Chapter 37: Nico Robin, the excellent betrayer.
Robin felt a bit confused after hearing what Bane said.
How did the topic change so suddenly?
Nico Robin had planned to contact Bane first, create tension between Bane and Crocodile, and let them fight. Then, she would take the chance to get rid of Crocodile, and ideally, kill him. Yes, Robin also wanted to silence the witness, and she felt very insecure.
However, she still felt uncertain about Bane's offer to help her kill Crocodile.
Since Nico Robin had been involved with many criminal groups over the years and was still alive, her life was full of betrayals.
When Bane said this, several thoughts quickly crossed her mind.
Could Crocodile know Bane already, and is Crocodile using Bane to test me?
Could Bane be a member of the World Government, planning to use me to eliminate Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and then get rid of me too?
Could it be?
Overall, many dark thoughts raced through Robin's mind.
But she kept her calm on the outside and pretended to be distressed after a few seconds. She said, "I clearly heard our president say he has no contact with you, so I thought there wouldn't be any conflict between you two. How did it suddenly change like this? "
After a short pause, Robin asked again, "Even with what you say, I should at least know why, right? Why do you want to target our president? Is there some misunderstanding here? I can help mediate if needed. "
"What kind of misunderstanding could there be? " Bane waved his hand dismissively and said, "I have never met Crocodile, and I don't know him, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to kill him."
Then, Bane took another puff of smoke and said, "As for the reason, as a bounty hunter, I want to kill a pirate. That makes sense, right? Even if he is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, it's even better. It would boost my reputation and prestige on the sea, wouldn't it? "
Nico Robin didn't argue, fearing it might anger Bane. It wasn't worth risking herself for Crocodile, and she didn't feel loyal enough to do that.
But she couldn't agree with Bane, so she replied carefully, "I'm sorry, Mr. Bane, the president is very nice to me. I have no intention of betraying him, and I think you don't want a betrayer, right? "
Bane listened to this, looked into Robin's eyes, and after a moment of silence, he said, "But you grew up surrounded by betrayal and conspiracy, didn't you? To you, loyalty is worthless. Can Crocodile really trust you? "
Nico Robin could not deny this. She wasn't sure how much the person in front of her knew about her, but it was definitely more than she believed. If she spoke more right now, it would be worse than saying too much. It was better to stay quiet.
However, she also realized that if she kept silent too many times, the man in front of her might lose his patience, and that could put her in danger.
So after a short silence, Robin said, "Crocodile really won't trust me, but I can't trust you either. I am even less likely to betray him just because of what you said. You seem more dangerous to me than he is. With him, I can still take some action, but with you, I only feel danger, a deadly danger. "
As she spoke, she watched Bane's expression closely. Whenever his expression changed for the worse, she would quickly change her words.
But based on her nearly perfect skill in reading people's words and expressions, what she said now, including the changes in how she addressed him, did not seem to upset the man at all. This puzzled her, and she found it hard to understand him.
"So you need to learn how to trust me. . . Well, that's a bit difficult; it can't just be that. Let me think," Bane said while touching his chin. After a moment, his eyes lit up as if he had realized something. "I see, you need me to clearly tell you what your value is to me. Only when I define your value can you trust me to some degree. At least until that value is determined, I won't abandon you easily, or trade you for someone else, right? "
Robin didn't reply, but her expression showed she understood what Bane meant. In fact, her partnership with Crocodile was similar. She knew Crocodile wanted to use her knowledge to interpret historical texts and find ancient weapons, so she could trust him to some extent. This trust was based on that need.
Robin believed that until Crocodile found out about the ancient weapon, he would not kill her and would even protect her from various threats. History had proven this over the years.
At the same time, she was sure that once Crocodile got what he wanted, it would mean she had no value left, and he would definitely kill her. So before that happened, she wanted to escape from Crocodile.
Now, she needed Bane to give her a good reason to show that she was important to him. This need could help them build a little trust quickly. The future would depend on different actions.
The conversation between the two was a bit confusing, so even Zoro didn't quite understand it. He looked at Nami, wanting her to explain quietly, but Nami just gave him a cold stare.
On the other side, Ben thought for a moment before he spoke again: "This isn't hard, but I don't want to prove this. Let me say it this way. Whether you trust me or not, you really don't have a choice, because I know you better than you think. I also have things to offer and reasons that you can't refuse. "
Robin didn't believe what he said at all. From their short talk, she saw that Bane seemed patient and tolerant with her. She was a bit hesitant in her words now, wanting to find out if his patience was more than she expected.
So at this moment, Robin changed her tone and said provocatively: "Really? If you have things I can't refuse and reasons I can't escape, then why do you talk to me like this? You could just threaten me and give me orders, right? After all, I can't refuse. "
Bane was surprised for a moment after hearing that. Then he laughed and said, "So you think I'm lying to you? Hahaha, no, no, no, it's just because I admire you. I admire your courage and responsibility to fight to the end against those bastards on Mary Geoise, to share O'Hara's voice with the future, and to keep the flame of history alive, even while you carry the shame of being misunderstood by the world and labeled as the so-called devil's child who wants to destroy it."
Bane's words touched Robin a bit. She stared at the pieces of meat in the bowl, dazed, as if something moved her and she seemed lost in memories.
However, how could a woman raised in darkness open her heart and trust others just because of such words? "So, what are your things and reasons that I can't refuse? I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm no longer the age to trust others just because they say nice things to me," Nico Robin said softly.
At that moment, her eyes became clear and logical again.
'What an unlovable woman. No one will like her like this,' Bane pouted. He then tapped the wooden table with his fingers, looked into Nico Robin's eyes, and said, "Jaguar D Saul, the former Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, is not dead. He is hiding somewhere, and I know where that is. That is the first part. Now, do you want to hear the second part? "
When Bane mentioned Saul's name, Nico Robin, who was trying to stay calm, pressed her hands on the table. She didn't say anything, but her eyes showed hope instead of despair. Her hands were shaking on the table.
After a moment, she seemed to collect herself and asked with a shaky voice, "What about the second part? "
Bane felt more admiration for her. Despite the situation, she remained composed and wanted to gather more information instead of asking about Saul's condition. That was impressive.
So, Bane shared more and said, "Secondly, the valuable books in O'Hara's Tree of All-Knowledge were not destroyed in the Buster call. Many of them were saved and are now hidden somewhere. So, do you want to hear the third point? "
Nico Robin really wanted to agree and ask about the third point. But she knew she couldn't ignore the two points Bane made. He had something she needed, and there was no way to escape this situation. So now, she needed to impress him so he would be happy and share the answers to her earlier questions.
Therefore, Robin held back her curiosity and excitement, put on an intelligent and gentle smile, and said, "No need, Master Bane, we can talk about how to kill Crocodile now."
"Hahahaha, I really admire you more and more, Nico Robin! " Bane laughed and praised her.
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