After hearing Nami's words, Vivi's expression darkened slightly.
Though she was the princess of Alabasta, her country's finances were in ruins. There was no way she could afford to pay the kind of reward Nami was implying.
"Nami, we'll talk about money later," Kaoru Tsubasa interjected, sensing Vivi's discomfort.
He was certain that once Nami saw the state of Alabasta with her own eyes, her greed would fade.
"What? Kaoru, this is a major mission—we're talking about saving an entire kingdom! And you expect us to do it for free?"
Nami immediately blew up, her temper flaring. As someone hopelessly obsessed with money, she never missed a chance to make a profit.
"Alright, alright—this should cover it," Kaoru said, finally giving in. He reached into his system space, pulled out a heavy pouch of Berries, and tossed it to her.
The moment Nami caught it, her anger vanished. With a bright smile, she declared with righteous fervor that they would help Vivi save her kingdom—then promptly threatened Zoro and the others to come along whether they liked it or not.
After the crew recorded enough magnetic energy from Whiskey Peak, they set sail once again—this time toward their next destination: Little Garden.
To Kaoru's surprise, no agents from Baroque Works ever showed up, even after they'd waited for days.
What he didn't know was that Smoker, who had set out before the Straw Hat crew, had already captured the agents who were meant to arrive at Whiskey Peak.
For certain reasons, Igaram chose not to accompany them. Instead, he decided to return to Alabasta ahead of them.
Aboard the Going Merry—
"Kaoru, are we really going to that place called Little Garden?" Usopp asked nervously, glancing around as Nami explained the island's details.
"You should ask Luffy about that kind of thing," Kaoru replied, shrugging helplessly. "I'm not the captain here."
Hearing that, Usopp immediately grabbed Luffy by the shoulders. "Hey, Luffy! We're not seriously going to that place, are we?"
Nami had mentioned it might still be home to creatures from the ancient era—and Usopp wanted no part of that.
"Hehehe… Little Garden?" Luffy grinned. "Yeah! That's our next island!"
Ignoring Usopp's protests, he gave the command to set sail.
Usopp groaned dramatically. "Ugh… suddenly I'm not feeling well. Yeah—that's it! I've come down with a rare disease! I can't possibly step on that island!"
"Hmm?"
At that exact moment, Luffy and Kaoru both sensed something unusual—the faint disturbance of another presence aboard the ship.
"Who's there?" Zoro barked, turning toward the rear deck.
A soft, amused voice answered. "You're pretty sharp."
A tall woman wearing a wide-brimmed cowboy hat stepped gracefully into view.
Kaoru recognized her instantly. Nico Robin.
Even without her saying a word, Kaoru could sense the dark energy flickering within her shadow—the Shadow Army he had personally assigned to protect her from the shadows of the underworld.
"You… you're—" Vivi gasped in shock when she saw her.
Of course she knew who Robin was. As a former undercover agent of Baroque Works, Vivi knew all too well that Nico Robin served as Crocodile's personal secretary—and the only person in the organization who knew the identity of the true mastermind.
In fact, the only reason Vivi ever learned that Crocodile was the boss behind Baroque Works… was because Robin had secretly leaked that information.
"What are you doing on our ship?" Luffy demanded.
Robin didn't answer. She only smiled faintly.
"You look so much like your mother… Olvia."
"Nico Robin," Kaoru said softly, his gaze steady as he watched her sit on the ship's railing, smiling under the sun.
The Alabasta arc was approaching. Kaoru was already planning to return to Redoria soon—to bring Olvia back and reunite her with her daughter.
Robin's body trembled slightly at his words.
"You… know my mother?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Although she'd heard rumors about Kaoru Tsubasa—one of the most powerful pirates in the world—she had never expected this.
That he actually knew her mother.
"Hey, Kaoru, you know her mom?" Usopp asked in confusion.
He wasn't alone. The rest of the crew all looked at Kaoru curiously. None of them had ever heard him mention such a thing.
Kaoru gave a half-smile. "You could say that, yes."
Robin's face hardened. "Even if you knew her… O'Hara was destroyed. My mother died in the Buster Call."
Her voice wavered with anger.
As the last surviving scholar of O'Hara, Robin had made it her life's mission to uncover the truth of the blank hundred years.
"O'Hara is gone?" Kaoru asked quietly. Then he smiled. "No. O'Hara still lives—because you live. As long as you carry its will, O'Hara will never perish."
Robin froze, his words striking deep. They echoed in her mind—just like the ones Saul had once told her long ago.
"…Even so," she whispered, her anger fading into quiet sorrow, "my mother is gone. There's nothing left."
She looked away, her voice heavy with grief.
For years, she had been branded a criminal and hunted by the World Government—ever since she was a child. She had spent her entire life running, surviving from one betrayal to another.
If not for her duty as O'Hara's last survivor, she might have given up long ago.
But she couldn't. She had to live.
To live for her mother's dream.
To uncover the truth of the lost century.
"No, Nico Robin," Kaoru said suddenly.
"Your mother, Nico Olvia… is still alive."
Robin froze as if struck by lightning.
Her eyes went wide. What did he just say?
Her mother—alive?
That would mean she wasn't the last survivor of O'Hara after all.
Her mind raced, her heart pounding in disbelief.
"Where is she?!" Robin demanded, stepping forward, her voice trembling.
The rest of the crew watched silently, sensing how heavy the moment was.
Kaoru hesitated. "I can't tell you that yet. When we meet again, I'll take you to her myself."
He paused, his tone gentle but firm.
Though he trusted Robin's heart, she was still officially Crocodile's subordinate. If he told her Olvia's location now, she might rush off to find her—and Crocodile would surely kill her for defecting.
Even with the Shadow Army watching over her, Kaoru couldn't risk it.
Robin understood.
Her expression dimmed, but her intelligent eyes softened slightly. She could tell he was protecting her.
"…I see," she murmured quietly.
The waves lapped against the ship's hull, the sea wind carrying away her whisper—
a fragile hope she hadn't felt in years.