Captain, How Old Are You?

Kuina asked Nico Olvia with some curiosity.

Regarding this question...

She cared about it terribly.

Even now that the two have reunited, Lin Yan still leaves Kuina with an impression of being incredibly mysterious, so Kuina is naturally very concerned about Nico Olvia's existence.

Beside that mysterious teacher in my own home.

How could there possibly be women here!

"This one..."

However, upon hearing Kuina's question, Nico Olvia gave a gentle smile.

"Lin Ta is my benefactor."

Nico Olvia answered with absolute certainty.

If he hadn't met Lin Yan back then, Ohara would probably be completely destroyed by now, and he and Robin would probably be separated by death.

Calling him a benefactor is no exaggeration.

Kuina, however, seemed to understand only partially.

If they were simply each other's benefactors, would Nico Olvia really have the same expression she's showing now?

Kuina sensed something was wrong.

But I can't quite put my finger on it.

Before Kuina could figure out what was going on, Nico Olvia smiled and asked her a question in return.

"And you? When did you meet Lin?"

"He was my teacher when I was little!"

Kuina answered without hesitation.

Even though several years have passed, Kuina still vividly remembers the days she spent practicing swordsmanship with Lin Yan.

That person was the one who gave me salvation.

Without Lin Yan's presence, he would probably be dead by now, let alone having made a name for himself on the high seas through his own abilities.

Kuina's feelings for Lin Yan are special.

If I had to point out anything I was dissatisfied with...

The only thing is that Lin Yan has now become the World's Greatest Swordsman.

"I see, it seems we're all the same."

Just by looking at the expression on Kuina's face, Nico Olvia understood everything. This girl in front of her must have suffered the same debt of gratitude from Lin Yan as she had.

I really don't know what to give in return...

Nico Olvia sighed softly.

Having found common ground with Kuina, Nico Olvia, for the first time in a while, opened up and started chatting with Kuina.

On the other side...

Lin Yan and Aokiji stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the calm sea in the distance.

Surprisingly, neither man spoke.

Only after a long while did Aokiji's face flash with a rare hint of mockery as he turned to Lin Yan and asked.

"Lin, what are you planning to do next?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan's deadpan expression returned.

What do you mean?

"Of course, it's Olvia and Kuina."

Aokiji rarely cracked a joke, and although he didn't share Marco's envy, jealousy, hatred, or Kikoku, he was quite pleased with the current situation.

As we all know, gossiping is human nature.

Even a powerful figure like Aokiji is not immune to this.

In fact, many members of the Whitebeard Pirates had complaints about this matter, and according to insiders, many of the division commanders even ran gambling operations in private.

Lin Yan simply shrugged in response.

"None of that matters. Let's talk about it after we find Robin."

"..."

Aokiji immediately fell silent.

The expression on his face also became somewhat complicated.

Even now, he still hasn't figured out how to treat Robin, especially now that he's become a pirate and knows that Ohara wasn't destroyed, Aokiji's feelings are even more complicated.

For Robin now...

Am I an enemy, or something else entirely?

Aokiji didn't know.

Lin Yan seemed to sense Aokiji's dilemma and patted her crew member on the shoulder with a smile.

"Don't overthink it. Everything eventually comes to an end."

Lin Yan said this.

Whether it's inner turmoil or resentment, everything will eventually come to a conclusion, and I believe Aokiji was already mentally prepared for that.

Aokiji nodded silently, then stared intently at Lin Yan.

"Lin, can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

"Were you there back then, at that time in Ohara?"

Aokiji suddenly asked Lin Yan with extreme seriousness.

He now strongly suspects that Lin Yan was one of the participants in the Ohara incident back then.

Otherwise, many things simply don't make sense!

Nico Olvia's attitude, Ohara's survival—if it were this man before her, he might truly be capable of such an unbelievable feat.

Lin Yan did not deny this.

Now that she's back, Lin Yan is confident she can handle whatever happens next.

Besides, as long as I don't tell the whole story.

No one could have imagined time travel.

Therefore, Lin Yan nodded directly.

"That's right, I was there back then."

"..."

Although he had been mentally prepared for this outcome, Aokiji still couldn't help but widen his eyes when he heard Lin Yan say it herself.

After a long silence, the man asked a question.

"So, Lin, how old are you exactly now?"

That's right, Aokiji didn't expect time travel.

But there are simpler ideas.

It's been quite a few years since what happened in Ohara. If Lin Yan was involved back then, then how old is she...?

Lin Yan:...

Good heavens!

Is this the blind spot?

Faced with Aokiji's strange question, even Lin Yan was a bit at a loss. Logically speaking, she was still a young woman in her twenties, so why was she suddenly being questioned about her age?

Is this reasonable?

However, in order to appease Aokiji, Lin Yan finally nodded with a strange expression.

"Have you forgotten I have that?"

"... Understood."

Aokiji immediately nodded in understanding.

When Lin Yan used the Holy Grail of the Underworld to rejuvenate Whitebeard and restore him to his peak condition, Aokiji witnessed it firsthand. Considering this, it makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

Lin Yan was speechless for a moment, then thought of something and tried to salvage the situation by saying something like, "It's too late."

"Although I don't know what you're thinking, I'm mostly asleep, only becoming active a few times during major events. I've only started to move around frequently in the last few years."

"Um?"

Aokiji was taken aback upon hearing this.

However, upon closer reflection, it is indeed true. Lin Yan's rise to fame is a recent phenomenon, and logically speaking, such a powerful individual could not have remained unknown for so long.

If it spends most of its time sleeping, then that makes sense.

Thinking it over, Aokiji understood everything and asked Lin Yan with a smile.

"Nalin, what is your actual age?"