My apologies for taking so long with this chapter, but when I brainstormed ideas for Blueh, I didn't have all of my facts straight. My intention was to simply have Robin contact Dragon, and use the resources of the Revolutionary Army to help them disappear. 'Twas a simple yet elegant solution, no? But if the story's implications are to be believed, Dragon didn't have anywhere close to the resources he needed at that time. So, how could I go about saving Ohara and all that it was without that haven?
After pondering for weeks, inspiration finally struck for the perfect solution that only the Straw Hats could provide. And so, it is with great pleasure that I finally present the penultimate chapter of my story. I hope you enjoy it.
"So, it's my turn at last."
The cold determination in Robin's voice rang out before the light had even finished fading. Looking around, the ten members of the Straw Hat Pirates beheld a small clearing surrounded by trees. It was of a mild and pleasant climate, the peacefulness spoiled only by the panic that their advanced senses picked up a short distance away, and the sight of ten Marine battleships off of the coast.
"So, this is Ohara? Not a very big island," Luffy said, earning a whack from Nami.
"Be a little more sensitive, Luffy!" she scolded.
"So, dear Robin, what's your plan?" Sanji asked quietly. The archaeologist turned back to them, and though their hoods remained up as they had been in the previous jump, they could feel her cold determination.
"My first thought was simply to save the island and then contact Dragon, but this is twenty years in the past; he will not have the resources to help for at least another decade. I'm quite relieved that I've had this long to consider it; we will need all the time we have to ensure the island's safety."
"So, should we just take out those battleships now?" Franky asked.
"Let me see precisely when we are first," Robin replied.
She crossed her arms, and after several seconds, spoke clearly and sharply.
"The Buster Call has already been invoked, there's no time to lose. Nami, head to the Tree of Knowledge, the giant tree in the middle of the island. Put out the fires, but do not be seen until you're finished."
"On it," Nami said before Shaving away.
"Luffy, knock out all the Marines you can with your Haki. Jinbe, create currents to ensure that the ships don't have a clear line of fire. Brook, disarm the cannons, and use as little ice as possible. Be as subtle as you can be; don't fight unless you must, don't let the other ships realize anything is amiss until it's too late, and don't attack Sakazuki's ship yet."
"What? Why are we sparing him?" Luffy growled.
"We're not. We're waiting for him to try to make his move on 'absolute justice' and attempt to blow up the evacuation ship. When he does that, Luffy, intercept the cannonball for all to see, then kill him. Afterwards, order the civilians to drop the anchor of the ship, and wait for me onboard. Brook, Jinbe, once the battleships are left powerless, rejoin Nami."
The three nodded, and vanished.
"Zoro. Find Kuzan, and bring him to the Tree of Knowledge to ensure he witnesses everything. Sanji, a giant named Saul, an old friend of mine, is on this island; do the same for him."
"That should be fun," Zoro remarked. Both he and Sanji expanded their senses for a few moments before Shaving away in different directions.
"Usopp, Franky, follow after Nami; as soon as the fire is out, we're going to perform a modified Zunisha conversion."
"Zunisha conversion?!" Franky barked in disbelief. "Even for just the basics, a whole day wouldn't be enough time, let alone an hour! This better be some serious modification you have in mind, Robin."
The reply she gave made the eyes of all who heard widen, followed by identical grins, all still hidden beneath the hoods.
"How did we never think of doing that?" Franky laughed. "Robin, you—"
"As much as I appreciate the compliments, time is not on our side," Robin cut in.
"Uh, right. We're gone!" Usopp said hastily before vanishing, Franky following him.
"Chopper, you're with me. Professor Clover is injured…as is my mother. As soon as they're treated, you'll help the others with the conversion."
And with that, the final two disappeared.
"Hurry up! Protect the books!"
Every scholar in the grandest library the world had ever seen had the same dark thoughts in their minds towards the World Government, the ones who had set their treasure on fire. Hands moved at breakneck speeds to rescue the books from the shelves, water buckets being passed around as fast as they could manage, all while the fire slowly consumed the Tree of Knowledge at speeds far faster than the dozens of scholars could keep up with.
"Don't let a single—AGH!" one scholar cut off, as he abruptly became very wet. He glanced behind him in irritation. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE THROWING THAT—water?"
He trailed off as he took in the fact that it was not someone being careless with a water bucket that got him wet. Everyone else in the library had likewise slowed to a stop as they observed the bizarre phenomenon: clouds had formed in the top of the tree, and rain was falling down in a cascade. The fire that threatened their precious books was out in less than a minute, and the rain ceased at the same time.
"That should work," came a female voice. All present snapped their attention to a high balcony in the tree, where an enigmatic figure stood. That she was female they knew only because of the voice; her entire body was covered in black garments, with a strange staff as her only discernable feature.
As quickly as she appeared, she vanished, only to reappear by their sides a second later. Anyone who still had water buckets dropped them.
"Short explanation: I can control the weather, and I'm here to help. You'll get the long explanation once the rest of my crew has destroyed the Buster Call," she said to the dumbstruck scholars. With the threat of their books burning up remarkably gone, they couldn't bring themselves to do more than gape.
"Nami!"
Until a borderline frantic call came from near the doorway, and two more equally enigmatic figures, one shaped normally and one decidedly not, came up to her.
"What is it, guys?" the woman asked.
"We need your help, now. Robin's plan is to—"
The speaker cut himself off with a glance at the scholars, then moved closer and began to whisper. Seven seconds later, the first figure—Nami, apparently—turned back towards the scholars.
"GET ME THE MOST DETAILED MAP OF THIS ISLAND THAT YOU HAVE, NOW!" she screamed.
The scholars found themselves complying before they knew what they were doing. Nami, meanwhile, grumbled to the other two figures.
"Damn it, Robin…is it doable? Yes. Is it brilliant? Absolutely. Is it exasperating that she couldn't have told me this any sooner so I could have planned for it more? HELL YES!"
The other two flinched away from her; fortunately for them, one of the scholars returned at that moment, laying out a large and detailed map of the island.
The other scholars looked with interest as Nami removed her hood, showing a young woman with long orange hair. She scanned over the map for a moment before snatching a nearby pen and beginning to mark over the map.
"Hey, what do you think you're—?"
The unfortunate speaker quickly shut up in response to the glare that Nami sent their way. She sighed as she went back to poring over the map.
