After Taro left, Dragon rubbed his teacup and pondered for a long time before calling Koala in.
Without Taro present, Koala seemed much more active. She propped herself up with both hands and sat directly on the conference table.
"Leader, that Devil Fruit..."
Dragon shook his head. "It's fine. Since he gave it to you, just take it!"
"Mhm, but it looks..." Koala nodded first, then hesitated. That fruit didn't look very reliable.
Dragon thought for a moment and said, "He said there's no problem, so there should be... no problem."
He paused, thinking it better to be safe than sorry. "Better not eat it for now. Just keep it!"
Koala indeed hadn't planned on eating it. She breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; the fruit's appearance was truly unappealing.
"Koala, have our intelligence personnel secretly infiltrate Dressrosa. There..."
...Robin sat on a reef by the shore, holding a pen and moving it quickly across a piece of white paper.
Drawing was a hobby she had just developed, but with her superb talent, her landscape sketches were already quite accomplished.
However, her portraits and animal drawings were... hard to describe!
Taro landed gently on a reef not far from Robin. Looking at this quiet beauty wearing a coat to block the wind and sand, he felt much calmer.
Then, he lay down with his hands behind his head, closing his eyes to enjoy this moment of peace while waiting for Robin to finish her drawing.
After a long time, the sound of light footsteps approached. "When did you arrive?"
Taro opened his eyes and looked up at Robin, who was looking down at him. He gave a slight smile. "Just now."
Robin sat down beside him with her legs to the side. Taro also sat up, and as he looked at the woman before him, his smile widened.
"It hasn't been that long, but you've changed quite a lot!"
At this moment, Robin's bangs were combed back and held in place with a pair of sunglasses on her head. She wore a bright blue vest and a long, orange-red printed skirt.
A departure from her usual dark tones, she appeared intellectual and elegant.
Robin didn't speak; she just stared intently at Taro.
Taro's smile gradually stiffened, and he felt apprehensive. "What is it?"
"Back in Alabasta, you said you didn't want to know what was written on that poneglyph for the time being. Was it because you already knew it contained information about 'pluton'?"
Robin asked, looking into Taro's eyes.
A flash of surprise crossed Taro's eyes. Why was she suddenly asking about this?
Robin took note of Taro's reaction and nodded slightly. "Then, you naturally know what was recorded on the poneglyph I found on Sky Island as well?"
That one recorded information about 'Poseidon.' I indeed know that.
Therefore, Taro was even more surprised. "What's wrong? Why are you asking this...?"
Robin interrupted Taro directly. "Fish-Man Island, I assume you've already been there as well, right?"
Taro was stunned. He felt these questions were leading somewhere inexplicable and quickly waved his hands.
"No, Robin, what exactly are you trying to say with all this?"
Robin just nodded. She placed her sketchbook and pen on the ground, then curled up her legs and hugged them, lowering her head so her long hair covered half of her face. Her voice was low and dejected.
"In other words, you already knew about my discoveries all along, didn't you?"
Uh, not that early. That guy's updates were very slow; I only found out after following it for over ten years!
Taro still didn't understand what Robin was trying to express.
He grumbled in his heart about that guy who would 'be on hiatus next week' at the drop of a hat. Now that he was in this world, he couldn't even send razor blades to the guy anymore!
"Do you still not want to say?" Seeing Taro's mind wandering, Robin asked softly.
"Ah? Say what?" Taro snapped back to reality, looking a bit dazed.
"Those poneglyphs! The history you know!" Robin's tone became more emphatic.
Beautiful, the history I know is what you researched!
But there was no way to explain such a thing. Taro's mouth opened and closed several times silently before he finally sighed.
"Isn't an unknown adventure better? Besides, you've found true companions now. Being with them and experiencing a journey together, you'll be very happy, won't you?"
Hearing this, Robin thought of Luffy and the others, and her mood improved slightly. She finally stopped questioning him and fell silent.
Taro also breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up Robin's sketchbook, flipped through a few pages, and praised her.
"These are drawn very well. Tsk, tsk, your talent is truly admirable."
Robin was indifferent to Taro's hollow praise. After another moment of silence, she suddenly spoke.
"Taro, if you don't want to talk about the poneglyphs, then tell me about yourself. What exactly do you want to do?"
"Ah? Me?" Taro turned his head to look at Robin, stunned.
"All these arrangements you've made—Marine, pirates, Revolutionary Army—you've associated with every faction. What exactly are you trying to do?" Robin's expression was extremely solemn as she turned her body to face Taro directly.
Taro scratched his head in frustration, his expression shifting. After a long time, he finally made up his mind and said:
"To bring something to this world!"
"Democracy!"
Robin stood up in shock and exclaimed, "Democracy? D! You're also from the d clan!"
Huh? What d clan? I'm not!
Taro was completely bewildered. What is wrong with you pirate natives? Every time I tell the truth, you make these malicious speculations. This is too much!
"No, I'm not! Don't talk nonsense!" Taro also stood up and grabbed Robin's arm, his face looking anxious.
Robin stared closely at Taro's face for a while before her tense body relaxed, and her emotions calmed down significantly.
Indeed, given Taro's current actions, his identity as a member of the d clan certainly couldn't be spoken of lightly.
"I understand!" Robin nodded solemnly.
Uh, I feel like I heard that sentence not long ago.
Taro released Robin's arm, a hint of suspicion appearing on his face.
Are you sure you really understand?
To reassure Taro, Robin sat down first. Only then did Taro believe her a little and sat down as well.
"What is democracy? Can you explain it in detail?" Robin frowned slightly, looking like an eager student.
Taro naturally couldn't let her down. After a brief thought, he nodded. "Uh, democracy is the rule of the majority, the rule of the people. That is to say, in a normal society, the ultimate political decision-making power doesn't depend on a few or specific individuals..."
"..."
"To put it simply, it means the people are the masters of their own house!"
Combining his own understanding with the successful experiences of the glorious Celestial Empire, Taro explained the meaning of the word 'democracy' to Robin.
"So that's how it is. Is this your ideology?" After listening, Robin praised him sincerely, a look of yearning appearing on her face.
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