Why are you doubting the words of Jesus?
You really are missing the point aren't you. Jesus said the thief on the cross was saved. What did he do? He acknowledged Jesus as the Christ ... He repented.
He was not baptized. So you have an example of a person in scripture which was saved but not baptized ... therefore baptism is not required for salvation. If you find one counterexample to a theory, the theory is not valid.
QED