Michael stood on the deck of the Seraphim, gazing up at the vast starry sky, lost in thought.
When it came to little Robin, Michael had never interfered too much with her growth.
After all, her intelligence was plain to see—an irreplaceable asset to the Marines.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have become the true authority figure of the Sabaody Archipelago region at such a young age.
But that Robin had grown into a total "mom-con"… that, he honestly hadn't expected.
After all, mother and daughter had long belonged to two opposing camps. Though they couldn't meet, they still knew a bit about each other's lives through both sides' intelligence networks.
Under such circumstances—where they weren't completely cut off, yet rarely saw each other—Robin shouldn't have become this obsessed with her mother, right?
Yet, from the very beginning, Robin had always clung to that one sentence as her motivation to grow stronger and rise through the ranks of the Marines…
"To bring my mother back to my side."
It had almost become an obsession.
As a result, over the years, Robin had gradually become cold and withdrawn—even the members of the SWORD Secret Special Force rarely saw her smile.
And now, of all things, Olvia had come to the Sabaody Archipelago with her scholars!?
Wasn't that walking right into the trap?
Michael raised his head, looking at the faintly twinkling stars, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
Matters like these—domestic, emotional ones—were always the hardest to deal with.
Still…
He hadn't seen Robin for a long time either. The way she had turned out—he bore some responsibility for that.
So…
"Let's hope I'm not too late when I reach the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Father, what are you muttering about?"
Behind him, Yamato—now back in her usual outfit—asked curiously.
"Mm, nothing. Just talking to myself." Michael shook his head, then turned back and beckoned to her.
"Yamato, I want to ask you a few questions."
"Please go ahead!" Yamato ran over excitedly. Even though she was taller than Michael, it was obvious who the elder was. "You rarely ask me questions like this."
"Is that so?" Michael instinctively wanted to pat her head as he did with the little ones, but after glancing at her height, he decided instead to pat her shoulder.
"Yamato, don't you… ever miss your father?"
The moment he asked, Yamato fell silent.
For a while, the only sound on deck was the Seraphim cutting swiftly through the sea.
Michael turned to look at the seemingly carefree girl.
A hint of confusion appeared on her face.
After a long pause, Yamato sighed softly and said, "I… don't really know."
"You don't know?"
"My real father, that 'Beast' Kaido—I'm certain he did love me," Yamato said with a trace of nostalgia.
"But Kaido's love was too complicated… He trained me as one of his trump cards, treated me as one of his crew's most valuable assets, and even once considered having me undergo modification… As for love as a daughter, that part came last—it was the most insignificant."
"So, to keep me from escaping, he put a collar on me that could blow my neck off at any time. He even had Ulti and Page One follow me around, to tie me down…"
At this point, sorrow clouded Yamato's face.
For the first time, her usually fierce expression revealed a fragile side.
"When I figured out how to take off that explosive collar and detonated it from afar, I was certain—that muscle-brained ape Kaido really would have killed me!"
"I mean… I'm his daughter! How could he treat me like that!?"
A child's yearning for their parents is innate.
Emotionally, the child is always the weaker side.
But when a parent personally shatters that image of familial love in their child's heart…
The string connecting them naturally snaps.
And Yamato—was that broken kite.
Before she could be burned up by the sun, Michael had pulled her back down to the ground.
That was why Yamato's hatred for Kaido ran so deep…
The deeper the love, the fiercer the hate.
"It's all right. You still have me."
"Since you call me 'father,' and I'm already used to it—then I am your father. I'll protect you unconditionally, care for you… though maybe try not to cause me trouble every day."
"Cough… I'm not that unreliable, am I?"
"Then can you tell me about that huge scratch on the Seraphim's stern?"
"Father, let me explain! It's just—one day, a delivery ship had the nerve to challenge me to a race! And that guy actually passed me in the reef zone with a few drifts!"
"And… did you beat him up?"
"…I couldn't bring myself to." Yamato sighed. "Losing a race and then picking a fight would've been so lame… So I just bought all his meat instead."
"No wonder we've been eating meat every day lately…" Michael rubbed his face. "Do you at least know the name of the guy who raced you?"
"Not really… I think it was something like Fujiwara D. Takumi or whatever…"
"…6."
...
"Saul, are you there?"
"I found your signal."
Beneath the cliff of area 16, Olvia arrived as well.
Following the secret signs only she and Saul understood, it didn't take long for her to locate him.
Under the moonlight, she saw him sitting alone on the distant beach.
But as she approached, Saul turned toward her with an apologetic smile.
"Ahh, Olvia… I'm so sorry. Looks like you've fallen into the trap too."
At the sound of Saul's voice, Olvia froze for an instant—then felt several hands sprout from her clothes, holding her tightly in place.
In that moment, however, she calmed down.
Because this Devil Fruit ability… was all too familiar.
It belonged to her daughter—
Nico Robin.
"…It's been a long time, Robin."
"Mom… I've caught you now."
Nico Robin appeared silently behind Olvia.
As a former subordinate of Michael and a member of the SWORD Secret Special Force, Nico Robin had, of course, mastered Rokushiki and even attained complete control over Life Return.
After all, that was standard for the SWORD Secret Special Force.
"With this… you won't be able to leave my side ever again, will you?"
"Mom…"
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Fanfic is finished. 583 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg