Back on Ohara, Lily dragged Robin hastily toward the library and into her grandfather’s office, hoping he could talk so sense into the little girl. She knew how headstrong Robin was—once she set her mind to sothing, she wouldn’t easily let go.
Entering the small office, Lily ushered Robin in and closed the door behind them. She looked for her grandfather, but it seed like he was away. Frantically, she searched the table and finally found what she was looking for. She placed it in Robin’s arms: the latest bounty poster of Donquixote Rosinante.
"Look... look here, Robin. He’s a pirate, a pirate, I say! He’s not a good man. Everyone who has a bounty to their na is a criminal—a criminal who only deserves death. They all need to be put down like beasts. They don’t deserve to be called humans," Lily roared in frustration.
She did this out of genuine concern for her little sister, but Robin’s eyes beca moist, and tears started falling down her face. Lily froze, not understanding why Robin showed such extre emotions when talking about a criminal. It wasn’t like they had known each other for long.
And there was also a reason why Lily hated pirates so much: both her parents were killed by pirates, and she had never known her parents.
As she sniffled, Robin looked up at Lily with tear-filled eyes and asked, "Do you really an that, Sister Lily? Do you really think everyone with a bounty is a criminal and needs to be put down like a beast?" Tears stread down her face.
Lily paused but thought that to keep Robin away from that monster, she needed to say it. "Yes, Robin, they are all monsters. They are people who thrive on the suffering of innocent people," she added, sharing her general opinion about pirates and criminals alike.
Robin sobbed, then took out a neatly folded bounty poster from her pocket and presented it to Lily. "Do you think she needs to be put down like an animal too? Do you think she is also cruel like you say?" she asked, her eyes reddened.
Lily’s hands trembled as she held the bounty poster. It was soone she recognized well: Robin’s mother, Nico Olivia.
```
[WANTED]
[NICO OLIVIA]
[DEAD OR ALIVE]
[79,000,000 BELLY]
```
Lily’s heart skipped a beat. As a scholar involved in forbidden research, she knew that Nico Olivia was part of the team that had ventured out to sea to collect more details about the Void Century. Although it was deed illegal, they did it anyway in the na of finding the truth.
Lily now didn’t know how to salvage the situation. She knew that whatever she tried to say now would make her seem like a hypocrite, and Robin was too smart to be fooled. Just as she was at a loss, the door to the room opened, and Professor Clover stepped in.
He saw the two bounty posters and sowhat deduced the situation. He had already known that little Robin was stealthily making trips to the island’s edge and that the young man there was none other than an infamous pirate from the New World. But because Rosinante hadn’t caused any issues in the past month, he had chosen to ignore his presence.
Little Robin, seeing the old man step in, started sobbing more loudly and clung to his legs, bawling.
Professor Clover turned to his granddaughter, Lily. "What happened? Tell everything in detail," he said gently but firmly.
Lily took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions. She then started sharing everything that had happened.
Professor Clover’s expression softened as he looked at the tear-streaked face of little Robin. He knelt down beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Robin, not everyone with a bounty is a monster. So people are labeled as criminals for seeking the truth or for standing up against injustice. Your mother, Nico Olivia, is one of those people. She is a brave woman who wants to uncover the truth about our world’s history."
Robin sniffled, looking up at her grandfather with wide, tear-filled eyes. "But what about Brother Ross? He... he doesn’t seem bad."
Professor Clover sighed deeply. "Rosinante is a complicated youth. While many people out there have a bounty, it doesn’t necessarily an they are evil. Sotis, people are forced into difficult situations, and their actions are misunderstood. It’s important to judge people by their actions and their intentions, not just by the bounty on their heads."
Professor Clover offered gently, "While I can confidently say that your mother’s hands are not drenched with the blood of innocents, I cannot say the sa about your new friend Rosinante. What Lily told you may hold partial truth." He knew that saying this might not convince Robin to stay away from such a dangerous youth, so he thought it would be better to confront Rosinante face-to-face.
From what he had co to understand over the past month, the ex-Celestial Dragon didn’t seem like the type who was averse to dialogue. As long as he kept Robin away from Rosinante’s influence, it would be a win for him.
