Chapter 151

A/N:

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Ohara, West Blue

A little girl was hurriedly pulling along a teenage girl down the stone-paved path. The teenage girl was carrying what seemed like freshly baked food, carefully balanced in her arms.

"Robin, slow down, the cake is going to fall if you pull me along like this," Lily commented, struggling to keep up with the enthusiastic little girl. They were on their way to meet some new friends Robin had made. A small group of visitors had arrived in Ohara last month and settled on the northernmost edge of the town, away from everyone else. Robin, being Robin, had secretly been interacting with this group, unknown to anyone.

According to Robin, the group included a teenager around Lily's age, a young boy the same age as little Robin who always wore a black top hat, and—most intriguingly for Lily—two dwarfs from the famed Tontatta tribe, mentioned in many books within the Ohara Library.

Today, Lily had finally mustered the courage to meet these strangers, driven by her fascination with the dwarfs.

"Lily, you are too slow and clumsy! You know what? Brother Ross is super handsome. Maybe you should try and make him your boyfriend," Robin giggled, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Since her first contact with the strangers, she had grown attached to them, especially Leo and Mansherry, and the silent kid called Lucci, who, despite never speaking to her, did not display the disdain or hatred she often encountered from the other children on the island. Brother Ross, however, had become her idol.

They shared a secret she hadn't even told Lily, whom she considered her own elder sister. Ross was knowledgeable about the world and had started teaching her a dialect that even the researchers in Ohara struggled to decrypt: the Lost Language. Every day, he taught her a little, and in return, she promised to keep it a secret from everyone, a promise she intended to keep.

As they approached the edge of the island, where the newcomers had built their abode, Robin and Lily could see the modest yet beautiful house. It was a charming, cozy dwelling right by the shore, surrounded by lush greenery and colorful flowers. The scent of the sea mingled with the sweet aroma of blooming cherry blossoms. By the shore, a small caravel lay anchored, its sails gently swaying with the breeze—a vessel that probably belonged to the visitors.

Just as Robin scanned the area, she and Lily heard the sound of children crying and pleading. They immediately rushed to see what was happening. As they neared the house, they saw a young boy wearing a top hat stringing four kids, about ten years old, to a tree and beating them with a stick. It was none other than Rob Lucci.

Lily was shocked by the display, but Robin immediately understood. These were the four kids who had strung her to a tree yesterday and beaten her badly. She hadn't disclosed this to anyone to avoid causing problems, but it seemed Lucci had found out. What Robin didn't know was that it was Ross's observation haki, covering the entire Ohara and beyond, that had caught this act. He had instructed Lucci to teach the kids a lesson so they wouldn't bully Robin again.

Lily hesitated, her shock evident, but Robin stepped forward, her little voice firm. "Lucci, stop!" she called out. Lucci paused, his stern expression unwavering, but he lowered the stick.

But just then, from behind the tied-up kids, a small figure appeared and perched on Lucci's shoulder. It was Leo, carrying a little stick to punish the kids. The Tontatta tribe are simple people, and once they consider someone their friend, they will do anything to help them. When Leo found out that these kids had harmed Robin, it was his idea to repay them with the exact same treatment they had subjected Robin to.

"Leo! Can you guys please let them go? I don't want them hurt," Robin pleaded. Though she was happy inwardly to see that someone was standing up for her, she didn't want the issue to escalate. She was sure that if the kids were hurt, their parents, along with the villagers, would come and cause problems for Brother Ross.

Beside her, Lily was frozen in shock. It was a dwarf from the Tontatta tribe—the tribe believed to have a history spanning over a millennium, having lived through even the Void Century. Lily's eyes sparkled with excitement. She already forgot about the wailing kids strung to the tree, her eyes shining as if she wanted to gobble up Leo whole.