"Sorry, but I have a lot to do and only a little time to do it; it'd be one thing if we were just saving you all from the Buster Call, but Robin's determined to save the whole island, especially this library. And we don't have enough time or resources to build or obtain a reliable ship and unload all of these books onto it. So, that only leaves one option."
"And…that would be?" another scholar asked. Nami set the pen down hard as she presented the map to the other two.
"Usopp, Franky, get digging."
The two nodded, and vanished the next instant. Nami shook her head as she glanced back at the scholars, finally answering the question.
"That would be moving the entire island so that the World Government can't find it."
Most of the scholars were distinctly confused, but one of them managed to speak up again.
"You keep mentioning the name Robin. You don't…you can't mean Nico Robin?"
Nami smiled again. "Like I said, we'll explain everything once the Buster Call is dealt with. Now, I suggest all of you start securing this tree, and hurry up; otherwise, you're going to have to do a lot of picking up once we've moved the island, it's not going to be a smooth transition."
Nami vanished again before the scholars could question her further. Nobody moved for a few moments.
"I think we should do what she said," one of the scholars said, looking around for things they could use to secure the library and its contents. The others soon followed.
"Oh, what am I supposed to do now?" groaned an orange-haired giant, observing the battleships from the coast, sweat pouring down his face as he sensed the killing intent of all those aboard. He felt their franticness, the Buster Call had been invoked...what was he going to do?
"...Robin," he breathed. He shook his head and turned to head deeper into the island, starting to run. "I've gotta make sure she gets clear of this mess! Those cannonballs are gonna hit everywhere!"
"Saul, I take it?"
Saul screeched to a stop as he turned towards the source of the voice. A man stood there, clothed in black from head to finger to foot, not a single part of him identifiable.
"Robin sent me to get you. She wants you to witness when the World Government learns exactly how dangerous a woman scorned can be," he said calmly.
"...Who are you?"
"My name is Sanji," he replied, removing his hood to reveal a blonde-haired man with a very curly eyebrow covering his one visible eye. "I'm the chef of a crew known as the Straw Hat Pirates, and we're here to save Ohara from destruction. Robin met us three years ago, and talked us into making her an honorary crewmate. She asked that I bring you to the Tree of Knowledge so you can witness all of this."
"...Why would a group of pirates know Robin? She's just an eight-year-old girl!" Saul said incredulously. Despite that, however, he could tell with his Haki that the man was sincere.
"An eight-year-old girl with a Devil Fruit and a doctorate degree in archaeology. Is knowing us really that farfetched?" Sanji asked dryly.
"Mmm...fair point, I guess. All right, lead the way...but I'm watching you," the giant rumbled darkly. Sanji chuckled as he replaced his hood, and Shaved away.
"...Smart aleck, does he expect a giant to be able to Shave?" Saul growled before beginning to run again.
Vice Admiral Kuzan stared with cold impassiveness at the island as he moved to the bow of the ship. He silently regretted the transgressions of his friend Saul for choosing to ally with the scholar, contrary to his orders. Olvia must have swayed him...no matter. He hoped, however, that he'd never cross paths with Saul again, forcing him to exercise his authority as a Marine and arrest or execute him.
He shook his head to clear it as he prepared to give the order to fire the cannons. But as the words came to the tip of his tongue, a chill severely different from that which his powers made him used to made him stop. Making the connection immediately, he turned around and was greeted with the sight of every Marine on deck falling unconscious. Eyes narrowing, part of his form turned to ice as his senses locked on to the one responsible, who appeared on the deck a moment later.
The individual was clothed purely in black, not a speck of flesh visible beneath his garments. He did not move from where he stood.
"My, my. You're quite bold, attacking a ship with a Vice Admiral onboard. But that Haki of yours gives me the feeling that you know a thing or two...who are you?" he asked coldly.
"The Pirate King," he replied without hesitation. Kuzan blinked before shaking his head.
"I was asking a serious question—"
That was as far as he got before the figure positively flew forward, the ice-man's Haki barely responding in time for him to notice the attack before it hit him. His reflexes proved to be too slow even with that advantage, however; one solid punch made him cough up blood and sent him flying clear off of the ship.
The next thing he knew, he was crashing against a sandy beach. His mind processed with ease that he was on the island of Ohara now, and he grimaced as he prepared to freeze a way back to his ship. Then his Haki alerted him to another presence, and he turned around.
"Looks like my captain got a little exuberant," said the figure nonchalantly, clothed identically to the man who had sent him flying. "Ah, well, I can't Moonwalk, so it's for the better that he sent you over here. I need you to come with me."
"Or what?" Kuzan said, his tone on par with dry ice as he began to transform.
"Or else you'll never know who we are."
The unexpected response gave Kuzan pause.
"...What do you want?" he asked, his voice still cold.
"It's not what we want that matters here. It's what our crewmate wants. And what she wants is for you to be there while she saves this island. She wants you to hear the whole explanation that we're going to give the scholars. We can fight if you want, but it would just make more work for our doctor."
Kuzan's eyebrows rose; he had no doubts that the man was as strong as he implied after what he saw from his captain. That wasn't the surprising part of what he said.
"You would give medical treatment to an enemy?"
The figure shrugged. "You follow Moral Justice. That's good enough for us."
Kuzan considered that. Then, slowly, the ice around his body began to recede.
"Fine. I'll play along for now."
"Good. Now, please tell me that you can Shave, I don't want to have to carry you the whole way."
The eight-year-old Nico Robin had tears cascading down her face as she stared at the retreating agents and the white-haired woman that she was sure was her mother. On top of Professor Clover being shot, Saul's warning that the island was going to be destroyed, and the Tree of Knowledge beginning to burn, the woman denying that she was her long-lost mother was too much. Far above too much, in fact; her world was crumbling apart around her, and as a memory of a happy family came into her mind, her heart broke, and she could handle no more.
"It's me! It's Robin!" she yelled pleadingly. "I've grown since the last time, so maybe you don't recognize me! I've been waiting for you all these years!"
The woman stopped walking.
"Are you sure?! You're really…not my mom?!"
The woman collapsed to her knees, apparently sobbing.
"Just once, someday, I wanted to hold your hand, and walk together like a family," Robin sobbed. "I studied hard...to become an archaeologist...so I could go to sea with you! I can read the Poneglyphs, too!"
Explosions echoed from far off, and the lead agent and Clover reacted incredulously to her words. Robin barely noticed, her eyes only on the white-haired woman, who was now clearly crying.
