"No—no way!"
Naruto stared in utter shock at the meteor falling from the sky, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He had thought Issho's move might be shocking, but he never expected it to be this outrageous—summoning a meteor! That was a bit too exaggerated!
"So amazing!"
Yamato also widened her eyes, watching the rapidly falling meteor in the sky. Then she suddenly looked at Issho beside her and excitedly asked, "Did you do that? That meteor!"
"Phew!~"
Issho smiled and nodded, saying, "That meteor is a welcoming gift for the two of you who are willing to take me on your journey. Are you two satisfied?"
"Satisfied, more than satisfied!"
Yamato excitedly hopped around in front of Issho, shouting happily, "Naruto was right, Master, you are indeed very strong! To be able to summon even a meteor—that's just too cool!"
Setting aside the power of this meteor-summoning technique for a moment, the visual impact alone was absolutely overwhelming—more shocking than Kaido transforming into a giant dragon and manipulating the weather.
Hearing Yamato's words, Issho smiled even more happily, yet humbly said, "It's good that you are satisfied. Although I cannot see, I do have a little confidence in my strength."
On the high seas—
"Boss, boss, me—meteor!"
On the Lusai Family's ship, a crew member pointed at the falling meteor in the sky, shouting in terror, "The meteor is falling toward us!"
"Get lost, I'm not blind!"
The suit-clad boss also saw the meteor falling toward them from the sky. He no longer cared about Nico Robin and immediately yelled toward the cockpit, "Quick, set sail! Get out of this damned place!"
Unfortunately, no matter how fast their ship was, it couldn't outrun the meteor. Even if it could, Issho would just make the meteor change course.
Boom!~
The meteor fell, accurately striking the Lusai Family's ship, directly smashing the entire vessel into pieces. The resulting tsunami happened to lift Nico Robin's small boat, safely delivering her to the shore.
"Nico Robin, over here!~"
While Nico Robin was still in a daze, she heard a familiar voice calling from afar. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yamato standing in the distance, excitedly waving at her.
Nico Robin hesitated for a moment, then got off the small boat and approached the three of them. She stared at them with a complicated expression for a while, then asked, "Was that just now your doing?"
"That's right!"
Upon hearing Nico Robin's question, Yamato immediately replied excitedly, "That meteor was made by Uncle Issho. Isn't it cool?"
More than cool—it was terrifying.
Hearing Yamato's reply, Nico Robin's gaze shifted to Issho, who was standing beside the two of them. She bit her lip and asked, "Sir—are you also here to capture me?"
"What?"
As soon as Nico Robin finished speaking, before Issho could reply, Yamato looked at him in shock. Then she flashed in front of Nico Robin, glaring fiercely at Issho, and angrily said, "You—you actually want to capture Nico Robin? Are you really a bad guy?"
Saying that, she gripped her spiked club with both hands and shouted at Issho, "I will absolutely not allow you to take Nico Robin! Come and duel me, you scoundrel!"
?
Hearing Yamato's words, Issho's expression couldn't help but stiffen. Then, thinking of something, he sighed lightly and said, "Yamato, please don't joke like that anymore. I have already explained that I bear no ill will toward this survivor of Ohara."
"Oh, is that so?"
Yamato was stunned for a moment after hearing Issho's words, then immediately put down her spiked club, raised a hand to scratch her head, and chuckled awkwardly. "You saw through it again. I really don't have any talent for acting, hahaha!~"
'Was she really acting?' Naruto, standing nearby, pursed his lips skeptically.
"Nico Robin—Miss, may I call you that?" Issho looked at Nico Robin and asked.
"Hmm." Nico Robin nodded. Her gaze passed over Yamato, who was blocking her, and she looked at Issho with a complicated expression. "Thank you very much for your help just now."
"It's nothing."
Issho waved his hand and said, "I also have some questions about Ohara that I would like you to answer for me. I hope you can grant my impolite request."
