Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The Orphan of Ohara
"Oh? The Seven Warlords of the Sea, huh?
I actually am kind of looking forward to visiting Mary Geoise."
Rikuya Kazama narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
"But for now, why don't you go call in the Vice-President of Baroque Works and Miss Wednesday for me?"
Hearing Rikuya suddenly call out two specific names, Crocodile couldn't help but look confused.
"Not bringing anyone else?"
"Hmph, forget the rest. With their level of strength, they'd only be marching to their deaths in the New World. Better to let them live out their own lives."
Rikuya replied with clear disdain.
Hearing that, Crocodile didn't say anything more. He gave out specific codes to his subordinates, instructing them to contact the two individuals Rikuya had requested.
The next morning.
Sure enough, Rikuya Kazama's name once again blazed across the front page of the World Economic Journal.
Marineford – Fleet Admiral's Office
"Ha! I told you he wouldn't stay quiet for long! Didn't expect he'd already take down another Warlord of the Sea in just a few days."
Garp sat back with his legs up, grinning as he read the headline.
"Now by protocol, we've got to open talks with the World Government about this guy," he added.
"Hmph. He wants to become a Warlord? After all the chaos he caused in Impel Down, he should've been sentenced to death already!"
Sengoku frowned deeply.
"The geezers in the government only serve the Celestial Dragons.
And the Celestial Dragons only have one goal now—stability.
As long as something helps keep the world stable, they'll do it.
Or have you forgotten about the Buster Call?"
At the mention of those words, Garp's smile finally faded.
The Buster Call—a scorched-earth military operation of inhuman brutality.
Its deployment meant five Vice Admirals, ten Rear Admirals, 10,000 elite marines, and ten warships.
Years ago, it was Sengoku—then a Marine Admiral—who carried out the Buster Call on Ohara.
But the true mastermind behind the attack was the World Government.
Ohara was the West Blue's most renowned center for archaeology, and the hometown of Nico Robin.
The World Government, fearing the dangerous knowledge of Poneglyphs—truthfully, fearing the secrets of 800 years ago—ordered Ohara's destruction.
They launched the Buster Call when Robin was just eight years old, and wiped the island from existence.
Only Nico Robin survived.
And Sengoku, bound by duty, took the fall for what happened.
Ironically, it was that action that later helped him rise above his peers and become the next Fleet Admiral.
"Enough talk about the past.
We're Marines. What we can do now is uphold our own sense of justice."
Garp folded up the paper and spoke seriously.
"Your idea of justice isn't the same as mine—you know that well."
Sengoku replied coldly.
"Well, doesn't matter anymore.
We're both old now. Maybe you're right.
Let's just see how those wrinkled fossils in the World Government react next."
Meanwhile, the lone survivor of the Ohara tragedy—Nico Robin—stood quietly inside a private VIP lounge of the Rain Dinners casino.
Across from her sat Rikuya Kazama.
No one else was allowed inside.
Not even Douglas Bullet or Crocodile.
"So… I hear you're looking for me. What do you want?"
Robin had already heard some of the rumors about Rikuya.
She held no affection for Crocodile—on the contrary, she despised him.
So when he was defeated, she wasn't upset at all. She was actually glad.
"You're both lucky and unlucky," Rikuya said nonchalantly, holding a glass of champagne.
"Unlucky because your homeland was annihilated.
Lucky... because you survived."
Hearing his words, Robin's calm expression instantly wavered.
Her heart began to race.
"Relax. I'm not here to kill you or silence you. Quite the opposite—I want your help.
Help me investigate the Poneglyphs."
"You… you know about the Poneglyphs?
Just who are you?"
Robin stood up, visibly shaken. The subject was far too sensitive.
"You don't need to know who I am.
What I can tell you is this: I won't hurt you.
Also—beneath the royal mausoleum of Alabasta lies a Poneglyph that holds information about the ancient weapon—Pluton.
You're free to examine it.
But I want you to keep that knowledge secret.
At the very least—don't tell anyone until you've told me first."
Rikuya sipped his red wine, speaking calmly.
The moment he mentioned Pluton, Robin's entire body trembled.
After all—no one knew the truth about Poneglyphs better than she did.
She was the last surviving scholar of Ohara!
"…How do you know I'll find Pluton?
And more importantly, how can you be so sure I won't reveal it to others?"
Robin finally asked after a moment's hesitation.
"No reason needed. You know what will happen if that kind of power falls into the wrong hands.
You know exactly what despair feels like.
That's why—I trust you won't be foolish enough to let history repeat itself,"
Rikuya said, turning the question back on her.
"…Since you seem to know what I'm thinking—
how can you be so sure that I'll even share what I learn with you?"
Robin fired back.
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