The Runabout on Ohara
The entire hall of the library was so quiet, a pin dropping could make an echo. Robin just stood there, feeling more and more uncomfortable as time past. Luffy was looking around at all the grown-ups, wondering why they're all looking so spooked.
Clover suddenly rushed up and took Robin by her shoulders, looking her square in the eyes.
"Robin, where did you learn that word?" He sternly asked. Robin's nervousness rocketed to high levels at this change in character of the old library keeper.
"Hey, Leaf-Head!" The high pitched noise came from Robin's new friend. "Don't scare Robin like that!" Luffy was stomping up to him, rage filling his eyes.
"Silence, boy!" The professor bellowed. "This has nothing to do with you!"
"Robin's my friend! It has everything to do with me!" Luffy yelled back, just as fiercely as Clover, if not more.
Taken back by the words of the boy's outburst, Clover noticed the Vice Admiral amongst them walk up to him and Robin. "Allow me." Garp gently stated.
Clover immediately stood up and raised his arms out to his sides, guarding Robin with his body. "I will not let you harm one hair on this girl!" He announced.
Looking around, one could see the rest of the scholars were starting to flare up for a fight. If this didn't get a lid on itself soon, there would be a large amount of unneeded bloodshed this library.
"Professor," The small voice brought the attention of the lead archeologist to the small girl he was protecting. "It's all right. I want to talk to him too."
Clover looked like he was about to protest, but seeing the determination in her eyes made him lower his guard and reluctantly let Garp pass.
All the other scholars in the library watched on, keeping a close eye on anything that Garp might do.
The look that the scholar gave the Vice Admiral said enough; 'Harm her and you face me and the rest of us!'
Garp knelt down in front of Robin, giving off a gentle and kind atmosphere, calming the young girl.
"You're a friend of my Grandson, Are you?" He asked. Robin gave a small nod.
Garp raised his hand and moved it close to Robin's head. All the scholars nearly flinched into attack, when Garp landed his hand gently on top of Robin's head, rubbing it softly.
"Then if Luffy trusts you, then so do I!" Garp gave his own wide toothy grin, mimicking Luffy's. Robin caught on to this and relaxed.
"Now," Garp got back to business. "Can you tell me who told you to say that to me?"
Robin shifted uncomfortably. "He told me it was okay to tell you his name…"
"Who?" Garp inquired.
"Saul…" Robin answered.
Garp's eyes widened at this. "Saul, as in Jaguar D. Saul?! He's on this island?!"
Robin nodded yes.
"Can you tell me where he is?!" Garp asked as calmly as he could, as to not scare her as much as she has been already.
"Yes," Robin nodded again. "He's down at the South end of the island, on a beach! He said he wanted to talk to you too!"
"…That's good," Garp got back up on his feet. "Thank you for telling me this…?"
"Robin." The girl answered his unasked question.
"Thank you, Robin," The vice admiral said kindly, before turning to his marines in the library. "Men! This is an order! Stand guard of this library until I return! No one enters this library! No civilians! No children!"
Garp looked back at the two soldiers who let Luffy and Robin get past them, both hanging their heads in shame.
"And no other officer gets in apart from me! Is that understood?!" A chorus of 'YISSIR!'s echoed through the library, each soldier signaling their leader with a salute.
Garp then looked between the two children. "You two stay here. The marines will keep you safe."
"Thank you." Robin obliged politely. "Awwwww! Why can't I come with you?! Libraries are boring!" Luffy pouted stubbornly, causing Robin to feel quite offended.
Garp placed his hands on his Grandson's shoulders, staring him in the eye. "Luffy, if you won't take an order as a marine, then take one as my Grandson." He beseeched strongly, grasping Luffy's full attention. "You have to stay here and protect Robin, no matter what! Can you do that?"
"Of course!" Luffy stated.
"Good boy!" Garp encouraged him.
"Allow me to come with you." Clover waked up behind Garp. "I need to ask Saul some things about… Olivia." The old librarian reluctantly confessed.
"So you do know her…" Garp looked back at the scholar, unimpressed by the old man's secrecy.
"More than you realize…" Clover went on.
"Momma…" Robin whispered under her breath, but Luffy was the only one to hear her.
"After which…I will be more than willing to reveal to you…everything we've been hiding." Clover continued.
"Clover, no!" An archeologist from the other side of the room called out in defiance.
"WE HAVE NO CHOICE!" Clover bellowed back, silencing any other objections. "It is time for us to come clean, for the greater good! You heard what Robin spoke of when she entered!" The statement was more than enough to make the rest of the scholars quietly agree.