Nico Robin hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then asked, "What do you want to know?"
"I wish to know whether Ohara was truly researching that forbidden knowledge capable of overturning the world before the World Government ordered its destruction," Issho asked in a deep voice.
"No!"
Nico Robin's emotions suddenly became agitated upon hearing Issho's question, and she loudly said, "Professor Clover and Mama—they only wanted to explore the truth of history. They never had any intention of overturning the world!"
"I see."
Issho listened to Nico Robin's reply, remained silent for a while, then suddenly laughed and said, "So, in that case, I presume the crimes the World Government claims you committed are also baseless, aren't they?"
"I just wanted to survive. I never intended to harm anyone." Nico Robin bit her lip, her voice filled with grievance.
For two years, even after countless betrayals, Nico Robin had never harmed anyone.
Even though she had countless times thought of killing those who betrayed her—and had the ability to do so—she never actually did it.
"I understand."
Issho nodded gently upon hearing Nico Robin's words, then suddenly bowed deeply to her, saying apologetically, "I am deeply sorry for ever doubting Ohara. I hope you can accept my apology."
"I don't want your apology!"
Nico Robin's agitated emotions suddenly broke down upon hearing Issho's words, and she cried out loudly, "Even if all of you apologize, what good would it do? Everyone won't come back!"
Issho remained silent upon hearing Nico Robin's words, not knowing what to say.
He sympathized with Ohara—that was true—but Ohara had indeed violated the World Government's ban.
Regarding whether the World Government's actions toward Ohara were right or wrong, Issho would not comment for now. However, in his opinion, the World Government was still an important hub for maintaining world stability. Compared to that, neither Ohara nor the so-called truth of the Void Century seemed that important.
If the truth of the Void Century that Ohara was researching truly had the potential to threaten the World Government's rule, then he believed Ohara deserved to be punished.
However, he thought that the World Government's actions toward Ohara were indeed a bit too extreme.
Not only did they completely erase the entire island from the world map, but they also issued such a false bounty on a young girl.
It was truly unacceptable.
"Nico Robin!"
At this moment, Yamato suddenly turned around, took Nico Robin's hand, and said earnestly, "Become our companion! Naruto and I will protect you!"
Although Yamato didn't understand things like Ohara and the World Government, she knew she really liked Nico Robin and wanted her to be her companion.
"You—"
Nico Robin's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Yamato's words. Then she bit her lip, her voice trembling as she asked, "Do you know what you'll face if you accept me as a companion?"
"Who cares!"
Yamato put her hands on her hips and said confidently, "As long as you become our companion, no matter who the enemy is, Naruto and I will beat them up! Right, Naruto?"
Yamato finished speaking, then turned her head and asked Naruto with a grin.
"That's right. Yamato is right!"
Naruto immediately nodded with a smile upon hearing Yamato's words, then looked at Nico Robin with sincere eyes and said, smiling, "Nico Robin, you're a scholar, right? We just happen to need a companion like that!"
He understood Nico Robin's situation a bit more than Yamato, but he didn't care. Just as Yamato said—wasn't it just the World Government? If they came, they would beat them up!
"You..."
Nico Robin looked at Naruto and Yamato sincerely inviting her, tears welling up in her eyes. But she still bit her lip, turned her head, and refused. "Don't joke around. I won't become a pirate, and I won't join a team that looks like it has no future!"
Although Naruto and Yamato seemed younger than her, they gave Nico Robin a feeling of being very trustworthy.
But it was precisely because of this feeling that Nico Robin did not accept their invitation.
Because Nico Robin knew very well that if she really joined them, she would only implicate them and make them targets of the World Government. She didn't want to implicate these two friends who seemed even younger than herself, so she could only reluctantly refuse.
"No future?!~"
Naruto and Yamato were struck by lightning upon hearing Nico Robin's words, as if they had suffered a huge blow.
