"So, our Miss Robin has been lurking within the 'Suleiman Family' all this time?"
Victor took a bottle of whiskey, a little more than half full, from the liquor cabinet and personally leaned over to pour a small glass for Windrew:
"It truly was a case of being blind to what's right under your nose. I almost thought she had already left West Blue... Everyone says you're a connoisseur of wine, please."
Windrew stood up and bowed slightly in thanks. After taking a small sip, his eyes lit up: "Johnny Walker from Waif Island, excellent wine!"
He gently placed the wine glass on the table and said: "I have already given Miss Robin the note as you instructed earlier, and told her that you would be returning soon. She said she would temporarily stay at the headquarters, waiting for your summons at any time."
Victor said gently: "You've worked hard, Mr. Windrew. Please inform our Miss Robin that I am waiting for her in this large conference hall."
"Yes, Boss."
The old man drained the remaining whiskey in his glass, picked up his hand-knitted overcoat and bowler hat from the coat rack, bowed slightly to Victor again, and then quietly left the room.
Victor put away the drinking utensils and then leaned back in the high-backed chair, closing his eyes to rest. After a short while, there were two knocks on the door: "Boss, the person you summoned has arrived."
"Please let her in."
Feeling someone enter the room, Victor opened his eyes and then showed a faint smile.
What appeared before him was a tall woman, seemingly around 20 years old, with long black hair simply tied back at the nape of her neck. A black hip-hugging leather skirt and knee-high leather boots accentuated her perfect, curvaceous figure. Her intellectual face had light makeup, and at this moment, she held a note in her hand, her expression slightly disturbed.
"Nice to meet you for the first time, Boss, I'm called..."
"Ah, ah, no need to rush with introductions, my dear lady. Please sit, would you like some tea?" Victor gestured for the woman in front of him to sit wherever she pleased.
"Ah, no... no tea necessary, thank you." The black-haired woman calmed down a bit and chose a seat not too far but not too close to Victor.
"Nico Robin, may I call you Miss Robin? Very well." Seeing Robin nod in agreement, Victor smiled and said: "You see, we're off to a perfect start, aren't we?"
He picked up a slightly old bounty poster from the table and pushed it towards Robin: "To be honest, I didn't expect 'Gun-Tailed Snake' Shahm to have the courage to take you, a wanted criminal with a bounty of 79 million Berries, under his wing."
The photo on the bounty poster was of a black-haired little girl, with "Nico Robin, 'Devil Child', Bounty 79,000,000 Berries, Dead or Alive" written clearly below it.
Robin's face turned a little pale, while Victor continued leisurely: "Even if the 'Suleiman Family' hadn't been swallowed by 'Coral,' it wouldn't be long before it was destroyed by the Marines who came after them. Heh heh, 'Gun-Tailed Snake' was blinded by lust and didn't realize that disaster was already upon him."
"After 'Gun-Tailed Snake' was defeated by me, the remnants of the 'Suleiman Family' were fully absorbed by 'Coral.' You realized this was an excellent opportunity, because Suleiman, wanting to monopolize you, never mentioned your identity or bounty to anyone else. With his death, you could seize the opportunity to infiltrate 'Coral' as an ordinary gang member. Even if discovered, you could use your beauty and excellent abilities to persuade me to accept you, until 'Coral' was also completely destroyed by the Marines pursuing you."
Robin couldn't help but speak: "I, I never thought of using you..."
Victor shook his finger: "You were attracted by the content written on the note Mr. Windrew gave you. And you also found that after I returned from this trip, I brought back an unfamiliar beautiful woman, so you believed that with your outstanding beauty, you could also persuade the lustful me.
However, I need to remind you of something: your dressing taste is good, but your makeup skills need improvement."
Victor spread his hands, saying gently: "These words are a bit direct and crude, but I think what we need between us is simple and straightforward communication. I hope Miss Robin, you don't mind."
Robin's eyes reddened, and she bit her lip, trying hard not to lose her composure: "I didn't use my beauty to seduce Mr. Suleiman! He urgently needed an underground intelligence handler at the time, and I was perfectly suited for that kind of work! I also didn't mean to use 'Coral' or you, Boss, as a shield. The reason I came here was just to ask you, Boss, why you left me this note!"
Her emotions were somewhat out of control. After all, she was only 20 years old at this time, in the prime of her youth, not possessing the maturity and composure she would have at 28 in the manga.
On the note thrown onto the table was a name: Olvia.
"You specifically wrote this name... You know who she is, right?" Robin's voice trembled slightly.
"Nico Olvia, the beautiful silver-haired explorer." Victor's gaze drifted, as if recalling distant memories: "I was only 4 years old that year. Her expedition team stopped for a few days in my hometown, Corie Village, to replenish supplies. During that time, this learned lady taught me quite a few characters. To be honest, I'm very grateful to her for treating me, a poor fisherman's son, as an equal."
Victor looked at the stunned Robin with gentle eyes and said: "She mentioned that she had a daughter named Nico Robin. You must have been only 7 years old then."
"Later, I learned that Ohara Island had been annihilated several years earlier." Victor shook his head and sighed lightly: "And your name appeared on the bounty poster. So, Olvia also died in that disaster, didn't she?"
Robin was at a loss for words. For 12 years, she had been hiding, seeking only a place to settle down. Now, she suddenly learned that the leader of West Blue's largest gang was an old friend of her mother's.
Victor said gently: "Don't worry, Robin. Your mother told me about what you Oharan scholars researched, and it was certainly not evil, nor something that should be forbidden. History, by its very nature, should be known to all!"
Robin could no longer hold back her tears. She threw herself into Victor's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Was this truly the case?
Mostly, yes. When Victor was 4 years old, Olvia's archaeological expedition team did stay on Corie Island for a few days. During that time, Olvia had a good impression of this quiet but diligent and bright boy, and specifically taught him many obscure characters, even leaving him a few books when she left. But how could she reveal the forbidden knowledge researched by Ohara to a strange boy she had met for less than a few days?
Later, when Victor was 7 years old, he awakened in a dream and also learned of Olvia's background. Unfortunately, by then, two years had passed since the destruction of Ohara, and he had no extra power to go out to sea to find Robin.
Later still, Victor had the ability to go out to sea, but he could no longer find any news of Robin's whereabouts. It wasn't until he became the leader of 'Coral' that he was able to use the organization's intelligence network to search for Robin, only to find that she was hidden within the territory ruled by the 'Suleiman Family.'
Victor's diligent search for Robin was not just because of Olvia. His ambition was to reach the pinnacle of this world, but the interpretation of poneglyphs was a major problem. His special Observation Haki, 'Revelation,' could only show the effects of object abilities, not translate text.
He either needed to gain the power to "hear the voice of all things," like Gol D. Roger, or find a translator!
Looking down at the intellectual beauty crying in his arms, Victor's heart settled—the last piece of the puzzle was in hand, and the second stage of his goal was complete.
Once the third stage's goal was accomplished, he could sweep through West Blue and head to the Grand Line!
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