The Grand Line, G7 Branch.
Inside the vast fortress hall, Sengoku fed a document into the mouth of his pet goat.
"I've called you here for a top-secret mission."
"The Buster Call."
Saulo looked on in disbelief.
"Initiate the Buster Call?"
Sengoku said, crossing his arms.
"Yes."
"It requires ten warships and five Vice Admirals to command."
"And you, Saulo, are one of them."
Saulo exclaimed in shock,
"They're just a group of scholars!"
"Why must it come to this!"
"All the people we've captured so far."
"In my eyes, they merely wish to understand true history!"
"If this research is truly that dangerous!"
"The Government should be assisting them!!!!"
"It's always been us killing people."
"Give me proof that they are purely evil!!!"
Sengoku furrowed his brows and scoffed,
"Are you doubting the Government?"
"Execute the order!!!"
He turned and left, leaving the stunned Vice Admiral Saulo behind.
G7 Branch, the prison.
*Thump...*
Saulo sat directly in front of the cell of the white-haired woman, Nico Olvia.
Olvia, her body covered in scars, lifted her head.
Saulo's low voice echoed,
"I... I want to hear your thoughts..."
----
The next day, G7 Branch.
The prison guards, knocked out by Saulo and now awake.
Seeing the empty cell, they rushed out.
And sounded the alarm...
*Bwooom— Bwooom— Bwooom—*
"Emergency!"
"Vice Admiral Saulo has escaped with a prisoner!!!"
"Quickly spread the word!!"
"Dispatch immediately to pursue them!!!"
"Quick!!!"
In the fortress hall, Sengoku addressed the gathered officers.
"That guy knows the entire plan for this operation."
"You must capture Saulo and Olvia."
"You may open fire if necessary."
He then waved them off to pursue.
Sengoku narrowed his eyes, gazing into the distance. That bastard...
----
Far from G7 Branch, to the point where it was no longer visible.
Two warships sailing side-by-side began to separate.
Saulo and Olvia each stood on one of the commandeered warships.
Olvia looked at Saulo on the opposite ship.
"Saulo, you can't be a Marine anymore."
Saulo looked in the direction of G7 Branch.
"It's alright..."
"I no longer believe in them."
"So I can't stay either."
"From a legal standpoint, this operation is too brutal."
"I was merely executing my own justice..."
"You should return to your hometown and inform them, Olvia!"
Olvia turned her back to Saulo.
"I won't thank you."
She turned and walked towards the helm. Navigation was not a problem for those with professional training...
Saulo stood on the other warship and grinned widely.
"Good luck!!"
"YOHOHOHOHO!"
----
The Grand Line.
Sakazuki, en route to rendezvous at G7 Branch, suddenly received a transmission.
Looking at the information on the paper, Sakazuki took a deep breath.
*Bang—*
The paper instantly turned into a fireball.
"Idiot!!"
"Living a lifetime and still acting like a dog."
"A respectable Marine Vice Admiral being brainwashed by a criminal."
"Does idiocy spread like a disease?"
Karol looked on with confusion.
"What happened?"
Sakazuki pressed his temples.
"Saulo said something to a Ohara criminal."
"And in the dead of night, he broke out with the Ohara criminal."
"It wasn't discovered until the next day."
Karol also had a dark expression.
"......This."
He no longer knew how to comment. With that kind of intelligence, he still claimed to be a sage among giants...
Sakazuki sighed in exasperation.
"Truly a malignant tumor."
"Is Koby's idiocy contagious...?"
"I..."
He suppressed the urge to curse, taking several deep breaths to quell his anger.
"Haa—"
"Don't go to G7 Branch."
"Head directly to the entrance of Reverse Mountain. See if you can intercept them."
"If not, wait for them to regroup there."
Karol replied,
"Yes."
----
The West Blue, Ohara.
Another day of being hated and bullied had ended.
Robin pushed open the door to her uncle's house.
"I'm back."
"I'm sorry I'm late."
But the dim interior and the shadows cast by the setting sun suggested that no one was home.
"Aunt Roji?"
Robin cautiously asked again, receiving no reply. She looked around.
Turning back, she closed the door and walked to the dining table, where a piece of paper stood.
She unfolded the paper, and its contents were revealed.
"To Robin."
"Today is our daughter's birthday."
"So the three of us are going out for a meal."
"There's still bread at home, so eat whatever you like."
"Remember, use less jam."
"Before we get back, you need to wash the dishes and clean the house."