Clover turned back to Garp. "I suggest we leave now."
"Agreed." Garp motioned back.
Clover got down on one knee in front of Robin and placed his hands on her shoulders once more, only much more gentler this time. "Stay here, Robin. The marines will keep you safe. We'll be back soon."
"Okay." Robin obeyed softly.
"Keep Robin safe, Luffy. I'm counting on you." Garp ordered his Grandson.
"Got it!" Luffy nodded with determination.
"Let's go." Garp and Clover both left through the front door of the library, letting in the sunlight for a quick moment, before the room was bathed in shaded darkness again after the door closed.
After a quiet tension filled the air of the library, Luffy chose that moment to break it.
"Why do we have to wait in a library?! It's so boring!" This comment resulted in Robin giving a huff in annoyance.
"Huh?" Luffy looked over to see Robin with her back turned to him.
"What's up, Robin?" Luffy asked.
"I'm not talking to you!" Robin pouted.
"What?! Why?!" Luffy was really confused now.
"You said libraries are boring! I like libraries!" Robin kept looking away from Luffy.
"Is that why you're being like this?" All Luffy got from her was silence.
"Robin?" Nothing. "Robin?" Nothing again. Luffy tried to see her face on her right side. "I just said that-" Robin turned away. "I didn't mean to-" She turned to the right when he came left. "Robin, will you just-" This went on for a few minutes.
All the other scholars and marines watching this couldn't help but find this spectacle rather funny and adorable.
After running around Robin, trying to see her face, Luffy gave up and collapsed on the floor, trying to catch his breath.
"I'm sorry, Robin…" Luffy whined, making Robin turn her head a little in his direction.
"You're not going to say libraries are boring again?" Robin lectured more than asked.
"No…" Luffy moaned again.
"Promise?" Robin faced front, looking down at Luffy.
"I promise…" Luffy said, not wanting to be shut out anymore.
"He's like a husband in the dog house…" A marine muttered to a female archeologist, causing them both to chuckle under their breath.
"She'll make a good wife one day…" She whispered back, causing them both to smile, only to realize that they were on opposing sides and went back to giving each other their own silent treatment. How could two kids break such a tense situation, they both wondered…
"While were here, why don't I show you some of my favorite books?" Robin glowed with enthusiasm.
Luffy wanted to moan at this, but not wanting to be ignored by Robin again, he stifled it.
"Sure…" He said with as much muster as he could, which wasn't a lot.
Robin was so happy to hear this, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along to explore the library.
"I think we have some books about Gold Roger somewhere…" Robin said out loud to herself.
"'Gold Roger?!' Awesome!" Luffy then took the lead and pulled Robin along, the two starting a fight for leadership.
The marines were fine with letting the two children run around the place, gathering books and talking all the while, as long as they stayed inside the tree.
The scholars were so happy to see Robin enjoying her favorite pass time with someone her own age. She deserved to have a friend at last.
They just prayed that the two didn't go anywhere near the basement…
On the East shore of Ohara, the white haired stranger, known as Nico Olivia, had long abandoned her vessel and had started her trek through the forest.
"I hope Saul is here already…" She hoped to herself as she pushed a branch out of her path.
Olivia had risked much of herself already by going out to sea, hunting down the ponoglyphs in the name of her late husband. Becoming a criminal, forcing a Vice Admiral to go awol, and losing all of her fellow scholars that set out with her in a bloody massacre at the hands of the marines! But one thing that stung just as horrible as that, after all these years, was cutting all ties with her beloved daughter.
How old must she be now? Seven,no…eight! Oh, how she wished she could see her again…
"No," she said to herself. It's for the best…She doesn't deserve to have a criminal as a mother…
Even as she thought that, her resolve was still weak.
If she could go back in time and stop herself from going on that ship and abandoning Robin, she would. Her husband would understand.
But her fate was sealed… She had to make sure the fate of Ohara wasn't!
She marched on, determination running through her. She believed that History was a treasure, and she won't let the World Government turn it into a curse for the rest of the world!
"Nico Olivia was a long time comrade of ours in the Tree of Knowledge." Clover spoke as he and Garp walked through the forest.
"I'm sure you are aware of why an archeologist would become a wanted criminal?" Garp was well aware indeed.
The Ponoglyphs.
Ancient tablets with an indescribable language chiseled into their sides, recording the history of a blank one hundred years that no one has recorded for over eight hundred year prier. One hundred years that people only describe, as the Void Century.
Eight-hundred years ago, the World Government issued that studying the ponoglyphs was a crime, punishable by death. Anyone that made an attempt to analyze them, was dealt with instantly.