Yamato was simply disheartened, while Naruto was reminded of his tragic life as an emperor by Nico Robin's words.
"???"
Nico Robin looked at their disheartened expressions, and her sad emotions suddenly paused. She thought, 'I just said "no future"—is that really such a big blow? Shouldn't you be sad about my refusal?'
"Pfft, hahaha!~"
At this moment, Issho, who was nearby, suddenly couldn't help but laugh at the trio's exchange. Then he spoke to Nico Robin, "Nico Robin, you probably don't have a suitable place to go right now. Why don't you travel with us for a while? It won't be too late to leave once you find a suitable place to settle down."
The conversation among the three just now made Issho realize that the person standing before him was not just the 'Devil Child' wanted by the World Government, but also a young girl who could think of others.
How could such a child be a devil?
The World Government actually issued such a false bounty on such a kind child; it was indeed too much. Issho's approval of the World Government dropped by 1-1-1...
"You—"
Nico Robin's resolve, which had already been made, wavered again upon hearing Issho's invitation. Then she hesitated and asked him, "Issho, I am an important bounty target wanted by the World Government. If you take me with you, you will definitely be targeted by the World Government—that's the World Government. Are you really okay with that?"
The reason Nico Robin hesitated after hearing Issho's invitation was because she had just witnessed Issho's strength. With his ability to summon meteors, he probably wouldn't easily lose even against that person, right?
"It's nothing."
Issho shook his head and said, "I happen to have plans to interact with the World Government."
If taking Nico Robin along could expose him to the deeper, darker side of the World Government, it would be perfect for him to re-evaluate its existence.
Nico Robin listened to Issho's words, remained silent for a while, then asked again, "May I ask, Issho, who exactly are you?"
Nico Robin already really wanted to accept Yamato and Naruto's invitation, and now that Issho spoke up, she was even more tempted.
However, the caution developed during her two years of fugitive life made her instinctively wary of someone like Issho, and she couldn't help but ask what she considered the most important question.
"My identity?!~"
Issho suddenly laughed upon hearing Nico Robin's question and said, "Don't worry. I am currently just a blind lone traveler and do not belong to any faction."
"Lone traveler?"
Nico Robin showed a surprised expression upon hearing Issho's reply, then pointed to the two self-isolating individuals beside her and asked, "Aren't you with them?"
"Hmm!~"
Issho hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then replied, "For now, yes."
"For now?"
Nico Robin was puzzled but didn't press further. Then she nodded and said, "Alright. Then I'll temporarily trouble you with your care, Issho."
Issho smiled again upon hearing Nico Robin's reply, then pointed to Yamato and Naruto, who were still in self-isolation, and said with a smile, "If you want to thank someone, you shouldn't thank me, but rather Yamato and Naruto. Because for a long time to come, I will also need them to take care of me, as I am just a disabled person who cannot see."
"Eh?"
Yamato, who was in self-isolation, heard her name called. Her mind automatically filtered out the conversation between the two, directly extracting the most important information—that Nico Robin agreed to join them. She immediately recovered completely, looking at Nico Robin with surprise and excitedly saying, "Nico Robin, have you finally agreed to join our group? That's great!"
"Um, I'm not joining you. I'm just temporarily with you," Nico Robin tried to explain, but no one paid attention to her.
"Uncle, you actually managed to convince Nico Robin to join us. You're really amazing!" Yamato gave Issho a thumbs-up, praising her sincerely.
"!~"
Issho also laughed happily upon hearing Yamato's words, then humbly waved her hand and said, "Oh, it was nothing. I just played a tiny, insignificant role."
Nico Robin looked at Yamato and Issho, who were immersed in praising each other, and then at Naruto, who was still in self-isolation. A bad premonition suddenly arose in her heart.
Anyway, after Nico Robin agreed to "temporarily" join—
The one big and three small individuals temporarily formed a team and embarked on a new journey.
---
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