"Advance! Twenty paces!" As the pirates scattered, Alistair gave the order to attack.
"Spread out! Attack in squads!"
The pirates' casualties had reached a critical point. Disorganized groups typically routed after 10% casualties, but these pirates, from different crews, misjudged the situation.
When casualties reached 15%, they realized they couldn't win, but still believed they could escape.
The island was large; the revolutionaries couldn't stay in Mock Town forever. They could escape into the forest, where the revolutionaries couldn't pursue them. They wouldn't send troops into the jungle for guerrilla warfare.
Just as it was difficult for the Marines to find pirates at sea, it would be difficult to find them in the forest.
Escaping the town meant safety.
Nico Robin thought the same.
As an archaeologist with a 79 million Berry bounty, she was perfectly at home here.
Where pirates gathered, Marines were scarce. Whether she was Crocodile's partner or simply surviving in a pirate town, the principle was the same.
She wasn't the child she once was. Now, with sufficient strength, she was a formidable fighter. Her ability to manifest arms from unexpected places made her a skilled assassin. If CP9 hadn't been on the verge of mastering Haki, she might have won a fight against them.
Most of Mock Town's inhabitants were small-fry. Bellamy the Hyena, while strong, was just a pawn of Donquixote Doflamingo. Whether Doflamingo even remembered him was questionable.
Van Augur was unknown, awaiting a master. The others were no match for her.
If Alistair hadn't arrived, she would have stayed for a year or two before joining Crocodile—who would have the means to manipulate a nation's politics by then.
Joining him then would allow her to study the poneglyphs.
But now, Mock Town was a good place, better than Whiskey Peak.
Only unexpected guests had arrived.
She blended into the crowd, cloaked, but sensed something and stopped, instinctively moving into a side alley, crossing her arms, closing her eyes. Eyes sprouted on the chests of the fleeing pirates.
She saw the leading pirates thrown to the ground. A large woman at the entrance, without moving, transformed her hair into snakes, biting the pirates and throwing them back into Mock Town.
Who were they? Nico Robin's face changed. They had no markings or tattoos, not looking like pirates. Except for their unusual clothing, they were unidentifiable. When did two such powerful fighters appear?
Naturally, the Kuja Pirates, due to Hancock's early acceptance of the Shichibukai position, only had Hancock with a bounty—a ridiculously low 80 million Berries.
Just like Crocodile's 80 million.
Just like Gecko Moria's 320 million.
No one else in the Kuja Pirates had a bounty; they could raid without attracting attention.
No one knew how strong her sisters, officers, crew, and Amazonian warriors were.
Advanced Armament Haki techniques were common among the Kuja warriors!
Compared to them, Mock Town's pirates were infants, blindly entering a den of wolves.
Few escaped the Shichibukai, let alone victorious.
Crocodile was a tyrant; Moria was the opposite extreme. Currently, the strongest Shichibukai were Hancock's Kuja Pirates and the Donquixote Family.
Marigold used Haki and her hair to incapacitate the pirates; no one could withstand a single blow. She threw them back, yawning.
Nico Robin was anxious but didn't act, subtly shifting her position, using her ability to place eyes on another group of fleeing pirates.
Another terrifyingly large woman was knocking pirates unconscious.
Was the seemingly strongest entrance the easiest escape route?
Nico Robin silently judged, becoming less anxious. The pirates were still there; there would be another counterattack. Once they realized escape was impossible except through the main gate, they would make a final push.
Then, there might be a weakness.
Twenty-five-year-old Nico Robin wasn't the naive girl she once was. Now, she was cunning and ruthless, trusting no one, never surrendering easily.
Even if surrendering, she wouldn't do so among so many pirates; she would fetch a good price.
This was her survival strategy.
The battle continued; it was truly a war, thought the girl from Ohara who survived the Buster Call.
Without cannons or Marine Vice Admirals, the revolutionaries were more terrifying than the Marines. Their formation allowed them to fight like a hundred, requiring ten times as many pirates—a thousand—to break through.
But the pirates were like startled birds; few were left with fighting strength. They would eventually be eliminated.
Finally, the gunfire ceased.
No counterattack? Nico Robin was surprised. She had planned to escape during the final counterattack, but… the pirates had been defeated?
"Oh! A young lady. Are you a pirate?" A voice from above made Nico Robin instinctively raise her hands to defend.
But considering the situation, she relaxed.
"I am Nico Robin. I wish to speak with your leader." She raised her head, revealing herself, looking at the person on the roof.
____________________
for more advance chapters visit my p@treon
[email protected]/kane45
Casual Reader - 20 Advance Chapters
Intermediate Reader - 40 Advance Chapters
Expert Reader - 60 Advance Chapters