Chapter 154

Little Robin, still confused about how to react, decided to step up and make a conclusion of her own. She stepped next to me despite Lily's protests.

"Brother Ross, please tell me, are your hands stained with the blood of innocents?" she asked in a sobbing voice. I had a complicated feeling, but I chose to answer the kid honestly.

"Yes, I have the blood of innocents on my hands," I sighed.

"Are all the bad things that Sister Lily told me about you true?" she asked, quivering. She just wanted Brother Ross to say it was all a lie, and she would believe it, but the words she wanted never came.

"I am not sure what your sister told you, but from the looks of it, she doesn't seem like a liar, so whatever she told you must have some truth in it." I knew I was destroying the little girl's hope, but lying was not something I wanted to do to her.

"So... so... Brother Ross, are you a monster?" She sobbed, taking a step back in fear.

"Are you a good man or an evil man, Brother Ross?" the little girl asked.

I looked at the horizon, wanting to know the answer to that question myself, and whispered, "I wish I knew."

Little Robin felt disappointed and silently turned around, walking away along the shore, while Lily silently followed her.

After the two girls left, Professor Clover turned to me. He had lost all the charisma of a learned man; his pride in dedicating his life to the pursuit of truth was no longer there. My words had shattered everything he had believed.

"Ross, I don't care why you have come to Ohara any longer, but I hope you can stay away from matters regarding little Robin and Ohara. We scholars will take responsibility for everything.

Please do not involve yourself in matters regarding Ohara or its people anymore." He made an earnest plea. Although he was shaken by my words, he had pride as a scholar. He wanted to show me that whatever I said earlier was false and that scholars were different from pirates. Even thinking about it made him feel disgusted, so he had to prove it.

"Are you sure, old man? There is a storm brewing. Are you absolutely sure that you don't want me to involve myself in the matters regarding Ohara?" I knew what was coming. My observation haki had already detected a giant washing ashore, and with the direction both Robin and Lily took, they would surely come across Saul.

"Yes! You are a pirate, and we scholars do not want a pirate involving himself in our matters. If possible, I request that you leave the island immediately," he added.

It seemed like fate. After a soft chuckle, I spoke, "You have my word, old man. I will not involve myself with the matters of Ohara, and rest assured, I will leave the island within a week or two. You have my word." Saying so, I turned around and walked back in the direction of my house.

The walk back was slow, each step heavy with the weight of what had just transpired. I could still hear Robin's sobs echoing in my mind, her innocent questions cutting deeper than any sword. I glanced back once, seeing the figures of Clover, Robin, and Lily fading into the distance in different directions, their future uncertain and fraught with danger. But then my heart was steady as my conscience was clear.

As I neared the makeshift camp, the scent of sea king meat wafted through the air. Little Lucci was diligently tending to the fire, ensuring the meat didn't overcook. Leo was still rolling around, his belly full, and Mansherry giggled at his antics.

"How did it go, Master?" Lucci asked, not looking up from his task. I had already told him what was coming for Ohara.

I sighed deeply, sitting down beside the fire. "About as well as expected. The old man, Clover, wants us gone. He thinks they can handle what's coming on their own."

Lucci nodded, his young face unreadable. "And you, Master? Do you think they can? And what about Robin's fate? Didn't you say that we could consider having her as part of our family?"

I stared into the fire, the flames dancing wildly. "No. But it's their choice to make. We've given them the warnings. Now it's up to them. As for Little Robin, if she decides to become one of us, then we will help her." I knew that though Lucci showed a cold expression, he always cared about his friends, and despite not showing it, he had already come to consider little Robin his friend..

The night grew darker, and the stars overhead twinkled like distant beacons. The sea king meat crackled and sizzled, filling the air with its rich aroma. I couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom, the sense that no matter what I did, the tragedy of Ohara was inevitable.

As the fire burned down to embers, I made a silent vow to myself. I would watch over Little Robin from a distance, at least for Lucci's sake. I might not be able to intervene directly, but I could ensure that when the storm hit, the little girl wouldn't face it alone.

****************

Marine HQ, Marineford

"Knock...knock." A soft knock echoed inside Admiral Sengoku's office as he prepared the necessary paperwork for a secret mission. According to the World Government, the scholars of Ohara were researching ancient documents to recreate ancient weapons, and the Marines needed to put an end to this.

