The sky gradually brightened, and the night's turmoil settled into calm.
Princess Vivi begged her father to agree to her request, while Old Croc, freshly beaten, began plotting anew.
At the same time, he was constantly searching for Noyer's whereabouts, looking for revenge.
But at this moment, Noyer had already sailed his ship away from Arabasta's borders. Inside the cabin, a man and woman were sweating profusely as they worked.
Noyer sat on the bed, sweat dripping from his head, gasping for breath, "How does it feel?" he asked in a deep voice.
Robin lay on the bed, lightly biting her lower lip, her face flushed, "Not bad…" she replied softly.
"Turn over."
"This is uncomfortable…"
"It'll be out soon!"
After a moment, Robin let out a muffled grunt, and Noyer breathed a long sigh of relief.
Wiping his sweat, he held tweezers in his hand, "That bastard's golden hook is really shoddy — it left fragments in the wound."
After re-bandaging the bleeding wound, Robin's complexion slowly returned to normal, "It's Crocodile's doing — the golden hook probably has poison."
After working all night on her injury, Noyer collapsed exhausted onto the bed, "That guy is really disgusting…"
Robin comfortingly patted his head and smiled, "I've been guarding against him. Although I don't have an antidote, I managed to make an inhibitor."
Noyer closed his eyes and thought for a moment, "We can't keep putting off dealing with this poison — we need to find a doctor…"
Wait, wasn't Chopper's hometown somewhere in this area?
Noyer sat up and looked at her, "Do you know where Drum Island is?"
Robin thought for a moment, "A famous medical power. I saw it mentioned in a navigation log once, but I only know the general location."
That works. Since she had used her poison inhibitor, things weren't that urgent.
Let's head to Drum Island!
After his excitement subsided, Noyer suddenly remembered something, "So, will you become my crew member?"
Hmm… why does that sound like a marriage proposal?
Robin braced herself against the edge of the bed with both hands, an elegant smile returning to her face, "Shouldn't the question be whether a wanted criminal like me can become your crew member?"
Wanted criminal?
Oh, if she hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten…
Noyer said carelessly, "No problem! I'm no saint either."
Robin shook her head helplessly and extended her delicate hand, "Then please take care of me, Captain."
Noyer grabbed her small hand and laughed, "You bet!"
After more than twenty-eight chapters of hardship, he'd finally found his first companion — and even managed to snatch Robin away from the protagonist's crew. He was very satisfied with this.
Truth be told, having a woman on the ship really did make life more refined. If nothing else, at least someone could clean up Noyer's pigsty. Even the other rooms became spotless, and someone was washing his clothes.
This made him feel quite embarrassed. For the first time, he felt like a complete waste of space…
◇◆◈◆◇
Several days passed, and the ship had long since left Arabasta's territory.
The surrounding environment underwent a complete reversal — gradually changing from sweltering heat that could cook a person to frigid air.
As they ventured deeper into Winter Island's waters, the sky began to snow heavily. Both the ship and the horizon turned completely white.
In this freezing weather, Noyer and Robin huddled in their room, unwilling to go outside. In the warm cabin, he pulled his hair in frustration as he stared at the game board in front of him.
Across from him, Robin appeared to be reading her book carefully. In reality, a small hand had sprouted on the table, holding a game piece as it played.
This was a set of "Go Bang" that Noyer had made — after all, he didn't know how to play Go, so he could only play this with Robin.
But who would have thought that Noyer hadn't won a single game these past few days!
Robin had truly mastered the art of "beating you senseless with her eyes closed".
The hand on the table, created by the Hana Hana no Mi's power, gently placed down a piece. Noyer's eyes immediately widened — he looked like he was about to die.
Damn it — he lost again!
The arm disappeared into petals with a poof. Robin smiled at him, "You lost again. That's 121 losses now."
Noyer slumped onto the table, "This shouldn't be happening. I thought I played pretty well."
Robin, like a big sister who had just bullied her little brother, deliberately teased him, "Your thinking is too simple. I can see through every move."
Noyer huffed indignantly.
Back when he lived at Bell-mère's house, he was at least third place at board games.
Only behind Bell-mère and Nojiko!
If Nami dared to beat him, she'd get a beating…
Since he couldn't beat Robin at this game, Noyer planned to make other entertainment. He already had a rough idea — create a One Piece world tabletop game!
He could copy the system and skill checks from his previous life's tabletop games. With rules complicated enough, how could he still lose to Robin?
Noyer immersed himself in thought again, letting out a strange "geigeigei" laugh.
