Meanwhile, on the other side of the West Blue, after traveling through the night, Redyat and his crew finally arrived at O'hara, a famous yet small island.
"We're finally here. That was really troublesome," Redyat said with a sigh.
They had followed the map's rough direction and reached the general sea area where O'hara was supposed to be. The problem was that a map only gave an approximation. In a vast stretch of ocean, finding a single island was far from easy.
In the end, Redyat simply went to a nearby island, found someone, and extracted the exact coordinates of O'hara from their memory.
Asking around openly was not an option. The World Government's intelligence network was everywhere. Being careless now would only invite unnecessary attention.
From a distance, the island was unmistakable. At its center stood the towering Tree of Omniscience, dominating the skyline. Five thousand years old, it was the largest library in the world. Its very name implied the sheer volume of knowledge it contained, rumored to include almost everything humanity had ever recorded.
Unfortunately, it would not exist for much longer.
Soon, it would vanish into history under a Buster Call.
A Buster Call was an extreme measure authorized by the World Government and executed by Marine Headquarters. It was an indiscriminate, devastating assault on a designated area, meant to erase everything that posed a threat to the Government's rule.
The process involved two Den Den Mushi. The golden Den Den Mushi was used to initiate the Buster Call, while the silver Den Den Mushi received the signal. Both were normally controlled by the three Marine Admirals and the Fleet Admiral, though special authorization could be granted to certain individuals.
On the battlefield, a Buster Call was pure destruction. Everything was burned to ash. Its power was obvious just by looking at its force composition.
At its core were five Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals. As proven during the Great War in the original timeline, Vice Admirals were seasoned veterans and formidable fighters.
Then came the supporting officers. With ten warships assigned, each Vice Admiral effectively commanded two ships, meaning at least ten Captain or Rear Admiral level elites accompanied them. Every warship required a commanding officer, and these captains were no weaklings.
The soldiers were all carefully selected, elite Marines.
The warships themselves were top-tier. Built by the royal shipwrights of Water Seven, they were massive, heavily armed, and durable enough to face Sea Kings without issue.
In short, a standard Buster Call consisted of five Vice Admirals, ten high-ranking officers, around a hundred thousand elite Marines, and ten of the Navy's strongest warships.
But the Buster Call aimed at O'hara was not ordinary.
It included two monsters whose strength far surpassed that of typical Vice Admirals: Kuzan, the user of the Ice-Ice Fruit, and Sakazuki, the user of the Mag-Mag Fruit. Both had already reached Admiral-level combat power, making this Buster Call far more terrifying than usual.
Given the World Government's methods, there would be no mercy. To prevent any historical secrets from leaking, everything on the island would be erased. O'hara itself would be buried.
A strange emotion stirred in Redyat's chest, but he quickly steadied himself. He knew why he was here.
"Is this the Tree of Omniscience? It's huge!" Nelsen exclaimed. He stood at the crown of the tree, overlooking the island and the surrounding sea, spreading his arms and breathing in the fresh air.
"Yes, but Adam Wood and Eve Wood are even bigger," Redyat replied, nodding.
The Tree of Omniscience was only about a thousand meters tall, far smaller than the Adam Wood and Eve Wood, which were said to reach ten thousand meters.
"But shouldn't we save these scholars?" Nelsen asked. "Their knowledge could be useful to us."
"No," Redyat said calmly. "Teach said no. O'hara just has the largest concentration of scholars in the world. Scholars are valuable, but they are not irreplaceable. Anyone who reads and researches can become one. We can train our own. There's no need to risk being targeted by the World Government to save them."
"Alright," Nelsen said, accepting it without further argument.
"Let's get to work," Redyat continued. "Start from the top and clear out all the books. The scholars are below, so we don't need to worry about them."
As he spoke, Redyat's body dissolved into shadow. The darkness spread outward, flowing from the canopy downward, wrapping around shelves and swallowing books whole.
"So fast…" Nelsen shook his head. Since it was Teach's order, all he could do was follow it.
His figure vanished, reappearing on a lower floor. He unfolded his domain and pulled bookshelves into it one after another.
The books stored in the Tree of Omniscience were measured in tons. Human history, astronomy, geography, fairy tales, even children's picture books. Nearly all recorded human knowledge was gathered here.
Neither of them cared about categories. They took everything.
Compared to Redyat, Nelsen had clear limits. The main reason he was here was because Redyat's shadow space had finite capacity, unlike Teach's darkness, which could expand endlessly.
At that moment, beneath the Tree of Omniscience, in the underground research area where the scholars studied the Poneglyphs.
"There's something wrong with this section," Dr. Clover said. As the director of the O'hara library and a leading authority in archaeology, his words carried weight. "I'll go check the archives upstairs. I remember there's an explanation recorded there."
"No problem, Doctor. Go ahead," the other scholars replied.
Dr. Clover ascended the spiral corridor, climbing higher and higher. Bookshelves lined both sides, packed tightly with volumes.
