Sakazuki shook his head, casting those thoughts aside.
It was still too early, everything was just beginning.
Then he remembered the gift he needed to give to Carol.
He turned towards the bookshelf.
He took down a long saber wrapped in red cloth.
He handed it to Carol.
Sakazuki chuckled:
"This is a gift for you."
Carol took the long saber wrapped in red cloth.
She gently caressed it.
Slightly surprised:
"What a sharp aura."
"The owner of this saber."
"Was he a great swordsman?"
Sakazuki smiled:
"Not only a great swordsman, but also a top-tier Conqueror's Haki user."
Thinking of something, Carol's eyes widened:
"Could it be?!"
Sakazuki said:
"Open it and see."
Carol eagerly tore away the red cloth.
A hint of amazement flashed in her eyes:
"One of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords."
"Shishi's blade."
"Sakura Ten."
It was less of a saber and more of a sword.
A double-edged longsword, coupled with the years of nurturing and battles by Shishi.
Even without a wielder, it exuded a sharp aura.
Carol drew the longsword from its scabbard.
She performed a sword flourish, not with much force.
A whistling sound echoed as a faint blade of air cut through, striking the surrounding furniture.
This indirectly illustrated the sword's sharpness and Shishi's misfortune.
A top-tier Conqueror's Haki user, a powerful individual capable of cleaving the sea with a single sword.
Shishi, the epitome of high offense and low defense.
During the naval battle at Ed wars, he faced three of the Navy's strongest with Frank and Whitebeard, one weak and one injured.
Conqueror's Haki was useless, and his sword energy couldn't pierce defenses.
He could only rely on his remaining aerial superiority to maneuver.
After the battle, more than half of his fleet was annihilated.
After painstakingly reassembling it, he was tricked by Sakazuki again.
He faced close-quarters combat from Garp and Sengoku...
This...
At times, one couldn't help but admire Shishi.
His unbreakable will.
His ambition and courage to conquer the world since the Rocks era.
Even in the original story, he remained dormant for 20 years.
And launched his plan once the plot began.
Multiple failures and setbacks did not bring him down.
A severe head injury, his legs broken.
From the birth of his ambition to conquer the world until his death.
Over a span of decades.
This goal never wavered until his dying day...
Shing!
The sword was sheathed.
Carol said happily:
"Thank you, Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
Sakazuki smiled:
"I'm glad you like it."
"Let's go, let's go see Enel."
"It's been over a month, my body is getting rusty."
"By the way, what's the date today?"
Carol replied:
"Today is February 6th."
Sakazuki nodded:
"Setting sail on the 7th!"
Carol's face immediately fell:
"Eh!!!"
-----------
The Grand Line, a small island near Marineford.
Boom!
A deafening roar.
Garp's warship was docked by the shore.
The soldiers on board watched the figure in the distance:
"Hey, hey, isn't that too exaggerated?"
"Which one is this?"
"This is the sixth one already."
"Speaking of which, Vice Admiral Garp's energy is too abundant."
"He hasn't stopped for four days already."
"Amazing!"
In the island's interior, beneath a mountain that was only half intact.
Garp grinned.
Looking at the base of the mountain, he suddenly had an epiphany.
He raised his blood-covered fist.
Without Armament Haki, purely by instinct.
He punched the mountain.
A torrent of force shot out.
Destroying the interior of the mountain.
Boom!
A cylindrical pillar of energy broke through the mountain.
Standing on Garp's side, looking at the fist-shaped hole.
One could even see a sliver of light shining through.
Garp suddenly burst into laughter:
"That's it."
"Hahahahahahahaha."
"Just you wait, Chinjao."
"See how I smash your head."
Garp thought of the pirate he encountered while searching for Sengoku.
"Chinjao," the backbone of the Happo Navy.
In previous battles, Garp relied on his monstrous physique and incredible amount of Armament Haki to overwhelm his opponents.
With his vast Haki reserves, he disdained to condense it.
His attacks were always broad and powerful.
But the Chinjao he encountered that time.
Although his Haki reserves were insufficient, he was able to use his technique of striking a single point.
To break through Garp's Armament Haki.
Although he couldn't defeat Garp due to his Haki reserves.
The fight ended in a stalemate.
But it was still very irritating.
So the two proud individuals agreed to a rematch in the North Blue.
Boom!
He punched again, creating another fist-shaped hole.
If one looked closely, it would be noticed.
That it was even narrower than the previous one...
The training of smashing mountains continued.
Behind Garp stood five piles of shattered rocks, resembling small mountains.
These rocks, from far to near, from large to small...
-----------
West Blue, the holy land of archaeology, Ohara.
Inside a civilian house far from the town.
Several young scholars saw off the female doctor who had just assisted in a birth.
One of them wanted to return inside.
But was held back by a companion, who shook his head. The first sighed.
He stopped walking, and the group outside took out books and began studying something.
They quietly waited for the woman inside.
Indoors.
Nico Olvia, with her white hair, lay weakly on the bed.
She looked at the infant beside her, whose face bore a resemblance to both herself and her deceased husband.
She didn't know if giving birth to this child was the right thing to do.
Because what she was about to do... was forbidden by the government.
She didn't know what the future held, but her husband had died because of it.
She harbored no illusions of luck.
But she couldn't let her deceased husband's bloodline be severed.
The expedition had already begun, and time was running out...
But this was too cruel to this child...
Looking at the infant with a hint of resemblance to her husband:
"Your name will be Robin."
"Nico Robin."
She gently nuzzled Robin's little cheek.
Robin seemed to sense the affection.
She actively turned her face towards Olvia's face, nuzzling back.
Olvia could no longer suppress her tears.
The woman, sobbing uncontrollably, murmured:
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."