Chapter 156

"So, it's finally happening, huh? The World Government is coming for us, just like lad said they would. Have I really become someone who is going to cause the death of all these innocent lives?" Professor Clover's face was pale, and Ross's earlier words kept echoing in his mind.

Everyone in the library was shocked by the information Lily had shared, but what shocked them even more was Professor Clover, who looked completely lost.

"Professor, it's not your fault. Sooner or later, we knew this would happen," One of the scholars stepped up to comfort the old man. "We may still have time to rectify this. They have no evidence against us," he added.

But Clover knew better. Finally, after a few moments, he composed himself. He could not let the things Ross warned about come to pass; he needed to act now.

"Everyone, evacuate! You all need to quickly evacuate. Tell everyone on the island to evacuate. Do not trust the Marines, do not trust anyone. Run, run away from here as far as you can!" Clover stood up, his urgency clear. He understood the true seriousness of the matter and urged everyone to leave.

"Come now, Professor. Even if the situation is as dire as you think, we have already resolved ourselves to die. Let's face everything together," one of the scholars said, showing a brave front. Every scholar involved in the Poneglyph research was ready to sacrifice their lives to uncover the truth of the world.

"We did, yes, and for that, I will be eternally grateful to all of you fellow scholars. But what about the innocents on the island? Did they willingly give their lives to the pursuit of knowledge? The World Government is coming for everyone; they will not spare anyone!" The old man roared, torn between his pride as a scholar and his conscience as a human. Ross's words had struck him deeply.

"Professor, I don't think what you fear will come to pass. It's just a single Marine ship on the coast," the scholar added.

Just then, the door to the room they had gathered in opened, and a woman in a long coat entered the room. "No! The professor is right. The World Government is coming for all of us, and maybe what the professor says may truly come to pass," the woman said while removing her cap.

Everyone in the room was surprised to see the woman they all recognized—it was none other than Nico Olivia, who had left Ohara with 33 other researchers to help solve the mysteries of the world. However, Olivia failed to notice a little girl standing to the side, tears of joy streaming down her face as she finally met her mother after all these years.

Just as everyone was about to bombard Olivia with questions, a sweet but soft voice overpowered every other sound.

"Mother..." Little Robin's voice filled the vast room. Olivia, who stood at the entrance, felt her heart skip a beat as she recognized the voice. She turned to the source of the voice and immediately recognized the little child who bore her likeness.

"Robin..." Her voice stuttered and cracked, but tears filled her eyes. Robin rushed toward her mother and jumped up, and Olivia caught her in a loving embrace. It was a reunion between mother and daughter after so many years.

The entire room fell silent as no one disturbed the mother and child, who were crying in each other's arms. Then Olivia abruptly reacted, putting Robin down. "Robin, listen to me and listen carefully. There are bad people coming to the island, and they should not know that you are related to me. You will need to act like you do not know me, is that understood?" Olivia said urgently, knowing that associating little Robin with her was a one-way ticket to hell.

"Mother, what do you mean? No... No, I will stay with you. I will come to the sea with you. We can be together," Robin said with a smile plastered on her face, despite tears flowing from her eyes.

Olivia's mind raced. She could not afford to let the Marines or the World Government know that Robin was her daughter. During her time in captivity, they were never able to break her, but if they found out Robin was her child, she couldn't even think about the consequences.

"No! Robin, listen to me. You need to leave. You need to leave far from here," she said, then turned to the rest and addressed them. "Everyone here needs to leave. They are coming here with the sole purpose of killing us all," she warned, but Robin clung tightly to Olivia, not letting her go.

"I am sorry, everyone. It was my fault that the World Government was able to gather evidence against us. They rummaged through the corpses of the others and were able to make a connection with Ohara. I have brought disaster to Ohara," Olivia said, bowing her head in apology.

