Hearing his words, Robin clenched her hands in a panic, her expression instantly turning grim.
Just then.
"You don't need to concern yourself with our pirate crew's affairs."
Allen's figure slowly emerged from behind Nami. With his hands in his pockets, he gave a light leap and landed right in front of Kuma.
Resting a hand on Robin's shoulder, he pulled her behind him. Allen looked up at Kuma.
"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you came specifically for her."
"I am here for you, or rather, the higher-ups of the World Government are looking for you."
Kuma's expression remained indifferent. He pulled down the zipper of his jacket slightly and took out a few bounty posters, a letter, and a Transponder Snail from his coat.
"As the Super Rookie who defeated Crocodile, the higher-ups of the World Government have taken notice of you. I was simply ordered to deliver two things."
"The higher-ups hope you can take his place. This is an invitation letter to join the Warlords of the Sea, along with a Transponder Snail to contact the World Government's upper echelon."
Kuma said as he tossed the items to Allen.
Allen caught the thrown items, glanced at them, and then turned back to Kuma, asking,
"I have one question. How did you know we were on Sky Island?"
If Kuma had tracked them down himself, that was one thing. But if the World Government was keeping tabs on their exact location at all times, that would be a bit too terrifying.
"I tracked your route to Jaya Island. You only stayed there for three days before setting sail."
Kuma replied casually, "The Log Pose's magnetic field hadn't fully set yet. You either came to Sky Island or used an Eternal Pose to go somewhere else. I merely guessed you were here."
"Once the fact that this woman is on your ship is exposed, becoming a Warlord of the Sea might not be so easy for you."
After saying that, he glanced at Robin again, then slowly took off his glove, pressed his palm against his chest, and finally said to Allen,
"Anyway, I have delivered the items. You can discuss the specifics directly with the higher-ups."
The next second.
*Pop!*
Without leaving any words of farewell, accompanied by the crisp sound of a popping bubble, Kuma's massive body vanished from the spot in an instant.
Seeing Kuma leave, Robin finally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, her complexion slowly returning to normal.
Looking at Allen's back, Robin tightened her grip, hesitated for a moment, and still chose to speak up, saying,
"Did you know my identity all along?"
Hearing this, Allen turned his head and rolled his eyes at her.
"Nonsense. I was still a Marine two months ago. I'd definitely recognize someone who got a bounty of 79 million Berries at the age of eight at first glance."
"..."
These words left Robin speechless. Since Allen had never brought it up, she thought her identity hadn't been exposed.
As it turned out, she had been recognized the very first time they met.
But.
Robin stared at Allen with a solemn expression. "I don't understand. Since you knew my identity all along, why did you let me stay on the ship?"
"What else was I supposed to do?"
Allen cast a faint glance at her. "Was I supposed to hand you over to the Marines for a 'massive' bounty of 79 million Berries, or judge you on behalf of the World Government to uphold justice?"
"What I mean is...!"
Robin wanted to press further, but Allen raised a hand to interrupt her, saying,
"Enough. It's just researching a bit of history. If something like that can be considered a crime, bringing it up in the pirate world wouldn't even be enough to get a laugh."
"To actually call you the Devil Child, the higher-ups of the World Government are really getting senile. It would've been great if they gave such a cool title to me."
Allen scoffed, patted her shoulder, and walked back toward the banquet. He waved his hand behind him without looking back, saying,
"Next time we throw a banquet, don't hide away by yourself. If you really have nothing to do, you can even come pour me drinks. Let's go, Nami."
"Wait a minute, Allen. What's this about a Warlord invitation? Does this mean we won't be hunted by the Marines anymore?"
"Being hunted by the Marines isn't a big deal, is it? You're too spineless."
"Give me a break. Do you think everyone is a monster like you? Hurry up and let me see the invitation letter."
"Take it, take it. Don't pull my hair, idiot. Oh—my bounty went up to 210 million Berries, Nami. Ah, it seems like the bounty will be revoked once I become a Warlord."
"Really?! That's wonderful! I don't want to be stared at by bounty hunters everywhere we go."
...
Watching the retreating backs of the two as they bickered, Robin slowly unclenched her hands, closed her eyes, and let out a long breath.
Then, she opened her eyes, raised her head, and gazed into the deep night sky. Allen's words unconsciously replayed in her mind.
After years of hiding and searching for the Poneglyphs, when exactly did she start believing that researching history and pursuing the truth was a criminal act?
Such a crime wouldn't even be enough to get a laugh in the pirate world. How absurd.
...
The night grew darker, but the laughter and cheers of the banquet only grew livelier.
The White Berets of Angel Island and the Shandians of the Hidden Cloud Village came over to investigate the situation, only to be dragged right into the festivities by the pirates.
A group of drunken people rambled and bragged, talking about everything from the pirates' adventure stories to the history of Jaya Island, and even the centuries-long war between the Shandians and the Sky Island residents over this land.
In the end, the pirates ran out of things to talk about, leaving only the Shandians and the Sky Island residents arguing endlessly, their faces red as they shouted at the top of their lungs.
The revelry lasted for a day and two nights. By the second night, almost everyone on Sky Island had been invited over.
In the latter half of the night, while the banquet was still ongoing, Allen quietly left with his crew, returning to their ship on the beach of Angel Island to rest.
The third day after landing on Sky Island.
Aboard the *Freewill*, after a night of rest, the pirates woke up one after another around noon, inspecting the ship to prepare for departure.
Sanji led a group back from the town to the beach, and the crew members carried bags of all sizes onto the ship.
On a sofa made of processed Sky Island clouds, Allen lay basking in the sun.
A white line sped swiftly across the sea surface. Nami was playing with her new toy—a type of sea motorcycle equipped with a Breath Dial at the rear, known as a Waver.
"The shopping is done. We've packed up all sorts of Sky Island ingredients and products. We also collected quite a few Dials, both for daily use and for combat."
Sanji, biting on a cigarette, came over to report their progress. He then rolled up his pant legs and casually sat down on the beach, saying,
"By the way, do we really have to leave so soon? Even though the Log Pose is ready, we have no idea which route we'll land on when we go down. A place like Sky Island won't be so easy to visit next time."
"Yeah, I originally wanted to stay a couple more days too. But I got a call from Bellamy yesterday afternoon. The Devil Fruit we commissioned someone to find has been acquired. Plus, we need to coordinate this Warlord of the Sea business."
Allen lifted his sunglasses and looked out at the vast white sea, sighing, "Even though we've been here for less than three days, we've done all the fun stuff. Let's go back and handle our business first. At worst, we can just come back for another trip later."
"Don't make it sound so simple. I definitely don't want to ride the Knock Up Stream up here next time."
"Well, we'll talk about it next time. There are plenty of fun places on the sea."
Allen sat up and smiled, his gaze turning toward the giant golden pillar on the deck of the *Freewill*.
They had really struck it rich this time, making several times more than all the money they had earned in the past combined. He didn't even know where to find someone to cash in this golden pillar, which was estimated to be worth nearly thirty billion Berries.
His only regret was not buying a larger ship back in Loguetown. The *Freewill* was now severely overloaded.
Allen shook his head with a smile, picked up his pirate coat hanging nearby, stood up, draped it over his shoulders, and walked toward the ship.
"Let's go. Tell everyone to get ready to set sail."
...
Power Stones, reviews, and comments— really helps a lot
Want to read ahead? Get access to 50+ extra chapters on my Patreon:
👉 patreon.com/Aragai_Sama