It was awkward for me to occupy Nami's room, especially in her absence. I didn't see any point in staying in the sailor's cabin, so I decided to spend the night in the port city. The next morning, I heard a noise in the kitchen of Going Merry.
When I got there, I found Nico Robin. She was sitting at a table, her clothes were slightly torn, and there was a weapon nearby. I immediately activated my spiritual vision and noticed a strange red spot in the chest area. The wound was close to critical, but the density of her aura indicated that she would be able to handle it.
Robin looked up and spoke calmly.:
"You found me quickly, Mr. Historian.
"I assumed that you would choose an unexpected place,— I replied, coming closer. Glancing around the kitchen, I noticed a pot of food on the stove. — May I join you for a meal?
"Of course, the food is just ready,— she nodded towards the table. —Please don't be shy.
I helped myself to a portion, and we started breakfast. I deliberately postponed the conversation, giving her time to relax. Robin seemed to be fine with that: she ate calmly, studying me with her eyes.
When the plates were empty, I decided to start.
"Miss Robin," I began, trying to keep my voice level. — As you may have realized, I was looking for you for a reason. I'll be honest: I want to learn how to read glyphs.
Robin smiled slightly, her eyes twinkling with interest.
"Are you Agent Cypher Paul?" Her question was not a hint of threat, but rather a touch of irony.
I paused, choosing my words, trying to choose the appropriate tone.
—No, Miss Robin. I'm not Agent Cypher Paul. Let me explain. My goal is to find out the truth with the help of Rio Poneglyph. I've tried to study history from available sources, but textbooks are contradictory, to put it mildly. Fragmentary information gives only hints of the truth, but its very essence is hidden.
Robin was silent, her gaze became attentive. She was clearly appreciating my every word. I continued, carefully considering how best to convey my intentions.:
— If I understand correctly, the complete set of history or the main secrets of the world are hidden in the Raftel. To find it, you need to collect information from the poneglyphs. But the poneglyphs themselves are in dangerous places. Two of them belong to Yonko, and the path to them will be extremely risky.
"And you think I can help you?" Robin leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. Her voice sounded calm, but there was a hint of curiosity behind that calmness.
— Yes, but not in the way you might have thought. — I raised my palm, indicating that I did not expect her to accompany me on expeditions. "I'm not asking you to come with me. I just want to learn how to read them. That's why I came to Alabasta to find you.
Her gaze remained focused, and the silence between us stretched out slightly. It was as if she was trying to see into the very essence of my intentions.
— Aren't you afraid that your knowledge will lead you to ruin? "What is it?" she finally asked, her voice still calm, but now there was a subtle note of seriousness in it.
I met her gaze, trying to speak honestly and without unnecessary emotions.:
— Every truth has its price. I am ready to pay it.
Robin laughed softly and briefly, as if my answer amused her in some way.
"Your intentions are clear, Mr. Historian," she said, folding her arms across her chest again. — Okay, I agree to teach you.
Feeling relieved and slightly flustered, I bowed my head in gratitude.:
— In that case, let's get started right now.
The next three days flew by in a blur. I absorbed the knowledge that Robin passed on like a sponge. Each lesson was intense, but I was amazed at her patience and calmness. She didn't express any doubt about my intentions, which came as a surprise to me. I thought she would be cautious, afraid of passing on such dangerous knowledge, but her attitude turned out to be much simpler. Perhaps the mention of Rio Poneglyph played a key role, or maybe her slight disappointment in Alabasta pushed her to agree.
The training was fast. My memory, improved twice — during the time of the Seer and the Scientist of the Past — allowed me to instantly assimilate new knowledge. Great spiritual stability helped to avoid mental exhaustion, turning the learning process into an almost mechanical collection of information.
When the training came to an end, I decided to leave the ship before the return of its owners. Using Doflamingo's abilities, I headed towards Jaya. His threads, clinging to the clouds, created the illusion of flight. The wind blew across my face, and the scenery below was changing at breakneck speed. It was like traveling on the border between reality and a dream.
Everything was still noisy on Jai. The pirates continued their wild celebrations, with minor conflicts breaking out between them. It seemed that my brief absence had gone unnoticed.
I walked through the dusty streets, ignoring the drunken screams and the rumble of a fight coming from a nearby bar. In this chaos, I added my own method — fortune-telling. Closing my eyes and concentrating, I saw an image. Black beard, his massive figure moved through the streets of the city like a shadow hiding from the sunlight. I realized where to look for him, and headed for the place that my vision had shown.
Every step towards him was accompanied by a slight tension. The city seemed to have become quieter, although it was just a trick of my perception. When I found him, I stopped a few steps away, gathering my thoughts in order to start acting.
Blackbeard was sitting in the tavern, devouring his food with a voracity unique to him. The noise in the room drowned out everything except the clink of mugs and the loud laughter of pirates. I hid my aura by artfully pretending to be an ordinary person—unremarkable in this chaotic place. Teach, as always, was confident in his superiority. He hadn't expected an attack, and most importantly, he was vulnerable. His Logic did not provide him with a protective field, and this weakness made my plan quite feasible.
I approached him noiselessly, like a shadow, and put my hand on his shoulder. At the same moment, we disappeared in a bright flash, and the cold sea water crashed down on us. Once in the sea, Teach jerked violently, his body began to absorb the surrounding water, creating a fleeting whirlpool. However, his strength was powerless against the elements. He drowned, floundering like a fish out of a net. I dived after him, not letting him sink to the bottom —I needed time to seize control of his threads.
His struggle was fierce, but short. Soon, his movements began to slow down, and then stopped completely as my ability tightened its grip on his essence. I lifted him up from the depths and, with the help of a Flaming Leap, transported us back to dry land. This time we found ourselves on a small island, far enough away from his team to avoid unwanted collisions.
Not wanting to take any chances, I sent my puppet to distract his people. Meanwhile, I began a methodical sweep of the other pirates. One by one, they came under my control. Using my ability, I turned the strongest of them into puppets. Their willpower was fading, and their bodies began to move in full accord with my commands. By the end of the day, I had already assembled an army of five hundred men.
These five hundred, like a single organism, began to act harmoniously. They moved to the port, where they chose the largest and strongest ships without orders. Work began to boil. The sails were removed and repainted, and unnecessary debris flew overboard. Every element of the vessels has been updated and improved. The people I took control of worked tirelessly, putting not only the ships in order, but also themselves.
In a short day, the port has changed beyond recognition. The white sails and neat flags have completely erased the traces of piracy. Even the puppets themselves have transformed. Among them were such famous figures as Bellamy, his team, and former associates of Blackbeard. Their motley appearance annoyed me, so I used maggots to unify their appearance. Each of them now had a short-cropped hairstyle and a uniform, perfectly symmetrical face. The only variety remained the physiques, which I considered unimportant for my design.
As all five hundred people marched through the port in unison, the sight caused panic among the remaining pirates and casual onlookers. Those who were watching couldn't believe their eyes. The faces of the puppets—devoid of emotion, equally calm—were more frightening than any weapon.
Blackbeard remained the only exception to this process. I planned to hand it over in its original form. Also on the sidelines were Doflamingo and Bruno, hiding in another dimension. They were watching what was happening, giving me complete freedom of action.
The ships were ready, and my puppets began their autonomous maintenance. I was enjoying my new flotilla, looking forward to meeting Ace. Knowing that it would be a long time before he arrived, I decided to wait. My puppets, like a perfectly tuned mechanism, continued to keep the ships in perfect condition. Their synchronized movements and unchanging faces remained an ominous reminder of my power.