Noy watched the port nervously until she was certain that things were happening just as Luo Fan had said—Kuzan hadn't laid a hand on Robin and was instead preparing to send her away. Only then did Noy feel completely at ease.
Noy was relieved, but Luo Fan had a new idea. Since he had already shown his face to Kuzan, there was no longer any need to hide from him.
So, Luo Fan flew in front of Kuzan while carrying Noy, flapping his wings. He asked with a hint of mockery, "Mr. Kuzan, as a Marine Vice Admiral, it seems a bit inappropriate for you to let an Ohara Scholar go, doesn't it?"
Kuzan looked somewhat helpless seeing Luo Fan descend from the sky, but he still answered firmly, "This little girl is just an ordinary person, not some Scholar."
"It's not right to let ordinary people go either, is it? Just now, Sakazuki destroyed the evacuation ship carrying civilians along with everyone else."
Kuzan's expression turned cold upon hearing this. "I didn't expect Sakazuki to go to such lengths."
"It seems you also think Sakazuki was wrong, Vice Admiral," Luo Fan asked with a smile.
"Whether Sakazuki's actions were just or not has nothing to do with a pirate like you," Kuzan replied coldly.
"It has nothing to do with me, but it does with you and this little girl. Nico Robin is the sole survivor of Ohara; she's also a Scholar and proficient in the Ancient Script. Letting her go means the sacrifice of Ohara was in vain."
"So what? I've said it before—I am not her benefactor. If she does evil, I will be the first one to arrest her."
"It seems you've made Up your mind, Vice Admiral, so I won't say more. But finally, I'd like to ask you to consider one question:"
"If one day the tragedy of Ohara happens again, what will you do?" Having said that, Luo Fan carried Noy and flew onto Robin's boat.
Robin was a bit at a loss seeing the two small Cats suddenly board the boat.
Luo Fan waved at Kuzan and then used lightning to push the small boat away from the port.
Kuzan let out a long sigh as he watched the boat drift away. He had already thought about Luo Fan's final question more than once today, yet he still had no answer.
To be honest, Kuzan was somewhat resistant to the Marine's Buster Call on Ohara; otherwise, he wouldn't have thought about stalling for time at the beginning to find a better solution.
Kuzan could accept erasing the Scholars who touched the World Government's bottom line, but he couldn't accept making the people of an entire island die with them because of the Scholars' mistakes.
Especially Sakazuki's action of attacking the evacuation ship today made Kuzan feel even more helpless and angry. However, he had no way to change it—or more accurately, he didn't know how to change it.
If Luo Fan knew that Kuzan was caught in such a dilemma right now, he would surely have laughed out loud with joy.
The question he asked Kuzan at the end was meant to plant a nail in Kuzan's heart. Whenever he thought of the events at Ohara, he would think of Luo Fan's question.
This question might not have much effect now, but one day, when Kuzan and Sakazuki have a conflict of ideals, this question will be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
"Um, that, why did you come onto my boat?"
Robin's question interrupted Luo Fan's thoughts. Just as Luo Fan was about to answer, Noy transformed back into her human form first. She patted Robin's head and said, "We came to protect you. Once you reach a safe place, we will leave."
Robin's eyes lit Up at those words. She grabbed Noy's hand as if catching a lifeline. "I don't need you to protect me. My Mama is still on the island. Can you save her?"
After a moment of silence, Noy shook her head and said, "Aside from you, no one else will survive Ohara today. We are also powerless."
Hearing Noy's words, the light in Robin's eyes dimmed once again. She let go of Noy's hand, hugged her knees, and while shedding tears, she let out the same strange laughter as Saulo.
Noy's eyes also turned red. She transformed back into her cat form and huddled next to Luo Fan.
With Luo Fan's help, the small boat quickly left the range of the Marine's fire.
Noy and Robin shared a brief farewell, and then Luo Fan picked her Up and flew back to Ohara.
Luo Fan's purpose for returning to Ohara was simple: he had to ensure the safety of the Cat Corps.
Fortunately, the refuge Luo Fan had chosen earlier was quite safe, and the Cats had not been affected by the cannon fire.
"Luo Fan, let's go!" After confirming the Cats were okay, Noy took one last look at Ohara, which had already turned into a sea of fire.
Luo Fan nodded, picked Up Noy, and flew back to the port where their ship was docked.
However, what Luo Fan hadn't expected was that the Marine's shells hadn't even spared his ship. By now, the ship had been sunk, and only two wooden planks remained floating on the sea.
Luo Fan sighed and could only carry Noy toward a nearby island.
Following the guidance of the Eternal Pose, Luo Fan flew for an entire day before reaching the nearest island.
Ohara was located in the West Blue, and this particular island had never appeared in the original story.
To make moving around easier, Noy transformed back into her human form and walked toward the heart of the island while carrying Luo Fan.
The person and the cat walked for over an hour before finally encountering the island's first resident.
This was an old woman who looked to be in her sixties or seventies. She carried a bamboo basket on her back, which contained some bread and bamboo shoots.
Noy hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to ask, "Excuse me, grandmother, where on this island can we buy a boat?"
"Buy a boat? Are you going out to sea?"
"Yes."
The old woman sighed upon hearing this. "Sigh, little girl, don't blame an old woman for meddling, but a girl like you isn't suited to be a pirate."
"The Pirate King's treasure is very tempting, but it's not that easy to get."
"Grandmother, you've misunderstood. I'm not going out to sea to be a pirate. I want to take a boat to the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Ah? Is that so? My apologies, I misunderstood. If you want to buy a boat, you can head south to the market and take a look. There should be boats for sale there."
"It's just that so many people have been heading out to be pirates lately that the price of boats might be quite expensive."
Noy nodded, thanked the old woman, and walked toward the southern market while carrying Luo Fan.
On the way, Noy encountered several groups of ragged, gaunt young people shouting about becoming pirates.
From their idle chatter, Noy learned that this island was a member nation of the World Government and had to pay an astronomical heavenly tribute every year in exchange for the protection of the World Government and the Marine.
To pay the heavenly tribute, the royal family constantly exploited the people, to the point where many could no longer afford to eat.
Under these circumstances, the words Roger spoke at his execution gave them hope to live on.
As long as they became pirates and found the legendary One Piece, they could become wealthy. Thus, more and more desperate young people chose to go to sea.
They weren't the first group, and they wouldn't be the last.
Watching the retreating backs of the young people, Noy once again realized deeply that the order of this world had become rotten.
In the end, Noy and Luo Fan didn't buy a boat. They hitched a ride on the boat of those young men from earlier. As for the process of getting on board, it was nothing more than a 'warm and friendly' exchange.
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I've seen everyone's opinions, and they're basically split fifty-fifty. Given that, I will appropriately increase Noy's screen time and have her interact more with Luo Fan, but I'll still stick to the original outline and keep it as no CP for now. This way, everyone should be satisfied.