After that, Kane transformed into a fire dragon.
As for Robin, just like Vivi before, she was grabbed in Kane's hand and carried along.
Two hours later, Kane and Robin returned once again to the Rainbase casino.
Kane was in an excellent mood.
In just that short span of time, under Robin's guidance, Kane had practically visited every Baroque Works base across Alabasta.
He directly confiscated the remaining three billion Beli in cash.
In such a short time, Kane had already harvested a total of eight billion Beli.
As for the people inside those bases, Kane didn't even need to lift a finger.
Robin alone had cleaned them all up.
Her ability was truly excellent when it came to dealing with minor soldiers.
"Why didn't we see any officers in those bases?" Kane asked.
Just now, Kane and Robin had even gone to Spider Café, yet they still hadn't seen any of the major agents, so Kane felt somewhat puzzled.
"This morning, after Crocodile returned, he issued an order for them all to gather at Spider Café. By now, they've probably almost arrived here," Robin said.
"Oh? So that's how it is? Then that saves me the trouble of looking for them. Is it all of the officers?"
"Except for Mr. 3, who is being hunted and whose current status is still unknown, the others should all be accounted for."
Kane looked at Robin in front of him and smiled again.
More than once, he had felt that this woman was very intelligent.
"If your identity weren't such a hassle, I'd actually want to keep you by my side," Kane suddenly said.
He wasn't joking.
From the moment he had descended upon the casino until now, Robin had been consistently sensible and cooperative.
Even Kane couldn't find a single fault in her behavior.
Moreover, whenever problems had to be handled, she was neat and efficient, with no hesitation at all.
"No wonder Crocodile chose to work with her."
And it wasn't just because Robin could read the ancient script. Her abilities themselves were indeed outstanding.
Of course, Kane knew very well that the reason this woman had such capability was because she had tempered herself this way since childhood just to survive.
The reason she was so tactful was also because she had the strength to back it up.
It was ironic, but it was the truth.
If Kane had an assistant like this, things would probably be much easier.
And no matter what, Robin was also a beautiful woman. At the very least, she was pleasant to look at.
But her identity was too special.
Right now, Kane only wanted to make money. He didn't want to get entangled in that kind of trouble.
He was already being watched because of his strength.
If he got involved with the "Devil's Child" on top of that, those old men would probably become even more wary of him, and that would not be good for him.
But upon hearing Kane's words, Robin fell silent.
Clearly, his words had made her think of her own identity, of the betrayals she had suffered again and again, and also of the man before her — his status, his conversation just now with the Fleet Admiral, and his dissatisfaction with the World Government.
"What? Did that hurt?" Kane asked.
"Why did the World Government issue a Buster Call?" Robin suddenly asked.
Even now, she still remembered the tragic scene from back then.
Ohara, her homeland, had been completely destroyed in a single day.
All of its elders had been slaughtered.
Hearing this, Kane did not answer right away.
Instead, he took out a cigar, lit it, and drew deeply from it.
Then, with a somewhat cold smile, he said:
"Why do you still have such naive thoughts even now?"
Robin said nothing.
She simply stared fixedly at Kane.
The person in front of her was a Marine. Perhaps he could tell her the answer.
Kane laughed.
That stubborn gaze had strength in it.
"Since you've been sensible today, I'll tell you. From the perspective of the World Government — and even from the standpoint of most countries — those historians deserved to die. A matter that had been explicitly forbidden, why insist on making it public?"
"But people have the right to know the truth of history," Robin said.
"The truth of history has always been written by the victors. And if the so-called truth you speak of could be exploited by ambitious people, plunging the world into chaos and overturning the rule of the World Government, do you think those people would still allow you to publish it?"
Robin was at a loss for words.
"What, nothing to say now? In my view, those people were fools. Researching history itself wasn't the problem. But they insisted on acting against the wind, openly provoking disaster. Couldn't they have kept a lower profile? There's nothing wrong with pursuing history, but you can't do it like that. You could say it was precisely their naïveté that led to the tragedy."
Under those circumstances, openly saying such things right in front of the Five Elders — their spirit might have been admirable, but the act itself was absolutely unwise.
"I won't allow you to speak of them like that. And they never once intended to overturn the world or plunge it into chaos."
"You don't find that ridiculous?" Kane said. "After drifting through this world for so many years, can't you see clearly yet? In a certain sense, what Roger did wasn't any different from what those historians were trying to do. And what has the Great Pirate Era brought to the world up to now? What I see is nothing but endless slaughter and misery."
"But he led the era," Robin said.
"Heh. Led the era? Better to say he opened an age of chaos, started another cycle. In terms of method, he wasn't even as good as Dragon. Of course, his actions were also exactly what gave birth to someone like Dragon. It's just that because of Roger's identity, what he left behind was even more chaos."
Robin gradually became disappointed.
"And let me tell you the most real side of things," Kane continued. "If you want to change something, then you need enough power. Without power, yet still foolishly trying to bring change, that is simply seeking death. It is the utmost stupidity. Not only do you get yourself killed, you also drag others down with you."
Kane's words were cold and merciless.
"Power...?" Robin murmured to herself.
But very quickly, she looked at Kane again.
"Then what about you? With strength as great as yours, what kind of justice do you uphold? Just now, you could condemn the Fleet Admiral for the sake of this country's civilians, and express dissatisfaction with the World Government. So why are you now defending the World Government instead?"
Robin's question was extremely sharp.
"Heh! There is no absolute justice in this world."
"Even if the Revolutionary Army were to overthrow the World Government today, so what? Wouldn't that simply begin the rule of another World Government?"
"And do you really think the Revolutionary Army is truly just?"
"The ones who suffer are always the people at the bottom, that's all."
"Besides, even if it were the Revolutionary Army facing the issue of those scholars, their methods probably wouldn't be much different either."
Kane paused there.
"As for me? I simply can't stand some of the things the World Government does, and I voice my dissatisfaction. I also especially despise trash like the Celestial Dragons. But that doesn't mean I approve of pirates, nor does it mean I side with the Revolutionary Army."
"And as far as this old man is concerned — money is justice."
"As long as you can pay enough, this old man tearing apart a Celestial Dragon with his bare hands isn't impossible."
Robin's eyes instantly widened.
She looked at Kane in shock.
Because what he said was simply too astonishing.
In this world, the Celestial Dragons were gods.
They could directly command the World Government's highest military power — beings at the level of Admirals.
Yet the Marine standing before her had just said something like that.
"Don't look so shocked. This old man can do it," Kane said. "But can you afford the price?"
Robin immediately gave a bitter smile.
"Alright. I only
told you this much today because you've been sensible. But after saying so much, I'm tired too. Your ability isn't bad."
"Come here and give this old man a massage."
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