How to dispel a psychological shadow—Robin is undoubtedly an expert.
At eight, she lost everyone who was kind to her, and then was given a seventy-nine-million-Beli bounty, spending every day either fleeing or on the road to flight.
Compared with Robin, whether Nami or Hancock, even Shirahoshi, none had a childhood as dark.
Because at their sides, at least there were family and loved ones.
Robin, had she not met Kahn, would have lived that way for twenty years.
As a senior, Robin was confident she could help the Boa sisters cast off their shadows.
Thus, the next day Kahn handed the Boa sisters over to Robin for training.
He himself donned a cloak and returned to the lawless zone.
Then, using his one-of-a-kind perception, he searched the scattered islets for slaver rings and bounty-hunter groups.
After locating these villains, Kahn stunned them from afar with Conqueror's Haki.
At last, standing among them, he used his innate Observation Haki to read memories and began gathering intelligence.
Reading hearts is, without doubt, a divine technique.
With such a technique, even if Kahn had never read One Piece—or forgot its entire plot—he would not worry in the least.
On every unfamiliar island, Kahn would use heart-reading to collect information; it became his habit.
After reading those villains' memories, Kahn confirmed one thing.
Silvers Rayleigh and Shakky had not settled in the Sabaody Archipelago.
First, there was no Shakky's Rip-off Bar in the lawless zone.
Second, the Boa sisters had been sold to the auction house—someone as adept at gathering intel as Shakky could not have failed to know. Clearly, she was not on Sabaody.
After reading a few more gangs and gaining a rough grasp of Sabaody in this period, Kahn returned to Grove 1.
Last night's explosions had not led the auction house to cancel the upcoming sale.
Because only three lots were lost.
Those inside surmised that the people behind those three items had rescued them.
Whoever could knock out every Den Den Mushi, stun every guard, and spirit away three lots without a sound had to be a powerhouse.
It might even have been the Kuja captain making a move.
For centuries, even the Marines have had no real way to deal with the Kuja—nothing has changed.
Since the rest of the merchandise had neither been released nor destroyed, there were ample reasons to proceed.
Thus, after having the hole in the ceiling repaired, calm returned.
Sensing the auction house and finding no person of true authority, Kahn decided to wait for this auction to end and then leave Sabaody with Robin.
Kahn did not free the other slaves: first, he was no saint; second, he did not want to ruin this auction.
He wanted to see whether this auction would offer a Devil Fruit.
The list provided by the black market contained no Devil Fruit.
But that list was not the final list.
The Boa sisters, in the upcoming sale, were not finale items either.
For extremely precious things, the auction house would likely conceal them, saving them as the final surprise.
Therefore Kahn wanted to see whether the Paramecia Love-Love Fruit that Hancock would one day eat might also be in this auction.
If it was, Kahn would move in again to cut them off.
...
Time flew; in the blink of an eye, several days passed.
Over those days, Kahn also secretly observed Robin's training of the Boa sisters.
A scholar at eight, Robin was a person of high intellect and high emotional acuity.
A year of flight gave her a clear understanding of human nature and how to read people.
After less than a day together, Robin discerned the sisters' dispositions and character, and also understood how slavers had managed to trick a Haki-wielding Hancock.
She was simply too pure!
Robin dimly grasped why the Kuja Pirates—and even the Kuja tribe—produced so many young Haki users.
Because those who live in that country retain what is called a child's heart.
People that pure devote themselves completely to whatever they do.
Training Haki becomes a matter of twice the result for half the effort.
Helping such pure souls shed their shadows was, for Robin, an easy task.
What made the Boa sisters withdrawn and afraid was their first encounter with "evil."
To erase the influence of evil, one needs only let them feel the "good" that you extend.
Thus, Robin did not put on a severe face; she was gentle, like an elder sister.
While chatting to grow closer to them, she deliberately shared her own experiences, so the sisters resonated with her and warmed to her.
Early the next morning, Robin took the sisters to the commercial district, found a fairly large clothing shop, and bought them a large number of outfits.
In just one day, Robin left in the sisters' hearts the image of a good person, a gentle big sister.
Guileless Hancock immediately regarded Robin as a friend.
Sonia and Mary treated Robin as an older sister and even dared to speak up from time to time.
Girls' friendship is that simple.
Watching Robin's moves, Kahn nodded in approval.
Handing the Boa sisters over to her had indeed been the right call.
As Robin's relationship with the sisters grew better and better—
The first quarterly auction of the year finally began.
To prevent the sisters' shadows from deepening at the sight, Kahn did not bring Robin or the Boa sisters; he attended today's auction alone.
He arrived when it was about to start.
He could only sit farther back, near the entrance.
The rear seats were higher, so with a glance Kahn saw below, where in the very front row, with no one daring to sit nearby, was a Celestial Dragon.
A gaunt middle-aged Celestial Dragon—Kahn had no impression of him; he had not appeared among the figures of the original tale.
He only cast a glance, then withdrew his eyes, watching as the host stepped onto the stage to raise the curtain on the auction.