Longinus is well aware that the marines and pirates are not different in some ways in terms of nature.
In the pirates, strength is always in the first place with more authority and wealth, or else it is just fat in the eyes of the wolves.
As for the Marine, let's say the original path of the world, Fujitora, and Ryokugyu did not have merit and overriding the two candidates for Admiral, Momousagi, and Tokikake directly promoted to Admiral, which is the best proof of strength prevails over everything.
And in addition to strength, their own faction power is the most crucial part.
All pirates are well aware that only one person is unable to become the Pirate King, so even strong as the Yonkō (future) is also constantly recruiting in the New World.
And as in the future era of the Ōka Shichibukai, Hawk-Eye is perhaps the strongest in the Ōka Shichibukai, but at the same time is the most undeterred one.
Because, even if they really offended him, as long as the one hiding in the sea, without having his own forces, Hawk-Eye is actually hard to find the other party.
The same is true in the Marine. Everyone ignores Kizaru when competing for the Fleet Admiral because, in addition to the fact that Kizaru is not interested, it is also because he does not have any factional support in the Marine.
Therefore, Longinus, who has ulterior ambitions, has been working on creating his own G2 faction since two years ago.
He has never even given up the idea of going to the headquarters' boot camp. In addition to getting formalized teachings, he also wants to build up his power in that camp in a subtle way.
Longinus, who has memories of foreign souls, is naturally clear about the future of those boot camp members for his help, the same way that Chiang Kai-shek's first bucket of gold1) came from the Whampoa Military Academy2).
...
Longinus, who continued to play his own shining image, did not stay too long and soon went along with the information he had found, heading for the center of the pirates' meeting.
Although he knew the little girl who escaped, the chance is that the future Queen of Knowledge Robin, but Longinus did not plan to search for her on purpose.
After all, as a Marine "hero", he could not make the idiotic move of hiding a top criminal from the government, which is no different from open and honest treason.
As for capturing Robin to the government, Longinus also did not have that kind of boring idea. On the one hand, who knows whether those ruthless CP units will kill people. On the other hand, he did not want to offend Aokiji, who was feeling guilty because of the death of his friend.
So, perhaps the best outcome is to pretend not to know anything!
The place where they hid the slaves was the festival venue's backstage. Felix had thought that this kind of mixed place would be more suitable for trading, but he sadly overlooked the point that it would also be more difficult to find the trade goods after they escaped.
At the moment, the pirates who are pacing around back and forth are a little anxious. They all know very well the captain's regard for that little girl.
In addition to her great price, it is more of a source for their captain to hook up with those huge names. Their captain even went out of his way to bring most of his battle force to fight other large pirates in the battle for this reason.
All of them would have to go to the gallows if they couldn't find the runaway slaves before their captain returned.
"Damned scumbags! It's been so long and you still haven't found it?"
"Captain Kinu, we've turned this venue upside down, but we still haven't found any trace of that brat! I heard that the brat is especially good at hiding and escaping. I suspect that... she has escaped after eating the captain's Devil Fruit!"
"Idiot, loser, our men have long blocked all the entrances. That brat only just ate the Devil Fruit, do you really think she will have much stamina to start her ability?" The man in black at the head of the group sternly rebuked.
"Moreover, you also said she is very good at hiding and escaping. Since we have searched everywhere else, maybe... she is hiding under our noses right now!"
"Captain Kinu, this... is unlikely, isn't it? That brat has the guts to do this?"
"Humph! Even if she dared to steal the captain's Devil Fruit, do you think she has the guts? Quickly find it for me, search the area inside and out!"
Hina, who was secretly watching, asked in a whisper: "Longinus-nii, do you think that little beggar really dares to come back here?"
Longinus is also looking surprised. In his powerful sense of Kenbunshoku Haki, Robin's small body is not hiding. What is this? There is no need for a more careful approach?
"Not only is she back here, but... is making a crazy move!"
"A crazy move?" The bright Hina quickly grasped the situation and covered her small mouth in shock, "She wants to free the other slaves?"
Longinus nodded. It seems that Robin is not too badly hunted for too long. There is still a lot of human kindness left in her heart.
It is a pity that she does not know that even if ninety-nine percent of the people in this world are good, they cannot resist the darkness of one percent!
"Somebody help! Come on, someone! That thief has escaped back!" A sharp scream woke up the pirates quickly. They didn't have time to clear their minds and hurriedly grabbed their weapons to block the doorway where the slaves were kept.
"Is this..." Hina looked at Longinus with disbelief, unable to believe her ears.
"There is never a shortage of idiots in this world. There are even more idiots who want to harm others even at the cost of themselves." Longinus gently nodded his head to affirm her guess.
Outside the temporary cage to hold the slaves, Robin's small face turned pale when listening to the outside world's noise and seem a bit at a loss. She is no more than an 8-year-old child. The nightmarish event half a year ago has left her mentally exhausted. The betrayal and deceit she has encountered in recent times have left her on the verge of collapse.
Despite this, she is also brave enough to return here in the hope of saving the others because she knows that her escape will make those poor people suffer the wrath of the pirates.
Now, with her kindness torn to shreds and sinking slowly into the abyss, she stands alone. Her thin body looks so helpless that she's not even going to bother asking the person who exposed her why she did it.
The other slaves in the cage also have tumbled into hell. They stare at the one who spoke out before with eyes of hatred.
It was a little boy who looked not much older than Robin.
"Why are you doing this? Are you crazy?" The slave in the cage asked like a madman.
"You can't escape, you'll definitely be killed if you get caught!"
"It's your business if you don't want to escape, so why destroy our hope of escape?"
The little boy's naïve face was actually showing a hint of distorted malice, "No, why can you run away? It's not fair, you all have to stay with me!"
The other slaves were also stunned by this odd logic, and it took them a long time to come back to their senses, "You little son of a bitch! It's obvious that you're the one who doesn't want to escape..."
"I don't care, since I don't dare to escape, you guys don't want to escape either!" As he listened to the slowly agitated reaction from the outside world, the little boy seemed to find his own strength and responded toughly, "You'd better all shut up! If you dare to curse me one more time, be careful I'll report to those pirates in charge that you're in cahoots with that thief!"
"Who are you to say she is a thief? Robin did it to save us..."
"She's a selfish, self-serving thief, and it's because of her that we're in fear. And, if she really wanted to save us, why didn't she give us that magical power as well."
The little boy looked at Robin with jealous upset eyes, "If... if I also have her kind of power, I will not dare to run away. Now this situation is all her fault!"
Translator:
1) The "first bucket of gold" refers to the first time an individual or enterprise earns more money in a business venture, which is the foundation and capital of the initial stage of the business. Due to the widespread popularity of the "first bucket of gold", its meaning and usage have gone far beyond the economic sphere. It refers to money and the political sphere where it has been extended to political power, just like Chiang Kai-shek's influence in Whampoa Military Academy.
2) Whampoa Military Academy is the military academy of the Republic of China established by Sun Yat-sen in Guangzhou in 1924 and funded by the Soviet Union and later known as the Republic of China Military Academy located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.