Chapter 59The difficulty of knowledge increases geometrically from the shallow to the deep.It's like asking you to remember the numbers one through ten; you might find it easy. But remembering 3.1415926 and the digits that follow... even though they are all numbers, the difficulty varies greatly.Luffy frowned; the content was exceptionally tongue-twisting and strange, but he still listened very intently. Not long after Robin finished speaking, he actually began to repeat it back, word for word, even imitating those words she had intentionally pronounced in the Ancient Languageperfectly.He got everything right on the first try. After Robinfinished lecturing, she could ask him about what happened at any specific point in time, and he could answer completely.Robin was stunned.What she had just said were fragments of certain poneglyphs she had painstakingly investigated in the underworld over the years—some were even segments she hadn't fully deciphered or connected yet. She had spoken them in a seemingly casual tone, mixed in with normal historical knowledge.This content was obscure and profound, some involving vague information about Ancient Weapons and scattered clues about the Void Century.Photographic Memory?No, this was more like a perfect auditory memory!Robin's fingertips trembled slightly.This kind of talent was a divine skill that all scholars dreamed of.She had only heard of it in legends; it was said that Dr. Vegapunk, the World Government's chief scientist, possessed a similar brain that transcended ordinary humans.Luffy didn't notice the change in Robin; it was hard to get distracted in this situation.Until the characters danced before Luffy's eyes again:[Through intensive study, your Archaeology level has increased to LV1].[You have gained the passive talent: Language Derivation.]"Language Derivation? What on earth is this?"Luffy muttered in a low voice, completely baffled.It didn't sound like it had any offensive power, but it was better than nothing.Just then, Luffy's gaze inadvertently swept over Robin's books and notes placed to the side. On them were some annotations and symbols Robinhad jotted down, a mix of Common Script and her own research marks.Under the influence of the Language Derivationtalent, as Luffy looked at those common words, another strange system of characters involuntarily surfaced in his mind.It felt... more right?A better match for those poneglyph rubbing fragments next to them?As if possessed, he picked up a pen and, following the impression in his mind, wrote several common terms in the blank space of Robin's notes using those strange characters."Is this also a so-called script?" Luffy's voice snapped Robin out of her distraction.Robin looked down in confusion."Yes, that's right... wait, what?"The calm expression Robin always wore finally broke; she shot up from her chair as if her backside had been electrocuted.Luffy happened to see this and was a bit surprised.Even when Robin was being 'taken down' by him, she had maintained that indifferent and elegant look.Was the effect of these few words really that big?"!!!"Robin's heart was nearly leaping out of her chest.She instinctively scanned the surrounding deck warily, not missing a single shadowed corner, deeply afraid that World Government spies were lurking nearby. Only after coming to her senses did she remember they were on the open sea.But no one knew better than she what it meant to master and be able to write this script; it was a cataclysmic disaster capable of bringing about a Buster Call.What Luffy had written in that notebook was pure ancient script!"Come with me." This time, it was Robin's turn to reach out and grab Luffy's wrist."Where to? I can't stop now, keep teaching me."Luffy looked bewildered; he wasn't just thinking about his Observation Haki proficiency—stopping at a time like this would cause a 'backfire'."I'll continue teaching you in the room."Robin pulled him along and hurried toward the women's quarters.Sanji, who had excitedly brought over some tea, overheard this and knelt on the ground with a face of utter disbelief.Again? Is it happening again?!At that moment, Nami and Vivi were inside exchanging information about Alabasta and their sailing experiences."I see, so these are the sea regions of the Grand Line?" Nami looked at the sea areas Vivi had listed on the map.Setting everything else aside, Nami felt that she and Vivi actually got along quite well.Compared to the chaotic guys on the ship... she was an angel, just like Merry."But you all adapted so quickly, that's really impressive. We only manage because we've lived in the Grand Line for years..." Vivi said admiringly from the side.Just then, with a bang, the door was pushed open.Nami and Vivi looked up in surprise to see Robindragging in a bewildered Luffy."Sorry, you two, I need to borrow your room for a moment."Robin said, "I have important matters to discuss with Mr. Captain."Stealing my Captain and now stealing my room?This is more than I can stand!Nami immediately voiced her objection, especially seeing Robin holding Luffy's hand. "By what right? This is my room!"Chapter 76: I Want to Eat FishThe reason Nami was being so assertive was because Luffy was there. Surely he wouldn't help an outsider over her, right?!But she didn't expect Luffy to be distracted by Robin's hands.It was the first time they had seen Robin's Devil Fruit power. So many hands... Nami and Vivi cried out in shock as rows of hands appeared below them and carried them out of the room."Hey! What are you doing!""Was that a Devil Fruit?"The door slammed shut ruthlessly in front of them, and there was even the audible 'click' of it being