Even though the punishment was dire, many scholars and archeologists couldn't resist leaving the ponoglyphs be. Their curiosity got the best of them, but all it did was issue them immediate death.
"So if Nico Olivia cut all ties with you, why go to all this trouble to cover her up?" Garp asked, satisfied with finally getting the answers he sought.
"Because…We have a ponoglyph hidden under the Tree of Knowledge…" clover finally admitted, possibly sealing his own death sentence, along with his fellow scholars.
Garp's eyes widened at this information. He regained his nerves and looked forward.
"I see…" The pieces were falling into place at last.
"When Robin mentioned the 'Buster Call'…" Clover took a moment to let the fearful effect of the word itself pass. "I knew it was time to tell the truth. I don't want the World Government slaughtering any more of my colleagues!"
"But you went and studied the ponoglyph anyway, regardless of the consequences!" Garp pointed out, wanting to get a tighter hold on the situation at hand.
"Wanting to know the truth should not be a crime!" The aging scholar erupted, the stress overcoming him. After some silence passed between the two walking men, Clover started to speak again.
"…Which is why I am so relieved to be telling the likes of you all of this, Garp." Clover was truly glad that the one decent officer of the navy had decided to investigate the issue in person.
"You know that I work for the organization that can have you and your comrades dead…" Garp mentioned.
"By comparing the Navy to the World Government, you marines can at least be reasoned with to a degree." Clover insinuated. "I know my sentence, along with my colleges, is final. But if there is a chance to ward off the World Government from spilling anymore innocent blood…" Clover muttered, still bitter about the fact of a marine battleship slaughtering a large number of his colleagues on their expedition.
Garp wouldn't say it out loud, but he agreed. He was aware of how corrupt a system the World Government was running. The Celestials were a prime example…
He was also aware of how corrupt the Navy itself had become over time. At this rate, the pirates were acting more honest than the Marines. Maybe Luffy has a point in becoming a pirate…
Garp immediately shook the thought out of his head, when suddenly, the two men had arrived at their destination.
A wide open view of the ocean, a long stretching sandy beach, with a large orange bearded giant staring right back at them.
"Garp…" Saul greeted.
"Saul…" Garp narrowed his eyes at the enormous being. "You have some explaining to do…"
On the West side of the island, another marine ship had made dock. Stepping off the ship's bridge connecting to land was Commander Spadine, along with two men wearing black suits.
As Spadine and the two men stepped off the ship, all the soldiers saluted them as they made their way down. Spadine liked it like this, people saluting him, praising him, worshiping him…
"Commander Spadine," The black suited man on his right spoke up, taking Spadine out from his ego stroking. "What are our orders?" The man mentioned to his partner on Spadine's left.
"Just stay by my side at all times. Don't let anyone get within five feet of me." Spadine may have been a high ranking agent in the World Government, but he also had a highly known reputation of being a spiteful coward.
He had lied, cheated and bribed his way to the top, becoming chief commander of one of the World Governments most elite forces. As long as he had them to hide behind, he could get away with anything.
"The rest of you!" He bellowed, catching the attention of all the soldiers saluting him. "Head for the Tree of Knowledge and begin your investigation! We cannot let these criminals recreate the ultimate weapon!"
A chorus of 'YISSIR!' filled his ears, and they were off.
This the part of the job Spadine loved the most. Flaunting his power, knowing that he had the power of the World Government behind him, believing it made him untouchable.
His reputation was all that mattered to him, no matter what kind of sinful act he would do for it. He just hoped his son would be able to make him as proud as he was of himself when he handed his title over to him.
But that thought could wait. Right now, it was time to make an example of Ohara…
Luffy opened his mouth wide to let out a massive yawn.
"I thought learning about Gold Roger would be fun, but all this reading is so boring!"
"I thought you said you weren't going to say that anymore!" Robin chided him, sitting to one side of the table they were sat at.
"I can't help it, Robin! You can think libraries are cool, but you can't force me to!" Luffy defended himself. Robin was surprised by this, only for her face to sink down into a frown. He was right. It wasn't nice to force someone to be what you want them to be, Her of all people should know that.
"I bet you think books are stupid too…" She couldn't help but let that slip out, remembering what one of the kids picking on her said.
Luffy looked over at her with concern. "I don't think books are stupid! They may be boring to me, but if someone as cool as you reads them, then their cool too!"
Robin looked back at the boy, blushing at his praise. This boy was so strange, yet so great to be around. She didn't question why though, wanting to enjoy having such a good friend in her life at long last.
