Shanter, deep in thought, felt a wave of exhaustion and casually leaned against the sofa, drifting into sleep.
Just as he was lost in pleasant dreams, a sudden jolt ran through his heart. A strong sense of danger surged through him, yanking him awake from his slumber.
This was the instinctive warning built over years of constant combat. In the past three years, the number of people Shanter had killed had nearly reached four figures. While this number was far from that of some of the twisted protagonists who killed indiscriminately, averaging nearly one kill per day wasn't insignificant. Furthermore, battles, big or small, occurred regularly. With such a lifestyle, his sixth sense had sharpened to an extraordinary degree.
Of course, Shanter had initially felt disgusted when he began killing. The first person he killed was that unfortunate CP9 member, followed by Colonel Faring. Both were situations where he had no choice—his life was on the line, and there was no time to dwell on the discomfort. After that, when he killed more Marines and bounty hunters, it was mainly for self-defense. Although he had vomited a few times from the disgust, he eventually became numb to it. While it didn't reach the point where he couldn't go a day without killing, his psychological barriers were long gone. As the saying goes, you get used to things once you do them enough.
"Trouble's coming!" Shanter grabbed the Fukuoka Ichimonji sword from the table, warmed up his muscles, and headed towards the suite's inner room.
"Girl, wake up..." he muttered as he pushed open the door. Suddenly, his words cut off.
The room was empty, the window was open.
Shanter let out a bitter laugh. "So, you don't trust me at all? Her vigilance is quite high!"
He had originally planned for Robin to escape first, but while the result was the same, the process was vastly different.
Walking to the bed, Shanter felt the blanket, still warm. His heart eased slightly—She hasn't gone too far. I should be able to catch up.
"Forget it. I'll deal with the tail first." Shanter gripped the Fukuoka Ichimonji, unsheathing it and moving toward the door.
Boom! The wooden door was shattered, and several Marines armed with Mauser rifles rushed in.
"Don't move! You're under arrest! Stop right there—" The first Marine shouted as he entered the room.
But before he could finish, Shanter's blade flashed, and with a savage horizontal slash, he cleaved the first three Marines in half.
The Fukuoka Ichimonji, known for its sharpness as one of the top 50 fast blades, could slice through a person's body with 50 to 60 percent of the blade's length. Coupled with Shanter's terrifying strength, severing them at the waist was an easy feat.
Before the screams could even fade, and with the Marines outside still unaware of what had happened, Shanter charged forward. In a matter of seconds, the twenty-some Marines who had come to apprehend Robin were cut down, all of them meeting their end with a single slash.
Normally, if Shanter were being pursued alone, he would show mercy to the Marines and avoid killing unless absolutely necessary. He didn't want to unnecessarily harm others, especially if they didn't pose a direct threat to his life. But today, those Marines had come for Robin, and the situation was urgent (at least from Shanter's perspective). He showed no mercy whatsoever.
Whew. Shanter exhaled deeply. "That's done. Now, time to find the girl."
Robin had just left not long ago, so Shanter had a way to track her down. In addition to the traditional tracking techniques honed through years of pursuit and evasion, he had an unusual method—he could recognize her by her scent.
Yes, it was a completely ridiculous method, but due to Robin's Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit) powers, there was a faint yet distinct, refreshing fragrance that lingered on her body. Though subtle and fleeting, Shanter, who had spent four years with Robin, was able to use this to his advantage.
Of course, Shanter wasn't like a dog with a canine sense of smell. Relying solely on this would make finding her quite difficult. However, narrowing it down to a small town from the entire West Blue, Shanter was confident in his ability to find her again.
Ahh— A sudden cry reached Shanter's ears as he was tracking.
"It's the girl!" Shanter's heart raced. The scream sounded like she was in trouble.
He sprinted toward the source of the cry, only to find Robin being chased by two bounty hunters. Not only were they chasing her, but they were also firing at her, several shots nearly hitting their target.
Upon seeing this, Shanter's rage flared.
Bang! Bang! Bang! In a flip, Shanter positioned himself in front of Robin, using his Armament Haki to deflect three bullets aimed at her.
"Kid, that's not fair!" one of the bounty hunters grumbled. "As bounty hunters, we have our rules. We found this girl first!"
"Hmph!" Shanter had performed a graceful move to block the bullets, but his heart pounded with fear.
"Wait, this kid isn't just some random guy! He's the one who killed Colonel Faring and is wanted for 41 million Berries! He's the 12-year-old fugitive—Shanter!" The second bounty hunter realized.
"Oh, another fat sheep." The first bounty hunter licked his lips, his face full of greed.
