Chapter 319: A Familiar Yet Strange Feeling
Chapter 319: A Familiar Yet Strange Feeling
The battle between Luffy and Kuina lasted quite a while, eventually ending with Kuina's victory.
However, Luffy's defeat was only temporary.
With his protagonist aura and extraordinary combat talent, it wouldn't take long for him to catch up with Zoro and Kuina.
This sense of urgency spurred both Zoro and Kuina to train even harder, pushing themselves relentlessly to stay ahead.
---
Meanwhile...
After parting ways with Nojiko and the others, Robin chose to travel alone.
She didn't have a clear destination, simply following her instincts and eventually finding her way to Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Due to his past cooperation with Uchiha Yi, Dragon didn't care much about whether Uchiha Yi was truly dead.
He welcomed Robin without much hesitation.
"You say you want to look at ancient texts?"
Dragon was surprised by Robin's request, visibly caught off guard.
"Yes."
"I want to learn more about historical records."
"Please, if it's possible."
Robin replied sincerely.
After careful consideration, Robin concluded that the familiar yet strange feeling gnawing at her had to be connected to her past, specifically her obsession with historical truth.
The answer to her inner turmoil might just lie within the ancient records.
Even though she had asked Nojiko to help collect historical documents, she knew it would take time.
In the meantime, she decided to pursue her own leads.
"No problem."
Dragon agreed without hesitation. After all, it wasn't an unreasonable request.
Not long after, Dragon instructed his men to organize the historical texts and make them available to Robin.
"Thank you."
After expressing her gratitude, Robin eagerly dove into the sea of books.
Watching Robin immerse herself in reading, Dragon couldn't help but smile before leaving her to her research.
---
Elsewhere in the Revolutionary Army base...
"Leader, are you sure it's safe to let an outsider stay here?"
A young woman, dressed in a short, fitted dress with high heels and a small hat with goggles, voiced her concerns.
She was about sixteen or seventeen and looked worried.
After all, Uchiha Yi's reputation was well-known worldwide as a man who dared to challenge the World Government head-on.
With rumors of his death still swirling, it seemed reckless to host his people at the Revolutionary Army's headquarters.
There was a real fear that the World Government would catch wind of it and launch a massive offensive, possibly wiping out the Revolutionary Army before it could properly grow.
"Don't worry about it."
"I have my reasons."
"Clarke, keep an eye on Robin for me."
Dragon didn't offer much of an explanation, just giving a brief instruction before heading out.
"Geez!"
"Leader's way too careless... one day, it's gonna cause trouble!"
Clarke huffed in annoyance, stamping her foot.
Although she wasn't entirely opposed to Dragon's decision, she felt it was crucial to stay vigilant.
After calming down, she decided to take her task seriously and headed into the room where Robin was reading.
Inside, she saw Robin, quietly absorbed in a book, exuding a calm and intellectual aura.
Being in the same space as her gave Clarke an oddly soothing feeling, like a sense of peaceful comfort.
Despite this, Clarke was determined to keep her guard up.
She couldn't let herself be swayed just because Robin seemed harmless.
So, the two women ended up coexisting peacefully—Robin reading, and Clarke watching her.
---
In truth, Robin herself didn't fully understand what she was looking for.
She couldn't put her feelings into words—why she was driven by such a powerful urge to find answers.
So, she resorted to the only method that made sense to her—reading as much as possible.
The quiet room was filled with the sound of pages flipping as Robin swiftly went through one book after another.
Her eyes never stayed on one page for more than a couple of seconds.
Her rapid flipping caught Clarke's attention, and curiosity finally got the better of her.
"What are you looking for?"
"Need some help?"
Clarke asked, trying to be polite despite her wariness.
"I'm looking for..."
Robin hesitated, unsure how to articulate her quest.
"...something that feels familiar yet strange."
She wasn't even sure if such a thing existed, but the thought kept nagging at her.
"Huh?"
Clarke looked confused, scratching her head.
That phrase made no sense to her.
Still, she didn't want to seem unhelpful after just offering assistance.
"Familiar yet strange, huh?"
Clarke muttered to herself, feeling a bit lost.
Despite not fully understanding, she grabbed a random book from the pile and started skimming through it, trying to spot anything that fit that vague description.
However, as the pages blurred together in front of her, Clarke's vision began to swirl and spin.
Her mind felt like it was floating, and her thoughts became jumbled.
Barely able to focus, she forced herself to read a few more lines before giving up and tossing the book back.
Despite feeling frustrated, Clarke didn't want to just give up right away.
Since she'd already offered to help, backing down would be embarrassing.
So, she picked up another book, but the dense text made her brain feel sluggish and her eyes grow heavy.
Barely a few seconds in, she raised her hands in surrender.
"I can't take it anymore!"
"I'm not cut out for this!"
Clarke groaned, slumping down as if defeated by the very concept of research.
Seeing this, Robin couldn't help but smile faintly.
Although Clarke's enthusiasm was genuine, it was clear that she was out of her element.
Still, it was kind of endearing to see someone so stubbornly trying to help despite being clueless.
"It's okay."
"I'll keep looking on my own."
Robin reassured her with a soft smile, not wanting to push her too hard.
Clarke looked at her, feeling a bit embarrassed but relieved at the same time.
Still, despite her own lack of knowledge, the mystery of Robin's search continued to nag at her.
Familiar yet strange... what could that possibly mean?