Ohara

West Blue.

Ohara Island.

Inside the Tree of Knowledge, an unseen guest was quietly browsing through the vast collection of books, while none of the archaeologists here noticed anything unusual.

Even the Poneglyphs hidden within were carefully studied.

This person was Belfinger, who had secretly entered the West Blue around January.

Utilizing the power of his Base Armor and requesting assistance from Lucifer, he had managed to copy about 68% of the books in the Tree of Knowledge in less than three months; the remaining 32% were expected to be finished in another month and a half.

Although it was a pity that this place would be destroyed by a Buster Call, Belfinger had no intention of warning these historians; after all, they were already being targeted by the World Government, and it was highly likely that CP Agents were lurking on the island.

Furthermore, during the process of studying the Poneglyphs, Ohara was basically in a semi-public state, and they had even sent a group of people into the Grand Line to try and find other Poneglyphs.

If these guys were truly smart, they wouldn't have done that, but rather found a deserted island outside of Ohara for small-scale, secret research.

In the three months he had been on Ohara, Belfinger had witnessed these scholars' fanatical pursuit of the Poneglyphs, as well as their naivety.

In the town and the port area, one could hear residents talking about quite taboo topics everywhere.

These topics clearly leaked out from the mouths of the scholars, and through the spread of the residents and the coming and going of merchant ships, they were diffusing to the surrounding islands.

Did they really think the CP Organization didn't exist? The World Government had been searching for evidence of Ohara scholars studying Poneglyphs all along.

One could only say that these historians were truly reckless.

Leaving a clone in the Tree of Knowledge to secretly copy the book materials, Belfinger had no intention of contacting any of the scholars.

At the very least, in his secret observations, he had seen that the CP Organization had many agents secretly lurking on Ohara, beginning to investigate the specific situation of the island.

At this time, even appearing on Ohara might lead to being targeted by the CP Organization; if he warned these scholars, he would very likely expose his own existence.

Moreover, compared to so-called history, Belfinger valued technology more than the Void Century; such things did not have much meaning for the Human Reform League.

If it were Ancient Weapons or Ancient Technology, perhaps Belfinger would be a bit more interested.

On a beach.

At this moment, the setting sun was half-submerged in the sea level, and the golden waves, under the blowing of the sea breeze, seemed to shatter into a shimmering expanse of gold.

Belfinger had changed his appearance, and while roasting a big fish weighing over ten pounds, he lay on the beach, eyes closed in contemplation.

Lazy by nature, he appeared to have no drive, but in reality, he had already dispatched clones to secretly lurk in various places across the West Blue.

For example, the "Flower Country," a hometown with special meaning in the heart of Wang Gao—this powerful and mysterious nation—was becoming increasingly clear in Belfinger's intelligence as the winds of change stirred within it.

And Lucifer's Skynet was also spreading rapidly across the West Blue.

Suddenly, a sound of footsteps came from the grass not far away, and a dirty little girl appeared on the beach with teary eyes.

Then she discovered the campfire not far away, and a tall man lying on the ground resting.

Belfinger turned his head, looked at the bewildered Nico Robin, then turned his head back with indifference, looking at the fiery red sunset in the sky, and continued to stare blankly.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Are you talking about this?"

A vine extended from Belfinger's body, directly binding Nico Robin and pulling her to the side. A hint of surprise appeared in Nico Robin's eyes, as if she had seen one of her own: "This... you are a monster too!"

Belfinger looked at her with pity, flipped the grilled fish, and mocked with a bit of disdain: "Did those history-obsessed fossils not teach you any common sense?"

"Don't you talk about the Doctor like that." Little Robin puffed out her cheeks, looking fierce in a childish way.

"Is that so? Then why don't you know about your own ability? This isn't some taboo knowledge; not even knowing about Devil Fruits—the so-called Island of Scholars really makes one laugh their teeth off."

"Devil Fruit?" Little Robin looked puzzled.

Belfinger used the sand on the beach to mold plates and cutlery, while explaining the knowledge of Devil Fruits to little Robin.

"So that's how it is; there are many people in this world like me. That's truly great." Little Robin danced with joy.

Belfinger was noncommittal. He cut a piece of fish, placed it on a plate, poured a glass of Sea Apple juice, and set it in front of little Robin: "Eat!"

"How could I..."

Gurgle, gurgle—the sound of her stomach immediately made little Robin feel embarrassed.

"If you don't eat it, I'll throw it away." After saying that, Belfinger ignored her and went back to eating his grilled fish and juice.

Hungry and unable to resist, little Robin couldn't withstand the temptation of the food: "Then I won't be polite!"

She picked up the knife and fork, cut off a large piece of the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside grilled fish, and stuffed it into her mouth. Although Belfinger's cooking skills were just average, for little Robin, who was often unable to get enough to eat, this was simply a delicacy of the world.

"Wuu... it's hot..."

The next day, after studying history, Robin took the time to find relevant books about Devil Fruits and confirmed the man's words.

It was evening again, and she was back by the same campfire.

Robin came here again, told him about what happened today, and apologized to him for going to check on the Devil Fruit matter.

"Only by having the thought of doubting everything is it possible to glimpse the truth," Belfinger said calmly. After speaking, he poured a glass of juice for little Robin.

"Thank you." Little Robin sat obediently on a stone nearby.

Belfinger cut her another portion of grilled fish and seaweed, and then the two of them ate in silence.

After eating, Belfinger entered a training state, practicing various peculiar joint locks and studying human anatomy.

He also utilized vines to attach to his body, forming vine armor, altering his Body Size and appearance, creating various clones, scouting eyes and ears, forming wings, and insulating his body to dive into the seawater.

Little Robin, watching from the side, found it fascinating and even tried to imitate him.

Time passed in this manner for a month and a half without her noticing; just like the South Blue, July was the heart of winter in the West Blue.

Although Ohara was located in a subtropical region and did not see snow, the weather grew increasingly cold.

July 21st.

The evening Fuu was quite boisterous.

After finishing his meal, Belfinger did not train as he usually did; instead, he pulled a book from his backpack.

The book was black, and its cover was outlined with golden patterns forming a mysterious image, resembling a gate that was tightly shut.

On the panels of the gate, the left side was composed of countless double-helix stripes, while the right side was composed of countless digital barcodes.

Above the gate was a tightly closed eye.

There was no name on the book, only the image of the gate. Belfinger handed the book to little Robin: "This is a gift for you. Just drip your blood onto it."

"Drip blood..."

Belfinger extended a bone spur from his finger, pricked little Robin's arm, and then squeezed a drop of blood out from the spur.

As the blood dripped onto the book, it instantly seemed to come alive, turning into a liquid that attached itself to little Robin's arm.

"Mister, what is this?"

"Just a parting gift."

Upon hearing this news, little Robin was stunned, and she asked blankly: "Are you leaving, Mister?"

"Yes, live well!"

After saying this, Belfinger snapped his fingers. A tentacle surged up from the sea, unfolding a cavity, and he walked straight onto it.

"Mister, you still haven't told me your name!" little Robin shouted as she ran.

"One day you will know. Goodbye."

With that, the tentacle wrapped around Belfinger and vanished from the beach, leaving little Robin all alone, staring blankly into the distance.

The sun set, and the sea breeze grew colder.

A moment later, little Robin learned what the book on her arm was called and how to operate it.

With a thought, a miniature version of the book appeared in her hand: "Book of Truth..."

Thank you all for your support (ω｀)