"SO, PLEASE LOOK AT ME! LET ME STAY WITH YOU! MOM!"
"Robin…" the woman said quietly, but to Robin, it was as clear as day.
"I'VE WAITED SO LONG! WE'RE FINALLY TOGETHER! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE AGAIN!"
"She won't."
Robin jumped, and then looked beside her, where a figure clad in pure black stood. Her voice sounded exactly like her mother's.
"Wh—WHO ARE YOU? GET AWAY FROM ROBI—!" came the voice of Ohara's chief scholar.
"Calm down, Professor Clover, and try to hold still; our doctor is here to treat you," the woman said calmly.
Slowly, almost grudgingly, Robin turned her eyes away from her mother and looked back at Professor Clover. He was lying on his back again, his upper garments had been removed, and he was being bandaged up by a smaller figure, also clad in black.
"Who…who are you?" Robin hiccupped.
"We'll tell you that later; for now, just know that we're here to save you," the smaller figure squeaked even as he began treating Professor Clover where he had been shot.
"Save them? HA!"
All eyes turned back towards the leader of the agents on the island, who stared at the figures smugly.
"I don't know who you are, but if you really think that you can survive a Buster Call, you're just a bunch of fools! Ohara dies today, in the name of Justice!"
"Really? I heard the cannonfire, but where are the explosions? They're not on the island, and the remaining possibilities all boil down to the same explanation," the woman stated, a cool smugness in her voice that rivaled Spandine's. Said agent's smile dropped as he realized the implication.
"You bastards have seriously bit off more than you can chew."
All eyes turned towards the source of the new voice from the direction of the forest. Another black figure stood there…and was ignored in favor of the giant with a cowboy hat, orange beard, a tattered black shirt, and tattered khaki shorts, who looked more confused than anything.
"Five Vice Admirals and ten battleships? You'd need a hell of a lot more than that to take out the Pirate King's crew."
All eyes turned towards another new voice from the direction of the Tree of Knowledge. Two more people stood there: another black figure, and a man with black hair, sunglasses, an outfit similar to the giant's minus the hat, and a Marine trench coat. His face was set in a scowl, and unlike everyone else, he didn't seem shocked at the last words the figure said.
"We will not allow you to harm Ohara," stated the woman beside Robin, crossing her arms over her chest in an X.
Spandine and the two agents beside him turned to her with identical scowls, despite the cold sweat on their faces, but before they could do any more than that…
"Sesenta Fleur!"
Robin's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock as she saw arms sprout all over their bodies, holding them in place. To say she was dumbstruck would be appropriate; that was her Devil Fruit power, and she wasn't doing that!
"Cover your eyes, Robin. I don't want you to have to see this," said the woman.
Robin hesitated, but complied, scrunching her eyes shut.
"CLUTCH."
The next moment, she heard the unmistakable sound of bones cracking, and she winced as she realized for the first time exactly how dangerous her powers could be. And if the fact that she heard some of the scholars behind her throwing up was any indication, she was sure that she never wanted to be that brutal.
"Saul, get them out of sight," Robin heard the woman yell. Then she spoke in a more normal tone. "Chopper, how is Professor Clover?"
"The bullet didn't hit any vital organs; he'll make a full recovery, but he'll need to take it easy for a few days," the doctor replied back.
"Good. Robin, you can open your eyes now."
The girl slowly opened one eye and was greeted with the smiling, tearful face of her mother, kneeling directly in front of her. Both her eyes snapped open, and she smiled as she took her mother's hand into hers.
"I've been waiting a long time to do this," she said. Then, all at once, her emotions got the better of her, and more tears, this time of joy, streamed down her face. "I'm glad," she managed.
"Robin!" the woman said joyfully, pulling the girl into a hug.
"MOMMY!" she cried, embracing her mother tightly. They held their embrace for almost a minute before…
"SANJI, GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME! ROBIN, YOU OWE ME FOR THIS, BIG TIME!"
The girl promptly snapped her head up, staring in the direction of the Tree of Knowledge. A woman with long orange hair stood there, the source of the scream, and she seemed to be staring at the woman in black. Robin's eyes widened as her mind connected the dots.
"E-excuse me?" she said, looking up at the woman beside her.
"I…you sound a lot like my mother…and those were my Devil Fruit powers, and...your name is Robin, too?…"
The figure slowly nodded. Robin's hand never left her mother's, but she was at her full height as she spoke again.
"…I don't mean to sound crazy, but…are you…me?" Robin asked hesitantly. The figure slowly raised her hands and removed her hood. The head revealed underneath was the spitting image of her mother, save for the injuries and the fact that her hair was black rather than white.
"Yes, I am," she replied, giving her younger self a small smile. "Nico Robin, age 31, sent back in time to save Ohara from the destruction and genocide it suffered."
The scholars, Saul, and even Kuzan gaped at the older Robin, but Olvia slowly let her daughter go as she straightened, looking the black-haired woman in the eye. They stared at each other for several seconds without speaking. Then they moved in unison, embracing each other tightly and tearfully. Nobody, not even the younger Robin, moved to break them apart, and for the next few minutes, they merely held each other, no words spoken aloud. At last, Olvia broke the silence.
"Robin…what in the world happened?" she asked softly. The black-haired woman slowly pulled away, her head bowed as she replied.
"Saul washed up on this island four days before you arrived. I was the one who found him, and we became friends. He came here in the midst of the attack, and you forced him to take me away, so that I would survive, while you did what you could to protect the books in the Tree of Knowledge."
There was no accusation in her voice; she was merely stating facts.
"When we reached the coast, the battleships fired on Saul. He began attacking them and urged me to run to the evacuation ship. I did so…and was denied entry even before they learned that I was a scholar due to my powers and being the daughter of a supposed criminal. It was at that time that Vice Admiral Kuzan," she gestured at the Marine in the trench coat, "came to attack Saul and me…up until Vice Admiral Sakazuki fired on the evacuation ship, destroying it and killing everyone onboard due to the remote risk of a single scholar having snuck on. Saul attempted to run, but Kuzan caught up with him and killed him. I ran away and reached the edge of the island, where Kuzan was waiting for me. Disturbed by Sakazuki's actions and as a last act of loyalty to Saul, he spared my life and gave me a rowboat with which to leave. Despite this, however, my picture wound up in the hands of the Marines, who put a bounty on my head of 79 million berries, ostensibly for destroying six of their battleships.
