"Little Gold, wake up…"
"Little Gold, please wake up…"
Inside Little Gold's body, Robin fought back her panic, waiting until Doflamingo's figure vanished into the clouds before hurriedly trying to rouse her companion.
But the sudden blast of Conqueror's Haki had shattered Little Gold's consciousness. He would not wake for some time.
His body continued plummeting from the sky at frightening speed.
"Not good…"
In the dizzying spin of freefall, Robin clung desperately to the window frame inside the castle, barely managing not to be flung out. She could only watch helplessly as the ground rushed closer and closer.
Bang!!
The castle within Little Gold's body jolted violently, then rolled several times.
"A-are we… okay?"
Robin rubbed her cheek, now bruised purple from the impact, and peered out the castle's window.
They had landed on the coast of Spider Miles, right at the edge of the port city—amid heaps of rusting scrap iron.
Little Gold had crashed hard, his feathers ruffled, but otherwise seemed intact. At least, Robin's greatest fear—that he would be smashed to pieces—had not come to pass.
"It seems that after eating the Castle-Castle Fruit, Little Gold's body has become much sturdier."
Relief washed over her. At least he hadn't fallen into the sea—if that had happened, he would surely have drowned.
Quickly regaining her composure, Robin used the Flower-Flower Fruit to scatter eyes across the area as a defensive perimeter. Then a chilling realization struck her.
"Oh no—Brother Yahn!"
She snatched up the Den Den Mushi and called immediately.
The moment the line connected, Robin didn't wait for Yahn to speak. She blurted everything out in a rush:
"Brother Yahn, while Little Gold and I were watching Spider Miles from above the clouds, Doflamingo suddenly passed right by us! He unleashed Conqueror's Haki—Little Gold was knocked out cold, and we crashed down on the coast!"
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
Yahn's expression darkened. Of all the possibilities, he hadn't expected this—that in such a vast sky, Doflamingo would just so happen to pass Little Gold, and even bother to use Conqueror's Haki on a bird.
"Wait… Robin. If he knocked out Little Gold with Conqueror's Haki, then how are you still conscious?" Yahn asked, puzzled.
"I… I don't know," Robin admitted, confused. "I felt that spiritual shock too, but… the pressure didn't seem unbearable."
"…Huh?"
Yahn was taken aback.
Robin was only fourteen. Even a weak burst of Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki should have been enough to overwhelm a girl her age. Yet she had withstood it.
The only difference between Robin and an ordinary girl was…
The Resurrección — Brujería.
"Could it be… when she was granted the Hollow Zanpakutō, it not only gave her special abilities, but also altered her soul and spirit?"
"That would explain why she could withstand the shock of Conqueror's Haki so easily."
Muttering to himself, Yahn realized something he had never considered before—
The Hollow Zanpakutō must share a resonance with his own Zanpakutō — Soul-Cutting Blade/Soul Cutter Sword. Its power, he now suspected, was tied deeply to the soul and spirit.
Robin, hearing his faint murmurs through the Den Den Mushi, asked softly:
"Brother Yahn, what should I do now? According to the plan, after Little Gold and I confirmed things in Spider Miles, we were supposed to follow and back you up."
"It's fine, don't worry." Yahn's tone was calm, almost light.
"Just stay hidden. Whatever happens, don't let the Donquixote Family officers discover you."
"Understood. I'll stay inside Little Gold's castle. On the outside, he's just an ordinary bird anyway."
After reassuring her, Yahn ended the call. But his face grew grim.
So—it was true.
That bastard Doflamingo hadn't given up at all. Though he agreed on the surface, he was trailing behind personally.
And worse—by sheer coincidence, he had knocked out Little Gold.
This was troublesome beyond measure.
For secrecy, Yahn had traveled alone this time. His only escape route was Little Gold. With the bird unconscious, he was essentially trapped on this deserted island.
Even if he contacted the Revolutionary Army for rescue, it would be too late.
And if, during negotiations with the Donquixote Family, his strength or weaknesses were exposed, he risked facing their full might head-on.
His earlier easygoing tone with Robin had been nothing but a mask.
To be blunt—this island might very well become Yahn's grave.
What to do?
Hidden within an underground cavern, Yahn weighed his options.
Stay in hiding, refuse to appear?
But if Doflamingo grew suspicious, he might just scour the entire island until nothing was left unturned.
Escape before Doflamingo arrived?
Yahn imagined drifting lost at sea—or worse, falling into it. His gut twisted with loathing.
That was the one thing he hadn't lied about to Fleet Admiral Sengoku—
He truly hated the ocean.
When he had first crossed into this world, still a child, he'd been stranded at sea for days, hovering on the edge of death. Ever since, he had despised seawater with every fiber of his being.
Its briny sting, its suffocating weight—he had sworn never to touch it again.
"No… I'll have to stick to the original plan. I just hope Doflamingo doesn't push me into the sea."
He muttered to himself and began preparing.
Before long, his wide-reaching Observation Haki detected a ship sailing directly toward the island.
With Robin's reminder, he focused his senses into the skies behind the vessel—and quickly located Doflamingo as well.
The ship docked at the island's edge.
Trebol disembarked alone, his bloated frame and grotesque features unmistakable. Behind him, he dragged a cart shrouded beneath a black cloth.
Nervously, he made his way toward the island's center.
Yet no trace of the mysterious Hueco Mundo appeared.
Trebol gulped, then shouted aloud:
"Hueco Mundo Organization! Where are you?!"
The instant his words fell—
Boom!
A deafening roar shook the island, and the ground trembled violently as if the earth itself were about to split apart.