Bab 18: 18. Little Robin...
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Time passed slowly.
A month later.
One night at 3 a.m.
The Marineford office building was still brightly lit.
The officers' office was filled with tension. Countless civil servants were biting their pens, eyes bloodshot, scratching their heads in frustration.
"I can't think of anything! I've been single for over 20 years, and I still can't come up with a sweet love story. Forgive me!"
"Oh my god, if I had known, I would've gone out with the chief staff officer to hunt down pirates, boo hoo."
"Everyone, help me out! I have a new idea. The title is this: 'Mom, I heroically brought back my wife and child for you,' and 'Shocking! The brave Marine and his wife return home, and the mother-in-law actually brings the foot bath herself.'"
"Very good, swish swish… Your idea is mine now, and I've already written it."
"Ah, Rosinante, you speedy freak, I'll kill you!"
"..."
The civil servants were having a rough time, feeling utterly miserable.
Their daily work no longer involved sorting through important information or issuing world-changing orders. Instead, they were buried in their desks like novelists, racking their brains to write epic love stories between Marines and their beloveds.
Acting Fleet Admiral Akira had even set a strict quota—each person had to write at least three stories a day and submit them for review.
And if even one didn't pass...
Some people, unable to write well, just copied something and handed it in, thinking they'd get a slap on the wrist and be done with it.
But to their horror, Akira took a ruthless approach to this attitude—those whose stories failed had to read their submissions aloud to everyone at Marineford through a loudspeaker.
No one could bear this.
The most terrifying punishment—"social death."
The first person to face this couldn't show their face around headquarters anymore, not even daring to step outside.
When they did, they were pointed at and laughed at loudly.
The power of this "torture" made everyone too scared to slack off.
Even Rosinante.
Yes, even Rosinante, who wanted his father to be Fleet Admiral, dared not mess around under the threat of social death. Every day, he strained his brain to come up with better plots and ideas.
Outside, a cute six-year-old girl skipped by, paused at the office that sounded as chaotic as a marketplace, and stopped in curiosity.
She bent down, picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the floor.
"So the theme is to celebrate the brave Marines and the women who marry them?"
The little girl tilted her head in thought, then ran to the nearest table, picked up a pen, and scribbled on the waste paper before carefully placing it in front of a blond young man who was being swamped with work.
After finishing, she quietly slipped out the door.
In the office behind her, more chaotic noises soon erupted.
"Who changed this? Wow! Looks like I can submit my task tomorrow. Hey… don't rush me!"
"Which genius wrote this? It's perfect, I'm saved!"
"Brother, Dad, can I call you Grandpa? Let me do it, okay?"
"..."
The little girl covered her mouth, snickering, as she skipped away even more cheerfully.
All the way unhindered, she soon arrived at the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Brother, I'm here!"
Pushing open the door, the little girl smiled brightly and called out loudly.
At her shout, Akira's head popped out from behind the mountain of paperwork.
"Ah, it's little Robin. Come in, come in."
Akira smiled and quickly welcomed her.
Little Robin grinned, and with a quick dash on her short legs, she leapt into Akira's arms.
"Shouldn't you be in school? Did you skip class?"
"No, school's on holiday today, so I came back."
Without lifting her head, little Robin pouted and complained, "I waited at home all day, but you didn't come back, so I came to find you myself."
"My fault, my fault. I've just been really busy lately," Akira said with a sheepish smile.
As he spoke, he hugged little Robin with one arm while picking up his pen with the other to continue reviewing the documents in front of him.
"Food shortages in various bases… hmm… looks like things might be 'tight' for a while."
"This mafia group is really asking for trouble by causing problems now."
"Huh? This is the total payroll from the staff department? Hey, this number..."
"..."
Seeing Akira busy with work, little Robin wisely decided not to disturb him.
She gently climbed down and started tidying up the messy desk.
Soon, everything was neatly arranged.
Noticing that Akira was still engrossed in his work, she thought for a moment before picking up the pile of papers written by the civil servants and began reading them intently.
The office fell into a peaceful silence.
After a long while, Akira finally put down his pen.
"Little Robin..."
He called out, but when there was no response, he got up and walked over to where Robin was deeply engrossed in editing the papers.
To his surprise, she was diligently rewriting those scattered stories.
With Robin's touch, the jumbled stories suddenly became much more compelling.
