章節 245: Taking Her Under My Wing

Jaguar slowly placed Robin on the ground before slumping back behind the tree. His deep breaths were practically visible because of the cold environment.

Nico Robin shivered a bit as she rubbed her exposed arms to get herself a bit of warmth.

"What are you going to do from here?" I asked, "I don't think that the Marines will take you back after this."

Jaguar's wounds were slowly beginning to heal up. The vitality of the giants was always going to be something that I wouldn't stop admiring. However, as impressive as it was, it was going to take a long time for him to recover from this.

"I.....I'm going home...I need the time off anyway," Jaguar said as he scratched his head. He looked at his feet before he began moving his hips. The result of this action led to his feet being freed from the Ice that had encompassed him previously. However, it didn't pass my eyes that he had coated his feet with Haki.

"W-what about me...?" Robin lowered her head before asking herself quietly.

I slowly walked up to her before patting the crown of her head. The brimming tears in her eyes quickly disappeared before turning to look at me with surprise.

"The girl....she's already lost her family," Jaguar muttered as he slowly got to his feet.

He was about to take a step forward when he immediately ducked to avoid an incoming cannonball. The cannonball immediately exploded, shaking the Tree of Knowledge and leaving a bit of a hole in its stem.

"Hmm....Kuzan resumed the Buster Call. It seems," I remarked while looking at the standing figure of Kuzan far in the distance, staring coldly at us.

"W-We need to get to the Civilian ship....?" Robin turned around and started looking for the ship; only to find a sea full of Marine Warships.

"Where is it? It shouldn't have gone too far..." Robin remarked as she desperately looked around for it.

"It's probably in the sea by now," I remarked.

Robin turned and faced me with a look of shock.

"The Marines would have probably turned a blind eye to that ship, but the World Government isn't prone to leave loose ends. They probably sank it before they got to you and while I had been distracted," I explained.

"Those were harmless civilians...they had no reason to.." Jaguar began talking, but I cut him off to save a bit of time.

"The World Government doesn't care whether or not you're a civilian or a pirate. The moment you cross them, you're an enemy," I remarked as I caught another cannonball and threw it back.

The ship that had fired the cannonball ended up sinking, thanks to the force of my throw.

"Sometimes it's better not to participate in these kinds of politics, but if you do decide to, make sure you have the strength to back it up," I replied casually before looking at Robin.

It was more than obvious that she hadn't fully comprehended the course of events that had transpired. The poor child needed something to eat, some rest, and probably some new clothes.

"I understand that now," Jaguar muttered as he got back to his feet, "It's clear that I currently lack the strength to back up my beliefs. So I'll head home and train before setting back out."

"That's fair enough, but how are you going to escape the island?" I asked.

"You don't need to worry about me," Jaguar said as he stared at the eight-year-old.

More and more cannon fire began sounding as the previously icy landscape slowly melted and burned back to its original appearance. I pulled Robin to my other side as a cannonball exploded not too far from where I had been standing.

"Alright then....I guess we'll leave if you're going to take care of yourself," I remarked.

"Wait a minute...where are you taking me?!" Robin asked as I lifted her small body up.

"You're going to have to eat a bit more if you want to grow up, kid," I remarked as I spread my wings and took off. The smoke that had been coming from Ohara soon faded into the horizon as I kept flying towards the grand line.

Robin, who I had been holding close to my chest while we flew, was shuddering helplessly the longer we kept on flying. It got so bad that I had to land on an island nearby just to grab her some new clothes.

"Mister....Do you have any money?" Nico Robin asked me curiously.

"Nope, we're robbing the richest store we'll find on this island," I remarked before walking through the gates of the city.

The Marine guards who had happened to be on patrol immediately raised their weapons and pointed them at us. Sweat was pouring out of their skin as they struggled to pull the trigger.

"Storm Dragon!!! Get the Rear-Admiral on the line, now!!"

One of the two immediately took out a transponder snail and began dialing the line. Nico Robin looked on nervously as she followed me towards the most luxurious store that I could find.

"Oh, that'll work," I remarked as I walked in. There weren't any guards nearby, so we ended up walking into the store without any resistance.

"Who the hell are these peasants? Get Rid of them now!!" A fat man roared as he pointed at us.

Soon enough, some guards ran up to us with some sabers. They looked as if they had wanted to get rid of us. However, I immediately unleashed my Conqurer's Haki and knocked everyone within the store out, save for Nico Robin.

Speaking of Nico Robin, she looked flustered and scared as she tried to process what had just happened.

"That was Conqurer's Haki. If you encounter anyone who can do something like this. It'd be wise to avoid them," I advised, "now go pick out something comfortable to wear. Then we can get something to eat after."

She nodded anxiously as she walked about, looking for something nice to wear. In the meantime, I decided to get myself something nice to wear as well. The coat that I had been wearing before I arrived at Ohara had been cut by the leader of the World Government agents, who had appeared a while back.

There weren't many that caught my fancy; they were all so flamboyant and flashy. I almost wanted to puke.

"Whatever happened to just wearing a hoodie?" I grumbled.

As I kept looking around for a good torso to wear, Nico Robin managed to sneak up behind me and poke my side as she tried to grab my attention.

I turned, and I was about to ask, but I stopped as I looked at the new outfit that she had been wearing.

She had a nice little sundress on and then wore a puffy jacket on top for warmth. She also got herself some nice boots and leggings to cover her feet from the cold.

"You look great. Now, let's get you something to eat," I replied.

"What about you? You....don't have a shirt on," She muttered.

"Hmm...." I looked around before finally grabbing a black collared shirt that happened to be nearby and wearing it. I didn't bother buttoning up and rolled up the sleeves instead.

"This'll do, I guess," I muttered as I slowly walked out of the clothing store, with Robin following me close behind.