Several months passed, and the sanctuary had already crossed the Calm Belt, arriving in the waters near Ohara.
The dawn's light seeped through the clouds like diluted blood, and the sanctuary's gilded bow cast a shadow over Ohara's ruined pier.
Perona tiptoed, trying to catch a falling feather, but Stella gently pressed down on her head:
"No mischief today, okay."
Her hand brushed over Perona's head, her voice soft.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Olvia's fingers tightly gripping the ship's railing, trembling slightly from the effort.
Perona reluctantly agreed.
She had only been here once before and had no particular feelings for the place. Coupled with her personality, she didn't sense anything amiss with the atmosphere.
Rami noticed Robin's somewhat vacant gaze nearby and quietly asked Koala:
"Is Sister Robin sick?"
Koala shook her head and walked up to Robin:
"Sister Robin, do you want to play hopscotch?"
"Mama once told me when I was little that if you play hopscotch a hundred times, you can make a wish come true."
Robin turned to look at Koala, a hint of emotion in her eyes.
She forced a smile:
"Thank you, Koala."
"Let's get off the ship!"
Black's voice came, and Robin quickly ran forward, following closely behind Black, clutching his cape.
Robin looked back to confirm Olvia's position before following Black off the ship.
More than half a year had passed since the Buster Call, and Ohara's land was still scorched Black, showing the intensity of the bombardment it had endured.
Olvia suddenly knelt on the ground, holding Ohara's soil in her hands.
Though she made no sound, her body trembled continuously.
Koala wanted to go forward, but Mandy held her sword sheath horizontally in front of her, shaking her head slightly.
Koala pursed her lips, her emotions affected by the atmosphere, also appearing slightly sad.
Robin's eyes began to redden, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Perona suddenly jumped out from behind Mandy, her pink pigtails sweeping across the armor.
In her hands, she held a freshly woven flower crown.
Perona ignored Black's twitching mouth, placing the flower crown on Robin's head:
"The Queen of Archaeology has returned to her loyal Ohara, crowned!"
Robin turned to look at Perona, suddenly bursting into laughter through her tears.
Her smile carried three parts helplessness and seven parts relief.
Perona's antics diluted the sadness. Olvia had already stood up, and everyone began to move forward.
As Olvia's emotions calmed, Koala finally came to her side.
She placed the wild chrysanthemums she had just picked into Olvia's hand:
"I heard... if you put flowers in water, you can see the people you miss."
Olvia gave Koala a forced smile, stroking her light golden hair:
"Thank you, Koala, you're such a gentle child."
Everyone arrived at the original location of the tree of knowledge.
The giant tree, once lush and leafy when they last visited, now only had its roots remaining, forming a natural archway.
They passed through the archway and arrived at the original library.
The globe in the center had long since shattered into countless fragments on the ground, and the towering bookshelves had become a ruin.
Black glanced towards the lake, where several large footprints still remained.
"It seems the Giant Race has already moved the documents."
"Then the conflict between the God's Knights and Elbaf is inevitable."
"Before that, we need to find a way to break immortality and try to kill a few of the Knights."
"Dragon and Vegapunk should have met by now."
"We can also kill a few of the Revolutionary Army members to maintain balance."
He pondered these thoughts silently, but did not show it.
This trip was just to accompany Robin back for a visit, no need to deal with extra matters. When the time was right, he would naturally handle them.
Perona drew a large smiley face on the ground with charcoal.
Rami, meanwhile, arranged shells she had picked up to spell out "Robin" and turned to Robin, saying:
"This way, Ohara will smile every night!"
...Today's lunch was to be had in Ohara. Stella instructed the maids to lay out the picnic blankets on the ground.
She distributed the pre-prepared food to everyone:
"The strawberry jam sandwich is Rami's, with extra honey."
Stella finally handed Olvia a bronze pocket watch:
"I found this in the ruins... the hour hand is still moving."
Olvia thanked her, clutching the pocket watch in her hand, mechanically chewing her food.
Rami gently tugged on her sleeve:
"Auntie, I found this too."
With that, Rami opened her palm, revealing an unburnt seashell hairpin:
"I found it on the beach, it's just like the one Sister Robin used to wear."
Then, Rami spread her own strawberry jam on Robin's bread:
"Papa says eating more sweets makes you grow taller!"
As she spoke, she suddenly coughed, but still stubbornly held up the bread, a big smile on her face.
Koala also put a piece of chocolate into Olvia's mouth... Compared to Olvia's grief, Robin didn't show as strong emotions.
In fact, Robin's life in Ohara was not good.
Olvia's brother's family treated her almost like a servant; all the chores like washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning rooms were hers.
Outside, the other children also refused to play with her.
Because of her Devil Fruit, the children called her a monster.
Except for Dr. Clover and a few others, Robin actually had no friends on this island.
Olvia, however, was different; her family, friends, career... almost everything was on this island, but it was all destroyed by fire, so she naturally appeared more pained than Robin.
After everyone finished eating, they saw Olvia gradually recovering with the children's comfort, and then looked at Robin, who was by her side.
Black pondered for a moment, then signaled for the others to leave first.
He stood on the remaining roots of the tree of knowledge, lightly tapping his scepter:
"We'll head back to the port first; you all follow as soon as you can."
Black knew very well that after comfort comes release.
Giving them space to cry it out now would truly soothe their hearts, so he left ample room for the two of them.
When Olvia, holding Robin's hand, returned to the pier, several little girls were squatting on the beach.
They folded paper into tiny boats, lit candles on them, and sent them out to sea.
Robin walked up to them, her eyes still a little red, and asked:
"What are you doing?"
Rami turned her head:
"My papa says, the further the paper boat floats, the lighter the longing becomes."
Perona suddenly jumped up, gesturing with her hands:
"Then I want to be the Pirate King!"
"When I find the Great Treasure, I'll buy a super—big ship and put all of Ohara inside!"
Black sneered, grabbing Perona by the back of her neck:
"Alright, Pirate King, that's all you're good for."
"We should go."
With that, he carried Perona and motioned for everyone to get on the ship.
Black had always been the type to "know there's a tiger in the mountain, but don't go to that mountain if you know about it." He truly found it hard to empathize with Ohara's suicidal behavior.
The Ancient Weapons and the Celestial Dragons' national treasures were mostly related to the Ancient Script.
Those in the World Government who could read the Ancient Script were in very sensitive positions, making them inconvenient for Black to approach.
In the future, there might be a need for the Ancient Weapons and national treasures, and at that time, he would still need Robin's power.
If it weren't for Robin being his future wing, he wouldn't have made this special trip.
Robin looked at the few remaining paper boats on the beach, hesitated for a moment, then sent them off on the waves.