Robin was still lost in thought, making new plans for the future, when inside the cabin, a tiny Den Den Mushi she always carried suddenly started going "Buru buru buru."
Robin's brows knit slightly. Not many people even knew how to reach her through this particular Den Den Mushi—basically only the core members of Baroque Works. Getting a call at a time like this made her hesitate.
She didn't move right away. She let it ring—once, twice… as if it were testing both sides' patience.
The Den Den Mushi rang stubbornly for nearly a full minute, showing no sign of stopping.
In the end, Robin let out a soft sigh. She turned back into the cramped cabin, picked up the still-ringing Den Den Mushi, and answered.
"Moshi moshi." Her voice was calm and flat, giving away nothing.
"Hey! Is this Miss All Sunday?!" A slightly rushed voice came from the other end—it was the Clone-Clone Fruit user, Mr. 2 Bon Clay!
"It is." Robin replied evenly.
"Thank goodness! I finally got through to you!" Bon Clay's voice steadied a little. "You saw the news, right? Boss! He got taken by those bastards from Lulusia!"
"Mm. I saw it." Robin said, still composed.
That indifferent reaction lit a fuse on the other end.
"You saw it?! That's all you have to say—you saw it?! Miss All Sunday! Boss is in serious trouble right now! Those Lulusia people are clearly using him to make an example! We have to go save him!"
Bon Clay's voice cracked from agitation, the worry for Crocodile pouring out. In Baroque Works, Bon Clay was one of the very few who still clung to a strange sense of righteousness—and a bit of human warmth.
Robin didn't answer immediately. She fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"Bon Clay-san, I think you've misunderstood."
"Misunderstood? What do you mean?" Bon Clay asked, confused.
"My relationship with Crocodile isn't what you think." Robin's voice cooled. "We were partners, nothing more. He provided temporary shelter. I interpreted ancient text for him and helped him search for what he wanted. That's it."
She paused, then continued in the same level tone.
"Now one side of that partnership has lost the ability to uphold the agreement, so the partnership ends naturally. I've already left Baroque Works. Crocodile's safety is his own matter. It has nothing to do with me. And I suggest you stop worrying about it too—Lulusia Kingdom isn't simple."
Her words shattered Bon Clay's lingering fantasy about the organization and "partners."
A short, dead silence fell on the line. Only Bon Clay's heavier breathing remained—until a roar mixed with fury nearly burst Robin's eardrums.
"What did you just say?! Miss All Sunday—no, Robin! How can you say that?! Boss was captured and you can just 'leave' that easily?! That's betrayal! Naked betrayal!"
His voice shook with anger and disappointment. He couldn't understand it, and he couldn't accept Robin cutting ties so coldly.
Robin's face stayed serene. Betrayal? The word had long since gone numb to her. Ever since she left Ohara, she'd lived through too many so-called "loyalties" and "betrayals." She'd seen through the sea's real nature—interests and power tangled together.
She listened quietly until Bon Clay's shouting thinned into rough breathing. Only then did she speak again.
"Bon Clay-san, that's reality. Everyone has the right to choose their own road. My road has nothing to do with saving Crocodile. I wish you luck."
She didn't give him another chance to roar into the Den Den Mushi. She hung up, then casually tossed that special contact Den Den Mushi out the window into the vast sea.
Plop.
The cabin fell quiet again.
A few days later—Grand Line, first half. Little Garden.
In a relatively open clearing within the jungle, several figures gathered together, the air heavy and tense.
They were the last remaining high-ranking officers of Baroque Works: Mr. 2 Bon Clay, Mr. 3, Miss Goldenweek, and several injured Billion Agents who had barely escaped from Alabasta.
The fact that they could even assemble here was the result of Bon Clay exhausting himself to pass messages around and pull people together.
"Everyone knows the situation now!" Bon Clay's face held none of his usual comedic exaggeration—only anxiety. "Boss was taken by Lulusia! Latest news says he may already have been transferred to Lulusia's homeland! We have to find a way to rescue him!"
"Boss has never treated us badly. Now that he's in trouble, how can we sit back and do nothing?! If we unite and plan carefully, it's not like we have no chance!"
No one answered him right away.
Beside him, Mr. 3 pushed up his glasses, his tone clearly retreating.
"Unite?" Mr. 3 avoided Bon Clay's eyes, his voice shrinking. "Mr. 2, I get how you feel, but… you know what Lulusia is like. Beth, Alicia, and those newly appeared ones—the lightning guy and the catgirl—Boss was captured without even being able to resist. With the few of us, going there is just delivering ourselves to our graves."
The more he talked, the more confident he sounded, until his voice rose.
"If you ask me, Baroque Works is already a name with nothing behind it. Boss is probably… done for. We should just split up, go our separate ways, find somewhere to disappear and live under new names. That beats going to Lulusia to die!"
"Mr. 3! What did you say?!" Bon Clay snapped his head toward him, eyes blazing. "You bastard! Boss isn't dead yet and you're already talking about running?! That's cowardice! That's betrayal!"
"Betrayal? I just don't want to die for nothing!" Mr. 3 shot back, louder now. "Wake up, Mr. 2! What are we supposed to use to fight monsters who can take down Shiki and capture Boss?! Your imitation? My wax? Don't make me laugh! Isn't living better?!"
"Damn it—do you think running means you'll live?" Bon Clay barked. "Lulusia captured Boss. Next, will they 'clean up' the leftovers like us? Will the World Government kick us while we're down? If we scatter, we'll just die faster!"
(End of Chapter)
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