Ohara was an island in the West Blue. Its reputation was not yet so great, but it had already begun attracting archaeologists from all over the world. It was these scholars from across the globe who would eventually turn it into a holy land of archaeology.
At the root of it all was the leader of this ship—Clover.
He was not yet the old doctor he would become, but a radical who led an expedition ship every day in search of ancient ruins around the world, seeking the truth of history. Clover was obsessed with the Void Century in the historical records.
During his voyages, he had been arrested and imprisoned by the Marines several times. Yet even after being released, Clover never gave up on the idea. That persistence only made his name ring louder and louder among scholars.
Their voyage was undoubtedly exceedingly dangerous. Never mind protecting them—the Marines would be doing well enough if they did not treat this illegal expedition ship as pirates and hunt it down.
In the eyes of pirates, this expedition ship was also a target for plunder. Pirates had no interest in documents and records; they preferred to believe that these scholars who emerged from ruins possessed vast treasures.
After all, in the minds of most pirates, ruins and treasure were practically synonymous.
As for why these scholars would flee even without any treasure—
Because those people were pirates. Pirates were not the sort to let you go just because you had no money. Betting on a pirate's kindness was worse than turning yourself in to the Marines.
At least at this stage, the Marines would only arrest them.
"Doctor, what do we do?! Our weapons can't handle those pirates, can they?"
The difference in ship performance was already apparent. Pirates who