Chapter 8: The Devil's Guardian
Luo Lin's destination was the island's only port.
Robin's wanted poster was already circulating everywhere. From now on, everyone who recognized her would betray her for the bounty. If she wanted to leave this tiny island, she had no choice but to pass through this port.
After grabbing a quick bite, Luo Lin found a spot with a good view and settled in to wait.
There was some commotion in town during the day. He suspected Robin, but he didn't go looking blindly—what if they missed each other? This port was the only way out. Better to guard it.
He waited from noon until nightfall.
He never let his guard down once.
Finally, when the moon was high and the already-quiet island fell dead silent, a small, skinny shadow appeared from the darkness. It darted nervously from cover to cover, heading for the docked ships.
Even in the dim moonlight, Luo Lin's lips curved into a grin.
"Heh~ Pretty cautious."
As soon as Robin got close to one of the boats, Luo Lin moved.
He had spotted the trap the moment he arrived—more than a dozen Marines and government agents lying in ambush on that exact ship.
He didn't know how canon Robin escaped in the original story, but it had definitely been dangerous.
Sure enough, the second Robin stepped forward, floodlights blazed to life, turning half the harbor bright as day.
"Hahaha! There she is!"
"79 million Berry is mine!"
Dozens of men swarmed out—some in Marine uniforms, some in black suits.
Robin's pupils shrank. She spun and ran.
Several agents gave chase.
Then she saw a blurry figure appear ahead of her.
Another enemy?!
She started to turn left—when a gust of wind whooshed past her.
"So fast!"
The next instant, the sound of steel meeting flesh and muffled thuds rang out behind her. All thirty or forty pursuers dropped like flies.
Robin skidded to a halt and stared at the only person still standing.
He… was helping her?
But why?
That back felt so familiar…
Luo Lin had changed into a long windbreaker that hid his silhouette. With the light behind him, Robin couldn't make out his face.
After knocking everyone unconscious, he turned and slowly walked toward her.
"Who are you? Why are you helping me?"
Robin asked warily. The closer he got, the stronger that familiar feeling became.
When he was just a few meters away, he suddenly looked up and grinned.
"Yo! It's me!"
Robin froze.
Then her big eyes instantly filled with tears.
She launched herself at him.
"L-Luo Lin…? You're…!"
She thought she was dreaming. Aokiji had said he killed him.
"Hm? What about me? Don't recognize me anymore?"
Luo Lin stepped forward and gently pinched her cheek.
The warm, real touch finally convinced her. She threw herself into his arms and bawled.
"WAAAAAHHH… Luo Lin! Aokiji said… he said you… wuu wuu wuu…"
Luo Lin hugged her tight, stroking her hair. She had lost so much weight in just two days—her little body felt fragile.
"Yeah, he said I died, right? Nope! I just got hurt a little and escaped later!"
A tiny white lie. He kept comforting her.
"Stop crying. Look—I'm perfectly fine! From now on you won't be alone anymore. We'll always be together."
"I'll protect you!"
"Mm!"
Robin looked up at him. Once she was sure it was really him, she suddenly chomped down on his shoulder.
Luo Lin: ???
Why bite?!
…Whatever. She'd bitten him plenty when they were younger and he made her mad.
Luckily she let go almost instantly—and didn't even bite hard.
"We should go. It's not safe here. Reinforcements could show up any second."
"Mm!"
Luo Lin grabbed her hand and led her to the boat.
Robin let him hold her tiny hand, heart overflowing with joy.
These past few days had been hell. This was the happiest moment she'd had since Ohara burned.
Once aboard, Luo Lin realized a problem: he had only ever watched people sail—he had never done it himself.
It took him a full half hour of fumbling before the boat finally crept out of the harbor.
He stood at the helm with one hand, glancing at Robin, who had been clinging to the hem of his coat ever since he let go of her hand.
"Why don't you get some sleep? You haven't rested properly in days, have you?"
Robin shook her head hard.
"No. If I fall asleep, you might disappear again. Don't leave me alone…"
Luo Lin's heart ached. An eight-year-old shouldn't have to go through this.
"You need rest. How about I sit with you? I'll watch you sleep, okay?"
After a moment's hesitation, she nodded.
She was exhausted. The second her head hit the pillow, she was out.
Even in her sleep, her brows stayed furrowed, and her little hands clutched his coat so tightly he couldn't pry them off.
Luo Lin sighed softly and gently stroked her hair.
"Don't be scared. It's all over. You'll never be alone again. I'm here."
As if she heard him in her dreams, her brows smoothed, and her grip loosened a little.
The moment he carefully pulled his coat free, her eyes snapped open and stared straight at him.
"…"
Such high alertness.
Well, no wonder she survived all those years on the run in the original story.
"Uh… I just wanted to sit more comfortably. I'm not going anywhere. Sleep."
He tucked her in again.
Soon her breathing evened out.
Luo Lin didn't even dare close the door. He quietly slipped out onto the deck.
He opened his status panel.
Host: Portgas D. Luo Lin Age: 10 Swordsmanship: Advanced Haki: Intermediate Armament, Beginner Observation, Beginner Conqueror's Rokushiki: Soru (Finally counts as a proper strong person)
Not much change, except the new Beginner Conqueror's Haki—which only triggered when emotions ran high. Intermediate Conqueror's could be controlled at will.
