Half a month later, Mary Geoise, Red Port.
The Red Port guards looked out at the sea before them with disbelief.
In the distance, a tattered pirate ship was slowly approaching Red Port.
What place was this?
This was the heart of the World Government Mary Geoise.
Not to mention the hidden forces unknown to ordinary people; just judging from the visible combat power alone, there was at least one Marine Admiral stationed here year-round.
Besides that, the World Government's army had always been stationed in Mary Geoise as well.
Which pirate crew was so bold?
Daring to sail straight into Red Port with a ship that looked ready to fall apart.
"All hands, prepare for battle! Prepare the cannons!"
Just then, a shirtless figure leaped down from the pirate ship and landed directly in front of the guards.
"I am Aramaki, a vassal of Saint Black. You can all disperse."
The person who arrived was Aramaki.
It had taken half a month to return to Mary Geoise from Ranna Island.
In order to speed up the journey, Aramaki had not resupplied while passing by islands.
What happened when food and water ran out?
He simply killed a few pirates on board and threw them into the sea.
With fewer people, wouldn't the remaining supplies last longer?
After rushing like this the entire way, by the time they approached Mary Geoise, only Aramaki and Olvia remained on the ship.
Olvia naturally witnessed all of Aramaki's actions.
When she saw him mercilessly throwing pirates into the sea one after another, she completely gave up any thoughts of escaping.
This also saved Aramaki a lot of trouble along the way.
Upon hearing the identity of a Celestial Dragon's vassal, the Red Port guards immediately revealed expressions of reverence.
As for whether Aramaki's words were true or false?
They didn't believe anyone would dare impersonate someone connected to a Celestial Dragon.
"So it's Lord Aramaki. Why didn't you notify us in advance of your return? I could have cleared the port to welcome you."
A gaunt and shifty-looking officer, somewhat resembling Captain Nezumi, hurried over and spoke fawningly to Aramaki.
"Lord Aramaki, I am Rear Admiral Oswede, the Red Port garrison commander. Welcome back to Mary Geoise."
The Red Port garrison theoretically fell directly under the World Government.
However, the Gorosei clearly had neither the time nor the interest to manage a position that, in their eyes, was little more than a security guard.
Therefore, the daily command of the Red Port garrison had always been in the hands of the Marine Admiral stationed in Mary Geoise.
An Admiral would naturally not personally perform the duties of a guard.
Thus, Oswede effectively acted as the "Red Port Base Commander."
Due to Red Port's special location, Oswede's rank was noticeably higher than other base commanders.
Aramaki was momentarily stunned by the man's attitude.
After a moment, he shook his head and chuckled.
"There is no need to clear the port. I just came to inform you so you wouldn't damage the ship."
"I still need to sail the ship back to report to His Highness. We can chat another time."
Aramaki politely said a few words and prepared to return to the ship.
"How can we allow you to sail the ship yourself? How about this, I will send a few soldiers over."
"You've had a long journey, so please freshen up and get some rest. It would also be more presentable when meeting a Celestial Dragon, wouldn't it?"
Honestly speaking, Aramaki felt that Oswede's suggestion made some sense.
However, this situation was different.
Olvia had been brought back secretly according to Black's orders.
If soldiers accidentally discovered her while sailing the ship, Aramaki's mission would be considered a failure.
Now that the most difficult stage was already over, if he stumbled right at the doorstep of Mary Geoise, Aramaki felt he might even jump into the sea out of shame.
After several more polite exchanges, seeing Aramaki's firm stance, Oswede stopped insisting and only repeatedly reminded him to visit next time.
Once the ship docked, Aramaki had Olvia put on a hooded cloak.
Since they had already arrived at Mary Geoise, there was nothing left for her to resist.
Olvia hid her pure white hair beneath the cloak and stepped off the ship with her head lowered.
Soon, they arrived at Black's manor.
"Your Highness, I have brought Nico Olvia back."
Black looked at Olvia standing before him.
After entering the manor, Olvia had already removed her cloak, allowing Black to clearly see her appearance.
She had long, wavy white hair, naturally curling strands that swayed gently with her movements.
Her high nose bridge accentuated her delicate facial features, and her slender eyes conveyed determination. Her deep gaze seemed to carry an unwavering persistence toward history.
Due to long hours of outdoor work, Olvia's skin carried a healthy tan.
She wore a light blue tank top that revealed part of her abdomen, with a light gray high-collared coat over it, adding a casual yet warm tone to her appearance.
She paired it with dark green trousers that were both loose and well-fitted.
A belt with a large circular buckle was tied around her waist, giving off a rugged atmosphere reminiscent of an archaeologist's tool belt.
Judging purely from appearance, she looked like a rather heroic and dashing woman.
But Black knew very well that beneath Olvia's appearance lay a deeply prejudiced heart.
However, now was not the time to focus on that.
Black instructed Stella behind him.
"Take her to see Robin first. We will discuss other matters later."
Stella stood up and gestured politely to Olvia.
"Ms. Olvia, please follow me."
Upon hearing Robin's name, Olvia stopped thinking further. She silently glanced at Black before following Stella out.
Black then turned his gaze to Aramaki.
"How was the situation? Was anyone alerted?"
"No, Your Highness. My actions were extremely discreet. Even those in the same archaeological team as her didn't notice her disappearance."
Aramaki then recounted the entire process of tracking Olvia and how he handled everything afterward.
After listening, Black nodded.
"Very good, Aramaki."
"Since you were able to complete this mission successfully, I can now rest assured sending you out to sea."
Aramaki was overjoyed and immediately knelt on one knee.
"Thank you for Your Highness's trust!"
"Alright. You have been working hard on the sea for so long. Go back and rest."
"Yes, Your Highness! Your subordinate takes his leave."
Aramaki bowed and turned to leave.
Just as he reached the door, Black suddenly spoke again.
"By the way, you can try making contact with that Rear Admiral named Oswede when you have time."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Aramaki quickly turned and responded.
Seeing that Black had no further instructions, he finally left.
Oswede's position was very important in certain ways it was the gateway to Mary Geoise.
In other ways, however, it was not particularly important.
Unless someone wanted to smuggle contraband into Mary Geoise, Oswede did not have much influence.
This was merely a casual move by Black.
Whether it would prove useful or not was irrelevant; it was simply done on a whim.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Robin finally saw her long-missed mother.
"Mama... Mama?"
Seeing the white-haired woman before her, Robin's childhood memories surged forth, and she stared in disbelief.
Her eyes gradually filled with tears as she ran toward Olvia.
"Mama!!!"
Her voice was already trembling with sobs.
Olvia's eyes also turned red as she tightly embraced the rushing Robin.
"Robin... I'm sorry... Mama is sorry for you..."
Seeing this scene, Stella quietly exited the room and gently closed the door, leaving the long-separated mother and daughter alone together.