Author: Xiao Yifeng
Translator: PapaSmurf0700
As Luffy unleashed his powerful [Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling] attack, Crocodile was sent hurtling through the air, knocked out cold. At this critical moment, the royal tomb began to give way, signaling imminent collapse. The sound of crashing echoed loudly as countless pieces of debris started to fall all around.
Luffy quickly realized the danger. "Is this place going to collapse?" he thought, his face reflecting the urgency of the situation. Acting fast, he pulled out the seastone handcuffs that Vivi had given him earlier. With swift precision, he secured the handcuffs on the unconscious Crocodile, ensuring that the Warlord couldn't escape or use his powers.
Once Crocodile was securely handcuffed, Luffy didn't waste a moment. Remembering the opening he had created in the tomb's ceiling upon his dramatic entrance, he mustered his strength and threw Crocodile towards it.
Next Luffy rushed over to Mr.2's side, his heart sinking at the sight. Bentham looked like a dried-up old man, a result of Crocodile's draining attack. Luffy's reaction was immediate and emotional.
"Bon-kun!!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with distress. "Are you dead???"
In a spontaneous mix of concern and hope, Luffy slapped Mr.2's face, tears brimming in his eyes. But Mr.2 remained unresponsive, lying motionless. Luffy was about to slap him again when he heard a voice.
"He's just been sucked dry, just feed him this bottle of water." It was Robin, weak but managing to offer some help. She handed a bottle of water to Luffy.
Without hesitation, Luffy took the bottle, grateful for the assistance. "Thanks!" he said quickly and proceeded to pour the water into Mr.2's mouth. Remarkably, defying all logic, Mr.2's dried state began to reverse rapidly. Soon, he was back to his usual self.
"Little Straw Hat boy!!" Mr.2 exclaimed with a mix of relief and happiness.
"Bon-kun!!" Luffy responded, equally relieved.
In a touching moment, Luffy and the newly revived Mr.2 embraced each other, both shedding tears of joy. After the emotional reunion, Luffy helped the still somewhat weak Mr.2 out of the collapsing royal tomb, ensuring his friend's safety.
Robin sat silently next to the ancient Poneglyph, lost in her thoughts about her lonely and wandering life. With the tomb collapsing around her, she closed her eyes, resigned to her fate, ready to embrace the end along with the historical texts she cherished.
But in that moment of surrender, a hand reached out and firmly grasped her shoulder. It was Luffy, who had come to save her.
"Your name is Robin, right?" Luffy's voice echoed above her. "Come out with me," he urged.
Robin, still immersed in her despair, replied without looking up, "Leave me alone. For me, life doesn't mean anything anymore. Go away, Monkey D Luffy."
Yet, Luffy remained undeterred, responding with a steadfast refusal. "Never! Why should I listen to you?" His tone, seemingly indifferent, carried an undercurrent of unwavering resolve to save her.
This unexpected reaction from Luffy stirred something within Robin. She couldn't help but lift her head to meet his gaze. Tears welled up in her eyes as she expressed her anguish. "Just let me die here! You don't understand at all what kind of life I have," she pleaded.
Robin's voice cracked with emotion as she continued, "In this world, there are too many people blocking my dreams. There are too many people who want me to disappear from this world. I obviously... just want to know a little bit of history!" Her words were a raw outpouring of the years of pain and loneliness she had endured.
Luffy's forceful words shattered Robin's wall of despair. "Stop talking!! You want to live, right!!" he shouted, his voice echoing with a raw intensity that jolted Robin. She lifted her head, her eyes meeting his.
As their gazes locked, Luffy spoke with a stern yet caring voice, "If you really want to die, how can you have such lively eyes!" His observation caught Robin off guard. 'Lively eyes?' she thought, a glimmer of hope kindling within her. Did she, deep down, still yearn for life?
In that moment, Luffy's thoughts drifted to Bai Ye, who had faced a similar struggle, willing to sacrifice himself yet yearning to live. The similarity in their eyes - full of determination yet craving for life - was striking.
Luffy's voice softened but remained firm, "You are absolutely not allowed to give up your life like that!! If you don't have friends, get on my ship!! Robin!!" His invitation wasn't just a rescue; it was an offering of companionship, a chance for Robin to embrace life anew on the Straw Hat Pirates' ship.
-----
In the grand hall of Alabasta's royal palace, the Straw Hats crew gathered, their gazes fixed on Luffy and the new, enigmatic arrival, Robin. They were filled with a mix of surprise and caution.
Usopp, always the curious one, nudged Luffy and whispered, "Hey, Luffy, why'd you invite her to join us so quickly?" His eyes darted toward Robin, who sat gracefully, sipping her tea.
Luffy, with his usual carefree grin, shrugged off the concern. "Hahahaha, it's okay. Robin's a good person, trust me." His confidence seemed unshakeable.
Nami, ever the cautious navigator, chimed in with a skeptical tone. "Luffy, remember she was with Crocodile. We can't just forget that." She eyed Robin, trying to gauge the true intentions behind her composed demeanor.
Robin, meanwhile, continued her tea, seemingly unfazed by the suspicions around her. That was until Zoro approached her directly, his question straightforward, "What's your real goal here?"
Robin, pausing her tea, pointed towards a peculiar object in the room. "That cocoon over there, it's been catching my attention. It's starting to glow. Why is that?" Her query was genuine, laced with a touch of curiosity.
Zoro, initially dismissive, glanced where Robin pointed. To his amazement, the cocoon was indeed emitting a faint light. His surprise was echoed by the entire crew who turned and gasped in unison, "Bai Ye!!"
-----
Some time ago, in a Daoist temple that seemed frozen in time, Bai Ye faced his Master in a confronting stance. A suspicion had been growing in his mind, leading to this moment of revelation.
Bai Ye broke the silence first, addressing the figure before him, "Master." The word was more of a question than a greeting.
The Master, sensing the skepticism in Bai Ye's tone, replied, "When did you start to suspect?"
Bai Ye replied, a touch of helplessness in his voice, "It wasn't hard to notice. This temple, it's too familiar, almost an exact replica of the one in my memories."
The Master raised an eyebrow, "Is that a flaw?"
"Yes," Bai Ye continued, "I've been to another world for months, yet this temple hasn't changed a bit. The more time I spent here, the more I felt something was off. But the biggest giveaway was you, Master."
The Master's expression showed a flicker of curiosity.
"You always proudly demonstrated the true meaning of Tai Chi, something I struggled with for over a decade. Yet since my return, you haven't shown it once, evading every time I mentioned it. It's unlike you.The only explanation is that you're not my real master. You're a construct from my memories, unable to know or show what I never understood."
"And when did you come to this conclusion?" the Master inquired.
"Half a month ago," Bai Ye confessed. "But I wanted to confirm who, or what, you really are."
The Master's form began to shift, taking on Bai Ye's appearance, his expression twisting into a sly grin. "And your conclusion?"
Bai Ye's gaze hardened as he looked at the doppelgänger, a mirror image with a sinister smile. "You're my inner demon."
The demon's smile widened. "Why do you think so?"
Bai Ye, facing his own twisted reflection, explained, "After the Blood Demon Pill, my body should've been in shambles, my cultivation drained. I should be living on borrowed time, but there's a gap in my memory. I never experienced those thirty days of lingering before death. That's why I'm convinced you're my inner demon, a manifestation of my own subconscious struggles."