"Then, bring in the clothes that have been drying."
"Finally, obediently go up to the loft on the second floor."
Robin put away the paper and picked up a piece of bread from the table.
She spread a little jam on it and ate in silence.
After she finished, she quickly began cleaning.
After an unknown amount of time...
The sunset was about to disappear.
And Robin was still kneeling on the floor, mopping.
As if recalling the harmonious family of three from earlier in the day, tears began to well up in her eyes.
The tears dripped onto the floor, only to be wiped away instantly...
Midnight.
Finally finished with her chores, Robin went out alone, heading towards the Tree of Knowledge.
Dr. Clover, who had been waiting for a long time, finally spotted Robin from the window.
"Robin's here!"
"Everyone to your positions!"
Before long, the grand doors of the Tree of Knowledge opened.
*Creeeak—*
"Good evening, Dr. Clover, I've come to return the books."
*Pata pata pata pata—*
The hidden scholars suddenly appeared.
They fired their small party poppers.
Then the lights came on, and the joyful crowd celebrated.
"Congratulations, Robin!"
"Amazing, Robin! You truly are a genius!"
"There's cake!"
Dr. Clover smiled with a benevolent expression.
"Robin, congratulations on getting a perfect score on your doctorate exam last time!"
"From today onwards!"
"You can call yourself an archaeologist!"
"From now on, you are one of us, and we will research together!"
"Here, this is proof of scholarship."
"Please accept it, Robin."
He then handed a golden medal to Robin.
Robin, with a look of longing, accepted and pinned it to her chest, while those around her offered their congratulations.
A moment later, as the atmosphere began to wane,
Dr. Clover cleared his throat.
"Alright, Robin."
"Now I will tell you what it truly means to be an archaeologist."
Robin nodded firmly, her clear voice ringing out.
"Yes!"
"Dr. Clover!"
Dr. Clover's expression turned serious.
"Knowledge is history."
"This Tree of Knowledge, which is five thousand years old."
"Stores countless documents and materials transported from all over the world."
"This is an irreplaceable treasure for all of humanity."
"This is the largest and oldest library in the world."
"Combined with the excellent archaeologists gathered here beneath the Tree of Knowledge."
"Through studying these books, there are no historical mysteries we cannot unravel."
"Do you understand, Robin?"
Robin replied cheerfully,
"I understand!"
Dr. Clover smiled and gently patted Robin's head.
"I hope that through studying various cultures in the future,"
"You will make your own contribution to the world."
Robin nodded firmly.
"Mmm!"
"Doctor, I want to uncover the mysteries of the Void Century."
Robin's words instantly drenched Dr. Clover's head in cold sweat.
"No! You are not allowed to research them!"
Robin looked confused.
"Why?"
"Don't we just need to study historical texts,"
"To know what happened during the blank century?"
Dr. Clover's expression was filled with tension.
"How do you know these things?"
"Did you use your abilities to sneak into the basement again?"
Seeing Robin's guilty expression, Dr. Clover was covered in sweat.
"You should know that deciphering historical texts is a crime, right?"
Robin turned her head away.
"But aren't everyone else also sneaking into the basement at night to research..."
Dr. Clover's heart jolted.
"Robin, how do you know about this too?"
"What's going on? Did you peek at this too?"
"Answer me! Robin!"
Robin looked up and said,
"Because even if I asked you, you wouldn't take me with you."
"That's why I want to become an archaeologist..."
"To be with everyone..."
Dr. Clover fell silent. After a moment, he crouched down.
"Robin, you are still a child."
"We have all prepared ourselves for the consequences, ready to lose our heads if discovered, and bravely continued our research."
"Ever since this matter became a forbidden law 800 years ago."
"Countless scholars have lost their lives for it."
"But in history, only our Ohara lineage has been able to decipher to this extent."
"We have no other path to retreat."
"I want you to swear to the Tree of Knowledge that you will never go near the basement again."
"Otherwise..."
"I will forbid you from entering the research institute and the library."
"Do you understand?"
Robin's tears welled up. She couldn't believe Dr. Clover was being so distant...
She pushed open the door and ran out. Those behind her wanted to stop her, but then they thought of something and didn't move.
Watching Robin disappear, Dr. Clover sighed.
A nearby scholar worriedly said,
"She has completely walked down the same path as her mother."
Dr. Clover's face was grim.
"She doesn't know what happened a few days ago."
"Robin's mother, Olvia, has been arrested."
"Her fate is predictable..."
"Sigh..."