After a while, Leo slowly lowered his arms, a deep frown forming on his face as he looked toward Robin.
From what he had just uncovered, it seemed she hadn't lied. The information recorded on the stone tablet was mostly accurate. Apart from the historical records of Alabasta's past, there were indeed references to Pluton, one of the Ancient Weapons—but not nearly as much information as expected.
The most critical revelation, however, was the final line of the text:
Pluton is almost destroyed.
Robin stood stunned, her lips slightly parted as she whispered, "What… what was that?"
In her mind, only the scholars of Ohara were capable of interpreting the ancient script. Yet Leo had just demonstrated a power that bypassed years of painstaking study, effortlessly drawing out the tablet's hidden truths. The display both shocked and intrigued her.
Leo noticed the expression on her face and smirked slightly.
"A little magic," he said with a wink.
"A technique that allows me to read the hidden messages embedded in historical texts—no translation needed."
Seeing the surprise and concern in Robin's eyes, Leo added teasingly, "Want to learn? I can teach you~"
Robin's pupils trembled slightly, and a storm of emotion stirred in her heart.
This ability—this magic—it completely negated her entire life's work. The years she spent enduring hardship, isolation, and persecution just to learn the ancient language… were rendered meaningless by a wave of Leo's hand.
Was she… replaceable?
Was her knowledge no longer rare? No longer important?
The thought tore at her heart.
Leo, sensing the sudden change in her demeanor, grew serious. After a brief moment of thought, he reached into the air and summoned a small, worn-looking booklet.
Without saying a word, he placed it gently into her hands.
"Huh?"
Robin blinked, momentarily shaken from her spiral of thought. She looked at the book in her hands with confusion. "What is this?"
"The magic I used earlier is recorded in that book," Leo explained, watching her reaction closely. "It's yours now."
Robin looked up, clearly even more bewildered. "You're… giving this to me?"
"Yeah. I like you. Become my partner," Leo said frankly.
Robin's eyes widened.
Leo continued, "Your dream is to uncover the Void Century—the hundred years of history erased by the World Government. But that dream is riddled with danger and nearly impossible to realize alone."
"That's why you need strength. And this book can give you that."
Robin stared down at the book, her hands trembling ever so slightly. Her lips moved slowly, uncertainly.
"Partners… power…"
The words felt strange and distant. After all, she hadn't had either in a very long time.
After a long silence, she said, "Thank you. But I… I don't plan on living anymore."
Her voice was soft but firm.
"Maybe you have unimaginable strength," she continued, "but I don't want to involve anyone else. I've been running for twenty years, and they're still chasing me."
"I'm exhausted. I can't run anymore. Maybe… maybe dying here, in front of the history I've sought my entire life, is the most fitting end."
She gently pushed the booklet back into Leo's hands and leaned quietly against the stone tablet engraved with ancient writing.
Her final resting place.
What an irony—to die where her dreams finally bore fruit.
---
At that very moment, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble violently.
The underground tomb rumbled and groaned as chunks of stone began falling from the ceiling in bursts of smoke and dust. The once majestic hall began to collapse rapidly.
Robin didn't move.
She stared up at the falling debris without fear, without flinching.
She was ready to die.
"There's no need for you to waste your time here," she murmured quietly. "There's nothing left of interest about me…"
Crash!
"Stop talking nonsense!" Leo's voice thundered through the chamber.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his wand and smashed the falling debris into dust midair.
"If you're tired—rest. If you don't want to run—fight back!"
"If you don't even have the courage to try, then you don't deserve happiness. You'll never get it!"
His voice echoed like a war cry.
"You've been hunted, betrayed, and wounded—but doesn't that show you how precious life truly is?!"
"So—live. Stay alive!"
The passion in Leo's voice was overwhelming. His fierce gaze bored into Robin's heart, shattering the wall she had so carefully built around her soul.
In that moment, she remembered Saul's words—spoken so many years ago.
"You'll find friends. Someday, you'll meet someone who will protect you."
Perhaps…
Perhaps that person was standing right in front of her.
---
"Um… can we leave now?"
A somewhat awkward voice cut through the tension. It was Cobra, standing nervously nearby.
The poor king had remained silent for as long as he could, but now his patience had run dry.
He looked at the two of them and added, "I'm just saying—if we wait any longer, we're all going to be buried alive!"
Leo and Robin both turned toward Cobra, blinking in surprise.
They had completely forgotten he was still there.
"Hehe… it's fine, I've got it covered," Leo said casually.
He raised his wand once more.
A shimmering, bubble-like light began to swirl in the air before condensing into a concentrated orb at the tip of the wand. In the next moment, it spread across the hall in waves.
"Time Backlight."
As Leo spoke, a strange glow enveloped the crumbling debris and falling stones.
Suddenly—everything stopped.
The entire tomb went silent.
Then, like a movie being rewound, chunks of stone lifted off the ground and returned to their original places, the broken walls restored piece by piece. The hall, which had been moments away from collapse, was once again whole—pristine, and undisturbed.
Robin and Cobra stared in awe, mouths agape.
This wasn't just a Devil Fruit ability.
This was something beyond anything they had heard of—even in the New World.
---
"Let's go," Leo said with a calm smile. "I'm not letting you die, no matter what."
Even if Robin tried to throw her life away again, he'd drag her onto the ship himself. After all—who didn't want a mysterious and graceful older sister on their crew?
Robin stared at him for a moment longer.
Then, without warning, she smiled.
"Alright. I'll go with you."
Something stirred in her chest—a quiet hope she hadn't felt in a long time.
Let's gamble again, she thought. Just once more. The outcome didn't matter. Could things really get worse than they already were?
Having made her decision, she stood up and followed Leo. Cobra, relieved, followed close behind.
---
Soon after, the three emerged from the tomb.
Outside, the battlefield had quieted.
Luffy lay on the ground, breathing heavily, with Chopper treating his wounds.
Not far away, Crocodile, bloodied and defeated, had been captured and bound by Tashigi and a squad of Marines who had just arrived.
Robin noticed something else too.
The Straw Hat Pirates didn't seem to be involved in the final battle.
Perhaps it was because Zoro had gotten lost again—or maybe there was another reason.
But what truly made her pause was the expression on Tashigi's face.
As a Marine, she was supposed to uphold justice. But after seeing one of the Shichibukai, supposedly aligned with the World Government, attempt to steal an entire kingdom through lies and cruelty…
And seeing the so-called criminals—the Straw Hat Pirates—risking their lives to save that same kingdom…
Her faith in "justice" had clearly been shaken.
Tashigi stood in silence. She didn't raise her sword. She didn't give orders. She simply watched.
---
"Ah—barbecue!!"
Luffy's loud shout broke the silence as he bolted upright.
Chopper jumped in surprise, only to find the starved Luffy lunging toward him, fangs bared and eyes crazed from hunger.
After his brutal fight with Crocodile, food was all Luffy could think about.
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