"Ah!"
Robin jolted awake from her nightmare, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
At that moment, Ethan pushed the door open and walked in, holding a glass of water.
"Drink some water first. We are safe for now," Ethan said softly.
Robin took the glass and downed it in one go. Her mind gradually cleared, and then she began to sob quietly. Everything in her dream had felt so real that it left her in unbearable pain. For an eight year old girl, these experiences were far too heavy. Fortunately, she still had Ethan by her side, which brought her a small measure of comfort.
"Don't leave me…" Robin clutched tightly at the hem of Ethan's clothes, her voice trembling.
"Don't worry, I am not going anywhere," Ethan answered gently.
Once Robin's emotions had calmed down a little, Ethan spoke again. "We need to change our appearance and get out of here as soon as possible. This place is too close to Ohara. It is not safe. There is a good chance the World Government will put a bounty on us, so we need to disappear for a while."
"Oh, right… how did we escape, Ethan?" Robin suddenly asked.
"I had a talk with Aokiji, and that is how we got out of there. But that is not important right now. Let's eat something first," Ethan replied, glossing over the details.
"And after we eat, where are we going?" Robin asked again.
"The East Blue. The place where everything started," Ethan said. That was also the place he believed was most suitable for his own growth. As for the World Government…
A few days later, at Marine Headquarters in Marineford.
Bang.
With a loud crash, the head of CP slammed his fist onto the conference table.
"How are there still two survivors from Ohara? How did that Ethan end up on the island in the first place? Can he read the Poneglyphs? Is this how you carry out an order from the Five Elders? This is gross negligence!"
However, his furious roar drew almost no reaction from the high ranking Marines present. Garp was snoring loudly, bubbles puffing from his nose. Sengoku wore a serious expression, but it was the kind of face that said, "Everything you are saying is correct" and nothing more. Among the three vice admirals present, Kizaru was leisurely tending to his fingernails, Aokiji was staring out the window, and only Akainu sat upright in rigid silence.
Seeing this, the CP Director could not help feeling helpless. The World Government might control the world on paper, but everyone present here stood at the very top of the seas. Unless they openly betrayed the World Government, what could he really do to them?
After a moment of silence, Aokiji finally chose to give an explanation. After all, the ability to read the Poneglyphs was far too special, and the World Government was extremely sensitive about it. Even if only a single child had escaped, they still had to show some sort of response.
"Saul was very strong. He created an opening and gave those two brats a chance to escape," Aokiji said slowly. "We only need to issue wanted posters and set their bounties a bit higher. There is no need to panic."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"That Ethan kid has the potential for Conqueror's Haki, so his bounty will have to be set even higher."
"Ahem, Conqueror's? And you are only mentioning this now?"
At those words, looks of surprise appeared on the faces of everyone present. After all, only one in several million might be born with the potential of a king. It was indeed something worth paying attention to.
"But for now, it is only potential. In the New World, there is no shortage of people like that. A child being hunted by the World Government has a very low chance of surviving. There is no need to overreact."
Once the bounty amounts were confirmed, the meeting ended and everyone left. Aokiji returned to his office, leaned back in his chair and let his thoughts drift back to that day.
In truth, there were some things he had not reported.
On Ohara, that boy who stood stubbornly within the flames had shown not just the potential of a king, but also a vast and overwhelming presence that felt as boundless as the sky and sea, a force so great it stirred fear in the heart.
"This world is already beyond saving. I am going to change it. I am going to save it."
"And how do you plan to save it?"
"By breaking the old world order and building an entirely new one."
Hearing that, Aokiji had felt his heart tremble. He even wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him. For a mere boy, even one with the qualifications of a king, to speak such words sounded far too arrogant.
"The world is made up of countless living beings. When all of us who are being crushed stand up and fight back, that so called World Government will be nothing more than a pile of rotting wood."
"Hm? Everyone standing up to resist…"
For the first time, this admiral candidate felt a chilling sense of dread.
"Everyone in this world is yearning for freedom. Roger only opened a crack for them. But I can awaken everyone's awareness. This world is something we created with our own hands, not a toy belonging to some creator. If that is the case, we also have the right to destroy it."
…
Aokiji's convictions began to waver. In his mind, he saw the boy's silhouette backed by blazing flames that devoured the entire world. He saw war raging, blood and death everywhere, countless lives being snuffed out.
He hesitated. This boy was too dangerous, so dangerous that part of him wanted to eliminate Ethan right then and there for the sake of stability. Yet to kill an innocent life would also violate the justice he had always upheld.
"Have you thought about how many innocent people will die because of this? Have you thought about how broken these seas will become?"
"I have. But revolutions are always paved with blood. It can be mine, or it can be anyone's," Ethan said, his mind made up. Even if this place became his final resting ground, every word he spoke in that moment came from the deepest, truest part of his heart.
That fearless honesty stirred great waves inside Aokiji. He had to admit that this boy truly carried the bearing and presence of a king. His words burned like fire, both inspiring and terrifying.
In the end, Aokiji made a choice that even he could not fully understand.
He chose to escort them away from Ohara.
In his heart, he thought that perhaps he could take a look at the future the boy had described. Maybe, just maybe, it would not be as dark as he imagined.
(End of Chapter)
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