"I was alone for the next twenty years, during which I did whatever I had to in order to survive, carrying on the name of Ohara as the sole survivor of the Buster Call. I could never rely on anyone for protection, anyone I turned to always wanting to make easy money or believing the World Government's lies about me being the child of a demon, and I eventually turned to pirates and organized crime. From there, whenever I could no longer rely on them, I betrayed them and used them as shields for the next group. All the while, I sought the Poneglyphs, finding one or two here and there, but never finding the Rio Poneglyph. At the end of those twenty years, I wound up in an ancient tomb that was falling apart, having found a Poneglyph there that told of nothing but the Ancient Weapon Pluton. I gave up, unwilling to go on anymore, and I would have been buried alive that day…but someone saved my life against my will, a young, kindhearted pirate captain who in this time has not yet been born. With nowhere else to go, he allowed me a place on his crew.
"It was only then that I found a place where I belonged. Twenty years of betrayals, and I finally found a group that welcomed me like family. They gave me back my life, my happiness, and my dreams. I finally found friends who would believe in me…to the point where when I crossed paths with Admiral Kuzan and CP9 once again, I surrendered myself to them in hopes of allowing my crew to go free. CP9 agreed, and they kept their word…up until my friends stormed Enies Lobby to save me. CP9 tried to kill them, but their best efforts failed. Enies Lobby was destroyed by a Buster Call invoked to kill my crew, and it was all in vain; they saved me, and I never doubted them again. Kuzan confronted me afterward, and told me his reasons for leaving me alive. He spared me again because I had found my place, and encouraged me to show him the truth that Ohara fought for. I never met the Admiral again.
"After years more of training and uncovering ancient mysteries, my captain became Gol D. Roger's successor as Pirate King. We learned the True History and spread it everywhere in the world. Earlier today, my crew crossed paths with an old man who offered each of us a chance to save something we lost in our pasts. And the result…is this."
She finished with a sweeping gesture, incorporating the area around her and indicating a distance away from them. All other eyes turned in the direction she pointed, and then widened as they saw nine of the ten battleships apparently caught in spontaneous whirlpools, and smoke coming from where the cannons were supposed to be; only the last of the battleships could keep firing, and none of the cannonballs were impacting the island.
Then, one shot fired towards the other ship off the coast of the island, sailing away from Ohara. The projectile exploded before it made an impact, but to all of the watchers, the intention was clear.
"That idiot!" Kuzan spat before shaking his head. "Well, it looks like you were telling the truth about that. Assuming I believe everything else...what happens now?"
"Now we're going to ensure that the World Government never finds Ohara again to keep both the scholars and the Tree of Knowledge safe. You have a choice to make, Kuzan: will you leave the island and continue serving in the Navy...or will you follow Saul's example?"
The Vice Admiral and the former Vice Admiral looked at each other.
"...So, you're staying with these scholars?" Kuzan asked.
"I wasn't planning on it, but if they're planning on making it so the World Government never finds this island, then it's as good a place as any for me to stay."
Saul turned to the adult Robin. "I'm guessing that all that digging your friends are doing is in aid of that?" he asked, gesturing to the many piles of earth that were starting to pile up, while holes dotted the island.
"Yes, but the exact process that we're going to use isn't something we can afford to allow anyone find out; if they learn how we hid the island, they may be able to find it."
"Justice changes depending on where you're standing...but if the fact that these people, who claim to be Gold Roger's successors, have come back here to change the past are any indication, it looks like you're choosing the better path, Saul."
All eyes turned back to Kuzan, who had removed his sunglasses and was looking the giant in the eye.
"But I still have my Justice to follow, so I'm sorry, but I can't abide by this."
"I assumed that you would say that. That being the case, you will need to leave at once on the evacuation ship, to ensure that they're protected on their way to wherever they're going."
Kuzan sighed, replacing his sunglasses.
"Fine, but I still have questions."
"I'll answer them for you once I've finished my business with the evacuees." She turned her eyes to the figure beside Kuzan, taking care with her words for discretion. "Mr. Swordsman, tell Mr. Cook to extract as much food as he can from those battleships, especially plant products, then tell Miss Navigator, Mr. Shipwright, and Mr. Warlord to meet me at the coast nearest the evacuation ship with those three agents that I incapacitated, exactly six minutes from now. Mr. Doctor, ensure that they're stable, then give Nami whatever help she needs."
With that, she vanished, as did the figure that had accompanied Kuzan. The vice admiral sighed again before he vanished as well.
"Bunch of showoffs," Saul grumbled, sinking into a sitting position.
"...What just happened?" young Robin asked.
"The Shave technique lets you move fast enough that you seem to have disappeared by kicking the ground ten times in a second. It's kind of common in the Grand Line, and very common in the upper echelons of the Marines and World Government," the doctor explained as he finished bandaging up Olvia. Stepping back, he removed his hood, showing beneath it a furry head that was more animal than human, resembling a raccoon dog with antlers and a pink and blue hat.
"Before you ask, I'm a reindeer who ate the Human-Human Fruit," he said, with a long-suffering tone that made it clear he had had to clarify that too often. "Olvia, make sure you take it easy...and take it from someone who knows firsthand: after getting a parent back when you thought you lost them, the pain of losing them again is unbearable. I'll be back."
And with that, he too Shaved away. Young Robin looked up at her mother.
"...All of this time, I was studying so that I could join you when you left again. Mom...whatever happens from now on, please let me stay with you," she said, tears coming to her eyes again. Olvia slowly brought her into an embrace again.
"I promise, Robin. From now on, if we can stay together, we will."
Aboard the evacuation ship, the evacuees were waiting nervously; from the moment that that strange black figure had intercepted the cannonball aimed to kill them, and then flown over to the other ship, nobody had said anything or moved a muscle. Then the figure had come back, landed on the deck of the ship, and commanded them to drop the anchor. The authority in his voice outweighed the youthfulness thereof, and as soon as they obeyed, he had sat down on the deck, unmoving.
"...Um—?" one of the people onboard had begun.
"My crewmate will give you all the answers you need whenever she gets here," he had replied with a tone of finality.
And that was the last that anyone spoke. It took a couple more minutes before, out of nowhere, another figure materialized on the ship's deck, causing almost everyone to jump. The figure looked around before speaking in a cool feminine voice.
