In the blink of an eye, the street was empty.
Only Raiver remained, along with the two figures still kneeling on the ground.
Dr. Clover and Nico Olvia.
It wasn't that they didn't want to run—their legs were too weak to stand.
From the moment Raiver appeared, they had remained kneeling there, witnessing everything.
That half-hour of slow slicing was like a nightmare, deeply etched into their minds.
Now, Raiver turned and walked toward them.
Both their hearts skipped a beat.
Raiver stopped before them, looking down at the two kneeling figures.
He said nothing.
He simply watched.
His gaze was as calm as still water, yet it made them feel as if they were being observed by a primordial beast.
Dr. Clover was the first to react. Trembling, he kowtowed forcefully:
"Th-thank you for saving our lives, sir!!!"
Olvia hurriedly followed suit, kowtowing as well:
"Thank you for saving our lives, sir!!!"
Raiver's gaze lingered on Dr. Clover for a moment.
With a blade of grass on your head, do you think you're Slow Sheep?
Then his eyes shifted to Olvia.
Silver-white hair, delicate features.
Raiver paused slightly.
Why did this face look so familiar?
He searched his memory.
Suddenly, a name flashed through his mind.
Nico Robin.
Could this be Robin's mother?
Raiver's eyes flickered slightly.
He spoke.
"Are you scholars from Ohara?"
Dr. Clover stiffened.
He didn't know why the man was asking this, nor what the consequences of answering might be.
But he knew that if this man wanted to kill them, he wouldn't need to ask any questions.
He took a deep breath and answered truthfully:
"Yes, sir. My name is Clover, the head librarian of the Library of the Tree of Omniscience on Ohara."
Then he gestured to Olvia beside him:
"This is my student, Nico Olvia."
Raiver nodded.
"I see."
He raised his hand.
Dr. Clover and Olvia felt their vision blur, and then the entire world twisted around them.
...
Near the waters of Sabaody Archipelago, a small deserted island.
On the beach, three figures appeared out of thin air.
Dr. Clover and Olvia stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing.
The azure sky, white clouds, emerald-green sea, and golden sand.
And in the distance, the faint outline of Sabaody Archipelago on the horizon.
"Th-this is…"
Dr. Clover stammered.
Just moments ago, they had been on the streets of Sabaody Archipelago, and in the blink of an eye, they were now on this island.
It was at least a dozen nautical miles away from Sabaody.
Both of them turned to look at Raiver, their eyes filled with shock and awe.
What kind of ability was this?
Instant teleportation? Spatial transfer?
Was this the power of the world's strongest man?
In their eyes now, Raiver was no longer just a "person," but a higher-dimensional being, like a deity from myth.
Raiver paid no attention to their astonishment.
"Is your Ohara researching the Void Century?"
The moment the words fell, Dr. Clover and Olvia's expressions changed simultaneously.
It was an instinctive reaction only seen when one's deepest secret was exposed—pupils contracting sharply, bodies stiffening, breaths halting.
The Void Century.
It was the World Government's most forbidden secret, a taboo no one was permitted to touch.
Researching this period of history was a capital offense, punishable by the execution of nine generations of one's family.
And now, someone had directly asked about it.
Dr. Clover's mind raced.
He wanted to deny it, to change the subject, to—
"Don't be afraid."
Raiver's voice cut through his thoughts.
"I am an enemy of the World Government."
"Besides, what would I gain from selling you out to them?"
Dr. Clover was taken aback.
Then, his tense nerves relaxed.
Indeed, this man had just publicly tortured a Celestial Dragon to death using slow slicing.
His relationship with the World Government was already one of mutual destruction.
How could he possibly turn around and help the World Government capture them?
"You are correct, sir."
Dr. Clover took a deep breath and answered truthfully:
"We are indeed researching the Void Century, and we have made some progress."
Raiver nodded but did not press for details about the progress.
Instead, he asked another question:
"Are you not aware of the consequences if the World Government discovers this?"
Dr. Clover fell silent for a moment, then smiled.
"Of course we are, sir."
He raised his head and met Raiver's gaze directly:
"But some things must be done by someone. Isn't that right?"
Raiver looked at him.
His gaze was calm, yet it seemed to see through everything.
"What if I said I am willing to offer Ohara my protection? What would you think?"
Dr. Clover's eyes lit up.
"Sir... you mean..."
"My Fengtian Empire can provide you sanctuary.
As long as you are willing to become an affiliated institution of the empire and integrate the Library of the Tree of Omniscience into the imperial system.
Your research may continue, but the findings must be shared with me."
Dr. Clover trembled with excitement.
It was only a matter of time before their research into the Void Century was discovered by the World Government.
They had long prepared themselves for death, but if there was a chance to survive, who wouldn't take it?
Moreover, if they could gain the protection of one of the Four Emperors—and the strongest among them in the New World at that.
Ohara's safety would be greatly secured.
Only by living could they continue their research.
"We accept! We accept!" Dr. Clover nearly shouted. "I believe all the scholars of Ohara will agree!"
"Not so fast."
Raiver raised a hand, signaling him to calm down.
"There are conditions."
Dr. Clover quickly composed himself. "Please elaborate, sir."
"I happen to know some information about the Void Century."
Dr. Clover and Olvia pricked up their ears.
"As far as I know," Raiver said slowly, "it was a conflict between twenty nations and another Great Kingdom over political ideologies."
"Thus, the twenty nations viewed the Great Kingdom as an enemy and united to destroy it."
"The war lasted nearly a hundred years, ending with the victory of the allied forces of the twenty nations."
"After the Great Kingdom fell, the twenty nations established the World Government and erased this history from the records."
The royal families who moved into the Holy Land Mariejois became the Celestial Dragons."
Dr. Clover listened intently.
This information closely matched what they had deciphered from the Poneglyphs.
"After that," Raiver continued, "the twenty kings made a vow:
For the World Government, there would never be a dictator, and no one could sit on the Void Throne.
The throne symbolized no king and equality."
"Thus, the twenty kings each planted their weapons into the ground, forming a circle around the throne."
"But after these twenty kings grew old and died, one of them had long ago consumed a powerful Devil Fruit, gaining the ability of eternal life."
Dr. Clover's pupils contracted sharply.
"That king was called Imu."
"He alone sat on the Void Throne, breaking the vow of no king."
"And he concealed his existence from the outside world, only moving within the deepest part of the Holy Land, the Chamber of Flowers."
"Afterward, he installed the Five Elders as the apparent highest authority, making them kneel before him and carry out his commands."
"Thus, Imu indirectly ruled the World Government from the shadows."
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