Chapter 49: Keep Screaming ‘Monster’, and I’ll Make You…

No one knew how long had passed before Rosinante slowly regained consciousness.

As he gradually opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a little girl standing quietly beside him. She was watching him with wide, curious eyes, a hint of wonder playing across her innocent face.

"Nico Robin?" Rosinante blinked in surprise.

He recognized her instantly—this little girl was none other than Robin from her childhood days.

"You know me? Have we met before? I don't remember ever seeing you," Robin asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion at hearing her name from a stranger.

"So it really is Nico Robin… which means this place is Ohara." Rosinante slowly got up, his body aching, but his tone soft. "Did you save me, little one?"

He didn't answer her question directly. What was he supposed to say? That he recognized her because he had watched her in an anime in a past life?

"Yes, this is Ohara," Robin nodded. "I saw you passed out on the shore and dragged you back. I just patched you up a little… it wasn't really saving you."

"Well, I'm still grateful," Rosinante said, patting her gently on the head. "It must've been hard getting me here."

"Not at all. I'm a monster, after all," Robin said calmly, not flinching away from the head pat. With a small wave of her hand, petals fluttered around, and an extra hand appeared out of thin air.

"Haha, that's no monster," Rosinante chuckled. "That's a Devil Fruit ability—something many people across the seas dream of having. If that makes you a monster, then I must be a great monster, since I'm also a Devil Fruit user."

"You can make hands appear too?" Robin asked in amazement.

"Not quite. Devil Fruits grant all kinds of powers, and each fruit is unique. The one you ate is the Hana Hana no Mi—'Flower-Flower Fruit.' Mine is the Silence Fruit. It allows me to suppress all sound," Rosinante explained with a smile.

"That sounds... useless," Robin bluntly remarked.

"Abilities aren't about how flashy they are. It's about how well you can develop them," Rosinante sighed, rolling his eyes. "There's a saying—'There are no useless Devil Fruits, only useless users.' Even the Silence Fruit, if mastered, can have unimaginable uses."

"Hehe, don't worry. I won't make fun of you," Robin giggled.

"Yeah, yeah. Not like you'd understand even if I explained the rest," Rosinante muttered.

"By the way, how did you end up passed out on the beach?" Robin asked curiously. "Did pirates attack you? Or did you get caught in a storm?"

"I think... I pushed myself too far," Rosinante said with a wry smile.

He really had overdone it this time. In order to test the full effects of his 'Attack Release' ability, he had gone all out—unrestrained and reckless—in a battle against Kaido.

Yes, that Kaido.

By the time he realized things had gone sideways and tried to retreat, it was already too late. Kaido, the so-called "Strongest Creature Alive," wasn't someone you could just walk away from once the fight began—especially not when Rosinante had lost his aerial advantage.

All he could do was fight tooth and nail, using his Recovery Seal to hold his injuries in check. He managed to survive, barely.

But the battle had pushed his wounds far beyond what he expected. The injuries sealed within him were already at their limit—if he didn't take time to rest and recover, they could erupt at any moment and overwhelm him.

So, Rosinante made a decision.

He would stay in Ohara for a while.

First, because of his injuries—sailing in his condition was too risky. If anything happened out at sea and his wounds broke through the seal, it could mean death.

Second, because Robin had saved him. He owed her. Without this chance meeting, Rosinante wouldn't have gone out of his way to help her—even if she was an important character in the original story. But fate had crossed their paths, and she'd pulled him from death's door.

He couldn't just stand by and watch her suffer the same cruel fate as in the original timeline. At the very least, he would ensure her mother survived. That would be enough to repay her.

Not long after, Rosinante built a small wooden cabin in the forest behind Ohara and began his recovery there.

…

Robin sat alone in the woods, reading with intense focus.

Books had always been her world. Since childhood, she had loved reading. And because of her powers, ignorant villagers labeled her a "monster" and avoided her. Without friends, she had buried herself in the world of knowledge.

"Hey, there's Robin!"

"Let's teach that freak a lesson!"

Just as she was immersed in her book, several childish voices came from the bushes. She turned in time to see a tomato flying at her face.

Before she could dodge, smack!—it hit her squarely on the forehead. Juice splattered over her clothes and face.

"Haha! Bullseye!"

"Eww! Stupid monster!"

"You're disgusting!"

"Monster!" "Monster!" "Monster!" The words echoed again and again.

Annoyed at having her peaceful reading ruined—and tired of these brats calling her that name—Robin had had enough.

With a graceful wave, petals swirled, and several small arms formed in the air, slapping the offending child lightly on the head. Not enough to hurt—just enough to teach a lesson.

"Waaaah! The monster hit me!"

"So scary!" The kids ran off crying.

"Just you wait!" one of them shouted while fleeing.

Robin calmly wiped the tomato juice off her forehead and went back to her book.

A short while later, heavy footsteps approached.

"Hey, you!" a furious voice rang out.

Robin looked up to see a middle-aged woman glaring at her.

"My child came home crying, saying you hit him for no reason! Don't ever go near my child again!" she barked angrily.

Robin glanced to the side and saw the same bratty kids from before sticking out their tongues and making faces at her.

"…Say something, will you?" the woman snapped, growing more agitated at Robin's silence. "You're such an unpleasant little freak!"

Robin silently closed her book and started to rise.

"That's enough," a calm voice cut in. "Before you go lecturing someone else's kid, maybe raise your own properly first."

Rosinante walked over slowly.

"Big Brother Rosinante!" Robin's eyes lit up with surprise.

"Who the hell are you?" the woman demanded. "My child did nothing! That little monster bullied him!"

"Oh, here we go again with the 'monster' talk," Rosinante said, scratching his head in irritation. "You ignorant lot are so damn annoying. You don't even understand what a Devil Fruit is—it's a treasure of the sea. A single Devil Fruit can be worth a hundred million or even billions of Berries."

"O-One hundred million Berries?" the woman gasped. To her, that was a number beyond comprehension.

"Also, you really shouldn't go around calling people 'monsters,'" Rosinante said coldly. "It really ticks me off. You wanna see what a 'monster' can really do?"

A chilling aura began to radiate from Rosinante's body, his killing intent rising just enough to make a point.

To a common woman, even that faint pressure was unbearable. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, trembling.

"If I ever hear the word 'monster' from any of you again... I'll show you what one is. Now get lost."

"Y-Yes!!" she stammered, scooping up her child and stumbling away in terror, tripping multiple times as she ran for the town.

Rosinante had originally wanted to give her a real lesson. With his power, he could've easily rendered her mute for life. But in the end, he held back. There was no point arguing with an ignorant fool. Besides… in the near future, these people might not even survive.

Robin watched the flustered woman run off and, for the first time in a long while, let out a genuine laugh.

"Hehehe…" she chuckled, feeling immensely satisfied.

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