"V-Vice Admiral Garp! Are you serious!?"
"Saul? Why is it you, kid?" Garp naturally recognized the famously kind-hearted giant Vice Admiral Saul. "What are you doing here?"
"I... defected. I'm no longer part of the Navy."
"Huh? Why?"
Garp frowned.
He truly had no respect for traitors.
But with the personalities of those from the Giant Tribe, betrayal shouldn't even be possible, right?
Unless... something happened that crossed their bottom line.
Faced with Garp's question, Saul, the honest man, looked dejected and blurted out everything he'd experienced lately:
"The World Government ordered me and CP9's Spandine to pursue an archaeological team." Saul sighed and scratched his head in frustration. "Along the way, I witnessed a series of orders the government gave to the CP organization... I don't think that's justice at all! So I could only choose to defect and help Olvia escape!"
"I never thought it—Spandine, that bastard! He actually initiated a Buster Call!"
The more Saul spoke, the angrier he got. He slammed a fist into the ground, causing the entire area to tremble slightly.
"And I am Olvia." Olvia stepped in front of Saul, but her eyes were fixed on little Robin beside Michael, filled with guilt. "Robin, I'm back... I'm sorry."
Olvia had just overheard the conversation between little Robin, Michael, and Garp.
She now understood that this was the daughter she had entrusted to her younger brother—Nico Robin.
She hadn't expected her eight-year-old daughter to be so thin and small, wearing clothes that looked no better than tattered curtains.
...Could it be... she'd trusted the wrong person?
Had the world become so twisted that she couldn't even trust her own blood?
"What did you say? You're... my mom?"
Even though the villagers treated her like a monster, like a curse—even throwing stones at her—Robin never cried.
But the moment she saw her mother, she burst into tears like a little waterfall.
And once the tears started, there was no stopping them.
The moment Olvia saw Robin's frail body and ragged dress, it was like someone had grabbed her heart and squeezed hard—it hurt so much she could barely breathe.
Robin's tears broke even Olvia's rational, intelligent composure.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
All the heartfelt words Olvia had prepared in her mind for their reunion were forgotten.
All she could say was "I'm sorry."
The long-separated mother and daughter finally embraced each other, expressing their remorse and longing through tears.
Only then did Michael's furrowed brow—tense ever since Saul and Olvia appeared—begin to relax slightly.
But his overall expression remained cold.
He waited until the mother and daughter's sobbing calmed down and their emotions settled before speaking:
"Nico Olvia. Ohara's most brilliant archaeologist. A fugitive wanted by the World Government. Is that correct?"
"That's right. You're talking about me."
Although Olvia was still physically trembling from crying, her emotions had indeed stabilized.
Being identified as a fugitive no longer mattered to her.
After all, the Marine standing before her was none other than the legendary "Hero of the Marines," Garp.
Even as a civilian, she'd heard of that thunderous name.
To the people, Garp was like a guardian deity in Marine form.
So, running away... was impossible.
Instead, she accepted her fate with calm.
At most, they were going to arrest her.
But to see her daughter one last time... it was worth it.
However, she could no longer leave her daughter in her brother's care.
"You... are a great woman, without a doubt." Michael stepped forward, crouched down to meet Olvia at eye level. "But as a mother, you've completely failed."
"...What did you just say?"
Michael's words left Olvia stunned.
What was this Marine talking about?
Wasn't he supposed to arrest her?
Why was he scolding her for being a failed mother?
...Not that he was wrong.
Looking at Olvia, Michael finally sighed.
"Don't be so tense. I have zero interest in how the World Government persecutes political dissidents." Michael shrugged. "You don't even have a Marine bounty. If I arrested you, I'd be overstepping my authority... and I'm a law-abiding Marine, you know."
"Pfft!"
Michael turned and shot a glare at the old man Garp, who had just snorted with laughter.
Then he looked back at Olvia. She looked shocked, but Michael remained calm and composed.
His judgment of Olvia was actually quite objective.
From everything he'd seen in the original timeline, it was clear—
This woman absolutely lived up to the word great.
But he also had to admit...
Great people are often terrible parents.
One cannot serve both country and family.
That truth held in every world.
...
"What about the other archaeologists?"
"They're all dead." Olvia shook her head. Her tone seemed steady, but the intense hatred in her eyes felt almost tangible—enough to scorch anyone.
"Killed by CP spies and Marines."
Saul sat silently nearby.
Even if he hadn't raised his own hand, he had been the Vice Admiral leading the mission.
The deaths of those innocent people... were on him too.
That was why he'd risked everything to save Olvia—the last surviving archaeologist—and defected from the Navy.
The Giant Tribe held simple values.
They were deeply loyal—so much so that others often saw them as foolish or naive.
So stubborn they couldn't be reasoned with.
But... there were lines they simply couldn't cross when it came to justice.
...
"Olvia," Michael said, "With so many archaeologists dead, I shouldn't be reopening your wounds, but... your actions were so careless it's laughable!" He stood, towering over her. "Deciphering and publishing the Poneglyphs? With what army, exactly? You were asking to die! It was your recklessness that brought CP9 and the Buster Call down on you!"
"Why not investigate in secret, find out the truth, and then wait until you had someone powerful enough to protect you before going public?"
"But no—you just had to bang the drum and shout it to the whole world!"
"What, was this supposed to be some kind of celebration!?"
Michael's harsh tone made Olvia feel even more uneasy.
This Marine youth was undeniably handsome... but something was off about his brain.
Even though every word he said was criticizing her...
The meaning behind it sounded like... support?
...
Michael turned around and walked toward the now-pale-faced Professor Clover.
He placed both hands on his shoulders, his voice eerily calm.
"If you don't want to die, then leave Ohara!"
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