"Hey! Can we go outside?" Luffy turned and called to one of the marines.
"Vice admiral Garp gave strict orders to watch over the two of you! Sorry, Luffy!" The marine answered back.
Luffy pouted at this, only for the gears in his head to start turning. Luffy looked over his shoulder from where he sat and spotted a window. The two of them were currently on one of the more higher levels of the tree, but since Luffy could stretch his arms like rubber…
With a chuckle and a grin, Luffy had an idea!
"Psst! Robin!" Luffy quietly got the dark haired girl's attention. "Let's sneak out of here!"
"We can't do that!" robin chastised quietly. "We'll get in trouble!"
"I get in trouble all the time! It's not that bad!" Luffy hopped down from his seat. "Besides, its fun to break the rules once in a while!" He spoke showing off his toothy grin.
Robin was skeptical at first, but now that she finally had a friend her age, she wanted to reap the benefits she long went without after all those lonely years.
Robin closed her book gently, not wanting to alert the grown-ups in the library and silently hopped down from her seat and followed Luffy's lead.
Luffy pushed a near by stool to a window, stepped on top of it and went to open it.
"What are you doing?" Robin questioned.
"Were leaving out the window!" Luffy beamed excitedly.
"We can't go out there! Were too high up!" Robin protested, but her protests fell on deaf ears. Luffy had already opened the window and climbed out half way, before standing up with his hand clinging to the frame, stretching out his whole arm a few inches.
He reached out to Robin. "Take my hand! I'll stretch us down!"
Robin was reluctant, but gave in to the boy's wishes, took his hand and squeezed it for dear life.
Luffy then pulled her up through the window and wrapped his arm around her waist. Robin blushed at this, before Luffy made a leap down from the railing and landed a few meters down the side of the tree, his hand still holding onto the window frame.
One jump at a time, the two kids scaled down the large trunk of the Tree of Knowledge. Finally landing on solid ground, Luffy retracted his arm and it snapped back in place.
"How did you learn how to do that?!" Robin was blown away by such a creative use for his powers.
"The idea just came to me! I've never done that before!" Luffy heartily laughed, as Robin gained a look of utter dread.
"B-but…We could have died! Or at least me, since your made of rubber…But still!" Robin fumed at having her life risked on chance.
"I wouldn't have dropped you, Robin. You're my friend, I'd never want to lose you." That simple state from the straw hatted boy made Robin stop being angry and a flattered feeling spread through her. But she still put up a pout, she did nearly die after all.
Robin was brought out of her thoughts by a finger being poked into her forehead. Looking back at Luffy, she saw him wearing his wide toothy grin again.
"Tag! Your'e 'It'!" Luffy laughed as he made a run for it.
"L-Luffy! Get back here!" Robin yelled as she started to chase him.
Even though she sounded mad, she was smiling. She always wanted to play tag, but none of the kids wanted to play with her. No one did, until now. Robin thanked whatever deity it was that brought this boy into her life, and hoped she and him could be friends for as long as possible.
Hopefully, she dared to wish, forever…
"They massacred an entire ship?!" Garp gasped in disbelief.
"Yes," Saul regretfully recollected. "I never saw the reasoning behind it. They were just scholars, they barely even put up a fight! After I arrested Olivia, Sengoku ordered me to aid in the 'Buster Call' on Ohara…"
Garp gave a sigh of disappointment. Sengoku was the fleet admiral of the entire Navy and even though he has done good work, his loyalty to the Government had a habit of clouding his judgement. It was times when it did that Garp couldn't even recognize him. The fleet admiral needed to make his mind up, about weather to have a heart, or not.
"…And once Olivia told you of the World Government's plans, you couldn't stand aside…" Garp finished for the giant.
"Exactly…" Saul agreed.
"All of Ohara…they would go so far, just to keep us quiet and history buried?" Clover was beyond shocked, frozen to the spot where he stood and as white as a sheet. The World Government would go so far to keep the Void Century a secret, that they would obliterate an entire island?!
All of this said only one thing to the aged archeologist; The Government was hiding something.
Something to do with the Ponoglyphs…
"We can't let this happen!" Clover burst out.
"I agree," Garp concluded. "We don't know when the battleships will arrive, but I have to contact Sengoku at once! He'll at least listen to me!"
Garp and Sengoku went way back in the Navy, fighting together on the open seas against many a pirate, even going up against the former Pirate King, Gold Roger himself. Even though they had a habit of rubbing each other the wrong way and having different opinions on how to dispense justice, they would always be friends and comrades. Hopefully, that side of Sengoku would show when Garp brought all this up to him…
"Well, if you're going to contact him, Garp…" Saul was looking out to sea with fear and dread filling his eyes. "You might want to do it now…"
Garp and clover looked out to see what Saul was speaking of, and the color drained from their faces more.
