It is difficult to survive alone; she needs someone to rely on who can provide her with more protection.
Good people won't do. These people live under the order of the world government and are unaware of the darkness that exists. The few ways they can learn about such things are by becoming witnesses themselves.
An outsider's perspective is often clearer; when a conspiracy is specifically targeted at a particular person, it's easy to get caught up in it.
Living in the environment created by the World Government, many people feel that the World Government is a good person.
All the good people Robin has encountered so far have been after her for bounties.
Bad people are also not an option. Although pirates and similar groups view the World Government and the Navy as enemies and don't care about harboring wanted criminals, they sometimes even specifically seek out subordinates with high bounties.
However, Nico Robin had previously encountered a pirate who dared to take her in. The pirate was full of confidence the day before, thinking he was not afraid of anything, but soon he was surrounded and attacked by the Navy.
Faced with these marines from the Grand Line, the pirates were no match for them at all, and were utterly defeated as soon as they met.
By the time they wanted to hand over Nico Robin to settle things, Nico Robin had already run away on her own.
Robin realized then that he needed a large enough protective umbrella to survive.
Aside from the bounty, her only value is her knowledge of the Poneglyphs, which is why she needs an ambitious person.
Unfortunately, she was unaware of the Red Road Poneglyphs, making the great pirates of the New World her best allies.
Those pirates have enough power that the World Government won't easily take action against them.
Shaq was able to avoid inspection by relying on Oran's flag, but that didn't mean Oran was a suitable place for her. Robin saw Oran go to persuade Cloba at the end.
All signs indicate that Oran is working for the World Government, which makes him a normal strategist.
If the enemy sees through your plan before you even make a move, you'll look like a clown.
Just because Shaq, as a fish-man, is willing to give her a ride doesn't mean Oran will do the same. Nico Robin can't afford to gamble now; she doesn't have a second chance. If she loses, she'll be delivered right to the World Government's doorstep.
This time, she simply realized something different.
"The Navy... are they just leaving like that?"
"Unbelievable, they actually stopped searching when they saw that flag."
The fishmen behind Shaq looked at each other in bewilderment. The fishmen race had always had a bad reputation because of their appearance and their famous pirate clans.
Although there are many pirates among other races, the Fish-Men are one of the few races with a large population but no members serving in the Navy due to historical reasons.
The Giant race has both a Giant Vice Admiral and a Giant Warrior Pirate Crew, which has led to a generally negative first impression of fish-men among humans, including the Navy.
The fishmen were even prepared for battle, but the navy only asked a couple of questions and then left, even reminding them to be careful.
"This is because of Mr. Oran's influence. Let me warn you first, don't try to use this banner to do bad things. This is the first step for the fish-men to move onto land. If anyone tries to sabotage this, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Shaq knew all too well what kind of people he had under his command. They were all thugs who didn't know any rules. If he didn't give them a warning, they could really do outrageous things when they saw an opportunity.
This is something Shaq realized after conquering Fishman Street: reasoning with some people is useless; you can only use physics.
Moreover, Shaq's words made no mistake. This is a rare opportunity to rebuild an image. Demonstrating military strength is one aspect, but if all that is done is to demonstrate military strength, then he becomes a terrorist.
"Don't worry, Boss Shaq, we'll remember."
"Yes, Queen Otohime also instructed us before, and we won't forget. We don't want to fight those humans unless they come looking for trouble."
It's enough that the Navy and the World Government don't care about them; these fish-men really didn't take the pirates from the first half of the story seriously.
Shaq doesn't even need to lift a finger; Arlong alone can take care of most of the pirates.
In a normal boarding maneuver, a human will bring their ship alongside the enemy vessel; a murloc, on the other hand, will go directly underwater to destroy the ship.
Without ships, it won't be so easy for humans to fight fish-men in the sea.
While the fish-men were still busy, the warship led by the flying squirrel had already sailed away into the distance.
"General Squirrel, are we really not going to worry about them? Those are fish-men."
"What, are you going to question your boss's orders?"
"I wouldn't dare, I just feel it's not a safe bet."
The Navy recruits worldwide. Member states and non-member states, as well as pirates and gangsters, are all welcome to join the Navy.
Pirates who are wanted by the authorities are a bit more troublesome, as they need a guarantor, but overall, the Navy's composition is quite complex, including people who discriminate against fish-men.
The word "them" is the most direct expression of this. Even today, many people still feel that fish-men should not be considered human, but rather fish.
"Hey, stop talking nonsense. Those are Dr. Siddire's employees. Since the doctor recruited these people, he must have his own reasons."
Those people weren't flying pirate flags, so what do you intend to do to them?
Oran's flag is quite well-known among the lower-ranking naval officers, and has even given rise to a new faction within the navy—the Modification Faction.