locked.Nami and Vivi stood outside the door, looking at each other, completely stunned."What is the meaning of this?"Nami pointed at the door, her cheeks puffed out in anger. "In broad daylight, what does she want to do in my room?!"Vivi was also confused, but her intuition told her that for that woman to be so flustered, it definitely wasn't something simple. She guessed, "Maybe it's something very important?"Luffy stared at Robin's hands without blinking."Is that a Devil Fruit ability?""The Hana Hana no Mi. It allows me to sprout body parts like blooming flowers."Robin leaned back against the door, slightly steadying her breathing."That's really amazing." Combat images were already appearing in Luffy's mind—sprouting hands anywhere to put an enemy in a chokehold would be so cool.Only then did he remember Robin had dragged him inside."Why come into the room?" It was a bit mysterious; Luffy guessed it might have something to do with those characters from earlier.Robin looked at Luffy with an extremely serious expression: "Mr. Captain, where did you learn the script you just wrote?"She pointed to the words in the notebook."How should I put it... looking at the words in your notebook just now, I suddenly felt like they could be written that way." Luffy scratched his head, telling the truth, though he couldn't explain the existence of the Language Derivation talent.Robin stared intently into his eyes, trying to find any trace of a lie, but she only saw a candid blankness.Is this what they call a genius?But as far as Robin knew, the only person left in this world who could read the ancient script might be her. Seeing Luffy now, she felt a strange sense of kinship, and suddenly felt that her coming out on this trip might have been the right choice.Robin leaned down slightly, leaning close to Luffyand lowering her voice."Listen, Luffy. You must never let anyone see this script again, and you must never tell anyone that you can write it! Including your crewmates. Understand?""Uh... okay."They were so close that at this distance, Robin's exquisite face was perfectly in view.Luffy felt a bit flushed for a moment; mainly, doing other things during study time meant the 'punishment' was following close behind.Unlike Nami's fresh fragrance or the milky scent on Vivi, Robin seemed to have an indescribable, pleasant aura."I understand, Robin."Luffy pushed her back slightly. In terms of height, Robin had the advantage; the tall, mature beauty gazed down at him.The way he addressed her made Robin pause again.She belatedly realized that from the moment they met until now, she hadn't given a formal self-introduction."How do you know my name?"Robin's gaze turned scrutinizing and inquisitive again. Princess Vivi only knew her code name, Miss All Sunday.Because the name Nico Robin was too famous.Labeled the 'Demon of Ohara' in her childhood and called the 'Devil Child,' her bounty was higher than Luffy's fifty million Berries—it was seventy-nine million Berries.Luffy's heart skipped a beat, thinking he'd messed up by letting it slip so naturally.He toughened his resolve and maintained a righteous expression: "I just know. Isn't your name Nico Robin? There's no 'why' about it."Robin was momentarily speechless.Did this man truly not know the significance of that name?"Anyway, keep teaching me."Luffy was already bending over.Seeing Luffy like this, Robin instead broke into a bright smile.It seemed things had become even more interesting....In the afternoon, the raging storm finally subsided. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the going merry once more and making the puddles on the deck sparkle.Nami and Vivi sat on lounge chairs on the deck, finally getting a chance to continue their interrupted conversation. However, Nami was clearly still a bit disgruntled, occasionally glaring at Robin, who was sitting quietly not far away reading a book."By the way, I've been wanting to know, is Luffyusually like this?"Vivi pointed ahead curiously.Luffy finally had some 'frugal' time. After just experiencing a bout of intellectual devastation, he was crouching at the other end of the deck, staring unblinkingly at Vivi's mount.A duck named Quick.Quick's feathers were slightly ruffled from being watched; animal instinct made it sense a rather unsettling appetite.Vivi found it hard to associate Luffy with a great pirate worth over fifty million Berries.The great pirates in her impression were either fierce and evil or had a powerful aura, but Luffyseemed more like an over-energetic boy.At the mention of Luffy, Nami perked up a bit, also feeling inclined to show off her seniority as the 'first comer' in front of Vivi and Robin.This state of mind suddenly made Nami think of Luffy's childhood friend, Uta.Am I eventually becoming you?"He's only been a bit serious during this period."Nami tossed her head, her words dismissive, but the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously. "But, from the East Blue onwards, the opponents he's defeated would indeed give anyone a shock if I listed them."She cleared her throat, preparing to recount Luffy's glorious achievements, but Robin closed her book and walked over gracefully, a perfectly measured smile of interest on her face: "Oh? That sounds very interesting. I'd also love to know Mr. Luffy's story. May I listen as well?"Nami's face immediately fell, and she huffed unpleasantly, "Why should I tell you? Are we that close?"Robin wasn't bothered; she smiled slightly and produced a small coin pouch from somewhere, weighing it gently in her hand to make a crisp clinking sound of gold coins."A small token of gratitude, as payment for the information. How about it?"