Robin’s face, however, soured. She did not believe that Brother Ross was truly evil. She had seen the bond between Lucci, Leo, and Mansherry with Ross. That kind of familial bond could not be faked.
Professor Clover saw the mix of doubt and confusion on Robin’s face. He stood up while ruffling her hair affectionately. "How about this, Robin? Let’s go ahead and et your friend. I am sure if he is as good as you say, then he wouldn’t harm us."
"Brother Ross won’t harm us, I promise... I promise," she sniffed, rubbing her tears away. Although she trusted Ross, she trusted Lily and Grandpa Clover even more. For now, she decided to heed their words, following them to find out if Brother was really the sort of person they had told her he was.
Soon, under Professor Clover’s lead, both Lily and Robin followed towards the island’s north.
"It seems like we are going to have guests." I couldn’t help but comnt as I detected the presences making their way toward our abode. "Lucci, eat properly. The more vitality you can store within yourself, the longer you can train, and the longer you train, the stronger you get." I eyed Lucci, who, with his bloated tummy, had fallen on his back, giving up eating halfway.
He imdiately sat up and started practicing Life Return, and at a rate visible to the naked eye, his bloated tummy started shrinking back to normal. He once again started devouring the sea king at. Unfortunately, Leo hadn’t learned Life Return yet, so he cutely rolled around with a bloated belly under the silent giggles of Mansherry.
Just then, Professor Clover and the others arrived near the massive fireplace I had built to barbecue the sea king.
"Would you like to join us?" I offered without turning back. Lucci was about to get up to get fresh plates. Robin even wanted to join, but Lily held her back. Now all she held in her eyes for the blonde teen in front of her was hatred, a hatred she held for all pirates.
Professor Clover looked around the fire and saw the happy faces of Lucci and even the jovial dwarves of the Tontatta tribe. For a mont, even he himself doubted if the young teen seated by the fire was really the monster the World Governnt made him out to be. But for now, he did not want to take any chances with Robin, so he cleared his throat and spoke.
"Can we speak... sowhere in private?" The crackling of the fire was all the sound that was heard. Then, with a sigh, I stood up, gesturing for Lucci to make sure the rest of the sea king at wasn’t overcooked because I hadn’t had my fill yet.
Soon, Professor Clover and I stood at the edge of the shore, the sea water caressing our feet. Though he had said he wanted to talk privately, Robin had insisted on following along, and Lily had joined them.
"So, what did you want to talk about, Professor?" I questioned him, though I already knew what the matter was regarding.
"Tell , Rosinante, what is a pirate like you, whose na is infamous even in the New World, doing here in West Blue? And what exactly do you plan to achieve by getting close to young Robin?" He questioned , knowing full well he was no match for soone like , but he stood firm, hoping to make back down.
"What I plan to achieve?" I couldn’t help but chuckle at his question. "Tell , Professor Clover, aren’t you a smart man? Do you really think I can achieve sothing by forming a friendship with an eight-year-old girl?"
"Ross..." he paused and checked if I was okay with him addressing that way, and I simply nodded. "Listen, you should understand that you are a pirate, a criminal, and a man wanted by the World Governnt. If you really thought about little Robin’s well-being, you should have stayed away. Do you think it’s safe for Robin to associate with people like you, Ross-kun?" Clover tried to get through to with logic, but the old fool had no idea that the only reason I had co all the way here was to try and help these people in the upcoming tragedy.
I wanted to smash the old man’s skull in, just to make it clear that I am a pirate and I can bloody well do what I want. But then I cald myself down. It seed like Doffy’s behavior was rubbing off on .
The little kid was the one who found us, despite our settling at the remote edge of the island, where people rarely venture. I had entertained little Robin because, in the canon, she was a future crew mber of Luffy, and her life was tragic.
Although now I was really in the One Piece world, I still had a lingering attachnt to the original One Piece world that I had only known as fiction in my past life, especially its main characters, if that made any sense. I sighed again, deciding to overlook the old man’s stupidity and let it slide this ti around for little Robin’s sake.
