Chapter 8: Sudden Change (Part 1)

The giant had been drifting for five days.

Saul's raft was finally complete, signaling that it was time for him to leave Ohara.

Little Robin had a strong fondness for this giant who didn't treat her as a monster. With a hint of sadness, she asked, "Are you really leaving now?" Standing nearby was Shanter, whose head was covered in bruises from being beaten. Though he didn't say anything, it was clear that he, too, felt some reluctance.

"Why the sad face?" Seeing Little Robin looking gloomy, Saul appeared troubled as well. "By the way, I still want to hang a flag. I'll stay a little longer." Then he grinned broadly.

Hearing this, Little Robin's mood lifted, and she smiled brightly. "Hehe."

"Don't smile like that!" Shanter grumbled, clearly annoyed. "It's too silly."

"Swimming," Little Robin casually said those two words, and Shanter immediately fell silent. Thanks to the "swimming incident," Shanter had been feeling very awkward these past few days.

"Going to the sea, do you both want to set sail too?" Saul asked, chatting with Little Robin and Shanter.

"Mm, although my mother has always been busy with archaeological research, when she returns to this island, I'll definitely go to sea with her. That's why I keep learning and finally became an archaeologist," Little Robin said, glancing at the silent Shanter. "And my brother will accompany me," she added, her voice softening as she continued, "He wants to join the navy at fifteen. If my mother still hasn't returned by then, I'll go with my brother."

Saul looked at Little Robin. "An archaeologist? You're so young, can you really do that? Hehe, hehe."

Little Robin puffed her cheeks in defiance. "Don't look down on me!" Meanwhile, Shanter, who was training nearby, didn't say a word. Whether he wasn't interested or was simply too shy to speak up, it wasn't clear.

Saul asked again, "By the way, don't you remember what your mother looks like?"

"Mm, I don't. But after all, she's my mother," Little Robin's previously excited expression faded as she continued, "I really want to see her again."

Saul sighed. He was about to speak when Little Robin interrupted. "Do you know, Saul, there's a massive gap in world history, a hundred years no one knows about?"

Saul looked at Little Robin. "Ah, are you referring to the 'Void Century'? I'm interested, but the 'government' has prohibited investigations into it."

"My mother is researching it around the world," Little Robin continued, speaking almost to herself, "But I can't tell anyone, because it's a crime." She then added, "That's probably why Dr. Kuroba doesn't want me researching the main body of history…"

Saul was taken aback. "Does that mean your mother is searching for the stone known as the Poneglyph?"

Little Robin seemed surprised as well. "You know about the Poneglyph?"

"Whether I know or not, listen up, Robin. You can't ask anyone about this, and you definitely can't tell anyone that your mother is looking for that…" Suddenly, Saul's eyes widened, as if he had just remembered something.

"What's wrong?" Little Robin asked, noticing how suddenly Saul had stopped speaking.

"Robin, do you know your mother's name?" Saul asked urgently, staring intently at her, his face slick with cold sweat. He feared that the name she would say would be the one he dreaded, but unfortunately, Little Robin disappointed him.

"Olvia, Nico Olvia," Little Robin said with a smile, revealing a name that made Saul feel as though his entire body turned cold.

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks echoed as Saul collapsed backward onto the sand. Little Robin, seeing Saul like this, became very worried. "Saul, are you okay?"

"Robin is Olvia's daughter," Saul thought in panic. But to confirm his fears, he rushed to ask, "So, this is the island called Ohara?"

Little Robin was puzzled as to why Saul had suddenly acted this way, but when she heard his question, she nodded obediently.

Saul clasped his head and screamed, "This is bad! How did I end up on the drifting island of Ohara?!"

He screamed a few more times before he snapped back to reality. "I can't waste any more time here," he said, squatting down and looking at Robin. "Robin!"

"What's wrong?" Little Robin asked, seeing how exaggerated Saul's expression was. Shanter, who had been training, immediately realized that something was wrong.

"Robin, listen carefully. You might be shocked, but right now, a navy warship is likely on its way to this land called Ohara."

"The navy? Why?" Little Robin asked, confused.

"To eliminate the scholars on this island!" Saul exclaimed urgently.

"Eliminate?"

"You mustn't…"

"You're lying!" Robin interrupted.

"Tell the 'government' people…"

"You're lying!"

"Say you're a scholar!"

"You're definitely lying!" Little Robin shouted at Saul.

"It's the truth! I'm not lying to you! You need to go back to the village right away and see if anything is unusual. Your mother might have already returned!" Saul said in a frantic tone.

"Girl, go check it out! Quickly!" Shanter was also clearly anxious.

Seeing Robin give Saul a quick nod, she ran toward the Tree of Knowledge. Shanter immediately asked, "What's going on?"

Saul recounted everything that had happened on the sea, and Shanter's face became pale as he broke out in cold sweat.

"How can this be? Is researching history really illegal?" Shanter shouted, his disbelief clear. "Just because of researching history, they want to kill all the scholars on the island? Is this justice? No, this isn't the justice I want! What did they do wrong to deserve such a cruel punishment?!"

"So, that means the girl is in danger too?" Shanter's confusion was clear. "I can't waste any more time, Saul. I'm going ahead." With that, he dashed toward the Tree of Knowledge.

Shanter had always held great admiration for the scholars of Ohara. Moreover, this matter, even without involving Robin, would also implicate her mother. That's why Shanter was so eager.

Stopping the government's ship was impossible now. The only choice left was to make the Poneglyph disappear.

Shanter's mind was a whirlwind. Making the Poneglyph disappear and destroying the evidence seemed like the right course of action, but how could such a large artifact disappear? Though Shanter now had the power to move the Poneglyph, making it vanish was a whole different matter.

But Shanter no longer had time to think it over. All he knew was that he had to reach the Tree of Knowledge as fast as possible.

"Damn, this is troublesome," Shanter thought, his mind in turmoil. One side was his long-held ideals, the other was his family and friends. "What should I do?"

With things as they were, there was no choice but to take it one step at a time.

---

Enjoying the story? Want to read ahead?

Get early access to 70+ Chapters and faster updates by

joining the Pirate King Membership tier for just $5! You can choose to support me on :

Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/KZ478

Your support helps keep this story alive, and I deeply appreciate every contribution

Thank you for reading and supporting my work.