Chapter 331: After modification: Chapter 32: Same Situation, Different Treatment
City of Seven Seas, near the Iceberg Residence.
Bang!
A short and loud gunshot was heard, and if Su Xiao were nearby, he would have recognized it as the sound of the Cowboy Hat Man’s gun.
The Cowboy Hat Man’s gun has a distinct sound, made unique by its rapid successive shots merging into one notable sound.
Seconds after the gunshot, a golden shadow of a large hammer, over ten meters in length, appeared. This hammer, with sharp edges, was aimed at the Iceberg Residence where the Cowboy Hat Man was present.
Boom!
The hammer hit with earth-shaking force, causing half of the Iceberg Residence to collapse, and the battle subsided.
Occasional traces of blood could be seen on the battlefield, but both the Cowboy Hat Man and the Crazy Healer had disappeared.
...
At 7:29 PM, in the backstreets of the City of Seven Seas, at the Franky Family location.
The building where the Franky Family resided was now in ruins, with Su Xiao standing among the debris, which was completely deserted.
This destruction wasn’t his doing, as it was already in this state when he arrived. Recalling the original story, this was likely caused by the Straw Hat Pirates.
In the original story, the Straw Hat Pirates possessed a huge sum of 300 million Belli, but their crew member Usopp lost 200 million of it, which was then seized by Franky’s underlings. Usopp suffered serious injuries, and later the Straw Hat Pirates came to find the Franky Family for revenge.
Franky himself wasn’t present, and his underlings were certainly no match for the Straw Hat Pirates, resulting in the current scene.
Sitting on a pile of rubble, Su Xiao lit a cigarette.
"Luffy, how long will it take for Franky to return?"
Luffy glanced at his pocket watch.
"At most ten minutes. According to the report below, Franky went to a nearby island this afternoon to purchase Adam’s Wood. Adam’s Wood is very scarce, and the timber takes days to be delivered. After ordering the wood, Franky will return to the City of Seven Seas."
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke. Franky was not as simple as a backstreet thug; his status in the City of Seven Seas was quite prominent.
All the wood used by the Galley-La Company was sold by Franky, and the timber business in the City of Seven Seas was a major lucrative market, which aroused a lot of envy.
Franky’s strength wasn’t weak, and all the money he earned was given to Iceberg, who used it to construct the City of Seven Seas, as the yearly destruction caused by the ’Gods of Water’ was unbearable for ordinary civilians.
The World Government discreetly conveyed that Iceberg should not be killed if possible, but Franky absolutely must not be killed.
Many could take Iceberg’s place, but Franky was irreplaceable in the City of Seven Seas, not to mention that Franky was the disciple of the legendary shipwright, Fishman Tom.
If Iceberg inherited the shipbuilding skills of Tom, then Franky inherited Tom’s weapon-making skills.
Franky was undoubtedly a genius. The stern cannon on the Straw Hat Pirates’ second ship, the Thousand Sunny, was actually a simplified version of the bow gun from the Ancient Weapon Pluto.
Franky didn’t understand ancient text, yet he was able to decipher the Pluto’s bow gun solely through a few sketches, a feat only a genius could accomplish.
Su Xiao looked at the darkening sky, glancing at Robin beside him, while Luffy and others were at a distance.
"Do you really think you can die on behalf of the Straw Hat Pirates?"
Su Xiao suddenly spoke, causing Robin to pause.
"What?" Robin looked at Su Xiao in surprise.
"I said you’re stupid."
This time Robin heard clearly, her brows furrowing.
"Say what you will, I am just a captive now."
"A captive, huh～."
Su Xiao chuckled lightly, placing his hand on Robin’s shoulder. He clearly felt Robin’s body tense up.
"If you are a captive, does that mean I can do whatever I want?"
Robin’s expression stiffened but quickly regained her composure. She sensed something was amiss, and after some thought, Robin moved closer to Su Xiao, nearly leaning into his embrace.
Luffy and the others saw this scene but said nothing.
"What do you intend to say? I feel you’re quite different from the CP9 members."
Robin’s eyes surveyed the surroundings. Despite Su Xiao previously killing in front of her, Robin instinctively felt that now was an opportunity.
"Apart from mastering ancient text, what else do you possess that the World Government covets? Don’t tell me it’s just the ancient text. The higher-ups among the Celestial Dragons must know that language; the ancient text was disrupted by them."
Robin remained silent, and Su Xiao continued:
"Just a day ago, I wasn’t with the World Government."
"Then you are..."
Robin looked at Su Xiao in confusion, her large eyes filled with bewilderment.
"The World Government covets my bomb-making technology, like what you just saw. No need to look at me like that, the Straw Hat Pirates’ members aren’t dead. If they died so easily, they couldn’t have reached the City of Seven Seas. Actually, I helped you. If it weren’t for my bombs, they might have been killed by Luffy and others, so you should thank me."
"Uh～." Robin tilted her head, looking at Su Xiao, feeling something was off.
"Thank you? Are you joking?"
"Yes, you should thank me."
Su Xiao quickly processed thoughts in his mind. During this brief conversation, he sensed that Robin might have ’Cotard’s syndrome.’
The so-called ’Cotard’s syndrome’ is a bizarre mental state where, if someone asks if you’ve ever died, and your instinctive response is that you have, then congratulations, you have ’Cotard’s syndrome.’ But don’t worry, it’s not abnormal; it’s merely a mental state that will disappear once you adjust your mindset.
The most notable characteristic of ’Cotard’s syndrome’ is denying one’s right to live. Only those who have had near-death experiences or crave death will exhibit such symptoms.
Robin currently is in such a state, with other features such as mild paranoia and a slight Masochistic syndrome.
The Masochistic syndrome, in particular, is quite interesting; it’s the M in S/M, the masochistic side.
Of course, Robin isn’t a masochist; she’s merely subconsciously craving death while yearning for others to harm her. Once her ’Cotard’s syndrome’ mental state dissipates, the ’Masochistic syndrome’ will also vanish.
Su Xiao had previously studied psychology, and now Robin seemed to be wholly desiring death, unwilling to think about anything else, significantly diminishing her intelligence.
If using Robin’s words, it would be: ’I’m about to die; why think about those things?’
Su Xiao’s smile became increasingly broad, while Bubu Wang at his feet bristled, never having seen its master smile so broadly before.
Bubu Wang glanced at Robin and then rested its chin on its front paws, taking a drag from Su Xiao’s second-hand smoke and letting out a long sigh. Bubu Wang had a feeling this woman might be deceived.
Ignoring Bubu Wang’s thoughts, Su Xiao whispered in Robin’s ear: "We both have something the World Government desires, so why have you ended up in such a predicament?"
Robin bowed her head in thought, her eyes lighting up after a while.
"Because... I have weaknesses."
"Yes, you have weaknesses—the Straw Hat Pirates. By the way, let me tell you something. Don’t mind how these special agents treat me currently with respect, but once I reach Enies Lobby, I will never be able to leave."
Su Xiao was well aware of Luffy and the others’ attitude toward him. The first reason was the World Government’s orders, and the second was his prowess, aiding their plans considerably.
Yet once reaching Enies Lobby, he wouldn’t be offered the same leeway. The World Government would try every method to seize his technology, and upon discovering that no one else could replicate alchemy bombs, he would gain his rightful standing.
Even if he gained status, he wouldn’t dream of leaving Enies Lobby; the World Government would never allow it.
Su Xiao didn’t care about leaving Enies Lobby; all that mattered to him was being able to move freely within it.