After nearly six years of a cat-and-mouse chase, the Marines had finally found incriminating evidence that the Ohara scholars were researching taboo topics. Orders had come from the Elders to destroy everything pertaining to the research and eliminate all the scholars involved. Sengoku had personally handed over the golden transponder snail to the Director of CP9, Spandine.

"Come in," Sengoku said without lifting his head from the documents.

A Rear Admiral in charge of the intelligence team entered the room and began conveying an important message he had just received from the scout ship monitoring Ohara.

"Admiral, we seem to have a complication in Ohara," the Rear Admiral said. Sengoku's mood soured. In recent times, the Marines' reputation has been taking blow after blow—the loss of Dressrosa, Wano, and Impel Down. They could not afford a mishap in Ohara mission.

Though the World Government had a stake in all these matters, the blame ultimately fell squarely on the Marines' shoulders. Even Sengoku felt the pressure, especially with a man like Garp missing. If his friend were here, he could have single-handedly stopped the Marines from suffering so much humiliation.

With a sigh, Sengoku set the pen aside and looked up. "Tell me, Rear Admiral, what seems to be the problem now? What kind of new issue are we facing?"

The Rear Admiral understood the Admiral's frustration but spoke up. "Sir, the scout ships have detected the presence of Donquixote Rosinante on Ohara Island. He is currently residing in Ohara, and from the looks of it, he has been staying there for quite some time now!" The Rear Admiral added. Sengoku couldn't help but rub his forehead in frustration again.

"Garp's protégé," he muttered, standing up from his seat. "Pass me the folder. I will discuss it directly with Kong-san." Collecting the folder, he directly moved to the Fleet Admiral's office. Without knocking, as he always did, Sengoku entered the Fleet Admiral's office, where Kong was diligently working on some files.

Kong raised his brow in surprise; he never expected Sengoku to barge in like this. Such behavior was only reserved for Garp, who never cared for protocol.

"What is it, Sengoku? What's the hurry?" he asked the Admiral.

"We have a problem. Rosinante is on Ohara, and the people we have already sent for the mission will not be able to handle him," Sengoku shared, not wasting any time. Both of them knew how important this mission was.

If they failed, there was a high chance the World Government would pass down orders to downsize the Marines and increase the World Government's operatives. Even the Marines' ranks might be filled by World Government operatives.

"What the hell is that kid doing there? What is our intelligence team doing? Wasn't it estimated that he was still in the New World?" Kong fumed. He mentally made a note to talk to the department head later to give him a piece of his mind.

"Kong-san, he is the lightning logia user. Tracking him is like trying to find a needle in the ocean—practically impossible. We should rather try and find a solution for the current situation. If Rosinante intervenes, I am afraid the mission may go sideways."

Kong's fingers started tapping the table incessantly as he tried to find a solution. Then, suddenly, he spoke up. "Isn't Aokiji's ship near Ohara?" Kong asked, remembering all the deployments. Sengoku nodded in confirmation.

"Have Aokiji make contact with Rosinante. As former students of Garp, they might not come to blows immediately. All Aokiji needs to do is keep Rosinante from involving himself in the matter. Make it clear to Aokiji not to engage Rosinante first," he strategized.

For now, with their forces en route, facing Rosinante would be disastrous. The kid had already showcased his strength by facing two Admiral-level fighters simultaneously when he faced Aokiji and Tsuru back in Dressrosa. Now, the Ohara team only consisted of Kuzan and Sakazuki as Admiral-class fighters, so Kong needed to look for a compromise.

"But Kong-san, you know about the kid's character. He will definitely try to stir up trouble just for fun," Sengoku said, speaking the truth. Ross had inherited many traits from his mentor, one of which was causing unnecessary trouble for others.

Kong's expression soured, understanding Sengoku was right. He then questioned, "How much longer will it take for our main forces to reach Ohara?"

The main force consisted of the entire might of the Buster Call. They had already departed Marine HQ long ago. It consisted of ten great battleships and carried five veteran Vice Admirals, with Sakazuki leading them.

"The main force should reach Ohara in four days—at worst, in five days' time," Sengoku answered. Kong was now in a fix. He couldn't find countermeasures for the problem because even if they dispatched a second force with enough strength to counter Ross, it might not reach Ohara on time. Just when Kong seemed out of options, Sengoku made a suggestion.

