Chapter 157

"But sir! Is evacuation really necessary? Don't you think it's extreme? If the scholars are the evil ones, why are we being implicated in the matter?" One of the citizens, emboldened by Spandine's departure, mustered the courage to question the situation. Many had already left the square, driven by greed or fear, but some remained, reluctant to leave the only home they had ever known.

The government agent narrowed his gaze. "My duty is to inform you, and I have already relayed the message. If you choose to ignore it, be ready to face the consequences," he snapped, disregarding the man's plea. He continued broadcasting the offer of a reward and the instructions for everyone to evacuate to the west coast with their identification.

Meanwhile, inside the Library of Ohara, government agents were ransacking the place despite the protests of Clover and the scholars. The agents restrained everyone within the library, sparing none. They began destroying shelves, searching for hidden compartments or secret doorways.

Suddenly, a scholar who had returned after safely dumping a cartload of books into the lakebed tackled one of the soldiers. "Stop it! Stop it, you bastards! These books are the most precious cultural assets of the world!" he yelled.

Another soldier forcefully pulled him up and rammed the butt of his gun into the scholar's face, breaking his jaw. "Another one of those criminals! Get him out of here," the government agent bellowed. The soldier cuffed the scholar and dragged him outside to join the others who had been detained.

"Curse you, people! Someday you will answer for all these crimes!" the scholar shouted, earning himself a broken rib in the process.

"Don't stop searching! There should be some kind of hidden chamber. Continue searching until you find it," the lead agent commanded. The soldiers toppled shelves that had stood for millennia, scattering ancient texts and artifacts.

Unbeknownst to them, a lone figure was transferring thousands of books to a nearby, uninhabited island at an alarming rate. I knew the books inside the lakebed would survive and could be collected later, so I focused on saving the oldest, most irreplaceable volumes. My actions were driven by boredom rather than altruism.

I could have saved a few lives in the meantime, but would I? No. Not after Clover's high-and-mighty attitude, and knowing how the citizens turned on each other out of fear and greed. For me, a single life on this island mattered: little Robin's. And even Little Robin needed to understand the harshness of this world, so for now, I was waiting and watching.

From the direction Olivia was heading, she would need a miracle to reach the north coast. The Buster Call ships were already within my vast detection range, and soon the bombardment would start, catching Olivia and the two girls in the crossfire.

Olivia, covered by a cloak, hurriedly dragged Lily while carrying Robin. She didn't initially understand why Professor Clover had asked her to trust a stranger and head north, but as they traversed the chaotic streets, Robin explained.

Grandpa Clover had asked them to find Brother Ross. Lily then revealed the identity of the person they were seeking help from. As someone who had been out at sea for more than half a decade, Olivia knew things that Lily might not understand.

She didn't hold any prejudice against Rosinante, despite Lily's complaints. Robin believed in him, and as a mother, Olivia chose to believe too. Professor Clover would not have sent them to a pirate if he hadn't deemed him trustworthy.

Just as Olivia was about to enter an alleyway to dodge the soldiers checking people's identities, a cannon shell exploded right behind her. The force of the blast threw Olivia and Lily, while Robin, in her mother's arms, flew further away.

"Boom... Boom!" The cannon shells ignited chaos, making everyone run for their lives. Hundreds of people were scattered, all heading toward the west coast. Lily's leg was trapped beneath debris as Olivia stood up groggily, unable to see Robin, who was separated from them.

Turning her attention to the immediate issue, Olivia started digging at the debris. "Lily! Stay put. I'll get you out," she urged. After several minutes of backbreaking effort, Olivia managed to free Lily just as the damaged house crumbled.

"Well, well, well! Look who we have here: the criminal who escaped the clutches of the Marines with the help of a traitorous giant by sinking a prison ship," Spandine commented, smiling cruelly.

The main reason he was specially dispatched was to capture Olivia. She was being transferred to the CP9 department, where they planned to extract information and see if the World Government could obtain an ancient weapon.

