"Silver hair..."
Crocodile's gaze hadn't left Kong Tai since he appeared. He took a drag from his cigarette, pinched the cigar, and said to Kong Tai, "What exactly are you here for?"
"What am I here for?"
Kong Tai retracted his gaze from Vivi, reaching for his wine gourd.
*Pop—!*
He bit down on the mouthpiece, tilted his head back, his throat working.
*Gulp, gulp, gulp!!*
The wine went down.
"Burp—!"
He put down the wine gourd, exhaled a breath of alcoholic vapor, and belched. Only then did he lower his head to look at Crocodile.
Why did this guy not have the same imposing aura as in the anime?
Was he feeling intimidated and scared facing him?
He rubbed his chin in thought, then mockingly asked Crocodile, "You ask what I'm here for?"
Crocodile frowned, taking two more harsh drags of his cigarette.
Through the smoke, he looked at Kong Tai, seeing the mockery in his eyes.
He didn't need to ask; he already knew the answer.
Since he knew the answer, the only thing left was to fight.
With that thought, he raised his hand, a fierce glint in his eyes, about to order his subordinates.
"No rush."
Kong Tai looked at Crocodile, his hand stopping the words about to leave his lips. He turned his head, looking at Robin, who stood to the side. A smile played on his lips, and he said, "Yo! Beautiful lady, why are you with our side?"
As he spoke, he jumped off the camel, wine gourd in his left hand, and took another swig.
"Robin."
Crocodile only now realized Robin hadn't approached him. He lowered his hand, turning his head to stare coldly at Robin.
What was this woman planning?
Was she thinking of betraying him again upon seeing someone powerful?
Just like all her previous betrayals.
Robin looked up, meeting Kong Tai's gaze, her eyes devoid of any fear.
The corners of her mouth curved slightly, and she chuckled, "Young man, I'm not Crocodile's subordinate! He and I have always been collaborators. I know my strength might be like an ant that you can crush at any moment, but I still want to survive. I still have a dream to fulfill, so I don't want to get involved in your conflict."
As she spoke, her smile faded, and she stared at Kong Tai, saying, "Can you spare my life? While I'm not afraid of death, there are too many people's hopes resting on me. If I must die, then so be it, but not so easily here."
From the moment Kong Tai appeared, she knew Crocodile stood no chance against him. She had met Admirals, Vice Admirals, and even the Seven Warlords.
Kong Tai gave her the feeling of...
unfathomable depth.
More composed, more confident, and more powerful than anyone she had ever met.
To describe Kong Tai in her eyes, in two words:
"Invincible."
An invincible aura, invincible confidence.
This was also why she hadn't joined the other high-ranking agents by Crocodile's side.
She had hesitated before, but now, there was no hesitation at all.
"Interesting."
Kong Tai stared at Robin, a red light flashing in his eyes. His special Observation Haki instantly swept across the entire battlefield.
On this battlefield, besides them, only four presences were white, representing kindness. Most of the others were black, representing evil, with a small portion being gray, representing chaos.
Crocodile, among the evil presences, was the strongest, so black it was almost red.
Even though he seemed decent in the anime later on, he was a complete villain.
"Hahahaha!!"
The red light in Kong Tai's eyes vanished. He looked at Robin and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Interesting, interesting, interesting."
Three reasons for "interesting."
First, Robin had made a wise decision.
Second, Robin truly lived up to Aokiji sparing her when she was a child.
Third, after experiencing so much darkness from childhood, Robin had managed not to fall into it. To Kong Tai, this was more meaningful and beautiful than an ordinary life!
Kong Tai tilted his head back and took a drink of wine. He lowered his head, looking at Robin, and chuckled, "Alright! For showing me such beautiful human radiance, I can let you leave. Go on!"
Robin stared at Kong Tai, seeing that he wasn't joking. A smile gradually spread across her face. She said nothing, turned, and walked to the side.
However, she didn't leave, instead standing there to watch the show.
Crocodile had remained silent while Kong Tai and Robin spoke. He suppressed his anger and, after they finished, shouted at Robin, "Nico Robin, are you truly betraying me? Have you thought about the consequences? Remember, only I can protect you."
Robin glanced at Crocodile, her eyes filled with calm. She averted her gaze, not answering Crocodile's question.
Betrayal...
So what if she betrayed him?
Her twenty-odd years drifting on the sea had been spent in betrayal and being betrayed.
After so many years, she had long grown accustomed to being alone, accustomed to solitude.
In her heart, being alive was already the greatest gift from heaven.
She dared not hope for anything more.
Of course, if she could decipher history, that would be even better.
"Gulp, hahahaha!!"
Seeing Robin's attitude, Crocodile knew her answer. He furiously bit his cigar in half, stared at Robin, and laughed with rage, "Good, good, good! Good!!"
"Stupid woman, I'll make you pay for betraying me."
With that, he turned to glare at Kong Tai, fierce light flashing in his eyes.
It was this guy who had ruined everything for him, and now he had made his collaborator betray him.
He raised his hand and shouted, "Attack! Tear them to shreds!"
"Argh..."
The Baroque Works goons instantly seemed to be injected with adrenaline. They raised their weapons, glaring at Kong Tai's group with fierce eyes.
What if the other side was a pirate with a bounty of 1.5 billion?
They had indeed been startled by Kong Tai's sudden appearance earlier.
But they had recovered now.
With so many of them, so many weapons, and a Warlord, could they be afraid of just a few people like the silver-haired group?
They could drown the silver-haired group with just one spit each.
"Maa maa maa!! How scary!"
Kong Tai stared at the countless pairs of fierce eyes behind Crocodile and flinched.
He hung his wine gourd back on his waist, wiggled his hands in front of him, and took a few steps back, exclaiming in mock terror, "Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous!"
As he spoke, he glanced at Ah Hua and the others, dismounted from the camel, and gave them a meaningful look.
"Mhm!"
Ah Hua and the other two instantly understood.
Ah Hua jumped out, exaggeratedly asking Kong Tai, "Kong Tai, are you alright!"
Kong Tai retracted his gaze, looking at the distant crowd, and stammered, "W-w-w..."
As he spoke, he stood up straight, spun around in place, and raised his hands.
"Not at all!"
Ah Hua and the other two quickly cooperated, shouting, "So you're alright!"
"Hahahaha!!"
Guina watched Kong Tai and his group's performance with a smile.
Meanwhile, Huo Niao and the other two retreated behind the camel, setting up their cameras to film.
Of course, he didn't film Kong Tai and Ah Hua's actions. If he filmed that, he was afraid Kong Tai would seek retribution later.