Under Robin's repeated coaxing, Lucci released the four kids. However, his glare promised retribution if they ever considered hurting Robin again. Originally, Lucci wouldn't have cared much about a random girl, but Ross had told him that soon Robin might become part of their family, so he had started to treat her like one of their own. For Lucci, all that mattered was family; everything else was irrelevant.

"Oh, we have guests!" Just as Lily was about to grab the cute little Leo, who was ready to bite her finger off, a voice echoed from the shore, catching everyone's attention. Suddenly, a small pebble hit Lucci squarely on his forehead. Though he detected it at the last second, he couldn't dodge it. Lucci had already started his haki training, and such attacks were the norm.

Lily suddenly turned towards the shore again and saw a young teen rising from the water, carrying what seemed like a massive sea king—a creature large enough to feed the entirety of Ohara. The teen effortlessly pulled the massive behemoth.

Lily, mesmerized by what she saw, noticed his blonde hair, tall, lean build, and perfectly toned muscles glistening with water droplets in the sun, his entire upper left bare for her to admire. Her heart skipped a beat; she had never felt such a rush except when handling ancient documents.

Robin giggled at her sister's reaction—she definitely had a crush on Brother Ross at first sight. Lily immediately flushed with embarrassment, looking away but sneaking glances as the teen moved closer to the house, dragging the sea king.

Suddenly, a small figure rushed towards Robin, circling around her before finally settling on her shoulders. It was little Mansherry, her delicate tail fluttering as she perched comfortably.

"Robin! Who's your friend?" Mansherry asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. In the last month since they had met, both Robin and Mansherry had grown close.

"This is my sister, Lily," Robin introduced, smiling warmly.

Lily, still flustered, managed a shy wave. "Hi. It's nice to meet you."

Mansherry beamed. "It's nice to meet you too, Lily! Do you like barbecue? We were about to make some!"

Lily's eyes lit up. "I'd love to try some." She was thrilled by the fact that she was actually interacting with a Tontatta tribe member.

Just then, I approached the house, dragging the sea king and dropping it to the side with a thud that seemed to shake the entire ground. Lucci immediately moved to carry out the prep work, punching the sea king's corpse to tenderize the sea king meat.

I smiled at the new guest, already guessing who it was because Robin had spoken of her sister Lily many times in the past month. Though I was certain Lily was not a character from the canon, this world has changed since I arrived. The current Robin was not as miserable as in the original story, thanks to Lily, whom she considered family.

"Welcome, everyone. Make yourselves at home." I gestured for the two to take a seat at the table on the porch.

Suddenly, Lily dropped the cake she was holding onto the grassy ground with a plop. Her eyes were wide with sheer terror, and she instinctively pulled Robin behind her, shielding her. Lily finally recognized the handsome face that had seemed familiar to her earlier. Initially love-struck, she now saw the teen up close and realized there was no mistaking it.

This man was a pirate—and not just any pirate, but one whose bounty was over 2.2 billion bellies. A monster, a true monster of the New World. Why was such a monster here, and why did he approach Robin? Lily's mind started racing, but fear had frozen her in place.

Robin might not have recognized me, but as someone who documented all the recent news, Lily would never mistake it. The guy standing casually in front of her while wiping himself with a fresh towel was none other than one of the 'Twin Heavens,' Donquixote Rosinante. She had to let the others know. The others in the library needed to know that a true monster of the New World was here, right on this very island.

I could tell that Lily had already recognized me. She wanted to run—run far away from here—but fear had frozen her. Robin, standing by her side, didn't understand why her sister was showing such an extreme reaction and stepped forward to make sure Lily was alright, worry etched on her face. However, I wasn't bothered by her reaction and moved into the house to change into a fresh set of clothes.

Inside, I glanced back and saw little Robin trying to comfort Lily, who was trembling with fear. Robin's small hand was patting Lily's arm, confusion and concern mingling in her young eyes.

"Lily, what's wrong? He's nice, I promise," Robin said softly, trying to reassure her sister.

