It wasn't just Luo Fan who found it strange; the Marine Soldiers on Kuzan's warship felt the same way.
Kuzan didn't avoid them when he took Sengoku's call, so the Marine Soldiers on the warship were well aware that he had received orders from the Admiral and had become one of the Vice Admirals executing the Buster Call.
Logically, Kuzan should have been rushing to Ohara right now, yet he ordered the warship to head in the opposite direction, which left the Marine Soldiers feeling very confused.
Finally, a Marine Major couldn't help himself. He stepped forward and asked Kuzan, "Vice Admiral, sir, shouldn't we be heading to Ohara? Why are we going in the opposite direction?"
Kuzan glanced back at the Major and said lazily, "I heard a story when I was in the New World. Let me tell it to you!"
"Legend has it that in a small town in the New World, there was an evil dragon that specialized in eating the young maidens of the village. Every year, the village had to choose a maiden to sacrifice to the dragon."
"Seeing the number of maidens in the village dwindling, the village chief couldn't take it anymore. He found the strongest villager and sent him to slay the dragon."
"But the villager felt he couldn't defeat the dragon. Tell me, what do you think the villager should do in this situation?"
Hearing Kuzan's question, the Marine Soldiers offered their own opinions. Some suggested finding a stronger hero, some said they should unite with the other villagers to slay the dragon together, and others thought they should relocate the entire village.
Kuzan shook his head at their suggestions. "The villager didn't use any of the methods you mentioned. He chose a way that none of you would have thought of."
"Vice Admiral, sir, what did that villager do?" asked the Major who had initially questioned Kuzan.
"It's quite simple, really. He turned all the maidens in the village into women, starving the dragon to death."
"Huh? Vice Admiral, sir, this..."
"I'm telling you this story just to show you that solving a problem doesn't always require following conventional logic; one can also take a different path."
"I have no objection to launching a Buster Call on Ohara. Those Scholars touched things they shouldn't have, but the other people on the island are innocent. So, I want to find a way that satisfies both sides."
Having said that, Kuzan stopped wasting words on the Marine Soldiers. He took off his sunglasses, pulled an eye mask out of his trench coat pocket, and lay down on a lounge chair.
The Marine Soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, but ultimately, they said nothing more.
Back to Luo Fan's side. Ohara wasn't too far from the Sabaody Archipelago, and since Noy had grown Up in Water Seven, she had no problem with basic steering. Following the guidance of the Eternal Pose, the two of them soon reached the waters near Ohara.
Luo Fan didn't rush to land on the island; instead, he spoke to Noy about the reasons why Ohara would meet its destruction.
After listening, Noy looked a bit confused, her pink cat ears twitching as she was clearly deep in thought.
After a long time, Noy finally said, "Luo Fan, I think the Scholars of Ohara were in the wrong."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Researching history itself isn't wrong. Recording history so that future generations know the truth of the world is inherently right; in fact, it should be respected."
"But the Scholars of Ohara made one mistake: they lacked the power to protect themselves, yet they touched things they shouldn't have."
"Luo Fan, you said that most parts of this sea are controlled by the World Government. Ohara is also under the World Government's control, and its life or death is decided by them."
"In such a state, for the Scholars of Ohara to still research taboos that the World Government deems absolutely untouchable is, in itself, an act of overestimating their own abilities."
Luo Fan was very satisfied with Noy's answer. Just as she said, researching history was never a mistake; the Scholars of Ohara's error lay in touching the World Government's taboos when they lacked the power to protect themselves.
Besides, even if the Scholars of Ohara knew the truth of this world, what could they do? Could they announce it to the world? If Pirate King Roger couldn't do it, could a group of Scholars?"
The tide of the era rolls forward, and one or two people cannot stop the flow of the waves. This was also why Roger started the Great Pirate Era.
That being said, one must not lose their direction in the tide. Luo Fan changed the subject and asked, "Noy, do you think the ordinary people on Ohara are innocent? Do they deserve to die?"
Noy shook her head without a second thought. "I think the ordinary people are innocent, but the Marines and the World Government probably don't think so, right?
From the Marines' perspective, once a Buster Call is launched, they naturally won't let a single person leave the island alive. If a Scholar were to sneak out among those who left, all the sacrifices would be in vain.
So, Luo Fan, are you planning to protect the ordinary people of Ohara?"
"Noy, you overestimate me. When the Buster Call is launched, there will be five Marineford Vice Admirals, including two rookie Vice Admirals hailed as monsters.
I'm not a match for either of those two in a one-on-one fight; I can only guarantee I won't be caught. How could I save anyone?
I brought you to Ohara just to let you see what the World Government is hiding. Let's go! Let's head onto the island."
Noy nodded and steered the small boat to dock at the harbor.
As soon as the boat docked, Luo Fan turned to Noy and said, "Noy, turn into a cat! There are already people from the World Government on Ohara now, and two cats make for smaller targets."
Noy nodded and transformed into her cat form. The two cats climbed Up a tree and leaped between branches, soon arriving in front of the Tree of Knowledge.
"Wow! This tree is huge!" Noy exclaimed.
"Could it be bigger than the trees on the Sabaody Archipelago? It's just that we've always lived on those trees, so you haven't been able to see the full picture of them intuitively!"
"Eh? Is that so?"
Luo Fan smiled and didn't dwell on the matter, instead starting to introduce the Tree of Knowledge to Noy.
Noy was shocked to learn that this massive tree called the Tree of Knowledge was actually the largest library in the world.
Luo Fan stroked her small head and continued, "This tree, which looks a bit like a giant bean pod, stores precious texts from all over the world.
Inside the Tree of Knowledge, there is a group of highly knowledgeable Scholars. Some are locals of Ohara, while others have come from all over the world.
To uncover the truth of history, they secretly conduct research on the poneglyphs inside the Tree of Knowledge, exploring the truth of the Void Century that was erased by the World Government.
By now, these Scholars should know about the World Government's movements, but they have no intention of fleeing. They plan to live and die with this island and the truth of history."
Hearing this, Noy said in a complex tone, "What a stubborn group of people."
"Stubbornness isn't a good thing most of the time, and this time is no exception." After saying that, Luo Fan glanced back at the nearby forest; his Observation Haki had already sensed the arrival of uninvited guests.