Olivia's heart pounded as she faced Spandine, knowing that the situation had just become dire. She needed to protect Lily and find Robin before it was too late.

"I just asked my ship to start a random shelling to speed up the process of chasing the people, but it seems luck is on my side. Who would have expected that I would catch such a big fish?" Spandine said, turning his attention towards the young teenage girl covered in dust.

"Is that your daughter? We were told that you have a daughter." He smirked, clearly showing interest in Lily. It was well-known that Olivia had never broken during her torture sessions with the Marines, but now Spandine had found her weakness. Everyone eventually breaks when you have a hold of their family.

In one smooth motion, Olivia pulled the gun strapped to her back and fired at Spandine. He narrowed his eyes and slightly tilted his head, dodging the projectile aimed for his head. "Now, now! Let's not be hasty," he gestured.

The two agents by his side moved with blinding speed and precisely broke Olivia's limbs. Spandine chuckled, closed in on Lily, whose legs were still bleeding, and crouched down. "Tell me, little one, what's your name?" he asked with a smile.

Lily, from the corner of her eye, watched Robin hide in the nearby alleyway. She had already signaled the little girl to remain silent. Lily kept her composure. She was smart and knew that keeping Robin safe was more important than her own life. Stuttering, she replied, "Robin... My name is Nico Robin."

Spandine turned to his subordinate, who checked the list he held and nodded, confirming that it was indeed Olivia's daughter's name. What Olivia didn't know was that her own sister-in-law had betrayed her, selling out her little daughter. If Lily hadn't lied about her name, Spandine would have alerted the entire island to look for someone named Nico Robin.

"Fine! Bag them both. Let's take them to where the others are. I'm sure the rest of the scholars would love to see the traitor who will be helping us uncover all the secrets of the ancient weapons," he chuckled as he stood up. Four CP agents moved in, restraining both Olivia and Lily, whom they thought to be Olivia's daughter.

Robin observed everything from her hiding spot. As a smart girl, she understood what her sister Lily was doing. Clasping her hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs, she watched as both her mother and Lily were dragged away. She knew she had to find Brother Ross. Mansherry had told her how strong Brother Ross was, saying he was capable of sinking entire islands. Without a second thought, as the agents left, Robin started sprinting towards the north coast. Ross was her last hope.

Robin ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. She knew she had to find Brother Ross. Her mother and sister had been taken, and it was up to her to get help. She dodged through the crowds, avoiding Marines and agents, her small form easily slipping through gaps and alleyways.

As she neared the north coast, she could see the Buster Call ships on the horizon, which her mother had mentioned earlier. The bombardment would soon begin, and she knew that time was running out. She pushed herself harder, ignoring the burning in her lungs and the tears streaming down her face. She had to find Brother Ross. He was their only hope.

"Is this everyone? Round up all the scholars here," Spandine ordered as he finally reached the area where Professor Clover and the rest of the scholars were bound. Olivia and Lily were pushed to the side. Clover was about to call out Lily's name, but a quick gesture from his granddaughter made him pause.

"Oh, you recognize the girl? Care to tell me how you came to know Olivia's daughter here? By any chance, is she an aspiring scholar too?" Spandine asked, observing Clover's reaction. Seeing that little Robin was missing, Clover realized what Lily had done. Spandine, interpreting Clover's shock as confirmation that the teenage girl was planning to become a scholar, smirked.

However, even he could not have guessed that Lily was already a scholar, and there was another scholar even younger than Lily, who was barely eight years old.

"Well, who would have guessed there was such a young, aspiring scholar? You sure are trouble; you are already training the next generation of demons, Nico Olivia," Spandine commented. He had just received the message that all the Buster Call battleships were in position.

"The child has no connection with us. You cannot condemn a child because she was born to a scholar," one of the bound scholars roared, trying to help Lily escape the clutches of these monsters.

