Chapter 383: The Man on the Execution Platform

New Marineford.

The prison deep beneath the ground.

Whoosh!

Carlo and Robin arrived carrying boxes of desserts in their hands.

After the somewhat heavy conversation upstairs ended, Robin suggested meeting the little girl who could also decipher the "Poneglyphs."

And so, this scene came to be.

Robin glanced around at the surroundings. This was a small prison carved underground. The area was not large, with only a single cell in the center, though there were plenty of ventilation shafts and stairways.

Behind the bars of the central cell sat an orange-haired "girl" hugging her knees against the wall.

Although her appearance looked mature, it was only her body. Her expression and aura felt like that of a sleeping young girl, creating a strange sense of contradiction.

A few seconds after the two appeared, the orange-haired "girl’s" nose twitched slightly, as if she had smelled the sweets inside the boxes. She immediately opened her eyes in surprise.

"Whole Cake Island’s fresh chocolate and pudding!"

Looking outside the cell, it was obvious she had already become quite familiar with Carlo.

Carlo smiled and lightly shook the boxes in his hands. "They’re all your favorites."

He opened the cell door, walked inside, and placed them beside Pudding. Robin followed him in while quietly observing the orange-haired girl.

Pudding thanked him and accepted the boxes, but her gaze soon shifted toward Robin. A teasing smile appeared on her face as she looked at Carlo, clearly curious about his relationship with Robin.

The moment Carlo saw that look, he knew she was thinking about something improper. He helplessly shook his head. "What are you imagining? Hurry up and eat."

Pudding giggled and opened the boxes, her eyes lighting up with surprise. "So much food. What occasion is it today?"

The two dessert boxes were filled with various sweets from Whole Cake Island, big and small. Every single one was a flavor she liked.

But Carlo did not answer. Instead, he softly sighed.

Pudding’s hand, which had been reaching for her favorite Whole Cake Island pudding, paused almost imperceptibly. Then she acted as though nothing had happened, picked up the pudding, and took a bite.

Her face immediately filled with happiness, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "So good~"

Carlo nodded. "If you like it, then eat as much as you want. I specially went to Whole Cake Island to ’steal’ them for you."

The smile on Pudding’s face widened further as she nodded. "Don’t worry. I definitely won’t waste your kindness. I’ll eat every last bit."

The smile on her face never faded, but the speed at which she ate the desserts became faster and faster, as if she was desperately trying to suppress something with the sweetness...

But in the end, tears burst out uncontrollably and streamed down both sides of her face.

"Why..."

Pudding’s body trembled nonstop. After a long while, she suddenly raised her head. Her expression twisted as her tear-filled eyes stared fixedly at Carlo. Then she rushed forward and pounded against his body while crying hysterically.

"Why don’t you treat me like some ugly monster? Why can all of you treat me like a normal person?! Why do you call my disgusting eye beautiful?! Why!!!! Aren’t you Marines?! I’m a pirate! So why won’t you treat me like that?!?! Waaah!"

As if all strength had left her body, Pudding collapsed onto the ground while covering her face with both hands.

"Why..."

If they had treated her that way, then even death would not have left her unwilling. After all, ever since childhood, that kind of treatment and those vicious words had followed her throughout her life.

But none of that existed here...

Everything here was different from Whole Cake Island. There was no malice. People either treated her like a normal person or praised her beautiful eye.

Those were things she had never experienced before.

There were no schemes. No hateful people calling her an ugly monster.

Even though she had been captured and brought here, she had experienced a life that felt like something out of a dream she once fantasized about.

And she had sunk so deeply into it that she no longer wanted to wake up...

The underground prison remained silent for a long time. Only Pudding’s quiet sobbing could be heard.

No one knew how much time had passed.

As though she had cried out all her tears, Pudding raised her head and wiped her eyes. Then she suddenly smiled.

"Sorry, my emotions got a little unstable just now. The desserts were really delicious. Thank you."

She no longer looked at the two of them. Instead, she lowered her head and continued eating the desserts again, slowly and carefully...

Carlo silently placed a handkerchief beside her before turning around and leaving.

Robin’s mood also felt heavy. She deeply looked at the young girl once more before turning around and following after him.

The prison was sealed shut once again.

Only the faint sound of chewing remained.

Little by little, the desserts inside the boxes disappeared.

Pudding did not even leave behind a single crumb. In the end, she gently licked the cream from her fingers, picked up the handkerchief Carlo had left behind, and carefully wiped her hands and face clean before neatly putting it away.

Then she walked to the corner and leaned against the wall while staring blankly at the ceiling.

If she had gathered the courage back then and followed Lola when she left... maybe she could have experienced a life she had never imagined before. A life with both good and bad moments.

But no matter what kind of life it was, it probably would have been better than living on Whole Cake Island.

At the very least, there would not have been those endlessly amplified evils among pirates.

And if her luck had been just a little better... would the one standing beside Carlo today have been her instead...?

"You’re really fortunate, Nico Robin..."

That’s right. Pudding had recognized her.

Another person like herself who could decipher the Poneglyphs...

She remained leaning against the wall for a long time, lost in thought.

Eventually, Pudding slowly closed her eyes with a relieved expression and drifted into sleep, preparing herself to welcome tomorrow’s death.

No one knew what she dreamed about. But a faint smile slowly appeared at the corner of her lips...

* * *

The next day, noon.

The plaza of New Marineford was filled with rows upon rows of soldiers.

Their faces were filled with pride and fanatic devotion as they waited for that man to appear upon the execution platform.

The reporters who had rushed here overnight could not even bother resting. The cameras in their hands clicked nonstop because they did not want to miss even a single second.

On the execution platform, the Poneglyph that had once been embedded deep within the platform had now been moved onto a gigantic device after the platform’s expansion.

The reporters madly took photographs of it, wanting to capture as much as possible of this weapon capable of destroying the Poneglyphs.

Beside the massive device stood an orange-haired "girl" wearing shackles.

Both of her legs had been pierced and nailed onto the execution platform, yet her expression remained calm, as if she had already prepared herself mentally for everything.

As time slowly passed by, noon drew closer and closer.

When the clocks in the reporters’ hands finally struck twelve, an indescribable aura filled the heavens and earth. Everything on the island and before the visual Den Den Mushi fell into complete silence.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

The crisp sound of leather shoes echoed in everyone’s ears across the island.

Even the reporters standing far away could hear it clearly, like those footsteps were right beside them.

Every step shook people’s hearts. Their minds went blank, leaving them unable to think at all until...

Clack.

The footsteps stopped.

The indescribable pressure swept across everything, causing the crowd to suddenly regain their senses.

That figure, with the coat of Justice billowing behind him as if he alone was supporting the heavens and earth... had already appeared upon the execution platform!!!

**

** 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

**

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