could I associate with rats in the gutter like the Revolutionaries? So, I righteously refused and kept the evidence, thinking I would hand the note over to Fleet Admiral Sengoku after the graduation assessment was over, so he could follow the trail, take down the evil Revolutionaries, and restore a bright and clear world..."
"Alright, that's enough!"
Kuzan raised his hand and pressed his fingers against his forehead.
Who was this kid subtly insulting?
His fists were clenching.
I really want to hit someone.
"Then since you already knew Nico Robin's true identity, why didn't you arrest her? You should understand her importance in the eyes of the World Government. If you, a rising star in the Marines, could capture Nico Robin, the higher-ups would definitely think highly of you. You might even get a promotion and become rich. Also, why would you hand her over to the Revolutionaries?"
Kuzan stared at Rorschach's face, watching his every subtle expression.
He even used his Observation Haki to sense if Rorschach was lying.
"Get a promotion and get rich? Heh, Uncle Kuzan, do you think I need things like that? If I'm strong enough, what can't I get? Besides, military rank and position aren't that important in the Marines, are they? Garp the old man is just a Vice Admiral, but who can say he doesn't have a say in things? Also, don't forget, I bled for the great Rosward family last year and risked my life to save the great gods, even though... they still died."
Rorschach pouted, and under Kuzan's displeased gaze, he sat up straight and continued, "As for letting Nico Robin contact the Revolutionaries, with all due respect, Uncle Kuzan, I want to ask you a personal question. I don't know if it's appropriate?"
"A personal question? What personal question?" Kuzan looked at Rorschach's increasingly lewd smile with suspicion.
"Well... cough, cough," Rorschach gave a dry laugh. "I mean... what exactly is your relationship with Nico Robin?"
"What relationship?" Kuzan was getting more and more confused.
"Ugh, I'll just say it. Do you see Nico Robin as... as a wife, or as a daughter?"
Kuzan's face turned black, and he silently formed a shining ice sword in his hand.
The freezing sword was wrapped in a terrifying Haki, making Rorschach swallow and move a little farther away from Kuzan.
"If you talk nonsense again, do you believe I'll freeze you into a block of ice and throw you into the Calm Belt to feed the Sea Kings?"
"I'm sorry!"
Rorschach immediately apologized and then explained his reasoning.
"Considering Nico Robin's identity, instead of letting her continue to drift around the seas, joining unreliable pirates who might lust after her beauty and value and constantly putting herself in danger, it's better to send her to a place where she definitely won't be harmed. The Revolutionaries are clearly a good fit for her. As far as I know, the Revolutionaries have also been looking for her."
Rorschach looked at Kuzan seriously. "Uncle Kuzan, I know you've been closely following her growth, afraid that she'll go astray and get into danger, like a concerned father... cough, cough, if that's the case, why not let her go to where she belongs, to a place where she can realize her value?"
Kuzan frowned. "How did you know all this?"
Rorschach's eyes darted around. "Nico Robin told me herself."
"And you think I'll believe that?" The ice sword in Kuzan's hand grew a little longer.
Rorschach cried out. "I'm not lying, Uncle Kuzan. She told me herself. I was full of killing intent at the time, and I scared her so much that her face turned pale, so she was very straightforward and confessed her... ahem... the friendship she had built with you. If you don't believe me, you can contact her and ask her yourself."
Kuzan didn't say anything.
Rorschach, however, was smiling internally.
If Kuzan believed him, then he hadn't said anything.
If Kuzan didn't believe him, he would have to contact Robin, who was a Revolutionary now. If the Five Elders found out that a Marine Admiral was contacting a Revolutionary, he'd be finished.
And just like that, Kuzan was silenced again by Rorschach's nonsense.
After a long time, he retracted the ice sword in his hand, lay back down in the wicker chair, and said, "Don't get tangled up with the Revolutionaries. If the higher-ups find out by accident, you'll be finished, and we won't be able to protect you."
"Got it, thanks for the reminder, Uncle Kuzan."
Rorschach saw Kuzan retract the sword and breathed a sigh of relief, also lying back down.
The air on the deck was quiet. Rorschach stroked his chin in thought for a moment and couldn't resist his curiosity. He carefully turned his head and glanced at Kuzan, who was resting with his eyes closed.
"Uncle Kuzan, are you married? Hibari told me that the reason Vice Admiral Gion hasn't accepted Vice Admiral Tokikake's proposal is because there's another man in her heart..."
"Yo, Uncle Kuzan, are you blushing? Could the man in Vice Admiral Gion's heart really be..."
"You damn brat, are you going to stop or not?" A vein popped out on Kuzan's forehead. He couldn't take it anymore. He waved his hand and sent a blast of freezing cold air that froze Rorschach into an ice sculpture. Then he grabbed Rorschach's face and threw him off the deck of the Kirin.
"Fist! Sea-Floor Drop!"
(End of Chapter)
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