"She's really smart, as expected of someone who'll be part of the future protagonist crew. She's already making inferences at such a young age," Akainu thought to himself, stroking his chin.
Little Robin, just six years old this year, had been brought back by Akira from Ohara in West Blue last year.
At the time, his intentions hadn't been entirely pure.
He had just obtained the Log Pose to Sleeping Ancient Town and needed a scholar who could interpret Poneglyphs, was obedient, and wouldn't have any bad intentions while helping him obtain a Devil Fruit.
After some thought, he targeted Robin's mother, Nico Olvia.
Studying the Poneglyphs was a crime severe enough to trigger a Buster Call, and any scholar would likely kill to keep that secret safe.
Simply finding a scholar wasn't a safe bet—there was always the chance they'd use some strange means to eliminate him along the way.
After all, the world of One Piece is full of oddities—like the Ruluka Island with its "Rainbow Mist," where Luffy and his crew had encountered bizarre temporal effects.
Once inside the Rainbow Mist, fifty years would pass outside while only ten minutes passed inside.
Akira wasn't willing to risk whether these scholars had access to similar or even more dangerous places.
To ensure Nico Olvia would fully cooperate and have no ill intentions, he took Robin, who was then young and mistreated by her aunt, into his care and arranged for her to study at the Marine school.
He then contacted Olvia and had a "very friendly" conversation with her.
There's no need to go into the details, but let's just say they reached an understanding.
Olvia agreed to help him decipher the ancient documents in Sleeping Ancient Town, and in return, Akira would return Robin to her once the Devil Fruit was secured.
It's been a full year since then.
Over this year, Akira had grown accustomed to Robin's presence and began to treat her like his own sister.
And Robin, having adjusted to her new environment, was much happier here compared to her aunt's home, where she often went hungry.
She now sincerely saw Akira as a second relative, besides her mother.
Of course,
The key detail was that Akira hadn't told her the full truth.
Robin only knew that Akira was a good friend of her mother's and had been entrusted with taking care of her.
"Huh? I feel like I forgot something."
"Wait... Nico Olvia is still waiting at Sabaody Archipelago."
Akainu suddenly remembered that when Garp brought the Devil Fruit back, he had mentioned Nico Olvia. But at the time, his attention was entirely on the two Mythical Zoan Fruits and Rouge, so he had completely forgotten about it.
Before he knew it, more than a month had passed.
Realizing this, Akira walked out into the corridor, pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, and dialed it.
A mother who wanted to reunite with her daughter couldn't be refused, no matter the reason. Especially since she had fulfilled her end of the bargain.
Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~
Maybe it was because it was so late at night, and most people were asleep.
It took ten minutes for the Den Den Mushi to be answered.
"Moshi moshi, who is this?"
A groggy voice came from the other side.
Akira frowned slightly, "It's me, Akira."
"Huh?" The sleepy Den Den Mushi instantly snapped awake, its eyes glaring at Akira.
"You backtracking scoundrel! You promised that once I helped you find the Devil Fruit, you'd return my daughter. Why haven't you contacted me?"
"No need to get riled up. You should have heard the news. I've been promoted to the Acting Fleet Admiral, and I've been incredibly busy—so busy I haven't had a moment to spare."
Akira cut straight to the point without giving her a chance to argue: "Are you still at Sabaody Archipelago?"
"Do you think a mother who hasn't gotten her child back would leave?"
"Good. Wait at the port; I'll bring Robin to see you."
Click.
Akira hung up the Den Den Mushi, returned to the office, and bent down to pick up Robin, who was still diligently correcting the documents.
"Your mother is here to see you. I'll take you to her."
Akira playfully tapped the tip of Robin's nose with his index finger and chuckled.
Robin's eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically.
...
The Sabaody Archipelago wasn't far from Marineford.
The warship raced at full speed, reaching its destination in under ten minutes.
The silver-haired Nico Olvia had been waiting for a long time.
"Mother…"
"Daughter, my daughter!"
Nico Olvia and Robin hugged each other tightly, both with tears of longing in their eyes.
Akainu stood on the deck, watching the reunion.
"I've fulfilled my promise. Now I'm taking Robin back."
Nico Olvia stood up, shielding Robin behind her, and spoke in a stern tone.
"..." Akira was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, but..."
"Are you going back on your word?"
"Of course not. But how about this? I'll return in seven days. During this time, you can ask Robin about her life in Ohara and what her life has been like in Marineford this past year."