"Let me make myself clear to you. Ohara's scholars have discovered enough of the World Government's dark secrets that it is determined to annihilate the entire island to make an example. As you saw, certain affiliates are unwilling to take so much as the slightest risk that any scholars will survive. Ohara is now a criminal nation, and were it not for the intervention of my crew, it would be completely destroyed, and all of you would be dead. As it is, we intend to ensure Ohara's survival, so we are going to hide the island to ensure that the World Government will never find it, and it will be many years before anyone is able to leave the island again. Anyone who remains on Ohara now will be seen as an associate to the scholars, who the World Government will stop at nothing to kill.
"With all of that said, you have a decision to make. If you stay aboard this evacuation ship, you will be escorted to wherever the Marines have prepared for you. You may begin your lives anew and forget about Ohara. Or...you may choose to stay on the island and live your lives there. We can offer you no more than five minutes to make up your minds."
One person aboard hesitantly spoke.
"I heard that the scholars were plotting to destroy the world."
"Their only intention was to learn history. Some of the Poneglyphs do indeed contain the knowledge of the Ancient Weapons, which are capable of destroying the world. But the scholars' intention was never to revive them. Even so, the risk alone that they could learn what's written on those stones is dangerous enough for the World Government to kill anyone who researches them. That's all I can say; any more details would endanger your lives as well."
A certain red-haired woman spoke up next.
"How can you be sure that we'll be safe after that Marine tried to kill us?" she said, glowering.
"You will be traveling with Vice Admiral Kuzan, who can be trusted to keep you safe. Nobody you encounter will have the power to stand up to a Devil Fruit user of his caliber."
"Devil Fruit? So he's a monster just like that Robin girl?" asked one of the kids.
A strange, unearthly chill spread over the deck for a few seconds but faded when the female figure shook her head at the other figure. Then she spoke again.
"I truly cannot fathom how you ever saw it as a good idea to provoke someone who had power beyond anything you could match. You're only fortunate that she only wanted to be left alone; if she had been less tolerant of your abuse—"
"What the hell are you talking about? You honestly expect me to believe that that good-for-nothing Robin was—MMPH!"
The red-haired woman's speech abruptly cut off when hands sprouted from her shoulder and covered her mouth. Then the figure removed her hood, revealing a black-haired woman identical to Olvia, staring at Roji with an unreadable expression.
"…I still don't fully understand why I bothered to save your life when you treated me as nothing more than a slave. The island is my home. The scholars are my friends. But you...all of you showed me nothing but cruelty for my entire life, and you would leave me to die without a second thought. I know, because I saw it happen. I saw you refuse me entry onto the evacuation ship, leaving me to face the Buster Call. I survived but was left with nothing but the clothes on my back. Now, after decades of more pain and sacrifice than any of you can begin to imagine, I found a way to return to the past long enough to save Ohara. And when I learned that, I thought that despite your feelings and actions towards me, it wasn't worth it to allow Sakazuki to end all of your lives. Yes...that's what I thought when I came here."
She let the sentence hang there for several seconds, during which many of those onboard began to sweat. Then the arms vanished from Roji's body.
"But it's too late for me to change my mind now. Regardless of what I may think you deserve, my offer still stands. You have three minutes left."
That was all she said that was audible; she whispered a few words to the other figure before her form vanished in a flurry of petals, and the other figure spoke again.
"Anyone who isn't leaving the ship, go below deck, and brace yourselves; you're going to be getting out of here in a hurry."
Slowly, with shame on the vast majority of their faces, the civilians began silently filing into the ship.
"If you have questions, Kuzan, I suggest that you ask them now. When my captain brings back any who choose to stay on the island, if there are any such civilians, you will be leaving."
Kuzan frowned heavily but sighed as he got his thoughts together.
"What did you do to the battleships?" Kuzan finally asked, seeing the ten ships stagnant in the ocean, with no serious damage on any aside from Sakazuki's.
"My crewmates destroyed the cannons; apart from that, the ships should be relatively undamaged. All of the Marines and agents are unconscious. Most of them are uninjured. Spandine and his two agents will likely need severe treatment, but they will survive. The only one who we killed is Sakazuki; he was too dangerous to be left alive."
Kuzan sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose I should be thanking you for holding back as much as you did, Nico Robin; I would have expected you to leave no survivors after what you went through."
"Let it never be said that Ohara will kill to protect its research. Its civilians, on the other hand..." Robin trailed off.
Kuzan was silent for several seconds more.
"You expected that I wouldn't agree to abandon the Marines and stay on Ohara. Why did you still tell me everything?"
"To give you all the information you need to decide what you plan to do about all of this. Even if things don't go the way they did in my time, the Will of D. still survives. It's only grown stronger since the Blank Century, and before another century ends, it will succeed in destroying the World Government. You're not blind, Kuzan; the Five Elder Stars would have gladly chosen Sakazuki as their next Fleet Admiral because they approve of his style. I know very well that you do not, but the system is corrupted; they care more about their agenda than they do Justice. I have no doubts that you know that."
Kuzan's face remained unreadable.
"The choice is ultimately in your hands. But if I may offer a suggestion for your report, tell your superiors that the scholars put up a significant fight, but the Buster Call ultimately succeeded."
"And how's that going to work once they find out that Ohara is still here?" Kuzan asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I told you, we're going to hide the island. If you tell them the truth, you'll be left looking as foolish as Montblanc Noland," she replied simply. "Whatever you decide, I assure you that despite the truth of Ohara fading into darkness, its will shall remain shining brightly."
"...You're planning on making another Fishman Island?" Kuzan asked quietly.
Robin remained silent for several seconds.
"Before I forget," she said at last, reaching into her robe, "I've had quite a bit of free time the last few places that we've visited."
She withdrew a small book from her robe and held it out to Kuzan.
"A few details of things yet to come that I believe would be in everyone's best interest to prevent. It's your choice what you do with it...but my recommendation is to give it to Kong's successor as Fleet Admiral, Sengoku."
Kuzan eyed the book before taking it. "I suppose that what's written in here is going to help your crew out as well?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. I have other things planned that the scholars and my self of this time will accomplish when the time is right. But let me make one thing clear to you, Kuzan: from the day my captain started his journey until the day he ended it, he was never involved in a single fight where he was the first offender. Ohara will abide by the same standards."
"And the fact that we just tried to destroy the island?"
"My crew has absolved that."
