One Piece: Starting with the execution of Pirate King Roger

Robin's taut string snapped completely at that moment.

The grievances of being bullied by peers, the loneliness of being treated like a monster, the endless longing for his mother... all the emotions erupted at this moment!

"Waaaaaah—Mommy!! Mommy!!!"

The little girl cried loudly in her mother's arms for the first time.

On the deck, everyone fell silent.

They watched the mother and daughter reunited, silently wiping away their tears.

Saul collapsed onto the deck, his huge hands covering his face, tears streaming uncontrollably from between his fingers: "Hehehe... It's great... Olvia... You found her... It's... so great."

Smoker seemed a little uncomfortable with this warm scene. He turned away irritably, his back to everyone, and took a deep drag on his cigar, the smoke he exhaled trembling slightly.

Ryan stood at the bow of the ship, facing the sea breeze, without turning around, a genuine smile playing on his lips.

"very nice."

Chapter 68 Demon Clark

"You bastard!!!"

A deafening roar erupted from the top floor of the Marshal's office at Marineford, the headquarters of the Navy, causing the windows of the entire building to tremble slightly.

Inside the office, Admiral Kong, with his steel-like fist, slammed it hard onto the desk, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the hard mahogany surface.

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?!"

Kong's face was ashen, and his imposing presence seemed to freeze the air in the room. He paced back and forth in the office like an enraged lion.

"The Navy deployed almost its entire elite force! A 'Buster Call' executed by five Vice Admirals! Plus CP9 from the World Government! And the result?!"

The air marshal abruptly stopped, a shadow looming over everyone present: "Almost all the demons of Ohara have escaped! CP9 has been wiped out, even Commander Spandine is dead! How am I going to explain this to the Five Elders!"

He slammed his hand on another document on the table: "Tell me, what are the five lieutenant generals here doing!"

"When was the last time the navy suffered such a crushing defeat?!"

Faced with the marshal's thunderous rage, the other people in the office reacted in different ways.

"Crunch... crunch..." On the sofa, Garp was casually stuffing senbei into his mouth, the crisp sound of which was particularly jarring in the deathly silent office.

He even picked his nose and lazily said, "Kong, aren't you getting a little too excited?"

"Garp!!" The veins on the Sky Marshal's forehead bulged.

"Well, don't be so angry." Garp crossed his legs and said in a nonchalant tone, "If the scholars are really just studying history, then they're not really demons. Making such a fuss over something like this is really an overreaction by the World Government..."

"Garp! You bastard!!" Before Fleet Admiral Kong could erupt in anger, Sengoku stood up first, his face dark with rage, and roared, "Is this the time to make such sarcastic remarks?! Are you openly questioning the World Government's decision?!"

"Alright, everyone quiet down." Lieutenant General He, who had been silent all along, spoke up. She calmly pushed over several newly compiled emergency reports from the Western Sea.

Crane's tone was calm and wise: "The main reason for the failure of this operation was that we encountered a suddenly appearing enemy."

She pulled out the first report: "This is Kuzan's report. He encountered a mysterious man in Ohara who called himself Clark. In the direct confrontation... Kuzan was defeated by the opponent with overwhelming strength. Kuzan's arm was even severely injured by the opponent's slash."

Sengoku took the report, his face grim: "Kuzan... was defeated in a direct confrontation?!"

“This isn’t over yet.” Tsuru’s expression grew even more serious. “According to the on-site investigation, Spandam and his elite CP9 troops were wiped out in an instant by a single slash. There were no signs of a second person attacking at the scene. It is speculated that the person who severely injured Kuzan and wiped out CP9 was the same person.”

"A monster with top-tier strength. If Kuzan was no match for him, then none of the lieutenant generals present at the time, except for Sakazuki, would have been his match."

Sengoku picked up the conversation, saying that although Kuzan was only a lieutenant general at the moment, he already possessed strength far exceeding that of other lieutenant generals of the same rank.

"Moreover," Tsuru continued, "at that time, Sakazuki had already ordered the fleet to turn around and prepare to pursue the fleeing refugee ship at all costs."

