I collect everything in the One Piece world.

Jess noticed this too and instantly jumped up from the ground in excitement.

They've found a way out!

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the buildings of the Water City in a warm orange hue, while the long, drawn-out whistles of the Brussels canals echoed across the waterways.

As the day's hustle and bustle gradually subsided, the entire city was enveloped in a peaceful atmosphere.

However, beneath this tranquility, undercurrents are quietly surging.

At that moment, bursts of laughter could be heard coming from the temporary accommodation provided by Carrera.

Morsen, Nami, Baccarat, and Chopper were sitting together, playing a card game.

"Ugh! I lost again!" Chopper threw down the cards in frustration, his face covered in slips of paper.

Bakara stood with her hands on her hips, laughing triumphantly: "Hahaha! Now you know how amazing I am! I've never lost at this kind of gambling game."

Mosen and Nami clapped enthusiastically from the sidelines, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

"I'm going out for a walk to see if I can find any interesting nautical logs or local chronicles," Robin said to his companions, putting down his book and wearing his usual gentle smile.

"Oh? Do you need me to keep you company?" Morsen asked, looking up from the card game.

"No need, I'll just browse at the nearby bookstore. I'll be right back." Robin shook his head, his smile unchanged, and turned to leave the room.

The door closed gently behind her, shutting out the warm light and laughter from inside.

Instead of going to the bustling commercial street, she turned into a relatively quiet alley based on her memory and entered a used bookstore that looked quite old.

The bookstore was quiet, with only one or two customers. The owner, an elderly gentleman wearing reading glasses, was reading under a lamp. He nodded to her as a greeting.

Robin walked straight up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor.

The second floor is more spacious, filled with bookshelves that reach the ceiling, and the air is filled with the smell of old paper and dust.

The light was dim, with lingering twilight filtering through the windows nearby.

She came to a corner by the window, where there were several rows of bookshelves about archaeology and ancient history, in a relatively secluded location.

She casually pulled out a thick book, opened it, but her gaze didn't fall on the pages. Instead, she looked over the spine and cautiously scanned her surroundings.

"It seems you still have a lingering fondness for this kind of 'knowledge,' you devil's child, Miss Nico Robin."

A cold, emotionless voice suddenly rang out from the shadow of the nearby bookshelf.

The edges of the pages were slightly sunken. Robin didn't look up; his gaze remained fixed on the yellowed pages. His voice was calm but icy: "Just say it. What do you want?"

The shadows shifted, and the masked figure emerged from between the two rows of bookshelves.

He was also holding a book, but it was clearly a disguise. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, were fixed intently on Robin.

"You should already have the answer to this question in your heart," the masked man said calmly.

"As a remnant of Ohara, you've managed to escape for so many years, see the scenery of this ocean, and even find a group of 'companions.' You've lived long enough; you've made a profit."

"So my mission this time is to take you back to face the judgment that is already destined for you."

Robin finally raised her eyes to look at the masked man, her gaze wary and disgusted.

"Take me back?" Robin's voice carried a hint of sarcasm. "Having just suffered a crushing defeat in Alabasta, what makes you think I'll obediently go with you now? Based on you?"

The masked man also let out a sneer, as if mocking Robin's naiveté: "Blackmosen is indeed a problem."

“So,” he paused, lowering his voice even further, “we decided not to confront him directly this time. Our target has always been only you.”

Robin frowned slightly. No direct conflict? That didn't fit the World Government's usual style of eliminating threats completely. Unless they had a way to bypass Morsen and directly threaten her, the CP wouldn't act without reason.

The masked man seemed pleased with the change in Robin's expression. He leaned forward slightly and spoke, slowly and deliberately, in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Demon Slayer Order!"

hum!

The book in Robin's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and his face turned deathly pale at a visible speed.

Memories of the past flooded her like a burst dam, instantly engulfing her.

The towering flames of Ohara, the deafening artillery barrage, the cries and screams of the scholars, Sauro's frozen silhouette, the Tree of Omniscience collapsing in the flames...

The hellish scene, accompanied by the cries of countless innocent people, flashed before her eyes again with unparalleled clarity and echoed in her ears.

Her body trembled slightly involuntarily, not only because of fear, but more so because of the hatred and despair deeply rooted in her soul.

The masked man took in Robin's reaction and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "It seems you still remember it very well. That's good, saves me the trouble of explaining its power to you."

As he spoke, he took another step forward, an invisible pressure enveloping Robin: "To ensure that you are completely eliminated, we have obtained authorization to activate the 'Buster Call' this time."

"So, this time you're not getting away, Nico Robin."

Robin suddenly raised her head, staring intently at him, her lips trembling involuntarily as she tried to refute or question him, but her throat felt as if something was stuck in it, like a fishbone stuck in her throat.

The masked man calmly observed the struggle in her eyes, and continued to offer a choice, or rather, an ultimatum, with the same nonchalant tone:

"Now, the choice is yours, Nico Robin."

"Option 1: You surrender now and come with me. Then your 'companions,' Water Seven, where you are temporarily staying, and the island's inhabitants can continue their peaceful lives, and the Buster Call will not be activated."