Nearby, many of the island's citizens were witnessing the scene. "It was all true. Look how many monsters were hiding under the guise of scholars, planning to destroy the world," a civilian commented. Similar remarks spread through the crowd.

"It's all because of these monsters that we are being chased away from our own home," another added.

"If I had known these things earlier, I would have personally killed them all myself," another citizen declared as they made their way toward the evacuation ships.

"You hear that?" Spandine chuckled. "The people that called you the pride of Ohara are now calling you the demons of Ohara!" He laughed loudly, but Clover didn't react to his taunt. He was concerned about his granddaughter. Feeling insulted by the lack of reaction, Spandine continued.

"You guys still don't get it, do you? How about we make a bet? You said this girl was innocent, right? I will let her go. If she is able to safely board the evacuation ship, I will let her go free," he said with a cruel smirk.

There was a reason why the Elders favored Spandine and why he was on the cusp of being promoted to a higher position. He excelled at breaking the opposition and getting things done neatly.

Clover's eyes, which had lost their light, regained some clarity as Spandine spoke again. "However, if she fails to board the ship, I will gun her down, even though she might not be a scholar. How about it?" he added and released Lily.

Lily stood there, dumbfounded. However, Olivia, with her broken limbs, moved. "Go! Go... get to the evacuation ship; get away far from here." Lily then turned to her grandfather, whose eyes spoke the same words.

"Boom!" Suddenly, a resounding explosion echoed from within the Tree of Knowledge, shaking the entire structure. Spandine's communicator rang.

"Director! We have found it! There is some kind of underground, hidden chamber. There are thousands of written documents here related to poneglyphs, and they also have a large block of stone, which I believe is a poneglyph. It's confirmed, sir—they have broken the taboo," the agent on the other end coveyed.

"Hahahaha, finally! So you bastards were not only studying poneglyphs but also somehow managed to move one here. You dumb morons have just sealed your fate. I wonder, did you have something to do with the poneglyph that vanished from the seafloor on Fish-Man Island? I'm sure the elders will be interested in hearing this."

Spandine forgot about the matter of Olivia's daughter. He had just found a much more important lead. Their CP organization had been searching for any clues regarding the two poneglyphs that had vanished from the seabed. Moving a poneglyph was not something anyone could achieve, but these scholars had managed to do it.

Soon, the call connected, and a heavy voice sounded from the other side. "Spandine, is the cleanup done?"

"Elder-sama! I might have found a possible lead about the missing poneglyph," Spandine spoke, and the expression of the transponder snail turned dangerous. "Sir! These scholars have a poneglyph hidden in the basement. They have somehow managed to move it, so I thought you should know about it!" Spandine spoke respectfully.

"Let me speak! Let me speak to them! I want to ask them something directly," Clover stood up staggering.

On the side, Lily had reached the evacuation ship, but when she tried to board, she was pushed away. "Get out, you fucking monster! It's all your fault. You guys were the ones who took everything away from us!" a woman shoved Lily away.

They knew she was Clover's granddaughter but didn't understand why she was allowed to board the ship. Many who watched didn't intervene, sharing the same sentiment and hatred for Clover's granddaughter. Luckily, Spandine was engrossed in his call with the Elders; otherwise, he would have realized the girl's name was Lily, not Robin.

A man with a daughter of his own felt sorry for Lily and tried to speak up for her. "She is just a little girl!"

But another man quickly retorted, "If you're so worried about the monster, why don't you step out of the ship and help the demon yourself? Don't drag us into this."

Soon, a few others expressed similar opinions, making the man fall silent. He could not afford to risk himself and his own daughter.

Lily, witnessing this, finally began to understand Ross's words. She now felt foolish—completely naive about true human nature. She realized why the CP leader had let her go so confidently despite knowing how valuable a hostage she was—it was because she had nowhere to go, and no way of escape.

******

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