On the horizon, ten battleships were waiting out on the waves, with over-sized cannons that you could see from the shore, mounted on deck and sticking out the broadsides.
Above the fleet of ships, a storm was looming over them, thunder ominously rumbling in the clouds with flashes of lightning illuminating their presence.
"Their just floating there…waiting…" Clover felt like he was going to be sick.
"That means they haven't been given the signal…" Garp deduced. "The one holding the golden transponder snail must be on the island, starting their 'investigation'…"
"We must hurry back to the library!" Clover turned to the direction of the Tree of Knowledge. "They will be heading straight there!"
"Let's move!" Garp began to sprint for the centre of the island, clover barely keeping up with him. Clover then found himself being lifted in the air and carried in the palm of Saul's hand. Saul climbed over the cliffside, his enormous presence reaching high over the forest.
"I'm coming too! I have to find Olivia, and I won't see this island burn!" The large being confirmed.
With a nod of approval from the vice admiral and lead scholar, the three began to make their way back to the tree, praying that everything would turn out all right.
All through their mad dash for the library, each one of them had a different person on their mind; Olivia for Clover, Robin for Saul, and Luffy for Garp.
All three of them prayed that they were okay.
"Curses…!" Olivia swore under her breath. Hiding behind a house wall, she was able to lean out and see the marine soldiers guarding the library. She was too late to warn her comrades.
Olivia darted her eyes around, trying to spot someone of authority, leading the marine forces. She couldn't find any.
"I still have time…" Olivia whispered as she treaded away from her hiding spot and made a quick dash for the forest. If the one in charge of this 'investigation' hasn't arrived yet, she has a window of opportunity to stop them from arriving.
"I won't let this place burn…!" she muttered as she ran. "I won't see my colleagues die…
"…I won't see my daughter die!"
Robin and Luffy had run deep into the forest, where not another soul could barely find them. The two children had stopped to catch their breath after an enjoyable game of tag.
"I…win…!" luffy heaved, hunched over with his hands on his knees.
"How…can you run…so fast?" Robin gasped as she fell to her knees, dropping the book she had in her hands.
"I… run around… the jungle… back home… with my brothers… all the time…" Luffy managed to get out, starting to stand up straight.
"You…have brothers?" Robin leaned up, her breath coming back to her lungs.
"Yeah…Ace and Sabo! They're my big brothers! We run around, get into fights, hunt for food, it's awesome! They're awesome!" Luffy beamed with pride.
Robin looked down, feeling depressed. "All I have is a cousin. She's not mean to me, but she doesn't play with me though. Auntie Roji tells her to stay away from me…"
"…That auntie of yours is a real troll!" Luffy stated. Robin was surprised to hear this at first, but broke out into a laugh.
"I wish I could call her that, right to her face!" Robin hoped out loud. "But she'd just get mad and hit me…"
Luffy was getting tired of seeing his new friend looked sad all the time. He got an idea on how to cheer her up, but he really didn't want to do it. Looking back at Robin's sad face though, he ended up breaking away his stubbornness.
Luffy surprised the two of them by taking off his treasured straw hat and placed it on her head. Robin pushed the brim of the hat up from her eyes, peeking out at the smiling boy.
"Then I'll be there!" Luffy said while wearing his grin. "When you finally tell your auntie off for being so mean to you, I'll be there to back you up!"
Robin took the hat off and couldn't help but look at it in her hands. Robin let a small smile appear on her face. She noticed she'd been smiling a lot more lately, ever since she met this boy. He made her feel…special, happy…loved…
A rustle in the distance caught their attention, making the two kids whip their heads in the direction of the noise.
"Stupid forest!" A loud mutter came from behind a few trees. Luffy and Robin both looked at each other and made their way closer to where the noise originated. "This jacket was tailor made!"
Peeking out through a bush, they saw a tall, pale skinned man, wearing a black suit and an ugly green long sleeve jacket. One of the sleeves of the jacket had caught onto one of the branches of the trees and he was tugging at it in anger.
Upon closer inspection, Robin caught the sight of something gold in the man's inside jacket pocket. Leaning closer to get a better look, Robin's eyes widened in shock. The gold object turned out to be a golden transponder snail.
Transponder snails were used as communication devices, even though they're living creatures. A hand mic is implanted at the top of their shells, allowing one to speak through another snail, their voices coming from the snails mouth. It was a strange mix between creature and device, but it made contacting people from far distances a helpful commodity.
