"Eh? Little girl, you know the Anywhere Door?"
James was a bit surprised. Ohara is in the West Sea! How did such a far-off place come to have rumors about his comics?
"Of course I know! It's the treasure from Doraemon!"
Seeing that James didn't look at her like others did, with that peculiar look as if seeing a monster, Nico Robin could sense that James' gaze carried something undefined but warm. She hadn't received such a gaze from anyone except Sauro in a long time.
"General Sauro, don't worry, I'm not a navy person," James quickly clarified when he saw Sauro the giant watching him suspiciously.
"Then how did you appear here? And how did you know my name?" Sauro was clearly suspicious about how the Anywhere Door was activated.
"Oh, you mean this?"
James moved his mind, and the Anywhere Door appeared again.
"I'm a user of the Door-Door Fruit. I can open doors anywhere in the world. I came here to visit the Tree of Knowledge in Ohara. Do you know the way?"
Seeing Sauro grabbing Robin and placing her back on his shoulder, James shrugged, feeling that Sauro still didn't trust him.
"General Sauro, as the only giant in the navy, is it strange that I know you? Don't you know how many times you've been on the front page of the papers over the years? What's there to ask about? Since you don't know, I'll ask someone else!"
---
Seeing Robin and Sauro meeting James, he understood that Ohara's time was running out, and the Tree of Knowledge would soon be destroyed under the system of destruction. Even though the scholars of Ohara threw books into the lake to save part of them from the fire, they still suffered great losses.
James actually wanted to draw a picture of the Tree of Knowledge to honor this magnificent old tree that had witnessed countless pieces of history.
"Wait a moment, let me take you there!"
Robin jumped off Sauro and walked toward James. Although his face was mostly hidden by a thick beard, something about it made her feel inexplicably close. She couldn't quite explain why, but she felt a connection to him.
"Wait a moment for me!"
James touched Robin's head, turned around, and ran toward the door. When he came out again, he was holding a cardboard box in his hands and carrying an easel behind him.
"This is for you!" James handed the box to Robin.
"Kuolewa?" Robin opened the box and immediately became very happy! Inside it turned out to be a complete set of Doraemon toys!
"Take me to the Tree of Knowledge, right?"
"Mm-hmm." Robin held the box and stood beside James, her figure reflecting the sunset light as they gradually disappeared from Sauro's view.
"This man can't be a bad person, right?" Sauro thought to himself.
---
Ohara Island was not large, much smaller than Dressrosa. In fact, when looking out at the sea from the island, no matter which direction you faced, you could always see the tall Tree of Knowledge standing in the center of the island.
Under Robin's guidance, it didn't take long for James to see the full view of this ancient tree, which had stood for a thousand years.
As the sun rose, the branches and leaves of the Tree of Knowledge formed a large canopy, bathed in golden light. With the breeze blowing, it felt as if the entire island could hear the rustling of the leaves, the dense branches and leaves casting shadows on the ground like light waves.
"Really, it's so beautiful!"
Finding a high place, James set up his easel, laid out his paper, and began to paint.
Little Robin sat beside James, watching him sketch lines that slowly began to form the familiar scenery she had seen every day. She couldn't help but think, "This uncle is amazing!"
James painted quickly, thanks to the years of experience he'd accumulated in continuously working on commissions. As a graduate of the art academy, landscape painting was something they'd practiced countless times, almost a basic skill. Therefore, as the sun and horizon intertwined, and the last traces of the sunset appeared, the painting was finished.
"Perfect!"
James looked at his work and felt that his painting skills had improved. In the picture, it seemed as if time had been preserved. The Tree of Knowledge glowed golden under the setting sun, dazzling and magnificent.
Looking at the little Robin, who was still fascinated by the painting, James put away his painting tools, waiting for the paint on the paper to dry.
Looking around, the sky had darkened. No one had noticed their presence, so James summoned the Anywhere Door and opened a portal back home. He picked up the easel and started heading home. Robin, seeing this, was amazed and started circling around the Anywhere Door. From the front, it seemed like it led to a regular room, but when she moved around to the back, it appeared as if nothing was there, not even the door frame.
"Come to my house. I'll make you something delicious."
James set up the easel and looked at Robin, who was curiously peeking inside. He waved at her. Robin hesitated for half a second, then stepped through the threshold without any suspicion.
James smiled happily. It seemed that his charm was really at its peak. Even little Robin couldn't resist him. Yesterday, it was Kalifa, and today, it was Robin.
After closing the Anywhere Door, James began to peel off his fake mustache and hair. Robin widened her eyes, realizing that the "uncle" she had called all afternoon was actually just a young man a few years older than her.
"My name is Waffle James, I'm the author of Doraemon, nice to meet you, my little fan." James introduced himself, but Robin immediately became a fangirl, her eyes sparkling like the stars.
"Mr. James, hello. I'm Robin, Nico Robin." Upon seeing her idol, Nico Robin's voice trembled with excitement, and she still hadn't put down the cardboard box in her hands.
"This is Water 7, you should know about it, right?" James asked.
"Mm, I know. I've read about it in books. It's the island closest to Judicial Island, and its shipbuilding industry is the most developed. It's said that the Pirate King Roger's shipwright, Fisher Tiger, lived here." Robin answered.
Indeed, she was an educated girl! Looks like I don't need to introduce much.
"Well, let's go. I'll take you to eat something good. Water 7 is famous for its food!"
"Alright!" Robin placed the cardboard box down and followed James out of the house.
"I'm about to turn fourteen in two months. What about you?" James asked.
"I'll be nine next month." Robin replied.
Hearing this, James felt a little sad. Little Robin, almost nine years old, still looked like she was only seven or eight. It seemed like her uncle and aunt hadn't been feeding her enough! She was so thin...
10 Energy Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Five-Star Ratings = 1 Extra Chapter