At the port of Ohara, Spaood in stunned silence as a line of heavily armed soldiers moved stacks of books from the isnd onte ship anchored nearby.

  "Who are these people? And what the hell are they doing?" Spatered, gng questioningly at a subordinate beside him.

  The subordinate quickly responded, "Sir Spandine, I heard it's His Highness Cudius who's on the isnd."

  Spandi a pang of dread. The presence of Celestial Dragons plicated everything. Even though he hadn't seen this particur ship before, the fg it bore was unmistakable, no one in their right mind would dare interfere.

  "Why didn't anyone inform me sooner?!" Spandine snapped, masking his unease. "Get moving, take me to him at once!"

  Meanwhile, ihe Tree of Knowledge, Cudius was gazing around i the massive, hollowed-out tree that served as Ohara's legendary library. Shelves upon shelves of aomes and scrolls stretched up to the ceiling, housing humanity's fotten cultures and wisdom. The sheer volume of knowledge amassed here was breathtaking.

  As he observed, Stussy approached quietly, stopping beside him. "Yhness, our men have found the renegade Giant Vice Admiral—Jaguar D. Saul—hiding on the west coast."

  Cudius g her and nodded. "I see."

  "Do you wish for him to be apprehended?" Stussy inquired.

  Cudius shook his head dismissively. "Let's not get sidetracked. The priority right now is to evacuate all these books from the Tree of Knowledge. Also, hahe Den Den Mushi."

  Stussy handed over the Den Den Mushi she carried, and Cudius dialed a number. After a few rings, a zy voice picked up, sounding as though the speaker had just been woken up.

  "Kuzan?" Cudius greeted with a slight smile.

  At that moment, Kuzan was lying sprawled out on the deck of a warship stationed around Ohara, a sleep mask pushed up onto his forehead. Reizing the voi the line, he seemed a bit surprised.

  "Yhness Cudius?"

  "That's me," Cudius replied with a grin.

  "So… you're actually on Ohara?" Kuzan asked, amused.

  "Of course. If you're all pnning to blow this pce to pieces, someone has to be here to rescue these precious artifacts before they're lost forever. You know me, always looking out for the world's cultural treasures," Cudius joked.

  Kuzan chuckled. "I didn't think of that angle."

  "Well, I didn't call to discuss my library. Sengoku requested that CP-X assist Marih a certain… problematic situation. Specifically, your wayward friend, Jaguar D. Saul. If I remember correctly, you two were close, right?"

  Kuzan fell silent, clearly unfortable. After a moment, he admitted, "Yes… Saul and I are good friends. We've been through a lot together."

  "Then I'll leave his fate in your hands," Cudius said quietly.

  There ause before Kuzan replied, "Wait… does that mean… you know where he is?"

  "He's on Ohara, hiding in the forest along the western coastline. But it's not my pce to interfere in Mariters. That's between you and him," Cudius said, his tone carefully ral.

  "Thank you, Yhness," Kuzan replied solemnly. "I'll ha."

  As they hung up, Cudius looked down at the phone worm, musing to himself. "Was that too harsh? After all, they are friends…"

  Stussy, who had overheard, gave a small smile. "I think Yhness was quite siderate. Precisely because they're friends, you gave Kuzan the ce to settle this himself."

  "Maybe," Cudius murmured, before his attention shifted to Dr. Clover, alking towards him, holding the hand of a young girl with short, dark hair. The girl looked around in fusion, clearly unsure of what was happening.

  "Nico Robin," Cudius whispered to himself.

  "Hm? Did you say something, Yhness?" Stussy asked, not quite catg his words.

  "Nothing important," Cudius replied, smiling faintly.

  Dr. Clover approached him and spoke in a calm, yet urgent tone. "Yhness Cudius, I see that you're a man who values culture and knowledge. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, trying to save these books. So… I have a request."

  "Go on," Cudius said, nodding.

  Clover took a deep breath. "I'd like to entrust this child to your care. Her name is Nico Robin. She's a gifted child, with an insatiable curiosity for knowledge and culture."

  He didn't mention that Robin was already an aplished schor in her ht, despite being o years old. To him, she was like a granddaughter, and now, in these final moments, he wao ensure her safety.

  Cudius looked at Clover, slightly bemused. This was the same man who'd resisted him only moments before, yet now he was entrusting a child to his care. The irony was not lost on him.

  "And why, exactly, should I accept this request?" Cudius asked, his tone softer than his words.

  Clover hesitated, then replied, "I noticed Yhness has a deep respect for books and knowledge. Surely a grand library like yours could use a skilled caretaker. Robin has spent her whole life here iree of Knowledge, she knows these books inside and out. I believe she could be of great help to you, guiding you through the colle, finding whatever you need with ease."

  Cudius was silent, looking at Clover for a long moment before his gaze dropped to Robin. The little girl was watg them with wide, apprehensive eyes, uain but trusting in her mentor.

  Finally, Cudius let out a small smile. "You make a pelling argument."

  Clover's shoulders slumped with relief, a small smile of gratitude crossing his face. For him, Cudius was Robin's best ce of survival. Despite her young age, she was already a true Ohara schor, and he wanted a piece of Ohara to live on, even if it had to be through her.

  He k down beside Robin, speaking softly. "Robin, I've entrusted you to this gentleman. His status is very high, he'll keep you safe. From now on, stay close to him, do as he says, and don't cause any trouble, alright?"

  Robin looked at him with teary eyes. "What about you, Grandpa Clover?"

  Clover forced a gentle smile. "I'm staying here in Ohara, my dear."

  "But… I want to stay too," Robin said, her voice trembling.

  He hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear, "Robin… from now on, you are Ohara."

  Cudius gave them a moment, his gaze drifting back to the diminishing rows of books. Just then, an overly familiar, sycophantic voice grated on his ears.

  "Yhness, there you are!"

  Cudius turo see Spandine hurrying over, practically tripping over himself in his eagerness.

  "Hahaha, Spandine," Cudius greeted him with a knowing smile. "Looks like you're the CP lead for this operation?"

  Spandine, ever obsequious, nodded rapidly. "Yes, thanks to Admiral Sengoku's reendation, I was assigned as the overseer for this Buster Call. Quite an honor."

  "Well, do a good job and it might get you snition ba Mariejois," Cudius replied, nodding.

  Spandine ughed nervously, quick to agree. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he cautiously asked, "If I may… Yhness, what exactly are you…?"

  "Oh, this?" Cudius gestured to the books being loaded onto his ship. "I'm simply salvaging some of these cultural artifacts. No need for you to yourself, go ahead and plete your mission."

  Relief flooded Spandine's face. "Of course, Yhness. Thank you for crifying."

  Just as Spandine was about to turn away, Cudius spoke up again, as if remembering something. "By the way, Spandine, have you ever sidered a position in CP-X?"

  Spandine's eyes widened in shock, his face lighting up with excitement. "Yhness… are you serious? A ce to serve directly under you?"

  Cudius cpped a hand on Spandine's shoulder, smiling in that charmi unreadable way. "I've always appreciated your skills and loyalty. I think you'd fit right in."

  In that moment, Spandine's mind whirled with thoughts of his impending success. There was only ohought eg in his head: I'm about to make it big!

  ***

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