ONE PIECE: BLEACH SYSTEM

Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1502 — Two Years After the Start of the Great Pirate Era

West Blue — O'Hara, the Sanctuary of Archaeology

"We have to make it in time…"

A child wearing a strange monkey mask, a staff strapped across his back, ran against the tide of panicked villagers fleeing in the opposite direction.

Though Hayden had the body of a child, his soul was not. But even so, his small legs could only carry him so far.

In his frantic estimation, it felt like he had been running for an eternity.

Finally, the edge of town came into view. Ahead, every villager was carrying bags—large or small—and heading the same way: out of the town. Away from danger.

The expressions on their faces were unmistakable.

Fear. Desperation.

They knew what was coming.

And so did Hayden.

"Shit…"

His lungs felt like they were on fire, straining under the relentless sprint. But he didn't slow down. He couldn't slow down.

He had to reach the Tree of Knowledge.

Through the narrow breaks in the panicked crowd, Hayden pushed forward, the familiar stone-paved streets of O'Hara blurring past as he ran.

Then—

BOOM!

A different sound split the air.

Not the cries of frightened people. Not the pounding of footsteps.

Hayden's eyes snapped up instinctively.

A World Government warship had opened fire.

The Tree of Knowledge—O'Hara's symbol of wisdom and history—was struck directly.

A rising column of smoke—thick and black—climbed into the sky.

Fire licked the branches. The great library… was burning.

"Fuck!" Hayden cursed again, his voice shaking.

"Are we too late...?"

A wave of memories flashed through his mind—like a reel of film playing out too fast to stop.

Meeting Robin for the first time—awkward and cautious.

Robin's "Clutch" when she was annoyed.

Convincing her to use her Hana Hana no Mi powers to sneak treats from the villagers' homes.

Sitting under the stars, eating cake together, watching fireworks.

It had only been a few days.

But he didn't want it to end.

If the events of the plot had only deviated slightly, then maybe—just maybe—Robin wouldn't be the sole survivor of the O'Hara incident this time.

If not...

Hayden's thoughts broke as he finally arrived.

The Tree of Knowledge stood ahead—but it was already too late. Fire spread across its surface, and a large crowd had formed in front of it.

Panting heavily, Hayden collapsed behind a nearby wall, soaked in sweat. His heart pounded like a drum inside his chest.

He ripped the mask from his face and pushed it up over his head, sucking in lungfuls of oxygen.

Then, carefully, he peeked around the edge of the wall.

Just as he feared, the central plaza was surrounded by government agents. The familiar white suits and black ties marked them clearly—agents of the World Government. Rifles were trained on the group in the center.

He could make out the familiar figures of the scholars he had seen before. And there—kneeling beside a fallen figure—was Robin.

"Dr. Clover?" Hayden muttered.

He wasn't sure. The old man lying on the ground had a white beard and wore a green robe. If it wasn't Clover, it was one of the other senior scholars.

And in front of the scholars stood the executioners.

Three men, in neat suits—but one stood out.

A tall, sharp-featured man with a striped overcoat and a permanent sneer.

Spandine.

The former head of CP9. Father of Spandam, the one responsible for Robin's bounty and the destruction of Enies Lobby years later.

Spandine held a Den Den Mushi in one hand—presumably issuing orders—and something that looked like an Eternal Pose in the other.

Behind him, flanking his sides like shadowy wolves, were two agents—likely CP9 operatives of that era. No names Hayden recognized from the future, but their bearing and calmness screamed danger.

Hayden ducked back behind the wall.

He had no weapons. No Devil Fruit powers. No Haki. Just a child's weak body.

Even if he charged out, the moment one rifle fired—bang—he'd be dead. And that was before factoring in the CP9 agents who could kill a grown man in the blink of an eye.

He wanted to move.

He had to move.

But his body didn't listen.

It felt like iron weights were shackled to his ankles. Every rational part of him screamed to flee. But his heart refused.

He clenched his fists, jaw trembling.

In the distance, flames from the Tree of Knowledge spread further, licking at its ancient roots—devouring hundreds of years of history.

And soon… maybe everyone else too.

The scholars, encircled in the middle of the chaos, noticed the shifting tides and immediately panicked. Desperate, they surged toward the Tree of All-Knowledge, even pointing outdated firearms in futile resistance.

But Spandine no longer cared for their actions.

He had already activated the Buster Call. If he didn't evacuate now, he too would perish on this doomed island.

"Retreat!" he barked to his subordinates. "Take her with us!"

Two CP9 agents lifted the unconscious or restrained woman lying at Spandine's feet.

Robin, catching sight of the scene, felt something stir deep within her. She rose shakily, her lips trembling.

"…Are you… my mother?"

The three CP9 agents halted briefly, glancing back with curiosity.

"Hm? That brat's your kid?" one of them asked mockingly.

The woman, her head bowed, replied calmly, "No… I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

But Robin knew.

She felt it in her bones.

Tears poured down her cheeks, her nose running as sobs escaped her lips.

"I'm Robin!!! Don't you recognize me…? I've grown up… I've been waiting for you to come back all this time!"

"I studied so hard—I became an archaeologist! I can read the Poneglyphs now!"

"Stop—!" Hayden's voice was drowned in panic as he lunged toward her.

But it was too late.

Robin's words hung in the air, echoing through the chaos.

Spandine's eyes narrowed, his expression darkening.

"That kid… she can read the Poneglyphs?!"

Before Spandine could respond, reality thundered down upon them.

The Buster Call commenced.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

Explosions erupted across the island like drums of death.

The relentless barrage from ten Marine battleships—each one a titan of war—shook even Spandine.

A shell slammed into the ground nearby, spraying dirt and flame. Spandine flinched and turned pale.

"Retreat! Retreat!!"

Without looking back, he and his agents fled, leaving the scholars—deemed enemies of the World Government—to burn under the name of "justice."

Meanwhile, Hayden had already rushed into the chaos, breaking the chains that once bound him. In the moment of release, Robin had surged forward—colliding at last with the mother she'd longed to see.

They embraced beneath the rain of fire and ash.

All around them, hell broke loose.

Explosions shook the land, flames swallowed the trees, and oily black smoke towered into the crimson sky.

Beside the burning remains of the Tree of All-Knowledge, Dr. Clover had collapsed—his final stand, reduced to cinders.

Hayden stood frozen beside him.

This was no scene from a storybook, no illusion of heroism.

This was the truth of the world he had entered.

A hell painted in fire and silence.

His mind went blank.