"......…Robin, do you know your mother's name?" Saul asked, his massive eyes filled with seriousness.
It was the fourth day, and Saul had finally finished building a wooden raft to set out to sea. Robin, having just found a friend she could talk to, felt a hint of sadness at the thought of him leaving. As they chatted, Robin mentioned her mother had gone to sea in search of the truth behind the Void Century, and that she was studying the Poneglyphs.
The moment Saul heard this, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He urgently warned Robin to never speak to anyone about the Poneglyphs, or about her mother's search for them. It was dangerous beyond her imagination. But as Saul was speaking, a sudden realization struck him like lightning. He stared at Robin in disbelief and asked:
"What's your mother's name?"
"Olivia," Robin said quietly.
"Her name is Nico Olivia," she added.
The waves crashed onto the shore. Saul stood there, dumbfounded. Then, as if all the strength had left him, he collapsed onto the ground.
"Saul?" Robin called out in concern.
Robin… is Olivia 's daughter? Saul's mind was reeling. What kind of twist of fate was this?
"Then this island… it's Ohara?" Saul asked again, just to confirm.
"Yes," Robin replied.
"Aaahhh!" Saul groaned, rubbing his head in panic.
"This is terrible… how could this happen? Why did I end up drifting to this island of all places?!" he cried, wracked with guilt.
"Robin," he suddenly said with a grave expression.
"What is it?" she asked, sensing the change in his tone.
"This might scare you, but you have to listen carefully. A Navy battleship… is on its way here. To Ohara."
"The Navy? Why?" Robin asked, puzzled.
"To eliminate all the scholars on this island," Saul said, his voice grim.
"Eliminate?" Robin was stunned, her face pale with disbelief.
"You must never let the World Government know you're a scholar," Saul warned.
"No, that can't be true! You're lying!" Robin cried, unable to accept what she'd just heard. The kind and gentle scholars being wiped out by the Navy? Impossible!
"I'm not lying," Saul said solemnly. "You should go back and check the town. Maybe… maybe your mother has already returned."
"My mom…?" Robin froze.
At that very moment, deep within the Tree of Knowledge:
"It's been a long time, everyone," a woman said as she removed her hat.
"Olivia?!" the scholars gasped.
Olivia told them the World Government had discovered Ohara's activities—researching the Poneglyphs and delving into the Void Century. She warned them to flee immediately. But Clover and the other scholars couldn't abandon the vast archive of precious texts housed in the Tree of Knowledge. They chose to stay.
Just then, a lookout burst in, reporting a ship bearing the World Government's flag had docked in Ohara.
Olivia retrieved a rifle from a hidden compartment. "If they ask, don't tell them you know me." With that, she rushed out to confront the enemy alone.
Back in the town, upon hearing her mother might have returned, Robin sprinted back toward the Tree of Knowledge. She and Olivia passed each other unknowingly, each hurrying in opposite directions.
Meanwhile, the agents of CP9 had landed on Ohara. The Navy's warship was getting closer by the second.
Robin finally arrived at the Tree of Knowledge, panting from the run.
"What's wrong, Robin?" Clover asked.
"Has my mother come back?" she asked between deep breaths.
"Your mother? Why would she be in Ohara?" Clover replied calmly, concealing the truth just as Olivia had instructed. He didn't want Robin in danger, now that the government was here.
Robin warned Clover that a Navy battleship was approaching and that they planned to arrest the scholars. But before she could say more, the doors of the Tree of Knowledge burst open, and World Government agents flooded in, taking control of the scholars.
Elsewhere, Olivia stood her ground with rifle in hand against Spandine, the commander of CP9, and his agents. But there was no contest—CP9's agents overpowered her effortlessly.
Outside the Tree of Knowledge, the scholars were herded into the grass under heavy guard. The soldiers watched them coldly, fingers on their triggers. Townspeople, alarmed by the stern demeanor of the World Government officers, began fleeing toward the evacuation boats.
Robin stood beside Clover, watching in horror.
"Everything going smoothly, gentlemen?" Spandine chuckled as he arrived, dragging Olivia with him.
"You've worked hard, sir!" the government agents saluted.
"Who would've thought a ferocious beast would charge at us from the forest?" Spandine sneered.
When the scholars saw the figure on CP9's shoulders, their eyes widened. They knew that person all too well.
CP9 tossed her roughly to the ground.
"I almost got killed by this woman!" Spandine mocked.
Olivia! The scholars screamed in their hearts, but none dared say a word. They remembered her warning.
"Listen up! She's an escaped prisoner…" Spandine began.
So cruel… to treat a woman like that! Robin didn't know why, but she felt an inexplicable warmth toward this woman.
"Robin, go to the evacuation ships. Now!" Clover said firmly.
Robin…? Olivia looked up and met Robin's eyes. Robin turned, and their gazes locked.
You've grown up so much… Olivia's tears welled up instantly.
Just then—BOOM! A loud explosion echoed from below. A Den Den Mushi crackled to life.
"We've found a hidden chamber beneath the Tree of Knowledge. Inside, there's a Poneglyph… and documents proving they were researching ancient history."
"Excellent. Good work!" Spandine laughed maniacally as he hung up the call.
"Alright, scholars of Ohara. You're all guilty of a capital crime. It's such a shame—the world's most brilliant minds will die together today. Time to report back to the Five Elders," he sneered.
"Understood!" CP9 members began dialing the Den Den Mushi.
"Doctor… everyone's going to be killed. That can't be true! Just for studying ancient text?!" Robin still couldn't believe it.
"You stupid child!" Spandine snapped. "They were trying to revive ancient weapons—meant to slaughter masses of people!"
"That's not true! They never had such intentions!" Robin protested.
"Robin, what's the point of arguing with a mere errand boy?" Clover said coldly.
"What did you say!" Spandine snarled. He was a glorified errand boy—but no one had ever dared say it to his face.
"Sir, the call to the Five Elders is connected!" a CP9 agent announced.
"Perfect. Let me speak to the highest powers before I die, and explain Ohara's decades of work on the ancient texts—"
Meanwhile, back in town, seeing the Navy ship drawing closer, Saul rushed into town to find Robin.
Clover, knowing what was coming, forced Robin away so she wouldn't hear what he was about to say to the Five Elders.
But Robin didn't go far. She stayed hidden nearby, watching.
She couldn't hear what was being said—but suddenly, she saw Spandine raise his gun and fire directly at Clover.
"Doctor!!" Robin screamed, breaking into a run toward him.
From the Den Den Mushi, the Five Elders' cold voices rang out:
"Ohara knows too much. Begin the purge. Leave no survivors."
"Leave no survivors…?" a voice interrupted, cutting through the tension like lightning. A blur of motion darted between Clover and Spandine. A hand snapped out and caught the bullet mid-air.
"Who—!" shouted one of the Five Elders through the Den Den Mushi.
Spandine turned, eyes wide in disbelief. "You… You… how can it be you?! Why would a man like you be here?!"
"Who is it?" asked the Five Elders impatiently.
"Ro-Roxi… Rosinante! Former Celestial Dragon—Donquixote Rosinante!!" Spandine trembled as he spoke the name.
As the leader of CP9, he knew all about Rosinante. Years ago, in a desperate attempt to curry favor with the Celestial Dragons, Spandine had even ordered CP9 to capture Rosinante—at any cost.
"Rosinante…!" the Five Elders exclaimed, clearly stunned.
After two years of vanishing from the world without a trace, Rosinante had reappeared—at the epicenter of the Buster Call on Ohara.