Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Power Behind a Seventy Million Bounty?

It was already the early hours of the morning when Buffon stepped onto the deck and saw Robin sitting atop Saul’s shoulder. Robin rested her head against Saul’s massive face, while countless hands, born from her Flower-Flower Fruit ability, sprouted from Saul’s chin, gently grooming his bushy orange beard.

Hearing footsteps, the two turned to look and, upon seeing Buffon, Robin smiled and said, “Thank you, Captain Buffon, for letting me reunite with an old friend.”

Buffon simply waved his hand, saying nothing, and moved to stand beside Saul, gazing out at the sea with him.

“Captain Buffon, could you stitch up the wounds on Robin’s shoulder?” Saul asked.

Buffon had already noticed several injuries on Robin’s shoulder, likely sustained during her final clash with Mihawk, when Saul, busy steadying the ship, hadn’t been able to protect her properly. The sight had left Buffon with a pang of guilt, but he’d decided to wait until they spoke up themselves.

He turned, and in an instant, three suture needles appeared in his hand.

Seeing this, Robin smiled softly. “Let me witness for myself this legendary stitching technique Saul speaks so highly of.”

Buffon said nothing; the needles at his fingertips threaded with silk, slipping through the skin of Robin’s shoulder. In less than a minute, the wound was stitched so seamlessly it was as though it had never existed.

As Buffon turned away, he caught a slight furrow in Robin’s brow and, switching to the Paw-Paw Fruit’s power, sent a bear-paw-shaped burst of air into her body at a speed invisible to the others.

Robin quickly covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a gasp. Her shock was not only at the flawless stitching, but even more at Buffon’s final move. He had taken away not just her pain, but all her exhaustion as well.

If this wasn’t a divine technique, she truly didn’t know what could be called one.

At that moment, Buffon was quietly sorting through the rewards he’d gained from Robin. Beyond the vast trove of knowledge in her mind, what delighted him most was the ability to read the Poneglyphs.

As for the Flower-Flower Fruit, Buffon temporarily fused it with the Microscope Fruit.

“With ten hands stitching at once when no one’s around—the speed!” Buffon mused to himself in anticipation.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Robin finally asked, “Captain Buffon, do you have a purpose in going to Alabasta?”

“To heal the sick and save the suffering,” Buffon replied calmly, speaking a simple truth.

Robin smiled, pressing him gently, “Is that really all?”

Buffon nodded seriously again, but perceptive as she was, Robin couldn’t possibly take his words at face value.

After a long silence, Buffon finally asked, “What are your plans from here on?”

He was addressing both Robin and Saul, since he hadn’t expected to encounter her so soon. Judging from the present situation, things had been explained, so whatever Saul decided, Buffon wouldn’t be surprised.

“Robin, have you found companions worthy of entrusting your life to?” Saul asked earnestly.

If the Baroque Works agents were truly Robin’s chosen comrades, Saul honestly didn’t know what to do. He could not betray Buffon, yet he didn’t want Buffon and Robin to become enemies.

“My purpose is the Poneglyphs,” Robin replied, just as seriously.

At this, Saul relaxed. This was her mother’s dying wish, after all. It seemed that, though Robin had grown into a stunning woman, deep down she was still the little girl from over twenty years ago.

“So you’re infiltrating Baroque Works?” Saul pressed.

Robin nodded, then explained about the existence of a Poneglyph in the Royal Mausoleum of the Western Royal Necropolis beneath Alabasta’s palace, and how Crocodile sought to obtain it. Thus, as the world’s “only” person able to read the Poneglyphs, Robin had naturally joined Baroque Works.

At present, she was unaware that the Poneglyph in Alabasta recorded information about “Pluton.”

“Robin, would you consider joining our Juventus Pirates? I’m sure you’ve felt Captain Buffon’s strength! If he helps you, perhaps your wish could be fulfilled much faster!” Saul extended an olive branch.

Robin looked down at Buffon standing on the deck, her eyes clouded with complex emotions. Though she hadn’t witnessed Buffon’s battle with Mihawk firsthand, Saul had told her most of what had happened. Moreover, she’d seen the six captured Baroque Works agents in the hold, and what she’d heard from them was even more exaggerated than Saul’s account.

Yet, from her brief exchanges with Buffon and his demeanor, she found herself unable to read this man at all.

Having been hunted by the World Government since the age of eight and surviving on the run, Robin was not someone to choose companions lightly. Moreover, with Saul—her only emotional anchor—aboard, her decision was all the more difficult.

So she changed the subject, asking, “Captain Buffon, what do you plan to do with the six agents in the hold?”

“Before reaching Alabasta, I’ll hand them over to the Navy,” Buffon replied.

Robin was surprised. The combined bounties of those six agents amounted to seventy million and fifty thousand Berries. (Mr. 3: 24 million; Miss Golden Week: 29 million; Mr. 1: 10 million; Miss Valentine: 7.5 million; the pair: 0.)

Rather than turning them in for bounty, it would seem more useful to bring them under his command; considering the shadow Buffon had cast in their hearts, they would likely submit without resistance.

Yet Buffon’s choice had nothing to do with the bounty. He simply wanted to increase the influence of his other identity, the “White Phantom.” While their bounties weren’t high, their status as senior Baroque Works agents meant their worth in the eyes of the Navy far exceeded their monetary value.

As for whether Crocodile would use his Shichibukai status to bail them out, Buffon was unconcerned. First, Crocodile would never make such a move—his only identity with the World Government was as a Shichibukai; his Mr. 0 persona within Baroque Works had not yet been exposed, and these agents were mere pawns, easily discarded. Second, even if Crocodile wanted to rescue them, he wouldn’t have the chance—if all went as expected, Buffon’s journey to Alabasta would end with Crocodile’s downfall.

Smart as she was, Robin didn’t press further. Instead, she said to Saul and Buffon, “I have a mission I must complete. I’ll wait for you in Alabasta.”

With that, she leapt from Saul’s shoulder, asked Buffon for a small boat, and left alone.

Saul made no move to stop her. Watching Robin’s retreating figure, he smiled joyfully. “Hey now! Looks like the little girl I once knew has truly grown up.”

The following noon, Baggio, who was training in the crow’s nest, suddenly called down to the deck, “There’s a Navy warship ahead!”

Buffon leapt up to the lookout. He saw that the warship, which had been sailing forward, was now turning to head directly for the Juventus.

As the two ships faced each other’s bows, Buffon recognized the figure standing at the prow—a woman with long pink hair and a cigarette dangling from her lips.

Who else could it be but Buffon’s old acquaintance, Hina?

“At this point, she should have eaten the Cage-Cage Fruit. Well, I’ll just hand her this military achievement, to help her earn the title ‘Black Warden’ all the sooner.”

Having confirmed this, Buffon ordered everyone to don white cloaks and masks. There was no need to change course or slow down; they sailed straight toward the warship.

Aboard Hina’s ship, the lookout reported sighting an unknown pirate vessel, possibly the “White Phantom” crew.

Hina took the monocular from the lookout and, seeing the three tall white-clad figures on the other ship, she was almost certain it was the “White Phantom.” The pirate flag, appearing before her eyes for the first time, was also etched firmly in her memory.

“That pirate’s bounty is seventy million Berries. There may even be giants aboard. Everyone, be careful when the battle starts!”

“With Commander Hina’s Cage-Cage Fruit powers, no matter how strong they are, they’re no match for us,” a Navy soldier responded earnestly.

Hina nodded; she was very confident in her current strength. Aside from the White Phantom’s blank dossier, there was nothing else for her to worry about.