This snail however, didn't have a mic on its shell, but a large gold button. Robin stared at this button, frozen in worry.
"This guy's funny!" Luffy snickered with a hand over his mouth. "Right, Robin?" Luffy looked over to his friend to see her shaking slightly.
"Robin?…What's up?" Luffy said concerned.
"Do you see that gold snail in his jacket, Luffy?" Robin whispered back.
"Yeah…?" Luffy peered at the shining device in the man's coat.
"That's a gold transponder snail!" She continued. "I just remembered where I heard that word Saul told me to say to your grandpa! I read about it in a book once. It's supposed to be used by a marine officer to summon a…a…" the realization hit Robin like a tidal wave. Sweat appeared on her forehead and she began to shake from total fear.
"A what?!" Luffy hissed, wanting to know what had Robin so scared.
"A Buster Call…A wide spread attack from ten navy battleships that fire on a single target and don't stop firing until…nothing remains!"
"We're nearly there!" Saul informed the two men he ran with. The tree in the center of the island was beginning to get closer. With any luck, they still had a chance to prevent a massacre.
As Garp continued to sprint forward, a slender figure suddenly ran right in for of him, stopping him in his tracks. Garp skidded to a halt, making Saul slow his pace.
"What is it, Garp?!" Saul looked down, needing to know what was stopping their mission.
Clover looked down from his position in Saul's hand and gained a look of surprise.
"Olivia…?" The aging scholar gasped.
Indeed, Nico Olivia had run right into the vice admiral, lead archeologist and giant ex-marine.
"Professor…" Olivia looked up to her old friend. "Saul…" She was happy to see the one navy officer that had heard her side of the story.
She looked to the hero of the navy next, worry beginning to fill the pit in her stomach. "Monkey D. Garp…"
"Nico Olivia…" Garp stepped toward the woman.
"Garp…!" Clover yelled in fury. He would have leaped from the giant's hand if it didn't risk his life.
"Don't do it!" Saul leaned forward, wanting to stop whatever Garp had in mind of doing.
The vice admiral stopped in front of the woman, the two staring the other down. "What you have done is a crime punishable by death…"
Olivia swallowed her fear, ready for whatever might happen next.
"But…there is such a thing as over doing things…" Garp voiced out, stopping Saul in his motion and making the two archeologists wonder what he was meaning.
"As I understand, your entire crew, who set out to study the ponoglyphs, were wiped out by Saul's forces…" Garp recollected, making the white haired scholar clench her fists at the ugly memory and Saul hang his head, still guilty about the atrocity he was apart of.
"They were massacred!" The woman bust out, making Saul flinch at the loud tone. Clover stood in the large being's palm, shaking with anger and grief, while Garp stood in place, letting the archeologist speak.
"We barely managed to defend ourselves! But we didn't stand a chance! How could we, against an entire battalion?! "
Tears began to leak from the woman's eyes.
"All because the World Government wants to keep a secret quiet! To keep history from being told! To stop the truth from being unearthed!"
She grabbed the front of Garp's white jacket by both side
"We just wanted to know! Is wanting to learn such a crime?! Isn't wanting to know the truth what you people are all about?!"
Garp just kept standing there, taking all the abuse.
"Then why keep such a secret?! Why all the bloodshed?! Why make people who don't want to fight, pay for a crime that doesn't make sense?!"
She pulled her face close to his.
"WE'RE RESEARCHERS! NOT PIRATES!"
Garp just stood there, looking back at the emotional woman before him.
"Let me down…" Clover asked the giant, who was more than happy to do just that. The professor ran up to Olivia and brought her into a tight embrace. Olivia wrapped her arms around Clover and cried into his shoulder.
"You poor girl…" Clover comforted his young prodigy. "You've gone through so much… all for us…" Olivia kept wailing into his shoulder. "We can never repay you for your sacrifice…or our lost comrades…"
A moment of silence went by as the wanted scholar sobbed her pain out on the aging archeologist.
Saul just looked down at the woman he had gotten to know, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, not from ridiculous laughter this time.
"In any case," Garp broke the silence. "That would have been enough of a punishment."
Olivia and clover looked back at the vice admiral, looks of grimace on their faces.
"You and your crew were the one's that were guilty and that would have been the end of it." Olivia pulled away from Clover, wiping her eyes and regaining her composure.
"You we're the ones that committed the crime, not the whole island of Ohara!" Garp spoke with vigor.