In the West Blue, unlike the Grand Line, a person's bounty was often considered an indicator of strength. However, for Robin, with her bounty of 79 million Berries, any pirates or bounty hunters in the Grand Line would hesitate to harm her, knowing how dangerous she was. But here in the West Blue, things were different. The bounty hunters here thought only of the potential reward and dismissed Robin's real strength.
However, the second bounty hunter was smarter. After seeing Shanter's skills, he knew they were not ordinary opponents. He tugged at his partner's sleeve and motioned.
"What's wrong?" the first bounty hunter asked impatiently, raising his gun.
Shanter wasn't about to let him fire. He wasn't immune to bullets, and he couldn't be sure he could block them all. Plus, Robin was right behind him—she wouldn't be able to dodge a bullet.
A terrifying aura erupted from Shanter, instantly engulfing the two bounty hunters.
The bounty hunters, caught off guard by the Conqueror's Haki, faltered and took several steps back, their aim thrown off.
Seizing the moment, Shanter leapt forward, pouring his Armament Haki into his blade and delivering a powerful downward slash.
He didn't even regard the two bounty hunters as a serious threat. He had slaughtered countless people at their level over the past three years. But today, with Robin by his side, he couldn't afford to be careless.
The first bounty hunter, who had raised his gun, didn't even have time to react before Shanter cleaved his head cleanly in two, spraying blood everywhere.
"Ah!" The second bounty hunter, more cautious, barely escaped the fate of his partner, but when he saw the gruesome death, panic clouded his mind. Instinctively, he raised his gun and fired.
Shanter, though faster than his opponent, couldn't dodge the bullets entirely. He tried to sidestep, but before he could fully evade, he realized the danger—Robin was behind him.
With no time to dodge, he swung his blade to block, using his body as a shield.
Pfft! Pfft! Two bullets hit Shanter—one piercing his left arm and the other embedding into his right shoulder.
Although Shanter's experience and heightened reflexes should have allowed him to avoid the bullets, his instinct to dodge had slowed him down just enough for the bullets to find their mark.
"Ah!" Gritting his teeth, Shanter gasped in pain but didn't falter. With a horizontal slash, he killed the second bounty hunter.
Though these injuries weren't as severe as those he had endured in the past three years, they still hurt. A lot.
After eliminating the threats, Shanter turned and silently walked toward Robin, each step heavy with emotion.
When he was two steps away, he stopped and said nothing. Robin lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, I..." Robin whispered.
"No, I should be the one apologizing." Ignoring the blood still pouring from his left arm, Shanter pressed two fingers gently to Robin's lips. "I shouldn't have said those things that made you worry. I'm sorry, I didn't know how hard things have been for you these years. I won't say things like that again."
Robin understood everything now, but still, she bowed her head, guilt weighing heavily on her. Shanter was injured for me. He could have avoided it, but instead... I didn't trust him...
Shanter seemed to sense Robin's thoughts. He pulled her into his arms, gently holding her close. "Girl, do you remember what I once told you?"
Robin looked up, meeting Shanter's face, which bore a faint smile. She remained silent.
Robin knew the darkness of Shanter's past and wasn't expecting an easy forgiveness. She remembered the time in Ohara when someone called her a monster—Shanter had beaten the man half to death on the spot, even when the man begged
"No, I should be the one apologizing," Shanter said, disregarding the blood still dripping from the bullet wound in his left arm. He reached out with two fingers, gently pressing them against Robin's soft, cherry-red lips. "I shouldn't have said such things to make you worry. I'm sorry. I didn't know how hard you've had it these years. I won't do it again."
By this point, Robin fully understood what had happened, but she still couldn't help but feel guilty. She kept her head down, her body silent. Shanter got hurt for me. Just now, he could've avoided it, but... but I didn't trust him...
Shanter seemed to sense what Robin was thinking. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace. "Kid, do you remember what I once told you?"
Robin looked up at Shanter's face, his smile faint, yet his eyes carried a depth of emotion. She still didn't say anything.
Robin was well aware of Shanter's dark history. She hadn't expected to be easily forgiven. She remembered when they were at Ohara, when someone had called her a monster. Shanter had immediately beaten the man half to death. Even when the man begged for mercy, Shanter didn't stop, only adding, "If you've done something wrong, you must face the consequences!"
But now, Robin had made up her mind. No matter how Shanter intended to punish her, she would accept it. Because she had grown tired of hiding and running away.
At that moment, Shanter's voice seemed to echo from a distant, boundless place.
"Whatever mistakes you've made, I will forgive you!"
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