On a cliff in Ohara.
A giant with tattered clothes was looking around, then suddenly pointed into the distance toward the sea.
"Olvia, if I'm not mistaken… that looks like a Marine warship over there!"
"What did you say? They're chasing us this fast? We just got here!"
"Use the binoculars and check. Something about this feels… off."
This man was none other than the former Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, a giant—Saul.
As soon as he spotted the warship, he immediately called out to Olvia.
Olvia brushed aside her white hair and raised the binoculars to scan the sea.
But confusion filled her voice.
"Saul, there's only one warship."
"Every time we've been chased lately, hasn't it always been at least three warships at once?"
Saul's pupils trembled slightly when he heard this. He immediately asked:
"Olvia, are you sure there's only one? Quick, tell me—what's the figurehead at the bow of the ship?"
"It's… it's a dog's head! And it's biting a bone!"
After Olvia described it, she turned to look at Saul—
Only to find that he was completely stunned.
Even his body was trembling slightly.
"Saul! What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Olvia, if your description is accurate..." Saul swallowed heavily. "Then that warship belongs to the 'Hero of the Marines'—Monkey D. Garp!"
"Why would the Navy Hero be sent to hunt us!? Why would the World Government go so far just to deal with us?"
Olvia clutched her head with both hands, the reality before her dragging her deeper into a pit of confusion and despair.
All she wanted was to understand history—to uncover the truth!
How did that become a path destined for destruction?
If Michael were here, he would surely mock Olvia.
Still just a bookworm.
Every liar fears being exposed the most.
Let alone a lie big enough to cover the entire world.
"Don't be so pessimistic, Olvia." Saul calmed his nerves and spoke as they fled into the forest together.
"Vice Admiral Garp has been on leave for the past year. Maybe he's just passing by Ohara. Besides, Garp would never accept a mission to hunt down innocent civilians."
Olvia smiled bitterly.
Innocent?
With her ability to read the Poneglyphs, could she really still be considered a regular person?
...
"So what? Isn't elite education a good thing?"
Garp scratched his head.
He never really understood intellectual stuff.
"Because if knowledge is held by only a select few, then a single disaster—natural or man-made—can wipe it all out."
"Instantly severing cultural continuity."
"If the scholars of Ohara had compiled textbooks ranging from basic to advanced levels—covering different depths and subjects—so that everyone could learn step by step, then this wouldn't have happened."
"But Ohara's way of education only opens all knowledge to the exceptionally gifted."
"As for what you said, old man, about how they don't look cultured..." Michael shrugged.
"That's because they actually aren't."
Before long, the two realized that their Marine uniforms were drawing a lot of attention from Ohara's residents.
People didn't understand—why would Marines come to such a remote place like Ohara?
And what would they do here anyway?
"The truly cultured ones all live inside the Tree of Knowledge. That place is filled with scholars and archaeologists."
"Tch… archaeologists, huh." Even someone as culturally illiterate as Garp now understood.
"Exactly. A group of scholars studying ancient texts, and another group learning to decipher Poneglyphs—put them together, and you get the World Government's worst nightmare!"
Michael identified the direction of the Tree of Knowledge and began walking toward it.
"You tell me—how could the World Government not panic?"
"These bookworms, I really can't tell if they're actually dumb or just pretending!"
"They went and announced to the world that they were going to publicly expose the World Government's cover-up—right to their faces!"
"What else could they expect? Let them be blown to bits? We can't just sit back and watch either." Garp sighed in disbelief and pointed at the Tree of Knowledge. "Anyway, let's try to reason with those old scholars first."
Michael was about to reply when he turned and happened to see a little girl with black hair.
Wearing clothes that were shabby but still fairly clean, she held a thick book tightly and wobbled as she ran toward the gates of the Tree of Knowledge.
Michael's eyes widened slightly.
If nothing was out of the ordinary…
That girl was Nico Robin!
Michael rubbed his chin.
Judging by the timeline, Nico Robin had already earned a perfect score on the exam.
She was now officially one of Ohara's scholars.
Eight years old, but spending every day among old men.
Possessing the powers of the Flower-Flower Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.
Black hair, a Devil Fruit user, extremely intelligent...
All of this made Nico Robin known throughout the village as a "monster."
"Heeheeheehee! Look, everyone! The monster's running back into the Tree of Knowledge again! Those scholars must be insane—to make a monster into a scholar!"
"The cursed black hair is polluting the sacred Tree of Knowledge!"
"Mom! The black-haired demon is here again!"
Children, youths, even the elderly—
All looked at the eight-year-old with malice.
Seeing this, Garp—who had only recently become a grandfather—deeply furrowed his brows.
Those fists of love he was so proud of had already quietly clenched.
This was Ohara, wasn't it?
The place with the world's greatest scholars!
Yet also home to the most ignorant and narrow-minded people.
"Garp, surprised by this?"
"This is one of the most obvious drawbacks of elite education. When you don't provide universal education and only nurture elites, the gap between the two groups grows wider."
"The bigger the gap, the more precious Ohara's scholars appear."
"Of course, that's not exactly a good thing."
Michael patted Garp's arm, trying to console the honest and kindhearted old man.
Surrounded by voices filled with hostility, little Robin lowered her head even further.
She didn't dare to run down the main road anymore, choosing instead to inch along the edge of the wall.
Even with her high intellect, an eight-year-old child couldn't understand why the villagers hated her so much.
Even her uncle's family, who'd raised her under her mother's request, treated her the same way.
So all she knew was—keep your head down.
Lower.
So low that they couldn't see her.
But if you keep walking like that… eventually, you'll bump into something.
"Ouch… I'm sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have run into you…"
Robin, who'd collided with what felt like a wall, quickly got up, picked up the book she'd dropped, and offered a humble apology.
At worst… she'd get scolded and maybe hit a few times.
She'd been eating well lately, so she could take a beating.
But the expected scolding and pain didn't come.
Little Robin was confused. Though timid, she raised her head slightly.
Against the setting sun, a handsome man with platinum hair stood before her.
He unfurled the holy wings on his back.
Then reached out and placed a hand on her head.
Not to hit her—but to gently smooth her messed-up hair.
Carried by the sea breeze, his warm voice drifted into her ears.
"Hey, I'm a monster too."
"Want to join me?"
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Chapter for the review