Robin looked at him with disdain and quietly moved her seat farther away.
Seeing her scared off by him, Noyer's face reddened. He wiped his drool and snapped back to reality.
Come to think of it, he still hadn't checked her talents yet. He shifted his gaze to her, and lines of information unfolded with his thoughts.
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
" Nico Robin "
" Talents:〔 Demon Child [Red/2nd Rank] 〕|〔 Ohara Scholar [Purple/3rd Rank] 〕|〔 Devil's Dwelling · Hana-Hana [Blue/4th Rank] 〕|〔 Sea's Curse [Purple/3rd Rank] 〕 "
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Demon Child 〕
〔 Rank: Red 〕
〔 Description: Born unlucky — all people or events entangled with her through cause and effect will become tragic. However, if accompanied and helped by someone with great fortune, the side effects disappear, and charisma multiplies, gaining bonuses to affinity and temperament, leading to smooth sailing from then on. 〕
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Ohara Scholar 〕
〔 Rank: Purple 〕
〔 Description: All of Ohara's knowledge concentrated in one person. Natural learning bonus for history, world-class learning ability and memory for any language-related disciplines. During combat, intelligence increases as the battle progresses. 〕
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Devil's Dwelling · Hana-Hana 〕
〔 Rank: Blue 〕
〔 Description: Can make any part of the body bloom like flowers and grow on any tangible object. 〕
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Sea's Curse 〕
〔 Rank: Purple 〕
〔 Description: Along with the devil's power comes the devil's curse — the sea's hatred. Contact with seawater renders him powerless and unable to use his abilities. 〕
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
Hm?
Robin's talents were quite good and certainly matched her achievements.
But the ability to read ancient texts wasn't actually a talent, which disappointed Noyer a bit.
The system's talent descriptions were getting more mystical — born unlucky, great fortune — is this cultivation or immortal cultivation? By the way, he should also count as someone with great fortune, right?
Noyer thought it over carefully. Since he'd transmigrated, he should count as having great fortune, right?
Right!? Please, God!!
Noyer thought for a long time but didn't feel like anything unlucky had happened since meeting Robin.
He must also be Heaven's beloved little darling!
Not seeing a talent related to ancient texts, he didn't force it. Maybe that thing wasn't that useful anyway — Robin was already on the ship.
However, Noyer was quite envious of the 〔Ohara Scholar〕 talent. Although it was only Purple Rank, it granted world-class learning ability and memory for any language-related disciplines.
This was his dream from his past life! If he'd had this talent back then, would he really have struggled to memorize poems and become a good student?
Moreover, intelligence could increase during combat as the battle progressed — that was also a pretty good ability.
After all, although Noyer was handsome and charming, his intelligence… was just a teensy bit weak.
He'd gotten three Copy Cards from the system upgrade before, and later Robin gave him another one. Then he spent two on Mane Mane no Mi and Suna Suna no Mi, leaving two remaining.
If he used one on Robin, he'd only have one left…
Noyer gritted his teeth — forget it, whatever. After all, he could meet Chopper later when going to Drum Island, and that would be another Copy Card.
He quietly walked behind Robin and slapped the Copy Card on her back.
She turned her head to look at him, and he smiled sheepishly, "There was a mosquito…"
Glancing at the snow-covered scenery outside the window, Robin wondered — mosquitoes in this freezing weather?
Having successfully copied 〔Ohara Scholar〕, Noyer's mind became incredibly clear. Countless texts he'd read in his past life appeared vividly in his mind like a film reel.
Photographic memory — and he could even recall previous knowledge. This brainpower was truly amazing.
He nodded with satisfaction. The system had just upgraded to ten talent slots, and now it was filled up again.
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
" Skills:〔Fish-Man Karate〕|〔Fish-Man Jujutsu〕|〔Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū〕|〔Amaterasu〕| 〔Master-Level Cooking〕 "
﹃﹄﹃﹄﹃﹄﹃﹄﹃﹄﹃﹄﹃﹄﹃
" *Talents* "
" Gold:〔Supreme King Constitution〕" " Red:〔Climate Hyper-Perception〕|〔Devil's Dwelling · Mera-Mera〕|〔Devil's Dwelling · Suna-Suna〕" " Purple:〔Otherworlder〕|〔Haki Swordsmanship〕|〔Ohara Scholar〕" " Blue:〔Devil's Dwelling · Kuma-Kuma〕|〔Devil's Dwelling · Mane-Mane〕" " White:〔Singular Focus〕"
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
{T/N: I decided to change the system interface because it was already becoming visually cluttered. I believe it's improved a bit now. And since in the future he'll have more and more skills and talents, it will be better for understanding the magnitude.}
With all these talents and skills, he was incredibly powerful. But what was that weak White Talent doing in the middle?