"It wasn't your fault, Olivia, nor was it the fault of the rest who sacrificed their lives for the cause. You all have suffered more than anyone here and ultimately paid the price. We are all on the same team, and the World Government was simply waiting for an excuse. We have been marked for death for a long time," Clover disclosed. Unlike the others, he seemed to have more information, but his pursuit of knowledge had blinded him to the obvious dangers.

"Hehe, so they probably think they've finally got us by the tail. They won't miss this opportunity, and like the Professor and Olivia said, they will surely wipe us all out," a scholar said with a smile, but there was no fear in his eyes.

"So, please, everyone hurry! You need to leave Ohara before the Marines surround it!" Olivia urged.

"Professor, you need to leave too. You are the one with the most knowledge about the Poneglyphs and the Void Century. We must preserve that knowledge," one of the scholars added hurriedly. Now almost everyone in the hall understood the gravity of the situation.

But none felt the inner turmoil that Clover was experiencing. His human side was hoping against hope that someone among the scholars would consider the lives of the innocents and speak up, but none did. Everyone was concerned about the knowledge that needed to be passed down. Even Clover himself was going through an internal conflict, but finally, the inner scholar in him won as he turned to the massive library behind him.

"I'm sorry! If the World Government intends to kill us all, then I cannot escape while leaving behind the artifacts of humanity. I hope you all understand!" Finally, in Clover's eyes, the worth of this knowledge outweighed the worth of innocent lives. He knew in his heart that he was condemning himself. Even now, before the Marines encircled them, if they acted, they might be able to save a few innocent lives. But for him, saving these books was the priority. Ultimately, the blood of all these innocent lives would be on his hands.

"We feel the same way, Professor. If we are going to die, then so be it. But we need to somehow preserve all this knowledge," one scholar added.

"I don't know what the World Government is truly planning, but if we all run away, we cannot protect all this valuable history that we have here," another chimed in, and many in the hall chorused similar sentiments.

Unknown to anyone, seated on top of the library, I was casually flipping through an old book. I witnessed the entire event going down below and was disappointed. Some of the greatest minds in the world, willing to offer their lives for the noble cause of preserving history for humanity, had just forgotten a simple fact: in their pursuit of knowledge, their once noble ideals had become an obsession.

All they needed was to send out a single scholar to warn the civilians of what was to come, but I was not in a position to judge them, for I was also a spectator from the sidelines. I had already left Lucci, Mansherry, and Leo somewhere safe away from Ohara. I didn't want the Marines to take advantage, especially if I had to engage in a fight.

Down below, as every scholar prepared to preserve the knowledge, even Olivia decided to do her part. But she was in a fix, torn between her ideals and her love for her daughter. She had abandoned her daughter once, so she was in a dilemma.

Clover, understanding the situation, stepped up. "Olivia, I need a favor from you. I hope you do not refute it. I hope you can take my granddaughter and escape from here," the old man decided to make the decision for her. The other scholars had already started running about to preserve as many books as possible.

"No... No! Grandpa, I am a scholar too. I cannot leave you behind. I am involved in the research too. I will also stay behind," Lily protested. But Clover would not have his little granddaughter, who was in her teens and hadn't even experienced life, sacrifice herself. Clover felt more guilt.

He was not worried about the other lives, but now he was trying to preserve his own granddaughter's life. In the end, everything Ross had told him came true. He was just a selfish man more akin to a pirate. But then he steeled his resolve.

"Lily, listen to me! We cannot have all the scholars die out here. Our mission remains unfulfilled. We need someone to carry out our legacy, fulfill our goal, child, and help the world understand its true history," Clover knew his granddaughter's nature. Only by manipulating her this way would she consent to leave. Lily was now in a fix. She was a scholar like her grandfather, and everything she knew came from him, but that man was making a final wish of her.

"Olivia, please! Consider this a final wish from a dying man. Guide these children, keep them safe. Move to the northern coast of the island. You will find someone there who will help you, or at least I hope he will, for little Robin's sake. Now leave, leave before the Marines come," Clover urged.