"However, a terrifying superstorm suddenly erupted in that sea area without warning. The storm's intensity even threatened the safety of the warships, forcing Sakazuki to order the pursuit to be abandoned, and he could only watch helplessly as the ship disappeared into the storm."

"Pfft, hahaha!"

Garp, who had been sitting to the side munching on senbei, suddenly burst into laughter, spraying crumbs everywhere.

"Even that magma brat got thwarted?" Garp laughed without restraint. "Looks like the heavens are on their side!"

Sengoku's temple throbbed, and he glared at Garp, but did not refute.

“Finally,” Tsuru picked up Rosinante’s report, “according to Rosinante’s testimony,” Tsuru’s tone became somewhat strange, “he encountered a mysterious master in the chaos. At the critical moment, Rosinante activated his [Silence-Silence Fruit] ability, creating a silent field to hide himself.”

Upon hearing the name, Sengoku abruptly stopped, his gaze fixed intently on the document in Tsuru's hand.

“Although he managed to evade it, but…” Crane paused, “that mysterious expert kidnapped Smoker and Rein.”

"It's now basically confirmed that the mysterious expert is Clark, who defeated Kuzan."

"Kidnapped?!" Sengoku was shocked. For a fleeting moment, amidst his complex emotions, there was even a hint of... relief? Relief that it wasn't Rosinante who had been kidnapped, but this was quickly replaced by greater rage. "How dare he openly kidnap a naval soldier?!"

Crane glanced at him and continued calmly, "Smoker is a rare Logia-type. And the young talent from the Rein Elite Training Camp has amazing potential. This is a major loss for our navy."

"Enough, I already know." Steelbone Kong sat down again, his terrifying rage subsided, replaced by the Marshal's cold decisiveness.

“The problem now is how to explain this to the Five Elders.” He glanced at the report on the table: “The annihilation of CP9 is a scandal, and the defeat at Kuzan is even more so. We must come up with a solution to quell the anger of the higher-ups.”

Sengoku instantly understood the Marshal's meaning: "You mean... to blame the failure of the Buster Call, the annihilation of CP9, and the defeat of Kuzan all on this Clark?"

“That’s right! That’s indeed the case.” Marshal Kong snorted coldly.

"Immediately begin drafting an arrest warrant for this Clark." Air Marshal looked at Sengoku. "To be able to defeat Kuzan and instantly wipe out CP9... this is quite something..."

Sengoku pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "...Five hundred million. It must start at five hundred million Berries."

"Good!" Marshal Kong made the final decision. "It's five hundred million! I want him to be hunted down by bounty hunters all over the world, unable to move an inch!"

The resolution is as follows:

"First, classify 'Demon Clark' as the highest threat level and offer a bounty of 500 million Berries for his capture, regardless of life or death!"

"Second," he said, looking at Sengoku, "Smoker and Rein, the two interns, are temporarily listed as 'missing during a mission,' and no further explanation will be given to the public."

"Third, Ohara is destroyed, and the deterrent objective has been achieved. The Buster Call ends here."

The air marshal's gaze swept over everyone: "Meeting adjourned! I need to see 'Clark's' bounty poster as soon as possible and spread it throughout the world!"

Chapter 69 Five Hundred Million

A week has passed since Ryan and his men escaped Ohara.

The sea breeze is salty, and it is also free.

The huge refugee ship is sailing smoothly in the Western Sea.

The scholars have calmed down and, under Dr. Clover's guidance, have not become immersed in grief.

They are the "spark" of Ohara.

On the deck, dozens of surviving scholars spontaneously gathered together, took out paper and pens from the ship's reserves, and began to transcribe from memory the rare books that had been burned in the Tree of Omniscience.

The wind rustled the paper, unable to mask the soft, rustling sound of writing.

They want to use their own brains to rebuild the "Tree of Omniscience".

“Hehehe…” Sauro sat at the bow of the boat, using his huge body as a windbreak, smiling憨厚ly as he protected the group of hardworking scholars.

Smoker stayed alone at the stern, puffing on one cigar after another.

He was frustrated because, as a naval officer, he was now on the same ship as a group of “enemies of the World Government,” including a former vice admiral.

This "betrayal" stance made him feel extremely uncomfortable, yet he didn't feel any regret. This contradiction was driving him crazy.