Talent rank didn't represent immediate combat power, but it showed what bonuses and special effects the talent provided.
Take 〔Haki Swordsmanship〕 — merely Purple rank, yet it came from Shanks, an Emperor of the Sea. Who would dare claim his swordsmanship was weak?
But 〔Singular Focus〕 from Genzō? That had to be replaced!
If the system had been upgraded back then and he'd had universal copy cards, who would've bothered with that old man? He could've just copied Shanks's entire set of talents and been done with it.
{T/N: For those who don't remember, he only failed to copy Pride of the Seas, which was a Gold Talent, and Legacy of Will, a Red Talent. Both were discarded due to lack of Copy Cards.}
Noyer took stock of everything he possessed. Besides talents, he had various odds and ends — the boss-exclusive cigars and those color-changing flashy sunglasses were perfect for showing off.
Just as he was counting his treasures, Robin spoke up, "We can see the island now."
Noyer pressed against the window and looked out. A large island appeared in his view.
The entire island was covered in snow, with towering peaks standing like chimneys across the landscape — uniquely magnificent.
"Time to land!" He put on his heavy coat and rushed out first.
But Robin hesitated, somewhat embarrassed.
When she'd fled initially, she'd only carried a satchel for archaeological tools. Her clothes had been damaged in battle.
So after boarding the ship, she'd been wearing Noyer's clothes the whole time. As for how his men's clothing fit her — those who know, know…
The loose, oversized clothes left Robin's shoulders exposed, her collarbones frequently visible, and the curves beneath couldn't quite decide whether to reveal themselves or stay hidden.
This made Noyer want to reach out several times to help. But before he could act, her gaze would make him back off.
Well… he was afraid this woman would crush him.
Robin bound herself tightly and put on a thick coat before following Noyer out.
After the ship docked, Noyer supported her as they walked inland. The suppressant kept the poison from being fatal, but it left her quite weak.
They'd barely taken two steps when Noyer encountered a large group of armed men. Upon seeing someone entering their borders, the soldiers immediately surrounded them.
"By decree of the king! Entry to the Drum Kingdom requires payment of B$500,000!" The lead soldier pointed his gun at them and shouted.
Neither of them paid him any attention, their steps never slowing.
"You're asking for…"
The humiliated soldier captain wanted to rebuke them, but before he could finish, a wave of energy struck.
Supreme King Haki pressure enveloped the soldiers, and the ragtag bunch immediately collapsed unconscious.
"So much nonsense." Noyer complained.
Robin looked at the fallen soldiers in confusion, "As a great medical nation, why does the Drum Kingdom have such an outrageous entry fee?"
Noyer knew full well. He curled his lip, "Because there's a brain-dead king."
Robin nodded without further questions, and the two walked unobstructed into a village. Along the way, a shifty-looking fellow spotted them and hurriedly sneaked off to report to the king.
Noyer entered the village and began inquiring about doctors.
As he expected, the brain-dead king had already decreed the arrest of all doctors — not a single civilian doctor remained in the entire country.
According to this timeline, the quack doctor Hiriluk should be dead too.
A magnificent medical nation, completely ruined by a tyrant.
The villager guiding Noyer wore a worried expression and sighed, "Actually, we still have one doctor here, named Kureha. Because of her eccentric personality, we call her a witch. She opposes the king's policies and hasn't been arrested. Sometimes she still sneaks out to treat people. If you're looking for a doctor, she's probably the last one — though we don't know when she'll appear."
Noyer nodded. Doctor Kureha was like a mother figure to Chopper. To meet the little reindeer, he'd have to find her first.
However, he wasn't going to wait around here like an idiot. King Wapol kept the 20 most excellent doctors under him — the Isshi-20 — exclusively for his own treatment. Wouldn't it be easier to just steal those people?
"Your Majesty, it's those two!"
Speak of the devil. Just as Noyer was thinking about them, a great commotion came from the doorway.
He walked out of the villager's house and looked expressionlessly at the arrivals.
The man in front had a huge head, an iron jaw, and rather moronic features — clearly this was the Drum Kingdom's King Wapol.
Wapol listened to his subordinate's report while picking his nose, staring disdainfully at Noyer, "Who gave you the guts to break the law and not pay?"
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want more chapters of this novel or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)