"And you? You're not looking for revenge?"
"Spandine is broken. Sakazuki is dead. You're cooperating. The truth of what happened today is under wraps. And Ohara and all of its knowledge will survive; that alone is enough to spite the Government. I won't deny that I strongly considered doing what ostensibly earned me my bounty in my time...but I'm not going to set a bad example for the scholars, least of all my younger self."
Kuzan's face was perfectly blank. After a few more seconds of silence, Luffy returned from the ship alone.
"No one came. I'm not surprised. I suggest that you brace yourself once you're aboard, Kuzan."
Kuzan stared at her, then glanced down at the book before pocketing it. "Sengoku will know everything that happened today...except for your names. It'll be his choice what story he tells everyone else."
Robin nodded, after which Luffy picked up the somewhat indignant vice admiral and set him on his shoulders, along with the three nearby unconscious agents (in full-body casts, she noted) before taking off towards the ship.
"Nami, is the island ready?" Robin asked.
"Everyone else should have the tunnel network finished by the time we get back. What do you have planned now?" came the voice from beside her. Robin turned to address her three crewmates directly, a small smile on her face.
"We need the evacuation ship to be as far away as possible as fast as possible, so I'd like you three to combine your strength."
"Oh, THAT technique. This should be fun," Franky said with a grin, cracking his metallic knuckles before stepping to the shoreline. Jinbe and Nami wordlessly took their own positions, Nami Shaving to higher ground and Jinbe moving into the water. As soon as Luffy returned again, the three took their stances.
"Ready..." Nami said, beginning to spin her Clima-Tact.
"Set…" Franky continued, his arms beginning to inflate.
"Go," Jinbe finished, taking his position in the water and gathering as much force as he could form in his hands. "Fishman Karate..."
"Max Cola Power..."
"Tornado Tempo..."
Then, all at once, they fired.
"COUP DE BLAST!"
The force from Nami's Clima-Tact melded with Franky's wind cannon, creating a jet of wind heading straight for the sails of the evacuation ship. At the same time, the currents Jinbe flung towards the keel and underside carried almost enough force to lift the ship off of the water's surface. They impacted the ship mere seconds after they were launched, and not thirty seconds later, the ship was gone over the horizon.
"Luffy, do one more quick search of the battleships, and ensure that nobody is awake," Robin said.
Luffy nodded, and a moment later, the beach was empty.
Back at the Tree of Knowledge, the scholars had used all of the resources they had to attempt to secure the books within. The situation had been explained away courtesy of Olvia, Clover, and the other five figures, who were suffering varying degrees of fatigue. They had removed their hoods, and given their names: the young green-haired man with one eye, Roronoa Zoro; the young man with curly black hair and a long nose, Usopp; the young blonde-haired man with one eye covered by hair and a very curly eyebrow, Sanji; the young blue-nosed hat-wearing reindeer that ate the Human-Human Fruit, Tony Tony Chopper; and the skeleton with the black afro, animated by the Revive-Revive Fruit, Brook.
The time-travelers had only finished their laborious task of digging a few minutes after Robin's future self had left, and the fact that there was now a gaping hole near the entrance of the Tree of Knowledge leading to a series of complex tunnels that apparently ran through the entire island and the fact that a great deal of soil had been removed from the island and thrown out to the sea, were the source of most of the questions the scholars posed to them, but the pirates refused to reveal what their plan was.
"Trust me, you don't want to ruin the surprise," Usopp had said.
They had learned only the basics of the rest of the crew—the whale shark fishman Jinbe, the rubber captain Luffy, the weather-manipulating navigator Nami, the cyborg Franky, and the future version of their own child genius, Nico Robin—before four of said pirates reappeared in front of the hole.
"All right, we've got no time to waste. MILKY SEA!" she declared, shooting a continuous stream of something that looked like clouds into the pit, flowing as a torrent from the staff in her hands. After several minutes, when the clouds seemed to have filled the pit, the final figure appeared.
"They're all unconscious, Robin," he said.
Robin nodded and glanced at Nami, who nodded in turn before Shaving away. With that, Robin closed her eyes and knelt on the ground.
"All of you, please keep as quiet as possible; I need perfect concentration in order to use the full extent of my powers," she said. Then she placed her left hand over her heart, and her right hand on the grass.
Awakening the Flower-Flower Fruit's true powers had put her easily in the same league as the Monster Trio. The base of the Flower-Flower Fruit's abilities enabled her to grow her body parts on any surface. The more she pushed her abilities, the more limbs she could grow. Training with the Revolutionaries had enabled her to duplicate her entire body. But none of that touched on the fruit's true potency. Much in the way that flowers drew energy from the soil, air, and light where they were planted, tapping into the full power enabled her to draw energy from the same sources, giving her the ability to not only control a great number more of limbs...but also to make them grow.
"MILLÓN FLEUR," she breathed.
A breeze spread out from her, petals flying through the air to every end of the island. Then, at the very edges on two sides, arms began to grow. One, ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred, five hundred, one thousand…all building up and up and up, until five hundred thousand arms had grown on each end, formed into two massive angelic wings. And even then, they grew larger, until each wing was the size of the Tree of Knowledge itself.
"ALAS DE DIOS," Robin finished.
The massive wings began to move, slowly at first, then faster and faster, shaking the whole island with each wingbeat. Then, slowly, as the wingbeats accelerated to two every second, the island began to rise. Beads of sweat already formed on Robin's forehead, but with every inch of Ohara linked to her energy, both refreshing her and reminding her why she was doing this, she continued to put in the force she needed. In merely a minute, the island of Ohara had fully risen above the sea.
And all the while, Nami ran along the edge of the island, casting more clouds beneath her and sending more and more support and buoyancy beneath the island, giving it the cushion it needed to defy gravity and rise. And with each bit of cloud that replaced the earth, the island became lighter, giving Robin more energy to raise it above the sea, and gravity less holds to prevent its ascension. The island rose higher and higher, faster and faster.
The Oharan scholars and Saul collectively failed to pick up their jaws for the next ten minutes as their entire island rose into the sky, clouds continuing to spread out and form beneath it until it began to form a beach around the edges of the island. Their jaws sagged even further when they saw a large barrier of clouds above them, and even more so when some of the figures raised fists and swords, and with an impossible burst of energy, created a gap in the barrier large enough for Ohara to pass through.
