Reunion

Elbaf Sunny Realm.

At this moment, we are on a beach next to the library, formed by the weathering and petrification of the "Fountain of Life".

Waves of water, like ocean waves, crashed onto the beach, landing on the massive body lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"Waaaaah!"

The giant suddenly stood up, placed his hands in front of him, and tried his best to look like a big bad guy, even making what he thought were scary sounds.

Robin, however, remained completely unaffected, her hands behind her back, still smiling as she looked at the other person, and the scene fell silent.

"Hey, come on~ Hey, come on~"

"So, were you scared? Were you scared by me...?"

Seeing that Robin didn't react, Sauron scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly and let out a strange laugh.

At the same time, his voice began to gradually become softer.

If it weren't for the fact that her appearance hadn't changed much, he wouldn't even be able to connect the mature and dignified beauty in front of him with the stubborn yet down-to-earth little girl he remembered.

"You've grown into a beautiful young woman, I'm so surprised! I'm sorry, Robin, I really don't know how to face you."

"That's why you did something so stupid, even though you're not a child anymore..."

Sauron hurriedly explained, afraid that she would misunderstand his meaning.

"Hmph~ Your laughter is still so strange~"

Robin finally burst out laughing.

Facing this benefactor who had illuminated her childhood, risked his life to save her, and was now trying to make her laugh, she began by teasing him about his ever-strange yet endearingly familiar laughter.

"Yeah, my laughter still sounds so weird! Ta-lai-hee~ Ta-lai-hee-hee-hee~"

Sauron sat up. He had many frostbite and burn marks on his body, and he had even lost a leg, but he didn't care at all.

"Let me see your face... it really does look a lot like it..."

He cradled Robin in his palms and held her up to his face, gazing intently at her as if examining a rare treasure.

"Like... Mother?"

Robin looked somewhat dazed, as if recalling the woman with a full head of snow-white hair from his memory.

"That's right, your gentle eyes are exactly the same as hers. Come on, come on, come on, hee hee hee hee hee!"

Sauron heartily, unconsciously moving Robin even closer, as if looking at his own daughter whom he had raised.

Does it hurt?

Robin stroked the marks on his face, whether from burns or frostbite, his voice trembling slightly.

"You must have been startled by my amazing vitality! By the time I came to my senses, I was already floating at sea. I guess the flames melted the ice!"

"Later I saw in the newspaper that you were still alive and well, but the news said a lot of bad things about you! It was infuriating!"

As they talked, Sauron seemed to get angry. If his friends hadn't stopped him, he would have even gone to the newspaper to demand an explanation.

"Let's not talk about those sad things..."

A smile bloomed on Robin's face. At that moment, he finally reconciled with the miserable life he had endured for the past twenty years as a fugitive.

"Sauron... can you praise me? I've tried really hard to survive until now..."

Robin opened his arms and made a request that couldn't be simpler.

"Of course! Such a small child, hunted by the whole world, yet you still survived!"

"You've survived for twenty-two years, and finally we're together again!"

Sauron gently held her in his arms, facing the sky, tears streaming down his face.

He could imagine how helpless and desperate a little girl of only a few years old would feel in that situation.

Fortunately, she survived!

"Why do I have to survive...?"

Robin murmured, tears streaming down his face.

Memories flooded back, and she could only watch as her family and friends stood behind her, carrying the hopes of the entire Ohara on her shoulders to survive.

But after experiencing the wickedness of human nature, she had no desire to survive.

From this moment on, I have met companions who would never let me suffer the slightest grievance.

"I miss you so much, Sauron!"

"Me too!"

The two embraced and wept, their tears filled with both joy and the bitterness of many years.

"Sister Robin... I'm so touched~"

Uta and Nolan embraced and wept. Although Joni didn't understand why, she was still moved by the atmosphere of their reunion and thought of her former home. She then buried her face in Hina's arms and sobbed.

"It's all Kuzan's fault! He made Robin suffer so much all these years!"

Chopper leaped up and started pounding Kuzan's head repeatedly.

"Oh dear~ Please spare me!"

Kuzan didn't argue, but kept begging for mercy while Chopper kept hitting his head.

In fact, seeing this scene made him feel quite uncomfortable.

After all, Ohara was partly responsible for the tragedy that occurred there.

"Mr. Sauron, he has been waiting for this day for a very, very long time..."

The giantess who brought them here showed a hint of relief on her face. After so many years, she had finally seen the old man open his heart.

Time passed slowly, and after an unknown amount of time, the two finally snapped out of their trance and walked toward the crowd.

"I'm sorry about what happened back then, Sauron."

Kuzan was the first to step forward, reaching out his hand, but then stopped in mid-air, though his eyes met Sauron's.

"Kuzan? What are you doing here!"

Sauron frowned. He knew that his former best friend was now Robin's companion, but the incident more than twenty years ago had created a rift between them.

"I am now Robin's ally, but the purpose of my visit is still to apologize to you in person."

I'm so sorry!

This former Marine Admiral lowered his head, which had never yielded to anyone.

Robin's lips moved, but he didn't speak.

This is a matter of friendship between the two of them, and I can't take sides with either of them; I can only let them resolve it themselves.

"I just want to ask one question: did you have any credit for my escape back then?"

Sauron remained silent for a moment before finally asking a question that had been buried deep in his heart for a long time.

The flames melted the ice on his body; this was the explanation he gave himself and others.

But at that time, the whole of Ohara was engulfed in gunfire. Could he really be that lucky?

Moreover, he was well aware of his former close friend's abilities.

"I attacked you because it was part of the mission; I didn't kill you because we are friends; it was because God didn't want you to die."

Kuzan up and provided the answer.

That day, he did hold back, but that was only to leave Sauron alive, letting fate decide his fate.

For him, this was already an ordeal and pain that required an apology.