There was originally a martial arts faction in the Navy. Those who advocated this faction focused more on physical strength and relied entirely on their bodies in battle, without relying on external forces. Garp is the most famous character in this faction.
Because of his title as a naval hero, Garp has many fans and imitators.
The Modification Faction is a group that emerged because of Oran. These people either rely on newer cybernetic bodies or make minor modifications to their bodies to enhance their combat capabilities.
As various parts were sold, some naval doctors and scientists also discovered some special uses, but this faction currently has no prominent figures and therefore remains relatively unknown.
However, this system is more suitable for lower-ranking soldiers to become stronger. Not everyone can become stronger through hard work. Some people reach their limit and then try harder but achieve nothing, ultimately injuring themselves due to excessive physical exertion.
In situations like these, making some external upgrades can actually be effective.
"Alright, let's not discuss this anymore. Just follow the headquarters' regulations. There's no point in discussing it further."
The flying squirrel was following the rules perfectly. Although Oran had a lot of influence, it was perfectly normal for the Navy to search the fish-men according to the normal procedure.
Adding the title of Shichibukai changes everything. According to the World Government's regulations, even if a Shichibukai staged a coup in a member country, the Navy could only stand by and do nothing until the World Government intended to strip them of their Shichibukai status.
After all, legally speaking, the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the Navy are on the same level, both being separate organizations managed by the World Government.
Even if there are problems with Oran's ship, it's not their place to deal with it; it should be handed over to higher-ups.
Just like after the start of the Four Emperors era, the Navy cannot arbitrarily start battles with those Emperor crews without orders; it's all due to regulations from above.
If it were any other Shichibukai, Momonga might have said something harsh, like not letting him find any leverage against him. But given Oran's dual identity, there's no need for hesitation.
"I met him when I was studying with Teacher Zefa. He was a very kind person."
After saying that, the flying squirrel headed towards the command room, but at that moment, the teacher he mentioned, Zephyr, had already led the flying squirrel's juniors to Piltover.
This is the eleventh cohort of trainees from Zephyr's team. Although the training camp has failed to produce the monsters of the first and third cohorts, those who rank at the top have achieved remarkable success and are now the backbone of the Navy.
Flying Squirrel, Fire Mountain, Storoberry, and many other generals have all been taught by Zephyr.
Even after retiring from frontline duty, Zephyr still provided the Navy with a significant amount of fresh talent.
"Instructor Zephyr! Why are we here?"
"That's a good question, Jeklik. It's almost Evolution Day in Piltover, the country's most important annual celebration."
During the celebrations, their king will showcase some of the latest inventions to the people, and the nation's royal guard will participate in the parade. It is also one of the few times that the nation's guardian mechs can be seen.
It is said that every year, a lucky person gets to board a mecha and experience what it's like to pilot one.
The area where we conducted our assessment happened to be nearby, which is why we brought you here to take a look.
The training camp only has instructors and trainees; even Zefa's own son wouldn't call him "father" here.
In previous years, Jeklik was at most an auditor, but this year he has joined the training camp as a full member.
Zephyr's training camp is held annually, but in addition to the training camp for adult naval personnel, there is also a youth training camp for the next generation of naval personnel.
Because of their young age, they need more time to learn. Jeklik is not the only one like this; 14-year-old Smoker and 12-year-old Tina are also members of the youth training camp.
"But this is also the busiest day in the country, and I'm not here to have fun with you."
Zephyr was also familiar with Piltover's national system, such as the fact that pirates could land peacefully if they obeyed the law. Similar unspoken rules existed in various islands and countries.
These pirates who crossed the ocean could bring economic activity and resources that their home countries lacked, but they could also cause turmoil.
If it were just a simple transaction, the countries along the route wouldn't react too strongly.
Neither the Navy nor the World Government can eliminate pirates, and they cannot force other countries to do the same.
Only a minority of countries have the capacity to provide a safety net.
While Piltover is usually governed by rules and regulations, pirates are prohibited from landing there for a period of time before the Evolution Day to ensure the smooth running of the festival.
However, pirates might not listen. If they can't land on Firefly Island to store the Log Pose's records, it means they'll have to find another place to replace the records stored in the Log Pose, which is very troublesome and dangerous.
In previous years, around this time, pirates would always try to provoke the island's military strength, but without exception, they all failed.
Zephyr bringing the training camp out for a paid vacation isn't the right thing to do; fighting pirates is the proper course of action. At most, he might have missed one due to unforeseen circumstances.
The Navy's landing was not difficult. In the Piltover Naval District, the 11th batch of cadets witnessed Steel Oars standing in waist-deep water and crushing a pirate ship with one hand.
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