The next morning, Robin stood at the mouth of the cave, staring out at the sea.
"Mister," she said softly. "I want to solve the mystery of the Void Century. I want to know the history that was erased—the history the Doctor and my mother were protecting.
I want to inherit it. I can't keep crying forever. Do you... do you object to me learning about the Void Century?"
"…If you're asking for my official opinion, then yes, of course I object."
"I see..." Robin looked down, her shoulders sagging. "You're a Marine. I guess it can't be helped."
"However!" I knelt down and placed my hands gently on her shoulders. "Even if I say I object, you're going to look into it anyway, aren't you?"
Robin remained silent, but I took that as a "yes."
"Give me five years. I'll teach you everything you need to know to survive on your own. Wait until then to start your investigation.
I still have a lot of work to do in the Navy, so as a Marine, I can't exactly give you a green light. But as an individual... there's no harm in me helping you out, right?"
Robin looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. I ruffled her hair.
"Besides, it's an adult's job to support a child's dream."
"Thank you, Mister!!"
Seeing her smile in the morning sun, I knew that since she could read the Ancient Text, she'd be dragged into trouble eventually, whether she liked it or not.
She had lost her mother, Dr. Clover, and everyone she knew, yet here she was, standing tall to carry on her mother's dream. The least I could do was give her a hand.
The Safe-Junshi Patrol Ship: World Government Salon
"Wha—?! He took out Mojah in a single hit?!"
Spandine, the mastermind behind the incident, was mummified in bandages on a sickbed. He was receiving a report from Lasky, the CP9 field leader who had served as his escort.
"Yes, sir. Furthermore, he utilized techniques remarkably similar to the Six Powers, specifically Moonwalk and Soru. While many in the Grand Line use similar styles, it may be too early to definitively label them as our techniques, but..."
"Mojah has a Power Level (Douriki) of 1000! He's a 'superhuman' with the strength of a hundred men!" Spandine gnashed his teeth. "A mysterious masked man who buries Mojah in one blow and gives Lasky—who has nearly 3000 Douriki—a hard time? Don't mess with me! This is a stain on my perfect record!!"
"Also, while I'm unsure if it was an ability, his defensive power was abnormally high," Lasky added. "Our attacks seemed to have almost no effect."
"The man called himself 'Teach,' right? Find every man named Teach who looks capable of this! Fortunately, we got a photo of him when he flew away. I'll put a bounty on that brat and that masked freak immediately!!"
A few days later, two new posters joined the ranks of the wanted:
"Demon Child" Nico Robin: 39,000,000 Berries
"Skull Mask": 40,000,000 Berries
The Long Road to Marineford
Carrying Robin all the way to Marineford via Moonwalk was physically impossible, and traveling as we were would lead to a quick arrest. I decided we needed a disguise. We hopped onto a merchant ship heading toward a nearby city.
I wore a three-piece suit and a full iron mask. For Robin, I dyed her beautiful hair white and tied it back, dressing her in a frilly black dress—I think they call it "Gothic Lolita"? It was a shame to dye her hair, but safety came first. Our cover: a young lady and her bodyguard.
People gave my iron mask strange looks, but Robin handled it with a masterful performance.
"My bodyguard suffered terrible burns protecting me in the past," she told them sadly. "Please, try not to stare." That shut them up.
I spared no expense for a first-class cabin. Once Robin fell fast asleep on the soft bed, I pulled out the notebook and pen I'd given her for her eighth birthday to map out the future. I wrote "GRAND LINE" at the top and started listing the events of the original story as best as I could remember.
Reverse Mountain / Twin Cape: Laboon and Crocus. No business there for now.
Whiskey Peak: Where Vivi joins. But wait, she's a "charming girl" around 16 or 17 in the story. She hasn't even been born yet. Skip.
Little Garden: The giants Dorry and Brogy (Broggy). I should check the bounty files when I get back. I have business at "Little Garden" eventually. Something about Big Mom and giants? Put a pin in that.
Drum Island: Medical Kingdom. Chopper joins here. I need to check if the current King is Wapol and if the "Doctor Hunt" has happened yet.
Alabasta / Skypiea: Too big. Need to fill in the details later.
Water 7 / Enies Lobby: Wait... in this era, the Sea Train might still be under construction. I might be able to save Tom! I need to investigate this immediately upon my return.
Thriller Bark: Moria fought Kaido in the New World, right? (Wano, and lost). I don't know the exact year, but it was over a decade before the main story. It's in the Florian Triangle—I'll raid the Marineford archives for that.
Sabaody / Summit War: Skip for now. Too heavy.
Fish-Man Island: Queen Otoheme. I might be able to save her. That happens after the Mary Geoise raid, I think.
Punk Hazard: Caesar Clown. Need to find out where he is.
Dressrosa: Doflamingo and King Riku. The "theft of a nation." That happened when Law was a kid. Wait... Corazon! Law's savior. I might be able to save him and help Law. I need to check on Flevance, the "White Town."
Zou / Whole Cake Island: My memory gets fuzzy here. Something about Sanji's family? I'll have to investigate and piece it together.
And that's where my "original knowledge" ends. I don't know anything after the Big Mom arc. Probably Elbaf or Wano? Oh, and the Douglas Bullet Buster Call. That might be related.
"Right," I muttered, looking at the list. "A lot of places to go, and even more to investigate."
I stood up, looking at the sleeping girl. Like I decided at the start: I'll save every life I can reach.
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