The Pirate: Dark Admiral - Chapter 27
Understood clearly that, in some aspects, there was no fundamental difference between Marines and pirates.
Among pirates, strength was always the highest priority. Without it, all the power and wealth in the world were just pieces of meat to be snatched by wolves.
For the Marines, look at the original timeline, where Fujitora and Ryokugyu, with no accomplishments, were promoted over Momousagi and Chaton to become Admirals. It was the best proof that strength overrides everything.
Beyond strength, one’s faction and influence are crucial.
Every pirate knows that one person alone cannot become the Pirate King. Even the mighty Yonko (in the future) constantly recruits in the New World.
Similarly, consider the Shichibukai system in the future. Mihawk might be the strongest among them, but he is also the least feared. If someone truly offended him, they could hide in the vast sea. Without his forces, Mihawk would find it challenging to locate his enemies.
The same goes for the Marines. Why was Kizaru overlooked during the Fleet Admiral contention? Apart from his disinterest, it was also because he had no faction supporting him within the Marines.
Thus, Longinus, harboring unspeakable ambitions, began building his own G2 faction two years ago.
Moreover, he always kept the idea of attending the Marine Headquarters’ training camp. Beyond systematic instruction, he aimed to subtly cultivate his influence within that camp.
With memories of his past life, Rougishuk knew how crucial those training camp members would be for his future, just as the Huangpu Military Academy was the first stepping stone for Jiang.
…
Continuing to play his role as a shining Marine, Rougishudid didn’t linger and quickly followed the information to the center where the pirates gathered.
Although he suspected that the little girl who escaped was likely the future intellectual beauty Robin, Rougishuhad had no plans to seek her out.
After all, as a “hero” of the Marines, it would be foolish to harbor a wanted government criminal, which was no different from openly defecting.
As for capturing Robin and handing her over to the government, Rougishufound that idea boring. On the one hand, who knows if the ruthless CP departments would kill her to silence her? On the other hand, he didn’t want to offend Aokiji, who felt guilty about his friend’s death.
The best outcome is to act as if he knew nothing!
The place where the enslaved people were hidden was the backstage of the food festival venue. Felix initially thought that such a mixed place was more suitable for trading. However, he overlooked one thing: once the goods escaped, it would take more work to find them.
At this moment, the pacing pirates were anxious, knowing their captain’s high regard for that little girl.
Besides her high value, she was also their captain’s link to significant figures in the underworld. Their captain even took most of their combat power to fight other large pirate groups for this.
If they couldn’t find the escaped enslaved person before their captain returned, they’d all face execution.
“Damn bastards! Haven’t found her yet?”
“Captain Ginyu, we’ve almost turned the venue upside down but still can’t find the little brat! I heard she’s good at hiding and escaping, and she ate the captain’s Devil Fruit. I suspect… she’s already escaped!”
“Idiots, fools! We’ve blocked all exits long ago. She just ate the Devil Fruit, do you really think she has enough energy to use it?” the lead man in black scolded harshly.
“And you said she’s good at hiding and escaping. If we’ve searched everywhere else, she might just be hiding right under our noses!”
“Captain Ginyu, that’s… that’s impossible, right? Would she really dare?”
“Humph! She dared to steal the captain’s Devil Fruit. You think she wouldn’t dare? Search every inch of this place inside and out!”
Observing from the shadows, Tina whispered, “Brother Longinus, do you think that little beggar would come back here?”
Rougishuhad had a strange look on his face. With his powerful Observation, Haki, Robin’s petite figure, had nowhere to hide. Was this a case of unintentional fortune?
“She not only returned here but is also undertaking a crazy action!”
“A crazy action?” Tina quickly grasped the idea, covering her mouth in surprise, “She wants to rescue the other slaves?”
Rougishunodded. It seemed Robin’s time on the run wasn’t long enough for her to lose her humanity completely.
Unfortunately, she didn’t realize that even if 99% of the world was kind, it couldn’t outweigh the 1% that was dark.
“Help! Help! The thief has come back!” A sharp scream jolted the pirates awake. Without thinking, they grabbed their weapons and rushed to the entrance of the enslaved person-holding area.
“This… could it be…” Tina looked at Rougishuin in disbelief, finding it hard to believe her ears.
“There’s no shortage of fools in this world, people who harm others even at their own expense are everywhere,” Rougishunodded slightly, confirming her suspicion.
Outside the makeshift prison holding the enslaved people, Robin’s face was pale. Hearing the commotion outside, she was at a loss. No matter how capable, she was still just an eight-year-old child. The nightmare six months ago had exhausted her spirit, and recent betrayals and deceptions had pushed her to the brink.
Despite everything, she had bravely returned to save others, knowing that her escape would lead to the pirates venting their anger on them.
Now, her kindness was shattered, sinking into the abyss. Standing alone, her slender figure looked helpless. She didn’t even bother questioning the person who exposed her.
The other enslaved people in the cage felt like they had fallen from heaven to hell, glaring at the boy who had called out with murderous intent.
The boy didn’t seem much older than Robin.
“Why did you do that? Are you crazy?” the other enslaved people shouted, nearly insane with rage.
“We can’t escape. If we get caught, we’ll be killed!”
“If you don’t want to escape, fine, but why ruin our chance?”
The boy’s face, which should have been innocent, twisted with malice. “No, if I can’t escape, it’s not fair you can! You all have to stay with me!”
The other enslaved people were dumbfounded by his twisted logic, taking a moment to recover. “You little bastard, you chose not to escape…”
“I don’t care. If I can’t escape, neither can you!” Hearing the growing noise outside, the boy seemed to gain confidence. “You’d better shut up. If you curse me again, I’ll tell the pirates you’re all with that thief!”
“Why call her a thief? Robin tried to save us…”
“She’s a selfish thief. It’s her fault we’re scared. And if she wanted to save us, why didn’t she give us that magical power?”
The boy’s jealous and bitter gaze fell on Robin. “If… if I had her power, I wouldn’t be scared to run. It’s all her fault we’re in this mess!”
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