Olivia was struggling, but then she took in the faces of the two children and finally nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. She took Lily and Robin's hands firmly and guided them towards the exit, her heart heavy but resolute. The other scholars continued their frantic efforts to save as much knowledge as they could, their dedication unwavering despite the impending danger.

As Olivia led the children away, Ross watched from his perch, contemplating the unfolding tragedy. The scholars of Ohara, in their pursuit of knowledge, had indeed become blind to the immediate threat, prioritizing ancient texts over innocent lives. It was a harsh lesson in the cost of obsession, a reminder that even the noblest of causes could lead to ruin if not tempered with humanity.

Just as Olivia exited the library with Robin and Lily, a World Government ship docked on the island. Spandine stepped onto Ohara, his eyes cold and calculating. "Mobilize everyone and surround the island. I need every single person accounted for.

Make sure that none of the scholars escape. Detain anyone remotely connected with them and notify Headquarters that we have arrived," he ordered. Thousands of Marines and World Government agents swarmed the island, transforming the peaceful community into a chaotic nightmare.

Ohara descended into turmoil as Marines burst into homes, breaking down doors. The residents' protests were ignored, their voices drowned out by the relentless march of soldiers enforcing Spandine's orders.

In the central square, a World Government agent, using a megaphone connected to a transponder snail, repeatedly made a chilling announcement. "Hear this, citizens of Ohara! The scholars on this island are actually demons involved in forbidden research. We have found incriminating evidence against them. They have been using you, the regular folks, as cover to develop weapons, aiming to destroy the world! Anyone who does not want to be incriminated as a demon and hunted down, please share the names of everyone remotely related to these scholars so we don't end up hurting the innocents!"

The announcement spread like wildfire, causing murmurs among the people. Some residents bravely questioned the Marines. "How? Why? The scholars are the pride of Ohara. They are some of the most brilliant minds in the world. You guys must be just spinning a tale," a man declared, voicing the sentiment growing among the crowd.

Spandine's voice cut through the clamor. "I suspect that man is connected to the scholars. Arrest him." As the man protested and resisted, gunshots rang out. "Bang... Bang... Bang!" The echo of gunfire silenced the square. The man fell, lifeless, as smoke rose from Spandine's pistol.

"Don't be fooled by them! They are demons, and they will not hesitate to rile you against us. Identify them all for us so that your family and loved ones remain safe!" Spandine's words struck fear into the hearts of the citizens. Driven by fear more than truth, many stepped forward, offering the names of the scholars, condemning their neighbors to a cruel fate to ensure their safety. This, Spandine knew, was human nature.

Smirking, Spandine saw his plan unfolding perfectly. Searching person by person risked missing someone, but with the civilians turning on each other, no one would escape. "Listen up, people! This entire island is now subjected to an exhaustive investigation. Please cooperate. Anyone who resists will be marked as a demon and eliminated," the World Government agent continued.

"Those with no connections to the scholars, bring your proof of identification to the west coast. Once verified, you can board the evacuation ships."

Many in the crowd hesitated, reluctant to leave everything behind. Sensing the mood souring, Spandine walked up to the agent, yanked the transponder snail from his hand, and addressed the crowd himself.

"I understand this might be difficult for you, but we need to ensure the demons are punished. And just so you all know, anyone who provides us with the names of scholars or their acquaintances will receive 100,000 Belly for each name. Hurry up! Help us catch these demons and secure your future!"

As he finished speaking, Spandine shoved the transponder snail back into his subordinate's hands, instructing him to keep repeating the message.

Among the crowd, eyes that had been clouded with doubt began to clear. Why should they suffer because of these so-called criminals? They convinced themselves that they were doing the right thing by helping the government, not realizing that it was greed—greed for money—that truly drove them. The island's once-unified community began to fracture, with each person more concerned with their own safety and profit than the lives of their neighbors.

Olivia, clutching Robin and Lily, hurried through the chaos, her heart heavy with dread. The reality of their situation was sinking in, and she knew she had to get the girls to safety before it was too late. The future of Ohara, and possibly the world, now rested on the choices she made in these desperate moments.