I Have a Plan!

The room erupted into an argument, even fiercer than before.

Little Robin hid in the kitchen, her wide eyes peeking out as she eavesdropped on the adults.

"You're a historian, Jogo. How can you become a pirate?"

"Exactly. If you wanted to sail with an archaeological ship, we'd agree ten thousand times over. Why would you want to be a pirate?"

"Roger, damn you!!!"

In short...

"Absolutely not!!!!" Dr. Clow delivered the final verdict.

Jogo was not surprised by the outcome.

These days, archaeology and piracy were not all that different. Everyone had bounties on their heads, traveled by ship, and wandered the world.

Even in the eyes of the World Government, it was hard to say which group was more detestable.

Take Dr. Clow himself, for example.

The things he had done in his youth would have made plenty of pirates drop to their knees and call him grandpa.

Did they think ten consecutive life sentences in a Marine prison were just for show?

Wasn't that far crazier than being a pirate?

But then again,

archaeology was archaeology, and piracy was piracy.

The more these people worked in culture and academia, the more clearly they drew that line.

Besides, this was Jogo!

He had passed the "historian" examination after just one year, helped Dr. Clow refine historical extrapolation, published several highly forward-looking academic theories, independently led a research team, compiled the history of a lost civilization, and surpassed what other archaeologists achieved in half a lifetime while still so young. The scholars of Ohara regarded him as the "Star of Ohara," the guiding star of the future historical community, and the person most likely to unravel the mysteries of the Void Century.

Even though he was only eighteen.

No one treated him like a child anymore.

As Jogo himself put it, "The archaeology world is brutal. Papers are king!"

At least a third of the people in this room were not qualified to scoff at him.

As for why Jogo learned so quickly and produced so many results,

all he could say was that these old men had seen too little.

They simply could not comprehend how terrifyingly fast someone who had clawed his way out from among more than ten million bloodshot-eyed exam candidates could learn!

Nor could they understand what a nation that had written five thousand years of a book of hatred had truly endured.

Many things that these old men could not figure out even while clutching ancient artifacts and racking their brains, Jogo only needed to compare with history from his former world to find a few clues.

Of course, that was precisely why no one in this room took Jogo's words as a joke.

Nor did they think he had misspoken or failed to understand the difference between archaeology and piracy.

Damn it! This kid really wanted to become a pirate!!

Bang!!

The door slammed shut.

Jogo was thrown out by the furious Dr. Clow.

And he had a little attachment hanging onto him.

Robin looked up at Jogo, her little hand tightly clutching one of his fingers.

Under the night sky, the two walked home.

"Jogo, are you really leaving Ohara?" Robin asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah. I've made up my mind."

"Why?"

"Because I think Ohara is pretty nice, and I'm still not strong enough."

Robin hurriedly asked, "Then when will you come back?"

"I'm not sure, but it probably won't be too long."

He would definitely return before the Buster Call.

For a moment, there was silence beside him, followed by a small, timid reminder.

"Then... then you have to write often. You have to eat properly... sleep properly... don't... don't forget Robin..."

As she spoke, her voice began to choke up.

Jogo sighed and picked Robin up.

Robin clung to him like a koala, desperately gripping his clothes before she could no longer hold back her loud sobs.

"Why... why does everyone leave Robin!"

"Jogo... please don't go, okay? Robin will be a good girl! Robin will listen!"

Jogo patted her little head and said nothing.

Of everyone here, Robin was the only one he truly could not stop worrying about.

Because her mother, Nico Olvia, had sailed away aboard an archaeological ship, Robin had lived with her uncle's family before she turned three.

Three years ago, Jogo had come to visit in order to repay Olvia for saving his life and, incidentally, to see a member of the protagonist group from the original story.

He discovered that the family treated Robin, who had eaten the Flower-Flower Fruit, as nothing more than a servant. So he picked up a chair and beat the entire family from top to bottom. From then on, little Robin lived with him.

The children in town called her a monster and bullied her.

That night, Jogo paid them a visit and engaged in a constructive physical "exchange" with their parents.

Whenever an adult in town dared call her a demon,

Jogo would take that person to the shore that very day and discuss the mysteries of the human body's breath-holding limits.

Under his care, Robin had at least spent the past three years without a worry.

But now, he was leaving.

It was not that he feared the townspeople he had "persuaded" into behaving themselves would seek revenge on Robin.

The "historian" trait had a small chance of triggering the fearful memories from the past lives of those enveloped by Conqueror's Haki.

Jogo was confident that even the most stubborn person would never forget his "advice."

Rather, he knew that his leaving alone would be a tremendous blow to Robin.

Olvia had already left. Once he left too, Robin would be all alone on this island again.

But that would not change Jogo's decision.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave," he said softly.

At the very least, before the Buster Call, he needed to gain the strength to protect Ohara.

For the past three years, his body had been too weak, and he had felt that even with Conqueror's Haki, sailing out to sea would not be safe.

Now that the Great Pirate Era had begun, time waited for no one. It was time for him to go out and see the world.

At the same time, in a room within the Tree of Knowledge, a group of historians was fuming.

"Why does he want to become a pirate?"

"Honestly, he's grown up and become completely unadorable!"

"Don't say that. I think he just doesn't know how dangerous this sea is! Hahaha, I dreamed of becoming a free pirate when I was young too!"

Everyone chimed in, talking over one another, until someone suddenly made a suggestion.

"How about we scare that brat who doesn't know his place?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hehehe, send the Acne Pirates over."

"You mean beat the kid up?"

"Exactly! Let Jogo see what real pirates are like. Then he'll definitely change his mind!"

Because of their special status, most historians were figures who had connections in both legitimate and criminal circles.

Ohara had always maintained contact with several relatively kind small pirate crews operating in the nearby waters.

With Clow's tacit approval, everyone unanimously passed the proposal.

Five minutes later, a call reached the ship of the Acne Pirates.

The situation was explained in just a few words.

The Acne Pirates gladly accepted the job of beating up a child.

They did not waste any time,

and the next morning, while eating breakfast and singing songs, they grabbed the faxed photograph and hurriedly set out. Then...

Then they were intercepted.

—A massive shadow enveloped the Acne Pirates' tiny two-masted sailboat.

The captain, with a bounty of 8.9 million Berries, raised his head. His mouth fell open as he stared blankly at the towering, burly figure whose chest hair seemed to arrive before the man himself, as though he had grown out of it.

Trembling, he cried out that terrifying name.

"Chest Hair—Chase Hail!"

We're so screwed!

"IT'S! THE! CHEST! HAIR! PIRATES!!!"

More than thirty people aboard the ship let out despairing screams in unison.