"Option Two: You refuse, or try to resist or escape. Then..." The masked man's voice suddenly turned cold.

"After sunset tomorrow, ten of the most elite naval warships, five vice admirals from headquarters, and tens of thousands of naval elites will launch an indiscriminate and devastating bombardment of Water Seven!"

"Until this floating city, along with everything else, is completely wiped off the map, turned to ashes and sunk to the bottom of the sea... just like Ohara back then."

"Of course, your companions will not survive either. No matter what abilities they have, they cannot survive the Buster Call."

"The so-called collector Blackmosen is nothing in the face of the will of the World Government."

"Countless people who were better and more capable than him tried to fight against the World Government, but where are they now?"

"So what will you choose?" The masked man tilted his head slightly, looking at Robin with a mocking expression, and said, "To sacrifice yourself to save everyone."

"Or will you drag your 'partners,' the entire city, down with you to your stubbornness and predetermined fate?"

"The choice is yours, Nico Robin."

Robin's nails dug deeply into her palms, the pain keeping her rational: "I don't believe it!"

"The Buster Call... that's a top-level order that only a Fleet Admiral or Admiral is authorized to issue! You..."

"Ha!" The masked man let out a mocking sneer, interrupting Robin.

"It seems that the 'wonderful life' you've been living these past few days has indeed made you quite naive, Nico Robin. Even your most basic understanding has become blurred."

"Fleet Admiral? Admiral? Don't they wield authority from the World Government, the Celestial Dragons, and the Five Elders?"

He leaned down slightly, his voice becoming even softer, yet chillingly cold: "If even a guard dog has the right to do something, how could its owner not?"

"Don't forget, the will of the World Government is the only inviolable iron law on this ocean!"

Robin's pupils suddenly contracted, and her last struggle was mercilessly crushed.

Yes, the Navy is merely the most powerful violent institution under the World Government.

The true controllers of the Buster Call have always been those figures deep within Mary Geoise.

They can easily delegate authority in order to achieve their own goals.

For them, destroying an island and wiping out hundreds of thousands of lives is merely a necessary means to eliminate "trouble."

Just like Ohara back then.

Seeing the last trace of color drain from Robin's face, the masked man knew he had achieved his goal.

He straightened up, took a step back, and resumed his previous indifferent demeanor.

"It seems you've figured it out." He nodded, his tone carrying a hint of relief that the mission was about to be completed.

"Then, tomorrow night, at the same time, I'll be waiting for you here."

"Remember, you can only come alone. Don't try anything funny, and don't expect to notify your companions."

“Any unnecessary action will be seen as you choosing the second path. At that point... the artillery fire will not be merciful.”

After saying that, he didn't look at Robin again, turned around and disappeared silently into the shadows of the layers of bookshelves.

Only a light yet weighty sentence remained, slowly drifting through the air: "I believe you will make a wise choice."

See you tomorrow night, Nico Robin.

Outside the window, the last rays of the setting sun completely disappeared, and the entire sun sank below the horizon.

The deep twilight, like thick ink, quickly soaked into the sky and also engulfed the second floor of the bookstore.

As darkness fell, only the lights outside the window flickered continuously in the boundless night.

Robin remained frozen in place, leaning against the cold bookshelf, his hands empty, the book still lying on the floor.

The evening breeze blew in from the window next to her, carrying the slightly salty and humid air unique to the water city and brushing against her cheeks.

Buster Call.

These three words were like the most vicious curse, dragging her back to that nightmarish night.

This time, however, what was engulfed by flames was not her hometown far away in the Western Sea, but this vibrant city before her eyes, and the companions she had just found who were willing to accept her, protect her, and give her warmth and smiles.

Chopper's innocent smile, Nami's greedy yet adorable way of counting money, Baccarat's carefree yet absent-minded demeanor, and... Morsen's figure that always brings peace of mind and hope...

Scenes flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern, so real and so warm—a ray of light she had never dared to hope for in her previous dark life.

The next second, these images were quickly replaced by raging flames and deafening explosions.

She knew that Morsen was very strong, but as the masked man had just said, how long could they hold out against the indiscriminate saturation bombardment of ten top-tier warships, five vice admirals, and tens of thousands of elite naval personnel?

Not to mention the innocent people of Water Seven. What will happen to them if the Buster Call is actually activated?

Robin had no illusions, because she knew the World Government was absolutely capable of doing it.

They didn't care about the lives of the people of Water City at all. As long as they could achieve their goal, sacrificing a city was just a number to them, a "necessary price."

The beauty of this period was ultimately just a mirage; her identity and her past were like a persistent affliction, never letting her go.

She had always known and understood that this day would eventually come, but she never expected it to come so suddenly, so decisively, so...desperately.

"Ha..." A self-deprecating sigh escaped Robin's lips, drifting into the dusty air.

She slowly squatted down, picked up the book that had fallen to the ground, and silently put it back on the bookshelf.

When she looked up again, the fear and struggle in her eyes had subsided, replaced by an almost deathly calm, and beneath that calm lay a firmness and determination.