Chapter 70: A Slave Contract? …Doesn’t Sound Too Bad

Ohara.

Aboard the Oro Jackson.

Ozz lounged on a chair, one leg crossed over the other, a straw poking from his lips as he sipped orange juice. A mischievous smile played on his face as he stared at the trembling girl before him little Robin.

She looked like she'd seen a ghost.

Ozz figured he might've left her with psychological scars for life.

In the kitchen, Nico Robin stood with shaking knees.

Beside her, Mihawk stood tall and motionless, his hawk-like eyes fixed coldly on the girl.

"So?" he asked flatly. "We throwing her off the ship?"

To Mihawk, Robin was no different from the rest of the people on the island. He felt nothing particular toward her.

The only reason he hadn't acted yet was because of Ozz.

The kid seemed… interested.

"Toss her overboard, huh… that is an option," Ozz drawled, deliberately stretching the words out, as if he were seriously considering it.

Robin's face went pale.

Memories surged:

Saul's sacrifice.

Her mother's final words.

The flames consuming Ohara.

And her own desperate will to survive.

Thump.

She dropped to her knees.

"Please! I beg you don't throw me off the ship! I'll do anything! Anything you ask, just please… spare my life!!"

Tears streamed down her face as she stared up at the towering young man before her, voice cracking:

"I want to live!!"

"Anything, huh?"

That line actually sparked Ozz's interest.

If she'd just stood there crying like a statue, he might've genuinely considered tossing her back to Ohara, just to see if fate would still favor her in the absence of Aokiji.

But since she was willing to say that… well, Ozz wasn't completely heartless.

And besides, a rather interesting idea had just popped into his head.

With a snap of thought, a piece of paper and a pen appeared in his hands.

He began writing swiftly.

Mihawk, arms crossed, glanced over with a flicker of curiosity until he saw what Ozz was scribbling.

His usually unreadable face twitched in surprise.

At the top of the paper were two large characters:

"Agreement."

But Mihawk read carefully, line by line… and realized:

This was a damn slave contract.

"You said you'd do anything to live, right?"

Ozz smiled sweetly, lacing his fingers together and watching her intently as he held out the paper.

Robin blinked, confused, and took it with trembling hands.

She began to read.

The further her eyes traveled down the page, the whiter her face turned.

The contract read, in essence:

Ozz Dotor, having saved the life of Nico Robin during the destruction of Ohara, shall reserve the right to claim her life as his own upon her reaching adulthood, to be exercised at his discretion.

He made no exceptions, no favoritism.

To him, Robin stood in the same place as Sami, Doflamingo, Mihawk, and even future crew members like Crocodile.

rescued, spared, protected…

And such a debt?

Was to be repaid over a lifetime.

Say what you will, but Ozz was consistent. Ruthless, perhaps but fair.

Robin, with her scholarly background and love of books, had no trouble understanding the document.

And that's what made it worse.

There was no mistaking it.

This was a contract… to become Ozz's personal slave.

She stared at the paper, legs giving out as she collapsed to the floor.

But she had no other choice.

Biting her lip, tears in her eyes, she signed her name at the bottom.

"…I understand. I'll repay the debt you've given me… for saving my life."

She held the contract out with both hands, bowing her head as she returned it to Ozz.

He glanced at it casually, smiled, and tucked it away in his coat.

Robin lowered her head and quietly moved toward the kitchen table. She grabbed a rag and began scrubbing the floor.

Just like she had done at her aunt's house.

"You don't need to do that,"

Mihawk's voice was cold as always, though not unkind.

"She's your responsibility, Ozz."

Though he didn't understand why Ozz had brought her aboard or how long she'd be allowed to stay,

Now that she was here, Mihawk treated her as one of the crew.

"Then… is there anything I can do?"

Robin asked timidly, glancing up at the cold-eyed swordsman.

Doing something anything was better than just waiting around in fear.

Mihawk looked down at her, arms folded, silent. The weight of his stare made her shrink slightly.

Then, after a pause, he finally said:

"…Wash the vegetables."

"…Huh?"

Ozz watched quietly as Robin began moving about the kitchen, following Mihawk's instructions.

Unlike the tall, pale beauty she would grow into, little Robin was dark-skinned and skinny, not particularly cute by any standard.

And unlike back on Roger's ship, Ozz wasn't planning to take on any new interns.

She wouldn't be staying long.

They'd drop her off in the next safe town they passed.

Taking another sip of orange juice, Ozz steered the Oro Jackson away from the cliffside.

As they left, his gaze lifted.

High above, just barely hidden behind a boulder, an enormous head peeked out awkwardly.

Ozz laughed and called out:

"Hey! Saul!!

I'm taking care of Nico Robin, so don't worry.

Say hi to Uncle Jabba for me, yeah?!!"

Back in the kitchen, Robin froze mid-wash.

Tears dripped silently from her eyes.

But her hands didn't stop moving. She kept washing the lettuce carefully, leaf by leaf.

Suddenly, a large hand reached toward her offering a napkin.

Robin blinked up in surprise.

Mihawk was standing there, face still unreadable.

"M-Mr. Mihawk…"

"Wipe your nose and tears. You're dripping on the food."

He handed her the napkin without further comment and turned back to chopping vegetables.

"See?"

A voice whispered beside her.

She turned.

Ozz was crouched next to her now, smiling.

"Little Hawk might look cold and stoic… but deep down, he's a softie."

Robin stared, stunned.

As Mihawk blushed slightly and swung his blade toward Ozz who vanished with a laugh and reappeared somewhere else.

For the first time, she felt something strange in her chest.

Looking down at the contract in her hands…

Maybe…

Maybe signing it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

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