Robin and Perona's training officially began.
In just two short days, the two girls had already touched the threshold of Armament Haki.
Even Arashi hadn't expected such results.
These were geniuses!
Though surprised, Arashi was naturally delighted by their talent and comprehension.
Next, all he needed to do was continue developing their potential and spar with them personally so they could master Armament Haki even faster.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, another two days passed.
During these four days, aside from eating and sleeping, Robin and Perona devoted themselves entirely to training.
Before they realized it, another three days had gone by.
Although both girls still remained at the beginner stage of Armament Haki, their understanding had deepened considerably. It likely wouldn't be long before they could use it effectively in real combat.
A new day arrived.
Thunder roared across the heavens.
Rain poured down in torrents.
Upon the violent, wave-tossed sea, the Traveler struggled forward through a dense fog-covered region.
The moment the Traveler entered the sea of mist, endless lightning illuminated the sky, instantly waking Robin and Perona, who had collapsed asleep from exhaustion after training all day.
The instant they opened their eyes, the thunderstorm outside shocked them awake completely, and they rushed out of the cabin at once.
"Mr. Arashi…?"
Robin was the first onto the deck. Seeing Arashi standing alone in the downpour steering the ship, she hurried over to help while asking:
"W-where are we?"
"Ohara waters."
Arashi answered casually before shouting toward Perona, who had followed behind holding an umbrella over him.
"That tiny umbrella is useless, little loli! Float up there and furl the sails!"
"O-okay!"
Perona immediately released her ghost form and floated toward the mast to help.
Meanwhile, the moment Robin heard the word "Ohara," her entire body trembled violently.
She never imagined that the Traveler had unknowingly arrived at the waters surrounding Ohara.
Yet if this truly was Ohara's sea region, she should have found it familiar.
But the waters before her felt completely alien—as though she had never been here before in her life.
Although shaken, Robin quickly forced herself to calm down and began skillfully helping Arashi manage the ship.
The Ohara incident had left her with indelible childhood trauma. For years, she had awakened from nightmares over and over again.
But ever since she met Arashi and began traveling beside him, those nightmares had gradually disappeared.
Because Arashi gave her a sense of safety she had never known before.
And because he treated her with warmth—
She no longer feared anything.
"Mr. Arashi…"
As she worked, Robin glanced around the terrifying sea before finally asking:
"Are you certain this is really Ohara's sea?"
"Something feels wrong…"
"And your Eternal Pose… it's different from any I've ever seen."
"After the Ohara incident, Ohara disappeared from every map in the world."
"So how could it still appear on your Eternal Pose?"
Looking at Robin beside him, seeing that she no longer trembled in fear at merely mentioning Ohara, Arashi smiled faintly.
"No need to doubt it."
"My Eternal Pose doesn't make mistakes."
"This is indeed Ohara's sea."
"As for why Ohara still appears on it…"
"You can think of this as an upgraded version of an Eternal Pose."
"There isn't a second one like it anywhere in the world."
"You're probably wondering why this sea has become so dangerous, right?"
Arashi caught Perona, who had just jumped down from the mast, into his arms before continuing:
"That's because the Buster Call back then changed the climate here."
"More than ten years later, this naturally turned into a Devil Sea."
"Hey hey hey, little loli, what are you doing? Get off me already and go tie down those ropes!"
"Okay!"
Perona seemed to particularly enjoy being called "loli." The moment Arashi finished speaking, she happily floated away to continue helping.
Robin, however, stopped moving entirely.
Her beautiful eyes remained fixed upon Arashi.
If she remembered correctly, Arashi once said this was his first journey through the West Blue.
Yet everything about him made it seem as though he understood the West Blue better than someone actually born there.
"What are you standing around for?"
Seeing Robin suddenly freeze, Arashi immediately shouted:
"Hurry over and help!"
At last—
Through the combined efforts of Arashi and the two girls, the Traveler successfully passed through the Devil Sea and entered calm waters once more.
The moment they crossed through—
The world suddenly became silent.
Then—
A small island quietly appeared in the distance ahead.
The instant Robin saw the island—
Saw the barren, ruined landscape—
Her body stiffened as though struck by lightning.
Then silent tears began streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Although the island had long become desolate, covered in ruins and overgrown weeds—
Robin recognized it instantly.
This was her hometown.
Ohara.
The archaeological holy land long erased from the maps of the world.
More than ten years…
Never once had she imagined she would return here again.
Because she always believed that under the devastating bombardment of the Buster Call, the island had eventually sunk beneath the sea.
After all—
Following her escape from Ohara, the island's name vanished completely from every map.
Standing nearby, Perona saw Robin suddenly begin crying and cautiously asked:
"T-this…"
"Is this really Robin-chan's hometown… Ohara?"
"…Yes."
Robin desperately tried to hold back her sobs before turning toward Arashi, tears streaming down her face.
"Mr. Arashi… thank you for bringing me back to Ohara…"
"If it weren't for you…"
"I might never have returned here in this lifetime…"
"Thank you…"
Before she could continue, Robin completely lost control.
She threw herself into Arashi's arms and cried like a child.
At this moment, everything else in the world seemed meaningless to her.
Only this strong chest before her felt like a true safe harbor.
Naturally, Arashi didn't attempt to comfort her.
To be honest, comforting people wasn't exactly his specialty anyway.
So he simply remained silent.
He allowed Robin to cling to him.
Allowed her tears to soak through his clothes.
Allowed her to release all the pain and sorrow she had carried for so many years.
Of course—
Arashi was also slightly busy at the moment.
Because the system notification appeared at the perfect time.
Extra chapters are already prepared… waiting to be unleashed.
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