On the other side of the deck, in the sunniest corner, Olvia, whose injuries had stabilized, was leaning against a deck chair on the ship's side, covered with a blanket.

Nicole Robin, an eight-year-old girl, sat quietly beside her mother for the first time without having to hide behind anyone, holding an adventure notebook that Olvia had given her.

"Mom, is this the talking elephant you were talking about?"

“Yes…it’s huge, as tall as several mountains…” Olvia’s voice was still weak, but filled with unprecedented tenderness as she stroked Robin’s black hair. “Mother and her companions rode on its back for a whole week…”

"Then...then have you really seen the underground people? The ones drawn in the notebook..." Robin pointed to a rough sketch in the notebook, her little face full of curiosity.

“I’ve seen them,” Olvia smiled. “They’re not as scary as the legends say. They’re just very shy, and they especially love sparkly things…”

Robin listened intently, his eyes wide open, just like his mother's.

Olvia smiled as she recounted her six years of adventures around the world, sharing tales of extraordinary quests in search of the Poneglyphs.

This is the childhood that Robin missed for eight years, the childhood that truly belonged to her.

The others on deck all tactfully walked past, careful not to disturb the mother and daughter who had endured so much hardship.

Ryan was alone in the captain's cabin, taking stock of the spoils from the Battle of Ohara.

He opened the system panel.

In the task list, the task "The Mourning Wish of the Omniscient Tree" is still shown as grayed out and marked "Incomplete".

"As expected..." Renn thought to himself, "We'll probably have to see this through to the end before this mission is truly complete, once we've completely settled them on the Sky Island."

He wasn't in a hurry. After all, even without this mission, he would still do his best to save these people.

He then looked at his crime points.

Sin Points: 835, 420

"Thanks to Spandam and those CP agents for their sponsorship... it was a real lifesaver."

Raine opened the system store.

His gaze passed over the complex skills and landed on two side-by-side items, both priced at one million:

[Skill: Top-Tier Swordsmanship → Pinnacle Swordsmanship] [Exchange Requirement: 1,000,000 Sin Index]

[Haki - Top-tier Armament Haki → Peak Armament Haki] [Exchange Requirement: 1,000,000 Sin Index]

Renn frowned slightly, lost in thought.

I want both of them so badly, but even if I don't redeem anything since I got the system, I still can't buy them both.

He sighed.

"Forget it... we don't even have a million right now, there's no point in worrying about it."

He recalled his battle with Kuzan.

Although his own attacks could indeed injure Kuzan.

But I can feel the gap between myself and him.

“That guy’s physique is probably already at its peak,” Renn concluded. “If it’s a life-or-death struggle, I’m unlikely to win in the end. But since I’m determined to leave, he can’t stop me.”

Suddenly, a thought unconsciously popped into Renn's mind.

"Right now, if you want to become stronger, besides the system, there is another way—Devil Fruits."

"Speaking of which... Sky Island..."

"If history hasn't changed... that [Rumble-Rumble Fruit], which would definitely be in the top ten no matter how you rank it in the One Piece world... most likely... hasn't been eaten by that guy Enel yet!"

Once the thought arises, it can no longer be suppressed.

"If I could get that fruit... plus top-level Armament Haki or swordsmanship."

Rein wished he could fly to the Sky Island right now and get his hands on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit before he could feel at ease.

Unfortunately, it cannot fly.

He forced himself to suppress his excitement and decided to keep the plan to himself for the time being.

"You have to eat one bite at a time. For now, let's get to the Sky Island first."

Just then, a commotion broke out on the deck, interrupting Renn's thoughts.

It was a newsbird! The scholars excitedly gathered around it; they had been isolated from the world at sea for a week and desperately needed information from the outside world.

A scholar took out 50 Berries and bought a newspaper.

He had just unfolded—

“This…this…” The scholar’s ​​hands began to tremble.

"What's wrong?" Dr. Clover asked with concern.

“Let me see…” Saulo curiously leaned over, but the moment his huge gaze focused on the front page of the newspaper, his signature “de-le-hee-hee-hee” expression froze instantly.

“What…what is this?!” Saul’s voice was filled with shock and confusion.