Robin's face went pale with terror as she sat helplessly on the dirt, scrambling backward with trembling hands. The fat woman and her thin husband approached with smirking confidence. After all, a bounty of seventy-nine million berries was practically beckoning them forward.
The thin man aimed the flintlock carefully at her legs, lips curled into a twisted grin.
In Robin's eyes, the couple's greedy expressions made them look like true monsters.
Just as the man's finger tightened around the trigger, Robin's survival instincts surged.
With desperation fueling her clarity, she activated her Devil Fruit. A pair of hands blossomed behind the man's head, instantly covering his eyes. Another pair wrapped tightly around his neck.
"What is this? What is on me?"
Feeling hands suddenly sprout from his own body, the man panicked, staggering in fear. Robin seized her chance. She summoned more hands behind him, reaching for the flintlock in his grip, trying to wrench it free.
But the man refused to release the weapon. In their frantic struggle, the gun jerked wildly.
A deafening shot rang out.
The flintlock misfired.
The bullet struck the fat woman beside him.
"Aah!"
She collapsed in a heap, screaming as blood pooled beneath her.
"Egili!"
The thin man's voice cracked with horror. Seeing his wife fall into a spreading pool of red tore something inside him. Grief twisted into fury. He glared at Robin with bloodshot eyes.
"You cursed brat. You monster. I will kill you for this. I will avenge Egili!"
Panic spiked in Robin's chest. She summoned her powers again. Hundreds of hands erupted across the ground and walls around them, wrapping tightly around the man's body and pinning him to the earth.
Robin did not look back.
She turned and fled with everything she had.
She ran until her lungs burned and her legs felt ready to give out. Eventually, she could no longer hear his shouting or the echo of gunfire.
Her breath came in ragged gasps.
She dove into a dense patch of bushes and pressed herself into the shadows, sweat dripping down her forehead.
She remembered everything that had led to this moment.
That day, pirates attacked the merchant ship she was hiding on. She had sneaked away, hiding in a storage space until the pirates set the ship ablaze and departed. Only then did she dare to come out. What she saw was devastation. No one else had survived.
With the flames rising and heat closing in around her, Robin discovered a damaged lifeboat barely clinging to usefulness. She climbed aboard without hesitation. To live was her only choice.
She intended to return to the Underworld City. Yet as her small boat approached a tiny island, a violent wave slammed into the side, capsizing it. The sea swallowed her, and darkness followed.
When she opened her eyes, she was in the couple's house.
At first, they treated her kindly. They offered food and a place to rest. But Robin never fully lowered her guard. She overheard their whispered conversation one night and realized they had discovered her identity. Greed for her bounty had twisted their kindness into malice.
Robin escaped through the window, but they caught her quickly, which led to the life-and-death chase she had just survived.
She pushed her way through the forest and eventually reached the shore. Sitting against a large rock, she stared blankly at the endless sea, trying to think of how she might return to the Underworld City alive.
Just then, a gust of ocean wind swept past.
A soggy newspaper slapped across her face.
Startled, Robin pulled it off. She was about to toss it aside when a bold headline caught her attention.
Her eyes widened. Terror spread across her face.
Something had happened. Something huge.
She froze, gripping the newspaper tightly.
…
Far away, Liam Ross finally arrived at the Marine Training Camp.
"What are you here for?" a marine guard demanded sharply, blocking the entrance with his spear.
"I am a training cadet sent by Marine Headquarters," Liam replied calmly, handing over the recommendation letter from Kuzan.
The guard checked the seal, skimmed through the contents, and nodded.
"You may enter. Report directly to the Chief Instructor."
"Thanks."
Liam accepted the letter and continued inside.
Soon he stood inside an office where the legendary former Admiral, now Chief Instructor of the Marine Academy, sat behind his desk.
Black Arm Zephyr.
At this time, he still had both arms, his massive frame towering with authority. His purple hair and stern presence radiated strength. As his sharp tiger-like eyes studied Liam, he had already finished reading the recommendation letter detailing Liam's background.
"What level has your Observation Haki reached?" Zephyr asked in a deep, commanding voice.
Liam gave a deliberately vague answer. "Reporting to Chief Instructor, I am not entirely sure."
Zephyr frowned slightly. "Then we will have to test it."
Six minutes later…
Liam followed Zephyr into a large training hall. Various equipment filled the room, and dozens of marine cadets trained intensely.
"Chief Instructor!"
"Teacher Zephyr!"
Everyone, cadets and officers alike, greeted him with genuine respect.
Zephyr nodded in acknowledgement.
The moment Liam stepped in behind him, curious eyes immediately turned toward him. Being personally recommended by Kuzan made him stand out.
"Tom."
Zephyr called to a middle-aged marine overseeing a squad of cadets.
Tom jogged over, saluted, and asked, "Instructor, do you need something?"
"This is the recruit recommended by Kuzan. He has awakened Observation Haki. Assign someone to test his strength."
Zephyr pointed at Liam.
Kuzan was already a famous vice admiral at this time, one of the future pillars of the Marines. When the cadets heard the name, they looked at Liam with a mix of interest and admiration.
Tom's eyes scanned the trainees.
They landed on a silver-haired youth.
"Smoker, you will test his ability."
White Hunter Smoker.
Liam looked at him. The boy stepped forward. He was young, maybe seventeen or eighteen, but the fierce spirit in his eyes was unmistakable.
Smoker met Liam's gaze with cold determination. "Yes, Instructor!"
The other cadets cleared the center of the hall, forming a spacious circle.
Liam and Smoker faced each other.
Liam saw excitement in the younger cadet's eyes. Real-battle practice was the fastest way to grow stronger, and Smoker wanted that.
Then a familiar chime echoed in Liam's mind.
Ding.
"New target mission: Keep a low profile. The host must hold out for one minute and then intentionally lose."
"Reward: Mystery Chest."
Liam blinked.
This system really wanted him to embarrass himself today.
But a reward was a reward.
Tom raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Smoker moved instantly. Like an unleashed stallion, he charged forward with explosive speed. His right hand thrust out, fingers hardened like bullets.
Rokushiki Technique: Shigan.