Garp's word's appeared to light a fire in Clover and Olivia, along with Saul, thankful for having the chance to tell the one marine in the navy who had as much common decency as anyone.
"We must find the holder of the gold transponder snail and stop this madness before it begins!" With a nod from the people around him, the vice admiral, the aging scholar, the wanted archeologist and the giant e-marine continued their race back to the Tree of Knowledge.
Each of them hoped in their hearts that whoever it was that was holding that snail wasn't at the tree yet…
"Woah…" Luffy could only picture what it would look like. An entire island being riddled with cannon fire, until there was nothing to fire at. Luffy found a lot of things awesome in life, but certainly not this.
"Do you think he's gonna use it?" Luffy wondered out loud.
"I don't know…" Robin put her hand to her chin, remembering what else the book read. "Such a thing can only be used as a final option, where there is no other alternative. I don't see why he would-"
"I can't wait to see this island burn!" That outburst by Spadine caused the two children to snap their heads back at him, terror filling their eyes.
"Ticking off the World Government is one thing," The green suited official growled "But ruining my best jacket is crossing the line entirely!"
"If I may remind you, sir," One of the black suited men beside him spoke up. "You first need to find evidence that the scholars are indeed translating the ponoglyphs in order to issue a Buster Call."
The mention of the ancient tablets caused Robin to double take, thinking about the library, the scholars and the large stone slab in the basement she managed to see them working on.
"Even if there isn't any," Spandine spit back, his bitterness getting the best of him. "Those researchers the marines killed originated from Ohara in the first place! I know that much at least!"
Robin went white at those words. An entire ship load of scholars? From Ohara? Killed? Just for studying? Robin clutched the book in her hands, grief running through her body as she remembered that her mother went out to see for the same reason.
"To get rid of a weed," The green suited man pointed at the Tree of Knowledge in the distance. "You have to pull out the root!"
Robin gasped while Luffy was fuming. This guy was as sick as they came!
Spadine inspected his coat, looking for what damage was done. "Eh, nothing too expensive…Let's keep moving!"
As the three men walked onward, the two young ones were frozen from what they heard. Luffy shook it off and looked at Robin with determination.
"We've got to get that snail!" He stated.
"What?!" Robin came out of her thoughts at the straw hatted boy's words.
"If we let him get to the Tree of Knowledge, he just might push that button for the fun of it and destroy this whole island!" Luffy deduced. Robin didn't protest that Spadine wasn't the type to do so, but what Luffy was speaking of was suicidal.
"Luffy…they're the World Government! We'll be beyond in trouble if we try anything against them!" Robin tried to reason, but Luffy was having none of it. Standing up, he looked down at Robin, his eyes filled with a strength that Robin had only seen when he stood up to those bullies that were picking on her.
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King! I'm gonna be in trouble anyway!" Luffy proclaimed.
Robin was inwardly blown away by his resolve. She then began to think about the people on the island. The civilians always glared at her in the streets, the kids all picked on her and her Auntie Roji was nothing but horrible to her. Why should she help the likes of them?!
But then she began to think about the rest of the island's inhabitance. The scholars of the library who let her in and treated her like family. The gentle giant that taught her how to smile, no matter what hardships came your way. The mother she barely remembered but still felt warm whenever she saw her face in her mind.
The straw hatted boy who wanted to be her friend…
Robin got up on her feet, her eyes blazing with courage.
"Let's do it!" She declared.
Luffy gave a nod, and the two raced after the three Government agents.
"Soldier, I order you to stand aside!"
"We are under heavy orders from Vice Admiral Garp to not let anyone inside!"
A hostile situation was taking place outside of the library under the Tree of Knowledge, catching the eye of passing civilians.
"Hey, what's going on?" One asked the other.
"Are those Government Agents?" Another voice spoke up.
"Why are they arguing with the marines?" Questions kept getting passed around, drawing in more of a crowd.
The Government agent that wanted in the library was starting to get antsy. "Soldier, I am under orders of Commander Spadine of the World Government, to investigate the Tree of Knowledge for suspicious activity!"
"And as I've told you, Sir!" the Marine returned, just as frustrated. "We are under orders of Vice Admiral Garp, to not let anyone in or out of this library!"
Before the situation could escalate any further, a jolt from the ground shook under the feet of everyone present, then another, and another.
"What the…?" A civilian questioned.
"Is that an earthquake?" Another asked worried.
Suddenly, the scream of a woman in the crowd alerted the townsfolk to a large orange bearded giant running towards them. The people panicked and ran for their lives, while the Government Agents and Marines stood their ground.