The next three minutes were spent in a tunnel with clouds pressing in on every side…and then, at last, they broke into a sight comparable to a dream, with a sea of clouds around them. Yet the island did not even slow in its ascension, rising even higher. A few more minutes, in which Robin's panting became audible, and they passed through another barrier in the same way. At long last, the wings began to slow, and as the edges of Ohara reached the borders of the higher cloud sea, Nami finished her final lap around the island. The clouds around the island connected with the sea and the wings slowed to a stop before vanishing in a storm of flower petals.
Robin collapsed, exhausted from the effort, but smiling as she stared at the area around her. "Thank...good...ness..."
"…What…the…" Saul managed.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Usopp began theatrically, "let me be the first to welcome you to the White-White Sea, located 10,000 meters above sea level, where neither Marines nor pirates nor the Government will be able to find you."
"It…it was…the only…option…I could…think of," Robin panted.
"The only…don't you think that this was a little extreme?" one of the scholars asked incredulously.
"No way," huffed Nami, collapsing on the ground near Robin, nearly as winded as the archaeologist from her running. "If they found out Ohara survived...they'd pull out all the stops trying to kill you."
"She's right. The only places on sea level where you'd have any chance of being safe would be the islands that old man Whitebeard protects, and we've only got an hour in this time, nowhere near long enough to get you to one of those. And the only group of people who you'd be safe with won't be anything substantial for another 10 years," Franky said grimly.
"And even if we could choose one of those options, that still wouldn't save the Tree of Knowledge," Robin said, her breathing almost under control.
"So...we're living in the sky now? But...how are we supposed to travel? What about food and water and—" young Robin asked.
"Traveling will have to wait a few more years," Zoro said. "Like Franky said, the group of people you'll be safe with won't be powerful enough to keep you safe until ten years from now. Besides, Ohara needs to lie low for the next few years to be sure the World Government can't finish the job they started."
"As for the rest," Sanji continued. "A lot of houses on the island are bound to have food and water, and I stole a lot of food from those battleships; you have more than enough to start producing your own crops."
"And I can give you any instruction you need about sky islands in general," Nami said.
"Yes," Robin said, slowly pushing herself into a sitting position. "We have...approximately thirty minutes remaining before the power that sent us here expires. We intend to utilize that time to pass on all the knowledge we have to give. After all, there's no greater treasure."
The next moment found Luffy appearing before the scholars, mounds of paper and several pens in his hands.
"So, split up and take notes, everyone."
If the scholars had had any resentment for their forced relocation, the knowledge that the Straw Hat Pirates imparted to them would have destroyed it; knowledge of the future was a treasure as priceless as the oldest books in the Tree of Knowledge, and they took as much care as they could to learn all that the crew had to tell them.
The Pirate King Monkey D. Luffy steadfastly refused to tell them about One Piece, the Void Century, or anything about Raftel beyond how to get there. Learning about the Road Poneglyphs and exactly how hard it would be to acquire the knowledge thereof served to help with dissuading them from asking. Ultimately, they had satisfied themselves by learning of Luffy's adventures, his childhood, and particularly his parentage; learning that he was the son of the one who would ultimately be able to keep them safe down on the surface again was the source of no small amount of interest. He even confided in them about his brothers, and though they were taken aback, not one of them believed in the sins of the father.
Roronoa Zoro, the World's Greatest Swordsman, spoke only of the knowledge of battle. He told of the swordsmanship that he learned both growing up and from Dracule Mihawk himself. It did little to help the scholars, none of whom were swordsmen, but they could appreciate the secrets of swordplay that made the difference between masterful and world-class as much as any swordsman worth their steel. He told them of what he knew of the Six Powers, demonstrating the Shave technique, giving a rough semblance of Tempest Kick with his sword, asking Sanji to demonstrate the Moonwalk technique (which he had done with no small amount of snark towards Zoro), and describing the Iron Body, Finger Pistol, and Paper Art techniques. This they took in diligently, knowing it was a Government secret. And he told them of the three forms of Haki, demonstrating each one in turn, his captain giving only the barest taste of the third and rarest form for them to note upon. This last gift, all of them elected to study intensely.
Nami the navigator informed them of everything she could tell them about Sky Islands, having spent two years on one studying the weather. Her instructions consisted as much about getting used to the thinner air, denser sea, and expected weather patterns as they did producing the tools needed to change the weather the way that they desired to. The concept of Weather Balls was incredible, and considering their current house arrest of sorts, many of the scholars were quite keen on looking into the designs. And the knowledge of Dials and their various abilities and usages attracted just as much interest.
Usopp the sniper was a little of everywhere in his teaching; between his gadgets, his Pop Greens, his tales of great adventures that they had had, the scholars were just as much everywhere in trying to keep up with what he said.
Sanji the chef's group took note only on recipes and food preparation, most notably of which were the 99 Attack Cuisine recipes that were indigenous to the Momoiro Kingdom. It was a testament to how far he was willing to go for the sake of the ladies on the crew that he informed them of the island's nature and why he had gone there. The scholars then made certain that they had duplicates of every recipe to ensure that they would never have to go there...and then began hoping beyond all hope that they wouldn't have to go there anyway once they joined the Revolutionaries, with whom was the kingdom's queen.
Tony Tony Chopper the doctor spent half of his time lecturing on medical skills that nobody else in the world could match and the other half lecturing on methods of altering the powers of Zoan Devil Fruits. With the knowledge in mind that they would likely need to take care of themselves for the next few years in mind, they ensured that they noted everything on both subjects, though they seemed to be more interested in the latter of them. Chopper ultimately left them a few samples of his Rumble Balls along with the knowledge.
Franky the shipwright told them the basics of shipbuilding, ship maintenance, and ship dismantling, and the fact that he was the apprentice of the man who built the Oro Jackson was more than enough for them to be thoroughly interested in his words. He also told them all he could of the way he modified himself, the secrets he learned from Vegapunk, and the potency of cola as a power source. It was a testament to the sheer strangeness of how the day had already gone that they took that in stride.
Brook the musician told of all that he had experienced in his life before he died the first time, though the fact that his home was also in the West Blue removed much of his story. They did, however, take particular note of what they heard of Laboon, silently vowing to do what they could to tell him the truth. Brook then refocused by writing out some of his greater hits while lecturing on the potency of Devil Fruit abilities, which, especially for Robin's sake, they took particular interest in.
