The scholars looked at one another, their faces caught between the instinct to survive and deep suspicion of this strange pit.
Jump down?
Was there hell below, or a way out?
As one, they turned their eyes to Dr. Clover.
The old doctor's gaze rested for less than a second on Adams's young face, which was filled with unquestionable resolve.
There was none of a child's panic in his eyes, only the determination forged through hardship.
He suddenly gritted his teeth. His hoarse throat erupted with astonishing strength, overwhelming all hesitation and fear:
"Listen to him! Everyone! Grab the books! Jump!"
The command struck like thunder, shattering the scholars' confusion. Their survival instincts and their urge to protect knowledge instantly overwhelmed everything else.
They summoned their last reserves of strength and, like moths rushing into flame, threw themselves desperately at the books not yet consumed by fire.
They grabbed the nearest and most precious scrolls and tomes, clutched them tightly to their chests, then rushed without hesitation toward the enormous pit.
Splash! Splash! Countless heavy tomes and parchment scrolls were thrown down first, instantly swallowed by the darkness below.
Then came the scholars themselves.
One, two, three... Clutching the nearest books, they leaped into the unfathomable darkness.
Olvia gritted her teeth as well, pressing a thick, bloodstained tome tightly against her chest. She closed her eyes and leaped forward.
Dr. Clover staggered at the edge of the hole. After casting one last look at Adams, his clouded old eyes gleaming with complicated emotions, he hugged the remaining volumes in his arms and vanished into the darkness.
Underground space.
Freezing seawater filled the bottom of this enormous underground space. Countless books that had just been thrown down floated beneath the surface, their ink rapidly bleeding across the pages in the briny water.
Above the water, however, was an entirely different sight.
The scholars, along with the few tomes clutched in their arms, floated steadily in midair as if held aloft by an invisible hand.
The sensation of weightlessness left them dizzy, their faces still bearing the terror of the jump and the dazed relief of surviving disaster.
Adams stood like a boulder atop a protruding rock platform below.
His arms were slightly spread, and a faint glow coiled around his fingertips. An invisible force field enveloped the entire space, precisely catching every person who fell.
"What is this..."
"Since when did Ohara have a place like this?"
"Unbelievable."
The scholars could not stop murmuring.
Dr. Clover's gaze slowly swept over the books soaking in seawater, then checked each terrified face floating in the air one by one.
Once he confirmed that all the important tomes were there and every scholar was safe, an almost sorrowful surge of excitement and relief finally rose uncontrollably across his smoke-blackened old face.
He turned toward the silver-haired boy on the platform below, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "
Adams... how long have you been preparing this place?"
Seeing this space, quick-witted Dr. Clover thought of many things.
Adams raised his head. His eyes looked especially clear and especially profound beneath the faint light filtering down from above.
"I began preparing shortly after obtaining my Devil Fruit ability, Doctor. The basement couldn't keep Robin out, and it couldn't stop me either, someone who could use Earth Assimilation. I knew everything you were researching. I knew very well that it was a capital offense, and that the World Government would settle accounts with you sooner or later.
"I also knew very well that it was impossible to persuade you to abandon your research."
His gaze swept over the scholars in the air, clutching their books as the fear in their eyes gradually turned into a determination to protect them.
"So I have been preparing for this day. When the day of reckoning came, I wanted to provide everyone with shelter. After all, everyone has shown me kindness."
Naturally, Adams could not say that he had prepared in advance because of memories from a previous life. He could only make up this barely plausible lie.
Besides, he knew very well that he was a selfish person. He had his own motives for saving these scholars; it was not for repaying kindness.
Dr. Clover's lips began to tremble violently. Clouded tears finally welled from his eyes and ran down his deeply lined cheeks.
He sharply drew in a breath, as though trying to pull the cold underground air into his lungs. His voice choked with emotion yet remained incredibly loud, filled with indescribable pride:
"Adams... you've grown up! I... I'm proud of you!"
"This is what I should do, Doctor."
Adams's voice remained steady, though a trace of perfectly timed warmth flashed deep in his eyes.
"Thank you for taking care of me these past three years."
At that moment, after hearing the other scholars' hushed, brief introductions, Olvia's complicated gaze fell on Adams.
Within the invisible supporting force field, she carefully adjusted her direction and slowly floated toward the platform.
Olvia's voice was weak from her serious injuries, yet exceptionally clear. Looking at Adams's face, far too young yet far too composed, she said,
"Little one, thank you... for taking care of Robin these past three years. Sorry for the trouble."
She had just learned from the others how Robin had been treated on the island, and she knew full well what pressure and criticism that care must have brought him.
Adams immediately understood what her apology meant. He turned slightly toward Olvia, his tone natural and sincere.
"It's nothing, Aunt Olvia. Robin is cute and sensible. She hasn't caused me any trouble."
He paused, as though feeling that was not enough, then naturally added,
"I like her very much."
The instant those words fell, the expression on Olvia's face froze.
Her haggard face, once full of gratitude and exhaustion, was instantly replaced by an extremely strange expression.
Her eyes widened slightly, and her gaze roamed repeatedly over Adams's silver-haired face, which carried youthful vigor yet was unusually cold and stern, like a searchlight.
Those words would have been perfectly normal coming from an adult.
But if she remembered correctly... the child before her was only a year older than her daughter, wasn't he? A nine-year-old boy saying that he liked an eight-year-old girl very much?
The scrutiny in her eyes, along with a certain indescribable realization, grew deeper and stranger, nearly becoming tangible.
Adams clearly received the message contained in that look. The hard lines of his cheeks tightened almost imperceptibly, and a barely visible blush seemed to flash across the roots of his ears in the dim light.
He immediately looked away and forcibly dragged the topic back on track. His tone returned to its usual calm as he addressed Dr. Clover:
"Doctor, where do you plan to take everyone next?"
Dr. Clover was immersed in immense relief, but at those words, worry flashed through his eyes as well. He looked around at the scholars floating in the air and shook his head.
"I haven't thought of it yet. The sea is vast, and the World Government's influence reaches everywhere... I don't know where would be safe."
"I have an idea."
Adams's voice interrupted the doctor's contemplation and drew everyone's attention, including Olvia's still strangely appraising gaze.
"Islands on the sea are too risky. For safety, I believe Sky Island is the best choice."
Dr. Clover's brows jumped sharply, and a thoughtful light burst from his eyes. He immediately turned and swept his gaze across every scholar floating in the air.
"Everyone! What do you think of this proposal?"
After a brief silence, subdued discussion rose like stones cast into still water. Feasibility, routes, risks... all kinds of voices intertwined.
For scholars who studied history, Sky Island was no unfamiliar place. In fact, most Sky Island natives knew less about it than they did.
Olvia also temporarily withdrew the gaze that had made Adams feel like thorns were pressing against his back and joined the quiet discussion. Her brows were tightly furrowed as she considered the pros and cons of the plan.
At the same time, on the coast of Ohara.
The cold wind swept across the frozen sea like ice blades. A massive ice sculpture stood on the shore, Saul's bold posture eternally sealed in frozen ice. The final expression fixed on his face seemed to still carry a trace of concern for the girl's future.
Kuzan's tall figure stood beside the ice sculpture. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the escape ship struggling between the drifting ice.
The small wooden boat jolted through gaps in the ice floes, slowly sailing toward the gray horizon.
TO BE CONTINUED