Relying on memory, he stopped at a specific section. Taking a ladder, he climbed several steps. The shelves here were nearly five meters tall.
He pulled out an old, yellowed book. Just as he was about to open it, a strange feeling crept over him.
He had lived in this library for decades. He knew it as well as his own home. That familiarity was exactly why the sense of wrongness stood out so sharply.
Dr. Clover looked up, and his pupils shrank.
The corridor above, which should have been well-lit, was now completely dark. Shadows stretched downward, thick and eerie, as if devouring everything in their path.
From within the darkness, a figure slowly emerged. His entire body was shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to see his face.
"Who are you?" Dr. Clover asked.
Years of experience kept him calm. His expression did not change, but his heart tightened. Anyone appearing like this in O'hara could not have good intentions.
Redyat had not expected to run into the director of the library himself.
Hearing the question, he paused, considering how to answer.
"Who am I?" Redyat said softly. "You could say I am a guardian of history. O'hara is about to face an unprecedented disaster. I'm here to prevent these precious books from being destroyed by gunfire."
Dr. Clover's expression shifted.
"That's impossible," he said, though doubt crept into his voice. "O'hara is fine. How could there be a disaster?"
Even as he spoke, a sense of foreboding rose in his heart, as if he already knew the answer.
"Heh heh. Really?" Redyat replied. "The World Government already knows what you've been researching. It's a taboo. The Marines' Buster Call is already on its way. Just a few days at most. When it arrives, O'hara and the Tree of Omniscience will be completely destroyed."
"So your purpose is to take these books," Dr. Clover said quietly.
He understood now. He had expected exposure one day, but he thought the scholars themselves would be targeted.
A Buster Call was beyond what he imagined.
Sorrow washed over him, but there was no regret. The moment he chose to research forbidden history, he had accepted this outcome.
"That's right," Redyat said, nodding. "I'm taking the books so they won't be destroyed by the World Government."
"Then take them," Dr. Clover said. "But could you…"
"I'm sorry," Redyat interrupted. "We won't take any scholars. That would risk exposing ourselves to the World Government's intelligence network. Besides, now that you know, you already have a way to deal with it."
Dr. Clover closed his eyes briefly, then nodded. "Alright. Then let me retrieve a few books first."
"You're too slow," Redyat said. "I'll help."
Shadowy tendrils extended from Redyat's feet. Under Dr. Clover's guidance, they quickly pulled out the required books and stacked them together. The old scholar's memory was astonishing. He knew the exact location of each volume.
"Take everything from the fifth floor upward," Dr. Clover said. "The rest will be handled by us."
Redyat nodded, and the shadows continued to spread downward.
Inside the shadow space, Nelsen was leaning awkwardly against a bookshelf. His body was near its limit. The pressure was immense, making it hard to breathe.
Bookshelves kept pouring in. The capacity of the space was almost full.
He could only hope they were nearing the end. Otherwise, he would have to endure even more crushing weight.
Finally, no more shelves appeared.
"All done," Redyat's voice sounded beside him.
Nelsen's face lit up. He immediately opened his domain and transferred the shelves out of his space. The pressure eased, and he let out a long breath.
"Sir," Dr. Clover said, standing on the spiral corridor. Watching the shadows retract, he realized the mysterious man was about to leave. He bowed deeply. "I don't know who you are, but could I ask you one favor?"
Redyat did not respond. His body slowly sank into the shadows beneath his feet.
Dr. Clover felt a twinge of disappointment, mixed with helplessness.
"Thank you," he said solemnly. "Truly."
"Just dig a hole. I've already helped you enough."
The voice came like a blessing from heaven.
Dr. Clover froze, his body trembling with excitement. He did not understand how the man knew his thoughts, but that no longer mattered.
As Redyat disappeared, Dr. Clover steadied himself. Thinking of the coming disaster, his expression grew heavy. There was no longer any point in further research.
He summoned the scholars from the underground.
Soon, they noticed the missing bookshelves.
"I had someone take those books away," Dr. Clover said, offering no further explanation. "What I'm about to tell you is more important."
"What is it?"
He told them everything.
Panic spread through the room.
"The expedition team we sent out six years ago to search for the Poneglyphs has almost certainly been captured by the World Government," Dr. Clover said gravely. "And I've received confirmation. The Marines' Buster Call is on its way. We must prepare. Our research cannot end like this. It must be made public."
"Yes," the scholars replied in unison. Their resolve was already set.
They immediately began making preparations.
Two days later, on the coast of O'hara.
During these days, the human and the giant had grown close. For young Robin, it was her first real friendship, and the two had become inseparable.
"I've already become an archaeologist," Robin said proudly, squatting nearby with a smile.
"An archaeologist?" Saul asked in surprise. "You're so young, and you already are one?"
Then he hesitated. "Do you remember what your mother looks like?"
"I don't remember," Robin said softly. "But she's my mother. I think I'll recognize her. I really want to see her."
The mood turned heavy.
Saul did not know how to comfort her. In the end, he could only sigh quietly.