"How about we mobilize the Shichibukai in the vicinity? From the last report, Shakuyaku, Crocodile, Hector, and Bonney should be able to reach Ohara on time if we mobilize them immediately," Sengoku added. Although he didn't like involving pirates in such matters, the presence of Ross alone could topple their mission, so they had to play all the cards they had.

Kong considered the suggestion, his fingers drumming a steady rhythm on the table. "Very well. Mobilize the Shichibukai. We need to ensure that this mission is not compromised. Contact them immediately and provide them with the details. Make it clear that their objective is to prevent Rosinante from interfering at all costs."

Sengoku nodded, already planning the communication. "Understood, Kong-san. I'll make sure they understand the importance of this mission."

As Sengoku left the office, the weight of the mission pressed heavily on his shoulders. The fate of Ohara and the reputation of the Marines hung in the balance, and the presence of Rosinante only complicated matters further. But they had their orders, and failure was not an option.

*****************

On the waters of West Blue, a few miles away from Ohara, a Marine battleship lay anchored, swaying peacefully in the clam waters. On the deck, sprawled on an easy chair, sleeping cozily, was none other than Admiral candidate Aokiji.

He had been assigned to duty here because something big was going to happen in Ohara. Before the dispatch, Sengoku had explained to him the importance of the mission: the scholars were blatantly breaking the law by researching the Poneglyphs in secret to create ancient weapons.

Just as Aokiji was enjoying his sleep, a loud shout from one of his subordinates woke him up.

"What the hell are you guys shouting for?" he yelled back, his tone irritable. The relationship between him and his subordinates was much warmer compared to other Marine ships.

"Kuzan-san, we have urgent orders from HQ," a subordinate ran in, carrying a transponder snail, and passed it to Kuzan, who leisurely sat up.

It was Admiral Sengoku on the other side of the call. As Kuzan listened to his new orders, his face showed a mix of frustration and reluctance.

"Seriously, Sengoku-san? You want me to face that monster alone?" Kuzan questioned, still holding some resentment for Ross trying to cut him back in Dressrosa. He was addressing him as a monster.

"Kuzan, you know how important this matter is. As much as I don't like pointing it out, just you and Sakazuki aren't going to be enough to stop that kid," Sengoku's voice echoed from the other side.

"So, what if Ross tries to attack first? And you should know, if he decides to go on a rampage, without Borsalino here, no one will be able to match his speed," Kuzan added, aware that Ross was unparalleled in speed unless someone with a speed-based Devil Fruit stalled him.

"Just keep him away from our matters. You don't need to fight him. I know you can do this. And don't worry, four of the Shichibukai are on their way," Sengoku's voice was firm but reassuring.

"You really want to deploy those scum in such a sensitive matter and four of them at the same time, Sengoku-san? It might spiral out of control real quick, real fast," Kuzan voiced his concerns. The Shichibukai were loose cannons.

Except for Shakuyaku, who followed orders, and Mihawk, who vanished to who knows where, everyone else in the Shichibukai was unhinged in one way or another. With Moria's capture, these mad pirates had become more cruel to establish their authority in the chaotic seas.

"Fine, I will meet with Ross, but no guarantees, Sengoku-san! You better send me a backup fast. For all I know, Ross might already be aware of what we are planning for Ohara. The Donquixote Pirates' intelligence network has been growing undetected at a monstrous rate. Even the Underworld is shocked at how efficiently their network is spreading," Kuzan said with a sigh. After getting a few more instructions from Admial Sengoku, he disconnected the call.

He was ready to meet his former junior, who had now completely unfurled his wings and become a monster that even he doubted whether he could best in a life-and-death battle.

As Kuzan prepared himself, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. The mission in Ohara was already a delicate operation, and now, with Rosinante's presence, the stakes were even higher. He knew that his encounter with Ross could go in any direction, and he had to be prepared for the worst. As he gazed out at the sea, Kuzan couldn't help but reminisce about the days when they were all under Garp's tutelage, simpler times when the lines between right and wrong were clearer.

"Guess it's time to face the music," Kuzan muttered to himself, stepping off the deck and creating a small road of ice to head towards Ohara. The upcoming confrontation would be a test of not just strength but also of wit and will.

******

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