"Alright, alright, I'll make you a feast today!" Kavi chuckled.
Olivia's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? That's great!"
Kavi grinned. "Okay then, time to introduce this little lady, right?" He looked at the toddler in her arms, though he already had a pretty good idea who she was.
"Oh, right! I almost forgot." Olivia adjusted the little girl in her arms. "This is my daughter—Nicole Robin! Say hi, Robin! Hmm... should she call you Uncle? Or Grandpa?" Olivia tilted her head, frowning as she tried to do the generational math.
"Hey! Why grandpa? I'm still young and full of life! Of course I'm 'Uncle.' Right, little Robin?" Kavi laughed, crouching slightly to meet Robin's gaze.
Robin blinked her big eyes like two black grapes, glanced at her mother, and, seeing her nod, said in a soft voice:
"Hello, Uncle Kavi!"
Kavi's heart practically melted. "Ahaha! That's adorable! Alright, little Robin, Uncle Kavi's going to make you something really tasty!"
"Hmph! Uncle Kavi is playing favorites!" Olivia pouted, clearly offended—though more amused than angry. The woman was jealous of her own daughter, and she knew it.
"Alright, alright," Kavi teased. "I'll make so much food you won't be able to walk when I'm done."
He walked into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and pulled ingredients from his system's storage space.
Before long, the house filled with delicious aromas, and dish after dish covered the table.
"Whoa! It smells amazing!" Olivia's eyes sparkled. She looked down at Robin. "We're eating good tonight, little one."
As Kavi placed the last dish on the table, he clapped his hands. "Alright, dig in!"
The two women raised their hands excitedly, their voices overlapping:
"I'm starting!"
"I'm starting!"
The warmth at that table felt timeless. Olivia devoured food like she hadn't eaten in days.
Little Robin blinked at her mother's behavior, then took one bite—and that was it. Her tiny mouth lit up in delight, and her eyes widened as she dove, back in like a miniature foodie.
Kavi couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha…"
After the meal and a bit of small talk, Olivia grew serious.
"Uncle Kavi… I have a favor to ask."
Kavi's smile faded. He glanced at Robin, who was playing with her spoon, and sighed. "So… it's time?"
Her expression didn't waver. "Yes."
Kavi sighed deeply and flicked her forehead. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Ow!" Olivia rubbed her forehead, but she was smiling. She knew what that meant—Kavi agreed.
"Make sure Robin understands everything," he said, voice softer now.
"She knows." Olivia looked down at her daughter, affection brimming in her gaze. "Robin's a smart girl."
"When do you leave?"
"Three days."
Kavi was just in time, then. Olivia had planned to leave Robin with her brother if Kavi hadn't returned.
But now, with Kavi back, she could leave with a lighter heart. He wasn't just strong—he was dependable. She could entrust her daughter's life to him.
That's all she really needed.
"Come back in three days," Kavi said. "Bring everything she'll need."
"I will."
Olivia left with Robin in her arms. Kavi reclined in his old chair out front, eyes closed, swaying gently under the sunset's glow.
That year, the O'Hara scholars would launch an expedition to uncover the secrets of the Poneglyphs.
And Olivia... would go with them.
History had already written their fate. The mission would be a death sentence.
O'Hara would one day burn, and Robin would be the only one left standing—branded the "Devil's Child" by the World Government, with a bounty of 79 million berries on her head.
Click, click, click… His fingers tapped the armrest.
Should he intervene?
Three Days Later
Olivia returned to Kavi's cottage, little Robin in tow, luggage in hand. The time had come.
Robin didn't cry. She stood quietly and waved as her mother walked away.
Olivia didn't look back—but her shoulders trembled.
Robin kept watching until her mother vanished into the distance. Kavi gently ruffled her hair.
"Robin… it's okay to cry. You don't have to hold it in."
Robin wiped away a tear before it could fall. She clutched the book Olivia had left her and sniffled. "I'm not crying! Uncle Kavi is mean!"
She turned and ran inside.
Kavi blinked, confused. "Huh? What did I do?! Did Olivia talk bad about me or something?"
He followed her inside. Robin had buried herself in his bed, her back to the door. She was definitely crying—quietly.
Kavi softened, heart aching.
'Damn the World Government…'
He clenched his fists. If he had to step in to protect one person, surely, they wouldn't mobilize an entire fleet for that. And even if they did...
He'd be ready.
Because in saving Olivia, he was saving Robin too.
O'Hara would fall in six years. Until then, there would be peace—if only briefly. But it wouldn't last forever.
Where would he hide Olivia afterward? Maybe fake her death?
He sighed.
'Let's worry about that later.'
For now, he had one job: to raise this brilliant little girl.
Meanwhile, somewhere far away...
"Achoo!"
"Ugh, is Master thinking about me again?" Little Rosa stood outside a Navy branch headquarters, hands on her hips, her mind drifting to very unprofessional thoughts.
"He just can't stop thinking about his most adorable disciple, can he?"
She grinned to herself, eyes full of mischief and ambition.