Bursting from of the forest ahead of the giant, Garp sprinted up towards the library, followed by Saul, Olivia and Clover coming up behind.
"Jaguar D. Saul?" The Marine said surprised.
"Nico Olivia?!" The Agent spoke even more so.
"Agent!" Garp got the Agent's attention. "Where is your commander?!"
The Agent in question stood at attention, not wanting get on the hero of the navy's bad side. "C-commander Spadine should be arriving shortly, sir!" He saluted.
"Spadine…?" Garp growled. He knew that slimy degenerate well, and to know he was in charge of this whole debacle just made the whole situation worse.
"Agent, what are you're orders?!" Garp had no time for polite authority, this was life or death!
"W-we are here to investigate the Tree of Knowledge to find any proof of research on the ponoglyphs, sir!" The Agent reluctantly answered.
"You mean you killed my friends out of suspicion alone?!" Olivia nearly lashed out at the Agent, had it not been for Clover holding her back.
"W-what is she doing here?! She's a wanted criminal!" The Agent flapped his gums, an act he instantly wished he could take back. Garp got close and personal to his face, a dark shadow coming across his lined features.
"We can sort that out when your'e commanding officer arrives." Garp said below a low whisper, striking fear into the Government Agent.
Garp then stepped back and walked over to his men, still guarding the front door of the tree. "Until then! No one enters or leaves this library without my permission!"
Just then, a marine came barging out of the library, panic stricken across his face.
"Vice admiral Garp, your grandson, the little girl…they're gone!"
"Luffy?!" Garp froze in fear.
"Robin…?" Olivia gasped.
Garp then swung his arm toward the forest, full authority in his voice. "SEND A PATROL OUT TO FIND THOSE CHILDREN!"
"YISSIR!" A squad of marines sprang into action, making a beeline for the forest and disappearing into the brush.
"I'm going too!" Saul turned around, ready to sprint back into the forest beneath him.
"No, Saul!" Garp orders loud enough for the giant to hear him. "If you run around Ohara, you might spook the battleships out at sea! We can't take that risk!"
Saul looked down at Garp, arguing with him with his eyes. Soon enough, Garp's sharp glare won, and Saul sat down near the library with a surrounding thud.
Garp was beside himself. If anything happened to Luffy on his watch, he'd never forgive himself for it. He should have just stayed in Foosha Village and trained Luffy to be a marine there. Now he might lose his grandson in a fiery maelstrom!
Garp shut his eyes and bared the brunt of his guilt, turning it into pure willpower to turn this whole situation around and save his grandson at any cost.
Olivia was in a state of pure horror. Robin, her daughter, the one she left behind to make her late husband's wish a reality, could be subject to the World Government's destructive force, along with the whole island and her friends and colleagues. She wished she had never gotten on that ship and sailed away from her child in the first place!
As the pain washed over her, Nico Olivia sunk to her knees and cried a fresh stream of tears. She wanted her Robin back in her arms…She wanted her baby back…
A rumble in the distance sounded out across the whole island.
The storm was coming in, and with it, the impending doom of the island of Ohara…
"Ready?" Luffy whispered to Robin.
"Ready!" Robin answered back.
The two kids had run ahead of Spadine and his bodyguards, waiting to spring their trap.
The sound of feet stepping on twigs alerted the two young ones. Spadine and his two guards were following the footpath to the Tree of Knowledge, passing by many low hanging branches from the surrounding trees.
Perfect.
As the three Government agents passed the hiding two by, Robin put her arms together and summoned a hand on a near by branch, close to a passing Spadine.
With one swift motion, Robin clung onto the sleeve of his jacket and snagged it on the branch. Once secure, Robin made her hand disappear, just in time for spadine to lurch back from the branch's tug.
"Blast it! Not again!" Spadine went to work on unlatching the caught sleeve, leaving his coat wide open. Robin acted quickly and sprouted a few hands around Spadine's midsection without him knowing. Fiddling around in his jacket, robin felt something cold and metallic. Pulling it out, she managed to catch a glimpse of gold. She had it!
"Luffy, now!" Robin signaled. Luffy launched his arm low, sending it under Spadine's nose, with his palm open. Robin's spouted hand dropped the snail into Luffy's and the boy immediately pulled his arm back in.
"Sir! The dial!" One of the guards yelled, catching Spadine's attention. Looking to where the guard was pointing, he caught the sight of two kids, a little dark haired girl and a straw hat wearing boy, holding the Buster Call Trigger!
Spadine went into a fit of pure rage.
"HEY, YOU LITTLE BRATS! GIVE ME BACK THAT SNAIL NOW!"
