"Really?"
When Don claimed he wasn't a petty man, Robin's eyes swept up and down, studying him with suspicion.
After spending this much time together, she'd grown fairly familiar with his temperament.
Don was the kind of man whose personality often seemed unpredictable—sometimes you simply couldn't grasp what he was thinking.
And Robin's instincts weren't wrong.
After all, Don's mindset came from a world drowned in information.
To put it bluntly, the sheer amount of knowledge he absorbed in just a single day before crossing over might well exceed what a person in this world could encounter in an entire lifetime.
Because of that, his thoughts often strayed in strange directions.
One could even say that anyone battered by such an overwhelming tide of information would end up a little neurotic.
That, at its root, was why Don often struck Robin as so unusual.
Although she suspected he was deliberately toying with her, what he'd proposed was undeniably good for her.
During her years of fleeing, there had been no time to systematically strengthen herself.
Each day she opened her eyes was spent cautiously hiding her identity, terrified of being discovered.
"I understand. I'll do my best!"
Her expression hardened into focus as she nodded with solemn determination.
Seeing her like this, Don walked over, reached out, and fastened the buttons of her blouse at her chest, leaving only the top one undone before pulling his hand back.
He gave her shoulder a light pat.
"Pack up. We're leaving this ship soon."
With that, he left again.
When the sound of the cabin door closing echoed through the room, Robin jolted slightly. Feeling the tightness of her blouse, she instinctively reached to undo two buttons—only to stop, remembering how Don had deliberately buttoned them just moments ago.
Instead, her gaze fell on the cluttered room: piles of supplies, Don's blade, and the records they had jotted down together during their brainstorming sessions.
"Wait… don't tell me he left just so he wouldn't have to pack all this himself?"
The thought popped into her head, and when she recalled Don's typical way of doing things, she grew more and more convinced that this was the truth.
"So this is the real him?"
Robin sighed softly, muttering under her breath, before rolling up her sleeves and getting to work.
Meanwhile, Don had already made his way to the bow of the ship.
The current of Reverse Mountain stretched long and wide.
It stood as one of the great divides of the Grand Line, splitting the seas alongside the Holy Land, Mary Geoise. Both were part of the Red Line itself.
The Hunter Association, huh?
Sitting at the bow, Don thought back to his recent conversations with Robin.
It would be extremely difficult. If it had been the Don of old—the one from Shimotsuki Village—he would never have entertained such a notion.
Because attempting it meant facing countless obstacles.
But he couldn't deny it: if he succeeded, the sense of accomplishment would be immense.
To create such a vast organization out of nothing…
But that meant he would have to become the symbol of this so-called Hunter Association.
Strong enough to shake the world itself—then everything else would fall into place.
As for funding… well, the man known as the "Golden Emperor," who controlled nearly a quarter of the world's wealth, would make an excellent sponsor.
Then let's give it a try.
Don's gaze burned with anticipation as he looked ahead.
From a distance, Lao G and Bu Wu watched Don sitting at the bow, whispering to one another.
"Should we go over? Would it disturb him?" Bu Wu asked quietly.
"Why don't you try? Maybe you won't get slapped into the sea this time."
The memory of Don smacking him straight into the ocean made Lao G wince as he suggested it.
Bu Wu gave his older brother a flat look.
Why don't you go then, you coward?
Of course, their muttering didn't escape Don, whose Observation Haki had been active all along. He turned his head, spotted the two would-be sneaks, and beckoned them over.
They hurried forward at once.
"What is it?"
"The ship's ready. All the supplies have been loaded too," Lao G quickly explained.
"Thanks," Don replied, waving a hand.
"Ah! No need for thanks! You're the benefactor of the Eight Treasure Navy—this is the least we could do," Lao G and Bu Wu said, waving their hands frantically.
"That incident was an accident. But this time, I really did trouble you, so I owe you my gratitude."
Don's words came with a smile.
The two men swallowed hard, but in truth, the acknowledgement made them feel deeply content.
"Then we'll see each other again on the seas."
Don spotted Robin emerging, burdened with a large pack and carrying his blade. A crewman immediately hurried forward to carry the bundle onto the small boat waiting.
Don vaulted lightly from the bow, landing on deck.
"From here on, it's just our adventure."
He said it with a grin as he walked toward Robin.
She cradled his sword in her arms, smiling softly as she watched him approach.
Watching Don's back, Lao G and Bu Wu exchanged a glance.
It felt as though they were witnessing the opening act of a legend.
Not long after, at the very summit where Reverse Mountain's currents converged, Don and Robin stood upon a small boat, watching as the massive warship of the Eight Treasure Navy was carried downstream.
"I imagine the question of propulsion isn't a problem for you, is it, President?" Robin asked, holding his sword as she stood beside him.
"Of course not."
Don raised a hand, then walked to the stern and sat down.
"Well then, Miss Robin, hold on tight. You're a Devil Fruit user—if you fall into the sea, you'll sink straight to the bottom."
His smile carried a teasing edge.
Robin froze for a moment before quickly sitting and bracing herself.
BOOM!
A torrent of flame burst forth.
The small boat, drifting on the water, suddenly whipped around, leaving behind a blazing trail as it shot down the opposing current.
The sheer speed tore violent winds across the boat.
Robin clutched her hood with one hand, nearly blown clean off her seat.
"Hahaha! Hold on tight!"
Don laughed heartily, and as his words fell, the tail flame flared even stronger.
The little vessel surged forward like a flying craft, skimming the water's surface as it split the crashing waves head-on.
"What in the world is that?!"
On a pirate ship fighting its way upstream from the North Blue, the crew gaped in astonishment.
Before they could make sense of what they were seeing, a blazing comet-like streak whipped past their vessel in the blink of an eye.
Then came the waves—towering walls of water that crashed down onto their ship.
Despite its weight, the pirate ship was flipped clean over, sent tumbling helplessly in the raging current.
"Utterly reckless!"
Robin gritted her teeth, summoning pale arms from the planks of the boat to anchor herself in place. The snowy limbs wound around her like ropes, making her curves even more pronounced.
Of course, the only one enjoying the sight was Don.
…
"Keep a close eye on things. According to Young Master's report, that man left with the Eight Treasure Navy's ship. He may try to cross Reverse Mountain directly."
The scratchy voice of Lao G came through the Den-Den Mushi.
Wearing her flamenco dress, Violet listened quietly before replying with a nod.
"Understood. I'll stay on watch. But there's no guarantee he'll come through Reverse Mountain into the North Blue—he may have just been bluffing."
"All the better if that's the case. But the Young Master's factory cannot be put at risk."
The factory getting destroyed would be ideal, Violet thought to herself bitterly.
Could this man… actually defeat Doflamingo?
END OF CHAPTER
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