A new quest had appeared after the fight with Aokiji—the first time in four years the system had issued one voluntarily.
Training Quest: Successfully release Conqueror's Haki outside the body once per day for 10 consecutive days. Reward: Intermediate Conqueror's Haki
Luo Lin: -_-
"If I knew how to do that, I wouldn't need you, you useless system!"
The system's smug reply:
"Big difference! Intermediate means perfect control~ Once you manage to release it, this System will instantly grant full mastery—no years of training required!"
"Tch. Trash system."
System: (￣～￣)
It was immune to his insults by now.
Luo Lin was used to it—swing a sword a million times and get swordsmanship, run 100,000 meters and get Soru, live blindfolded and get Observation, stand under a waterfall and get Armament.
Still didn't stop him from calling it trash.
…
The next morning—sunny and calm.
Luo Lin sat cross-legged on deck, dew covering him. He had been trying all night to figure out how to release Conqueror's Haki. Nothing.
"Sigh… trash system."
System: ???
I didn't do anything this time!
"LUO LIN!!!"
Robin's panicked voice came from the cabin.
He turned just in time to catch her as she barreled into him.
"What's wrong?"
"I woke up and you weren't there—I thought last night was a dream and you were gone again!"
"How could I vanish? Feel—I'm right here, alive and warm!"
He grabbed her hand and pressed it to his cheek.
She pinched. Warm. Real.
Tears welled up again. She hugged him tight.
"Promise we'll never be apart again, okay?"
Luo Lin scratched his cheek.
"Uh… that might be difficult."
Robin looked up, eyes already brimming.
"Why? Are you leaving?"
"Because when I grow up I gotta get married and have kids. If we're never apart… you'd have to marry me when you grow up!"
He said it half-jokingly.
Robin's tears instantly stopped. Her face turned crimson—all the way to her ears.
Then she punched his chest (lightly), shoved him away, and locked herself in the cabin.
Luo Lin: ???
That's not how the novels said it would go!
She did blush… but nobody mentioned getting hit!
He scratched his head.
Guess she's still too young to understand romance. Gotta keep raising her!
Still—her reaction proved his "raising" plan was working perfectly.
"Sigh… the revolution is not yet complete. This comrade still needs more work."
Inside the room, Robin's face was tomato-red. She dove under the blanket and kicked her little legs wildly.
"Stupid Luo Lin! How can you just say that?! Marry him when I grow up?!"
"…Well, marrying Luo Lin wouldn't be bad… heehee!"
"No no no! I'm still little! I can't think about this!"
"But I can't stop!! It's all stupid Luo Lin's fault!"
Knock knock.
"Robin~ Food's ready! You haven't eaten properly in days, right? I made a ton—come eat!"
Robin forced her expression back to normal, waited until her blush faded a bit, then opened the door.
Luo Lin was already sitting at the table, waving enthusiastically.
"Hurry! I made your favorite strawberry cake!"
A table full of food waited.
"Mm!"
They ate in silence.
Luo Lin was too busy inhaling food to talk—normally Robin was the one asking questions. Today she was obviously too embarrassed.
Suddenly Robin let out a tiny "Mm!"
"What? Not good? Choking?"
"No, I love it! And I'm not choking!"
"Oh! Drink water if you choke!"
Luo Lin went back to devouring his mountain of food.
(I meant yes—I'll marry you when I grow up!)
Robin secretly answered in her heart.
After breakfast, Luo Lin was about to ask what Robin wanted to do next, where she wanted to go.
He himself had no interest in becoming a Marine or Pirate King. His only life goals were: get stronger, raise Robin, and eventually carry his big cabbage home.
Other than that? Total salted fish with a cheat system.
But before he could ask—
BOOM!
A cannonball exploded in the water nearby. The ship rocked violently. Robin grabbed the mast to stay upright.
"That's the ship! The one that left the harbor yesterday!"
"The Devil Child is definitely on board! Capture her!"
"Be careful—yesterday dozens of our guys were knocked out cold! Still haven't woken up!"
Luo Lin's face darkened.
Already?!
"Damn it! I hate people who start shooting without talking!"
"Robin, stay on the ship. I'll handle them!"
"Okay! Be careful—and don't kill them, or you'll get a bounty too!"
Robin clung to the mast, but with Luo Lin beside her, she wasn't scared at all.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"
(Killing just affects how high my bounty goes. Staying with Robin means a bounty either way!)
Luo Lin leaped onto the cabin roof.
The pursuing Marines faltered.
"Who's that? Not the Devil Child? Did we get the wrong ship?"
"No! She's on board too—they're accomplices!"
A Marine with binoculars shouted.
"Accomplices? Fine—catch them both!"
Luo Lin's eyes turned cold. Soru.
In a blink he was on their warship, dozens of meters away.
A few flashes of his blade—every cannon sliced in half.
Then he knocked out every Marine one by one, leaving only the captain conscious.
Afterward, he looted all their food supplies.
No choice—his appetite was Luffy-level now. The little boat's stock wouldn't last a week.
…
In the weeks that followed, Luo Lin and Robin ran into the Marines many times. The strongest was even a Marine Commodore—still no match.
Eventually, Luo Lin got his own wanted poster.
"Devil's Guardian" — Portgas D. Luo LinBounty: 50,000,000 Belly
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