But then I couldn’t help but scoff at the old man’s hypocrisy as he kept blabbering on and on.
"Heh, old man, are you sure that little Robin is going to be in danger because she associates herself with ? So what about you? Do you think that little Robin is safe if she associates with people like you?" I countered, not willing to put up with more of his words.
"You... you. How dare you! Of course, Robin is safe with us. You are a pirate! A pirate who thrives on destroying the lives of innocents. You are soone who blatantly breaks the laws and harms others in the process of breaking them!" Lily roared.
Professor Clover was flustered; he did not expect his granddaughter to speak up. He knew she hated pirates with vigor, especially since she had lost both her parents to a pirate attack.
"Hahahahahaha," I almost tripped over laughing. "Really? Really? Breaking the law... harming innocents. You speak as if the people here aren’t doing the exact sa thing. So tell , what’s the difference between you and ?" I questioned.
"Ross-kun, what do you an? We scholars are peace-loving people. Please don’t slander us. We don’t break the law, and we absolutely do not harm any innocents," Clover’s face soured. He was an intellectual man, and my words were an insult to him and his profession, which he worshipped.
"So what about your study of the Poneglyphs? Your underground secret lab that you have set up to decipher the secrets of the Void Century? Isn’t that blatantly breaking the law?" I mocked him.
"And please don’t tell that you don’t know what the consequences would be. Isn’t that inevitably harming all the innocent lives here in Ohara? You already know the consequences of your actions, and you still choose to play with innocent lives. So tell , Professor, how different are we?" I asked with sarcasm, wanting to pull him down from his high horse.
Clover’s face turned a shade darker as my words sank in. He was not sure how I had beco aware of their research on poneglyphs. He instinctively turned to Robin, but then he realized even little Robin was not aware of what exactly they were doing down there, as he had always managed to fool Robin when she wanted to be involved with the Poneglyph.
Robin stood by, confusion evident in her eyes. She looked between us, struggling to reconcile the image of her kind, knowledgeable grandfather with the accusations I hurled at him.
"Ross," Clover began, his voice softer but laced with a steely resolve. He knew there was no use in trying to act ignorant of the matter in front of such a person who could simply force himself into the lab if he denied its existence.
"We study history to uncover the truth and understand the past so that we may build a better future. The laws that prohibit this knowledge are unjust, and it is our duty to challenge them. Yes, there are risks, but the pursuit of knowledge is worth those risks."
"Knowledge at the cost of lives? At the cost of innocent lives, who have no idea about your ’noble’ pursuits?" I interrupted. "The World Governnt will not spare Ohara if they find out what you’re doing. You know this, and yet you persist. You’re gambling with lives, old man. So tell , how are you any better than the pirates you despise?"
"Did you even bother asking the opinion of the sa innocent people whose lives you are gambling with according to your own whims, who gave you the right to act god when it cos to those innocent lives, Professor, or are those lives insignificant and worthless in your eyes? Knowledge, my foot! You are simply fulfilling your ambition while sacrificing others."
Clover remained silent for a mont, clearly struggling with his thoughts. Lily, however, was not so restrained.
"You speak as if you care about innocent lives, pirate. But what about the lives you’ve ruined? The people you’ve killed? You have no right to lecture us on morality," she spat, her eyes blazing with anger.
I took a deep breath, reigning in my temper. "I won’t deny who I am. I’ve done terrible things—things I’m not proud of. But never have I staked another person’s life and called it greater good. What I do, I do to fulfill my ambition, plain and simple, and there are no lies; don’t act like sacrificing innocent lives for the so called greater good is a saintly act. You’re playing with fire, and when it burns, it won’t be just you who suffers."
The tension hung thick in the air. Robin’s eyes filled with tears, clearly torn between her loyalty to her grandfather and her growing bond with ; however, with her intelligence, she could say that the matter wasn’t simple.
"Let’s not pretend any of us are saints," I finally said, my voice softer. "But rember this, Professor. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble goal, but not when it cos at the cost of those who trust and depend on you, especially when the people involved don’t even realize what they are dying for. Trust , that’s the worst way soone can die. Make sure you’re ready to face the consequences of your actions."
******
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