[36] In Exchange… (2)
Chapter 36: In Exchange… (2)
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One Piece. The City of Gold. The Emerald City.
These three things are the most famous legends of this world. Was the One Piece real? Gold Roger said yes; so the chances were high. But was the City of Gold real? Was the Emerald City real? Nobody had any proof that said yes.
Robin and Mikita were trying to unfold one of those legends. The Emerald City.
It is said to be a metropolis where all dreams become reality, and whatnot. For the past two years, after hiding for six months, the two girls had a fortunate encounter where they got a lead toward the Emerald City.
Well, maybe calling it a ‘lead’ would be a far fetch. It was an old diary that they found while scavenging an old ship that washed up to the shore. The diary talked about how the crew had seen a glimpse of the Emerald City. After getting lost in a fog, they saw it. The diary also talked about how they reached the entrance, and that it really wasn’t a mirage.
It talked about the outer wall being made of jewels they had never seen, with weapons that they didn’t recognize. Above all, it talked about signs and language that they didn’t understand. However, the reader of the diary, Robin, recognized the text that they had copied from the wall. It was the same ancient language that the Poneglyphs were written in.
So, that place was real. It couldn’t be that the owner of the diary made up some language, and it seemed to perfectly match an already existing one, after all. Robin was suddenly interested in finding more about this Emerald City, however, sadly the next pages of the diary were torn apart. It seemed to have been torn by someone willingly; probably by the owner himself. What were they trying to hide? What in the hell happened after they entered the city?
“So, I and Mikita began to hunt down information about this place. I because I believed this place was hiding some secrets about the past, and Mikita because she wanted the treasure.” Robin said as Hashirama chuckled. “I know. She’s always like that. Anyhow, moving on to the next part.”
For the next two years, Robin and Mikita moved from one island to another, like a dog hunting for food. However, they learned barely anything about the city. Most people thought it to be just another baseless legend. Robin was the same before reading the diary, so she was expecting such a reaction. But she didn't give up.
Recently, they heard some rumors about Jaya Island. Robin wasn’t sure if it was the Emerald City or not, but one of the three legends seemed to be circling around there. So she and Mikita went there and began to ask the people around. That was a mistake.
Pirates were active in that place. The two girls were somewhat used to pirates because of their journey for the last two years, but they still liked to avoid conflict. It had a low chance for anyone to recognize her, but it wouldn’t be good if Robin got exposed.
Nico Robin spent six months after leaving Alabasta in a snowy country. That made her tan vanish. Since her photo was updated when Tsuru captured her lookalike clone, people might recognise her. She didn't want that, so she did this knowingly. She also changed her hairstyle. All that lowered the chance of anyone recognizing her.
Confident that nobody would recognize her, Robin and Mikita roamed around the island and asked people about Emerald City.
That's where they encountered them, a group of bastard pirates.
It was Mikita who asked a woman about the city. That woman laughed, and a minute later said her captain would know about it. Curious, both Robin and Mikita went to meet the captain.
"That was a mistake," Robin said with a sigh. "The captain recognized me. I don't know how, but he did. He said something along the lines of, ``I found the perfect gift that can impress Joker``."
"Wait, is that guy called Bellamy?" With a frown, Hashirama asked. Robin blinked and nodded. "I see, so I am right. I understand the scenario. I guess the reason his crewmate brought you to him was that he and his crew wanted to humiliate you. He doesn't believe in the three legends and mocks anyone who does. He changed his mind about ‘mocking’ after he recognized you, mostly because he wanted to impress his boss. The 'Joker' fellow."
"...And how do you know all this?" Robin sighed and asked. "Never mind, forget I ever asked."
"Hey, my sister is a Vice Admiral. She tells me about the pirates around these parts, so I can be safe." Hashirama lied with a shrug. "Anyhow, how did you escape from there?"
"Mikita sacrificed herself," Robin gulped. "She knew we couldn't beat them on our own, so instead of getting captured, one of us should run while the other was to bring backup. Since they were after me in particular, it is I who should run—she said. I did exactly that." Robin looked pained just talking about it. "I barely managed to run, and then I took a ship out to here. To you. The only 'backup' that I could think of.”
"…."
“I am confident that this Bellamy fellow didn’t yet reveal my living status. He said he wanted to give a pleasant surprise to ‘Joker'. He called me last night, it seemed Mikita was forced to give him my number. Furthermore, he threatened me to go back to Jaya in three days. I begged for five days, using the excuse that I was far from Jaya. At last, after some bargaining, I got four days on my hand. If I am late, he said he will start off by cutting Mikita’s limbs.”
Seeing Hashirama's expression blank, Robin thinned her lips and continued. "You know, Mikita didn't want to leave with me three years ago," Robin said. "I forced her. I didn't want her to stay with you, in case Cipher Pol came and found her with you. They’d be suspicious why you have someone like that with you, and even if they don’t find me, that alone should be a criminal offense. So I had to take her with me. I am sorry. But for her sake, for Mikita who didn’t want to leave… Please, help us."
"But you know, this is a domino effect," Hashirama leaned back on his chair with a complicated expression. "Bellamy works for Doflamingo. That's Joker, and some call him Doffy.”
“You probably recognized him by now, he is a Warlord. He is the strongest Warlord, in my opinion, only toppled by Boa Hancock. The problem is, if I take down Bellamy, which I can, then Doffy will come after me. If I take down Doffy, which I am not sure whether I can, then I'll have to deal with Kaido."
That… was not true, and Hashirama knew that. He just lied with a flat face. In the canon timeline, Bellamy got trashed by Luffy and then Doffy came to trash him some more for 'disrespecting his flag'. However, Hashirama was saying entirely opposite things, to scare Robin and get something out of her.
"Kaido? You mean, the King of the Beasts?" Robin asked in fright.
"One of the Four Emperors of the Sea, the Captain of the Beast Pirates. Yup, that's him." Hashirama nodded. "Doflamingo works for Kaido and is considered a very important asset. If something were to happen to Doffy, Kaido will come to hunt down that 'something'. As of the moment, I don't think I can take down the strongest living creature in this world."
The words registered in Robin's head as her face paled. "I… I see. If that's the case… I am sorry for wasting your time. I will get going, maybe I can find someone else-"
"But hey," Hashirama stood up, smiling. "If worse comes to worst, I have backups too. If Kaido really comes after me, I'll just call my sister. At the very least, we will not die."
"You..." Hearing his reliable words, Robin's eyes trembled, and she looked at him as if he was a saint.
"In exchange," Hashirama reached out a hand to her. "You, Miss Backstabber, become mine." Robin blinked. "And, of course, I don't mean it in the sense of comradeship. I mean it in the sense of a property."
Robin's grateful eyes turned bleak.
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Master4thWall Note: Hashirama may have forgiven her, but things can't go back to normal so easily. She needs to pay, in one way or another.
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