But Lily's gaze was fixed on me, her thoughts a whirlwind of panic. She had read every piece of news, every bounty poster, and every story about the infamous pirates. And here stood one of the most dangerous among them, casually wiping his face with a towel.

"Robin, we need to leave," Lily whispered urgently. "He's dangerous."

Robin's brows furrowed. "But he's my friend. They all are. They've been so kind to me."

Lily looked at Robin, seeing the innocence in her eyes. She didn't want to shatter that innocence, but she also couldn't ignore the threat. "I know, but… he's… he's not what he seems."

Meanwhile, outside, Lucci and Leo continued their tasks, seemingly unfazed by the tense atmosphere. Leo hopped over to Robin and Lily, smiling brightly. "Hey, Robin! Want to help with the barbecue?"

Robin's face lit up. "Yes, please!" She turned to Lily, her expression pleading. "Please stay. Just for a little while?"

"I apologize if I scared you, Lily. My name is Rosinante, but you can call me Ross. We mean you no harm," I said gently, trying to ease her fear.

Lily's eyes widened at my calm demeanor. She had expected a ruthless pirate, but instead, she saw a young man trying to reassure her. Her fear began to heighten, because all she saw in front of her was the propaganda that the World Government spread about me in the newspapers and other articles.

Robin smiled up at me. "See, Lily? Ross is nice. He's been teaching me so many things!"

"No! Robin, we are leaving now!" Lily finally composed herself. Despite Robin's struggles and protests, she was dragged away by Lily, who was still trembling in fear.

Mansherry flew back to my shoulders, a bit of worry etched on her face. "Is Robin going to be alright?" she asked.

I reassured her, "Don't worry, she will find her way back later. How about we set aside a portion of the barbecue for little Robin?"

Mansherry beamed in delight. "Yes, let's do that!"

Just then, one of the transponder snails inside the house started ringing. Mansherry immediately flew over and received the call. "Ross, it's Miyamoto-san. He says he wants to speak to you about something important," she declared, carrying the snail towards me.

I had sent Miyamoto on a very important mission, so for him to call outside the scheduled contact time meant something significant must have transpired. As I received the transponder snail, a steady voice from the other side echoed, "Ross-dono, I'm here in Baterilla as you instructed. I have yet to find any traces of the woman you asked me to locate, but earlier this morning, I saw someone from the list of people you instructed me to avoid if I saw them out at sea."

I had given Miyamoto a list of individuals he had no chance against in the seas. For him to meet one of them in Baterilla piqued my curiosity. I had sent Miyamoto to find Portgas D. Rouge. Like me, Garp must be looking for her.

Maybe he had even found her. However, I didn't want to reach out to my teacher for a favor, at least not yet. The man had not been accepting any form of communication and seemed to have completely gone dark, so I was sure he was searching for Rouge. Even Bogard-san was unreachable.

"So, who was it?" I asked, wanting to know if the presence of this person would hinder my upcoming plans.

"The Dark King," Miyamoto responded. My eyes narrowed. The man was believed to be dead by everyone. Someone who had vanished for almost three years had resurfaced again. I couldn't help but smile involuntarily. This was going to be quite a show, especially with Shakky being forced into servitude to act as a dog for the World Government.

"Is he still on the island?" I asked. Miyamoto confirmed Rayleigh's presence and said he was collecting information around the island. He had followed the Dark King discreetly to gather intel.

"And Miyamoto-san, you thought it was smart to try and follow the right hand of the Pirate King? For all I know, he already knows you're stalking him. He may be just waiting for the right time to strike. Do not try to fight him. Just tell him my name..." Just then, the call disconnected abruptly before I could complete my instructions.

The sudden silence from the transponder snail left me uneasy. Miyamoto, while capable, was no match for Rayleigh. The Dark King's reappearance complicated things, but it also presented an opportunity. If Rayleigh was collecting information, it meant he was looking for something—or someone. Shakky's predicament under the World Government's thumb made me wonder if Rayleigh's return was tied to that in some way.