Jinbe spoke of Fishman Island and its past, the dark history that the World Government had with them, the bright future that they fought for, the ones who strove to destroy it, and the events leading up to that. He spoke of fishman anatomy and biology, of Fishman and Merman Karate, and of their dreams of living alongside humans in peace. The scholars one and all pledged to do whatever they could to fend off the prejudice in the world when they returned to it.
And Nico Robin? She told her mother and her younger self of all of the fond memories that she had with the crew. How they had rescued her from the depths of despair. How they had laughed and cried together, suffered and healed together, fought and won together, and maintained their unity even when apart. Not once did she speak of the horrors she endured during her twenty years of wandering, she spoke only of her friends...her family...and of the Revolutionaries, the leader of whom would become her captain's father three years from then. What she impressed more than anything else was that when eight years had passed away, they would need to be on Dawn Island in the East Blue to meet up with Monkey D. Dragon and join his cause.
Through it all, young Robin took in as much of the knowledge as she could, though her hand never left that of her mother. At last, however, she spoke to her older self.
"What's going to happen to you when you leave?" young Robin asked.
The older Robin smiled sadly. "What I've done today won't change Ohara in my time. But I've already earned my happy ending with my crew; I'm just glad to fix what happened today, and a great deal more problems that are yet to come."
"Yes," Olvia couldn't help but chuckle. "I believe it's a safe assumption that the World Government won't expect that Ohara literally flew away."
"Especially since I misled Kuzan into thinking that we were going to sink it into the ocean instead," older Robin agreed with a smile.
"Uh, can I ask something else? That wing thing...?" young Robin asked.
Robin smiled, and by way of a reply, crossed her arms, upon which one hundred arms sprouted from her back. "I developed the technique many years ago. Back then, my strength was only enough to fly for five seconds. But as it is now, my power's limit is...significantly more."
"So...I'll be able to fly?" young Robin asked eagerly. Her older self gave her a wide smile.
"Yes, you will. In fact, if you start practicing with your powers now with the advice we've given, you should be able to fly freely by the time the Revolutionary Army is ready."
The girl beamed and then hesitated briefly before looking hopeful. "Can...can you take me flying?"
Robin returned the girl's smile before gently picking her up and glancing at their mother.
"Go on," she said, tears of joy in her eyes.
Young Robin smiled at Olvia, then she felt her older self begin to move. She looked at her, then back at her mother...who was now several feet below. She clung to the dark fabric, noting that it felt oddly...insubstantial, but the arms which clutched her to the body underneath were notably not so.
"I've got you, Robin, don't worry." And though she knew it was herself speaking, Robin couldn't help but picture her mother, and smiled. Then she took another look as the wings beat more and more, soon bringing her on level with the canopy of the Tree of Knowledge. And when they reached that height, her older self began to glide. Young Robin felt the air currents around her that her older self glided upon, and watched as they circled around the Tree of Knowledge. She saw the library from angles she never would have otherwise. She laughed joyfully.
"This is amazing!"
"Oh, it's only just begun," her older self purred.
Young Robin clung as tightly as she could older Robin went into a dive, heading straight for the lake. Robin froze up with terror, remembering her experience the last time she tried to swim, but just before they reached the water, the dive evened out, and they began skimming along the surface. Hesitantly, Robin dipped her hand in the water, and let out another giggle as she felt the rush of the waves on her hand. Then her older self flapped her wings again and pulled back up, beginning to soar up higher and higher, easily high above the Tree of Knowledge itself and giving Robin a literal bird's eye view of the dreamlike surrounding sea before folding her wings in. Robin felt her heart jump into her throat as they began to pick up speed, growing faster and faster and heading straight towards the ground.
"Don't you dare close your eyes," older Robin whispered.
Hesitantly, young Robin obeyed, watching as the ground got closer...100 feet, 50, 30, 20—
And then the wings unfurled, gliding across the surface of the grass once more. And as the speed wore off, Robin beat her wings once more to get upright, and landed gracefully on her feet, right in front of her mother, who promptly began to clap along with everyone else.
"That...that was scary, but...wow...!" younger Robin said, smiling breathlessly.
"WOOHOO! GO, ROBIN!" Luffy cheered.
"ENCORE, ENCORE!" Professor Clover concurred exuberantly, drawing many quizzical looks as they applause slowly died down. The man stopped with equal sluggishness, blushing, but still looked hopefully at the chuckling grown Robin.
"My apologies, Professor Clover. I would love to demonstrate more..."
Then, all at once the ten figures began to shine brightly.
"But, I'm afraid that that's the signal that our time here is up, so I'm afraid it will have to wait until my younger self can do it. I wish you all the best of luck with your future," Robin said, a hint of sadness in her tone.
Olvia embraced her daughter one final time. "I'm prouder of you than words can express, Robin. And I promise, if I ever find the fruit that brought you here, I'll come to see you again."
The woman smiled, grudgingly breaking the embrace with her mother to move to stand beside her crew again. As she did, she took a last look at the island: the Tree of Knowledge intact, the buildings undamaged, the vegetation unharmed, and the resources that they needed to make a new life. All was set; she had secured Ohara's future.
And as she considered this, in the last few seconds before they vanished, she grinned and let out a strange laugh of pure joy.
"Dereshishishishishishishi! Dereshishishishishishishi!"
Then the light was gone, and Ohara's saviors the Straw Hat Pirates with it.
And there we have it. For those of you who didn't get it, the hint I mentioned in the April Fool's gag was the anagram "A HOLIDAY'S RANKS"; rearrange the letters, and you get SKY ISLAND OHARA.
So, that leaves only Brook's intervention and the epilogue. Good news: I know what I'm going to do for Brook. Bad news: I don't know how I'm going to lay it all out yet. But, I will satisfy myself for now in that I've got a much better idea on what I'm going to do with it than I had planned when I started rewriting this fic. In any case, I will strive to have it out by the start of summer. And after that comes the epilogue. Any of you have ideas for what the old man has planned as a surprise? If so, I'm impressed...because I've only recently decided what it is. THAT is why I typically plan everything out before writing a story.
...Then again, the fact that I did that enough that Blueh gave me this story implies...oh, forget it, I'm rambling now. Anyway, this chapter is finally done, and until the next one comes, I beseech you: if you have time, PLEASE leave a review; I thrive on constructive criticism, as it helps make me a better writer. And with that, I leave you as always with my motto: Patience is a virtue.