Chapter 7: Is the Past More Important Than the Future?
In the short span of just two years, a rising rookie had transformed into the Fifth Emperor of the sea.
To Robin, it all felt far too fast.
When looking at the other Emperors reigning over the oceans, not a single one of them wasn't an old monster who had spent decades honing their strength. Even "Red-Haired" Shanks, the youngest among them, had fought through over ten years of struggle before he could claim a seat as an Emperor.
As for Luffy, he had only taken two years. Was he truly worthy of the title of Pirate King—or rather, Pirate Emperor?
Robin couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Reality seemed to prove her point during the Wano Country Arc. When Luffy faced Kaidou, one of the original Four Emperors, head-on, even his maximum output felt like nothing more than a light scratch to his opponent. Kaidou needed only a single swing of his club to knock Luffy unconscious—an instant defeat.
It meant that between Luffy and the Four Emperors, there was still a mountain that could not be crossed.
However, the subsequent developments left Robin in shock once again.
From the moment Luffy was knocked out and thrown into prison until the final battle on Onigashima, not much time seemed to have passed. Yet, when Luffy faced Kaidou again, he was suddenly able to fight on equal footing.
Even more incredible, by relying on his ability to bounce back, the awakening of his Devil Fruit, and transforming into the form of the Sun God Nika, he eventually defeated Kaidou. This ended Kaidou's twenty-year reign over Wano Country and officially cemented Luffy's position as one of the Four Emperors.
This... this... he must be using cheats.
"Does it feel nonsensical to you?" Yumesaki asked with a smile, noticing the ever-changing expressions on Robin's face.
Robin didn't hide her confusion. She nodded. "It really is quite nonsensical. Can human progress really be this fast?"
From being instantly defeated by Kaidou to eventually overcoming him—had even a month passed during that period? It was hard to say; most likely, it hadn't even been that long.
This meant that Luffy had used less than a month to evolve from a loser who was one-shot by an Emperor into someone who surpassed Kaidou himself. It defied all logic. One might even say it was unscientific.
"Doesn't this just prove how great a teacher Kaidou was?" Yumesaki said, laughing.
Nico Robin looked bewildered. "What does that have to do with Kaidou's greatness?"
With a serious face, Yumesaki explained: "The fake teacher is Rayleigh; two years only managed to teach Luffy the basics of Haki. The real teacher is Kaidou. One hit forced out Ryuo, two hits helped him coat himself in Conqueror's Haki, and three hits forged the emergence of a Sun God."
"From this, you can see how important it is for a student to have a good teacher."
"As for Rayleigh, he's just some old guy you'd find on the side of the road."
Robin occasionally felt the urge to report him to the authorities. How could the man in front of her talk such nonsense with such a straight face?
In the end, she ignored him and continued reading.
In the Egghead Incident on Egghead Island, she saw Luffy fighting the Five Elders and Admiral Kizaru all by himself. She watched as Vegapunk died in battle, saw the world beginning to sink to the bottom of the ocean, and witnessed the death of Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders.
More importantly, in Elbaf, the land of the giants, she saw her manga self reunite with Saul.
At that moment, Robin finally learned the truth: Kuzan hadn't delivered a killing blow back then. Instead, he had let Saul go.
This sudden surprise completely shattered Robin's mental defenses.
Large tears welled up and spilled from her eyes, dripping onto the pages of the manga in her hands. The page happened to show the scene where she and Saul were sobbing while embracing each other.
"Thank goodness... thank goodness... Saul didn't die. He's really still alive..."
Robin kept murmuring to herself, her tears flowing without pause.
After a while, she managed to suppress the turmoil in her heart. Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, the somber aura that usually clung to her body seemed to melt away instantly, like thick snow meeting the warm sun.
"Thank you. I am truly, truly grateful to you," Robin said, smiling at Yumesaki.
"Why thank me? I wasn't the one who saved Saul," Yumesaki replied with a sharp look.
Robin explained, "Thank you for letting me know that Saul isn't dead."
"You're welcome. You would have found out eventually anyway," Yumesaki said nonchalantly.
Nico Robin lowered her head to the manga again and quickly reached the latest chapter.
"What happens next?" she asked eagerly.
"That's it," Yumesaki said with a shrug. "The author hasn't drawn the rest yet."
Robin glanced at the author's name: Eiichiro Oda.
"So, am I actually a character in a manga?" Her expression was bizarre—she wanted to complain but didn't know how. It felt like something was stuck in her throat that she couldn't swallow or spit out.
"I don't know," Yumesaki shook his head.
Robin asked in surprise, "You don't know?"
Yumesaki looked remarkably honest. "Before meeting you all, I always thought you were characters in a manga. But now, I can't be sure if you are manga characters or not."
Nico Robin: "Ah, well..."
That answer didn't seem to have any holes in it. If a character from a manga suddenly stood right in front of her, Robin wouldn't be able to tell if they were a fictional character come to life or if an author was simply writing a manga based on a true story.
"Where is this Eiichiro Oda?"
Hearing this, Yumesaki immediately understood her intent. "You want to find him?"
Robin nodded.
The Eiichiro Oda in the manga had explained the secrets of the World Government and the existence of Imu-sama, but he had yet to reveal the history of the Void Century from eight hundred years ago. Therefore, Robin desperately wanted to ask him directly: what exactly was the secret of those hundred missing years?
"I suggest you don't do that," Yumesaki advised.
Robin asked, "Why?"
"Because your appearance would very likely expose my ability to travel between worlds, which would bring me a lot of trouble in my own world."
Yumesaki spoke bluntly but accurately: "So, I can't let you look for Eiichiro Oda. Besides, even if you found him, are you sure you'd learn the history of the Void Century?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's simple. My point is, maybe even Eiichiro Oda hasn't figured out how to write the history of the Void Century yet. After all, he's just a manga artist. What does he know about the One Piece?"
Yumesaki gave a slight smile and then pointed Robin toward a clearer path. "If you really want to know the history of the Void Century, you can go to the Sabaody Archipelago and find Rayleigh. Or, of course, go to Elbaf and find Gaban."
"Those two—one was the Pirate King's left hand, the other his right hand. They reached the final island, Laugh Tale, with Roger. They know the history of those hundred years very clearly."
"You could learn the truth from their mouths. That's much better than looking for Oda."
"Besides, there's one key point you haven't realized yet."
Robin froze, staring at Yumesaki without understanding.
Yumesaki said calmly, "Your world is about to sink to the bottom of the sea. You still have the time to worry about the Void Century? Is the past more important than the future?"
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