Akira waved his hand, cutting off whatever Olvia was about to say, and continued, "If, after that, you still insist and Robin agrees, I won't be the bad guy."
He then looked at Robin and said with a smile, "Brother has work to do, but I'll come back for you when the time comes."
"Yeah, brother, you can go. I'll wait for you to pick me up in seven days."
Robin nodded eagerly and gave him a sweet smile.
Akira gestured behind him, and two Marines immediately jumped down and stood by Olvia's side.
During these seven days, they would personally protect Robin—and, of course, ensure that Olvia didn't run away.
The warship set sail, gradually heading toward the distant sea.
Akira stared in the direction of Sabaody Archipelago, his lips pressed together in thought.
To be honest, he didn't want to let Olvia take Robin away.
Besides the emotional attachment, there were also practical reasons.
One leader, one team.
Even if he were to eventually command all the Admirals at Marine Headquarters, there was still a need for a team that was entirely his own, loyal only to him.
Straw Hat Luffy's crew follows him without question, no matter the enemy, even if it means defying the world.
As for Akira himself...
If he were to become Fleet Admiral and challenge the Five Elders, would guys like Garp, Sengoku, and Kizaru fight without question?
The answer was clear: they wouldn't.
Only those who are loyal will follow you, no matter the circumstances.
Adults have their own perspectives and agendas to achieve success, but children are like blank canvases, ready to be shaped.
Akira knew he was still young, with plenty of time and a willingness to start cultivating from an early age. Not just Robin, but also future powerhouses like Zoro, Sanji, and Kuina. He planned to bring them all under his wing once he became Fleet Admiral.
Moreover, if Olvia took Robin back, she'd likely return to Ohara for foster care. But the scholars of Ohara, as clever as they might be, could only hide for so long. Buster Call would eventually come for them.
Did he really want Robin to spend over 20 years on the run, just like in the original story?
...
...
Under the bright moonlight,
The warship halted.
However, the location wasn't Marineford, but the deserted island where Akira had been training.
It was vastly different from how it had been a month ago. The island, once lush with jungles, had transformed into a true "desert island." The once-vibrant vegetation had vanished, leaving behind only barren sand.
Kukukuku...
Kukukuku...
In the center of the island, strange laughter echoed. A dozen or so short, plump, bearded old men with beak-like noses and lips resembling large leaves were wildly slashing around with swords.
Strangely, every time their swords struck, weeds, trees, and stones transformed into fresh meat.
Akainu approached from a distance, picked up a piece of meat, and chewed on it.
"Hmm… It's still as unappetizing as ever."
"It's a pity Streusen never awakened his fruit's full potential; otherwise, the taste would be perfect."
Akira shook his head but managed to swallow it down.
Streusen, the head chef of the Big Mom Pirates and the one who led Charlotte Linlin into piracy, had eaten the Paramecia-type Cook-Cook Fruit, which allowed him to turn any object into food with a slash of his sword. However, while the food created by this ability was filling, it was far from delicious.
Still, something was better than nothing. In this era, having something to eat was a blessing, and no one had the luxury to be picky.
"Hey, hey, you're right, my lord."
"It's a pity we're just replicas. We can only change the type of food, not the taste."
Replica No. 1 Streusen stood up and agreed.
The other clones nodded in unison.
"It's fine, I was just talking casually."
Akira waved his hand. "Food supplies at various bases are running low again. I need you to work harder."
During this time, Akira hadn't just been sitting in the office shuffling papers. With no additional berries to fund resources, ensuring the soldiers' stomachs were full was a priority. Fighting on an empty stomach, no matter how fierce their spirit, would only serve to boost the morale of their enemies.
To address this, Akira had used the abilitiy of the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Monster Raccoon, to replicate dozens of Streusen. Fortunately, the real Streusen had already been old and frail when Akira had last seen him, making it easy to create replicas—even a dozen or more without sleep.
"My lord, then you should create more of us. Some of the clones have already turned into withered leaves, and the rest of us aren't far behind."
"Also, my lord, you need to find a new location. There's nothing left here for us to transform."
"It would be better to find a bigger island. That way, we won't be cramped and can work more freely."
"..."
The Streusen clones offered their suggestions one by one, and Akira listened carefully.
After they finished, he took out twenty leaves with Streusen's name written on them from his pocket. But instead of using them immediately, he turned his gaze in another direction, contemplating his next move.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone