— — — — — —
West Blue
Along a route that brushed right up against the Calm Belt.
Following Hancock's instructions, Nico Robin brought their small boat to a full stop.
Just as she was about to ask what the next move was, something strange caught her eye—a door suddenly opened in the middle of the air, as if space itself had been sliced open.
"…The Door-Door Fruit?"
Robin immediately recalled the Devil Fruit encyclopedia Hancock had once shown her. That specific fruit wasn't known for combat strength, but as a support-type ability, it was incredibly versatile.
"Bingo."
A voice answered her from the newly opened doorway. It was Veyron, stepping through, giving Hancock a nod.
"You're the last one. Do you want to bring the whole boat and your crew with you?"
"Yes, if it's not too much trouble, Mr. Veyron," Hancock replied.
Then she turned to Robin. "This'll be a good chance for her to face what's been weighing on her heart."
"…What's been weighing on my heart?"
Robin looked at her, puzzled. What was that supposed to mean?
Before she could ask, Veyron raised a hand.
In the next instant, their entire ship lifted clean off the water, suspended by invisible power, and drifted forward—right into a shimmering door in the sky.
---
And on the other side…
"Where are we…?"
Robin's eyes widened slowly in disbelief.
"You're looking at the very top of the Red Line," Veyron explained casually. "More specifically—the heart of Mary Geoise, the Holy Land, the innermost core of the World Government. This is where the Five Elders handle the daily affairs of the world."
Robin stared at him, brows drawing together.
"…So you're a Celestial Dragon?"
"Hah—wow, that's a hell of an insult," Veyron snorted. "Didn't expect that kind of jab right off the bat."
"If anything," Hancock added with a smirk, "you'd be more accurate calling him the slayer of the Celestial Dragons."
As they spoke, Hancock filled Robin in on recent events—ones the One Piece world hadn't fully caught up with yet.
The Celestial Dragons, those tyrants who'd run amok for over 700 years with the World Government's blessing, were all gone. Wiped out.
The only ones left were a few scattered descendants who'd grown up far from Mary Geoise and hadn't inherited their ancestors' cruelty—or power.
A few years back, when the scholars of Ohara dared to study the forbidden "Void Century," the Five Elders had ordered a Buster Call that annihilated the entire island. Only Robin had escaped, thanks to Aokiji, who'd let her go.
But now?
Those same Five Elders had been… replaced. Modified into machines that did nothing but process paperwork 24/7, stripped of their autonomy.
And beneath them, the entire World Government had become nothing more than a puppet, dancing to the tune of one man: Veyron. Well, more accurately, it was Merlin and Artoria pulling the strings—since they were the ones actually making the decisions.
"...."
Suddenly, all the bizarre news Robin had read recently started to make sense.
The uproar in the Navy. Sengoku, the "Strategist," being promoted to Fleet Admiral. The rise of three new Admirals: Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu.
Then Sengoku had given a speech about redefining what it meant to be a pirate—and even went so far as to revoke the bounties of people like her, the so-called "Devil Child."
As for those three new Admirals… they didn't waste time. They had been using the biggest pirates in the New World as their personal training dummies—showing the world what real Marine HQ firepower looked like.
In fact, they made such a display of it that even Pirate Island, Hachinosu, was completely wiped off the map during a live broadcast, erased by some unknown overwhelming force.
And if all of that was because the World Government wasn't the same organization anymore… then everything clicked into place.
"…So you're telling me," Robin finally said, her voice unsteady, "that the World Government no longer forbids the study of the Poneglyphs? That it's okay to research the Void Century now?"
Robin's voice trembled slightly as she took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions in check.
"That's right—so long as you don't go broadcasting your findings to the whole world just yet," Veyron replied.
"You probably already have a good idea why the World Government kept that history under such tight control for over 700 years. I don't really need to spell it out."
He paused, then added, "The system they built might be rotten, but in a way, it was still useful—at least as a tool. It kept the old world order stable long enough for us to get a grip on things. We'll tear it down eventually, but for now, it's best not to collapse the whole house just yet. Otherwise, all kinds of opportunists would crawl out of the woodwork trying to stir up chaos…"
"Oh, and that giant Vice Admiral from Ohara? He's alive."
Robin's eyes widened instantly.
"Saul… he's still alive?"
Veyron nodded. "Yeah. Same way Aokiji let you go, he also spared his friend when the time came."
"Not just that—when the Tree of Knowledge was burning, the books inside were already safely sunk to the bottom of the lake ahead of time. They were preserved. Now, both Saul and the books are back in Elbaf."
"The legendary land of the giants…" Robin murmured.
Though she still looked younger than Hancock, there was a quiet steadiness to her. A soft smile touched her lips as she gave Veyron a respectful bow.
"Thank you for telling me. That's… the best news I've heard in my life."
The Tree of Knowledge may have been destroyed, but if its collected knowledge had survived, then maybe—someday—Ohara could be rebuilt.
Once ashore, Robin followed Veyron and Hancock and was soon introduced to more of their allies—friends of her captain.
She greeted them politely, then quietly stepped back, choosing not to interfere with whatever important matters they were discussing.
Meanwhile, Veyron, now surrounded by the gathered group, began handing out small vials of potion. Some people received one bottle, others got two.
"Alright, who wants to go first?"
As soon as he asked, a bubbly voice shot up.
"Me! Me!!"
Chika Fujiwara eagerly raised her hand like a kid at school.
"Then Chika-chan, you're up first," Merlin said with a grin. "Seems fitting. Last time we were on Rusukaina Island, you were the first one then too."
With everyone watching, Chika used telekinesis to pop the cork off the vial and downed the potion in one go.
She licked her lips thoughtfully, then chugged the second bottle right after.
"Well? How do you feel?" Gwen asked.
"Awesome!"
White-hot spiritual energy exploded around her, blazing like fire. Her whole body glowed with a bright cyan light as Chika raised one hand—floating in her palm were nine tiny black orbs.
Then, with a flick of her hand, the orbs dissolved into light, and she stepped out of her Tenseigan Chakra mode.
She turned to Hancock, grinning. "You're next, right? After hitting early Fourth-Stage, I think the biggest power boosts happened with the two of us… oh—can't forget Gwen too."
"But sister Hancock should still have the biggest power jump."
"You mean…" Hancock's eyes lit up, and three-tomoe of her Sharingan began to spin slowly in her irises, glowing with a deep red hue.
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