"…A child? In a place like this?" Robin murmured, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Probably got swept up during an 'Island Eating' event. Hey, kid, what's your name?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.
"I'm Olga," the girl replied, pointing a thumb toward the "sky" of the stomach. "Are you lot also part of the bunch that got swallowed by Bonbori-sama?"
"Not exactly. We came looking for something... Were you swallowed along with your home?"
"Hmph. I was swallowed along with my whole island. Since then, I've survived by catching fish that float in and eating the fruit that grows here, thanks to the light."
"I was wondering about that," I noted, looking around at the lush greenery. "It's remarkably bright for the inside of a living creature. Usually, it would be pitch black. Do you know why?"
"Oh, that's easy. It's thanks to Bonbori-sama's lure. The light from that lantern is so intense it pierces right through the body and reaches all the way into the stomach, sa."
"I see. So it's daylight in here twenty-four-seven."
As we spoke, Robin's gaze sharpened, focusing on the girl's attire. "Wait... that pattern on your clothes... Is that the Alchemi script? Are you connected to Alchemi?"
Olga's mouth clamped shut. She looked away, a stubborn "harrumph" escaping her.
"What's this? So you are from Alchemi?" I pressed gently. "We'd appreciate it if you could tell us what you know."
"Tch. Busted, sa... So what? A giant gorilla and a young lady—I take it you didn't just come here for a stroll?"
"We're searching for something," Robin said. "It's called 'Pure Gold.' Do you know it?"
"Hmph. I'm not telling."
"I see. So you do know where it is," I countered.
"Ugh..." Olga made a sour face, realizing she'd walked right into that one.
"Listen, we need the Pure Gold for some very pressing reasons. If you know anything, please tell us. In exchange, we'll take you out of here and ensure you're well-rewarded. What do you say?"
"Wait, Uncle," Robin interrupted, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Alchemi was supposedly swallowed nearly two hundred years ago. If she knows about it firsthand, then..."
I nodded. "Yeah. She's not the age she appears to be. On the inside, this girl is an old woman."
"Who are you calling an old woman?! You're a very rude gorilla, sa! You two look way older than me anyway!"
"Well, I'm only twenty-nine..." I began.
"And I've only been alive for fifteen years..." Robin added.
"What?! You're both way younger than me, sa!"
Robin looked at her with newfound pity. "If you're from Alchemi... does that mean you've been here for two hundred years?"
"That's right, sa. I was swallowed by Bonbori-sama two hundred years ago. Back then, I lived on the iron-working island of Alchemi with my family. But everything went wrong once my crappy scientist of a father created the Pure Gold, sa. Pirates heard the rumors and came for it. My mother was killed. I blamed my old man and tried to throw the Pure Gold into the sea, but Bonbori-sama was lured by the light and swallowed the whole island, sa."
Right. I'd forgotten the finer details, but hearing it from her brought it all back.
"Your father created the Pure Gold..." Robin mused. "That would mean your father's name was Myskina Acier, correct?"
"That's right, sa. Is the old man's name famous out there?"
"His name comes up if you research the origin of 'Pure Gold,' but that's about it."
"What happened to your father?" I asked.
"Hmph! Who knows? He probably died when we were swallowed. Serves him right, sa."
I can't quite remember, but wasn't he alive somewhere else inside Bonbori-sama?
"I see... so you've been all alone this whole time..." Robin said softly, her long lashes casting shadows over her sad eyes.
"Yeah. I was the only survivor. For two hundred years, I've lived in this stomach alone."
"I'm sorry, Olga... I mean, ma'am? That must have been incredibly hard."
"Stop calling me 'ma'am'! You're a very rude man, sa! Anyway, enough about me. I have a question for you lot. Are you really here for the Pure Gold?" Olga stared straight into my eyes with her striking red gaze.
"Yes. We need it for a specific reason. Tell us what you know. I'll get you out of here, reward you, and even guarantee your livelihood afterward."
"Hmm, you're quite the big spender, sa. It makes me wonder what the catch is... What is this 'reason'? I'm not telling you anything until I hear it."
Since we weren't working directly for the Government on this specific whim, I didn't see the harm in telling her. I gave her a brief explanation: a large group of people were suffering from a mineral poisoning that leads to certain death, and since no cure had been found, we needed "Pure Gold" to halt the progression of the symptoms.
"I see, sa. To stop a disease... But if you're going after the Pure Gold, you look big and strong enough, but is the lady here going to be okay?"
"Oh? Are you worried about me?" Robin smiled.
"In a manner of speaking," I said proudly. "I've raised Robin myself for years. She's not going to lose to any run-of-the-mill pirate. In terms of strength... let's just say she could easily hold her own against a Marine Headquarters Captain."
"Hmph... I don't know how strong a Captain is, but that coat... are you a Navy man?"
"Ah, right, I didn't introduce myself properly. I'm Krieg, a Rear Admiral of Navy Headquarters."
"And I'm not with the Navy," Robin added. "I'm Nico Robin. It's a pleasure, Miss Olga... or just Olga?"
"…Just Olga is fine, sa. Well, nice to meet you lot."
Olga held out a tiny hand. I reached out to shake it, but the size difference was so comical we ended up just doing a sort of palm-to-palm high-five.
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