"I don't understand..."
Chopper lowered his head. After a moment of silence, tears welled up in his eyes.
"What do you mean our journey is over...? Hey, Robin, why would you say that?" Chopper asked, his voice choked with sobs.
"You still don't understand?"
Leaning back weakly against the sofa, Robin murmured, "The Red Line has been occupied by the Imperial Army. The Holy Land, Mary Geoise, has been destroyed. The World Government's eight-hundred-year rule over the seas has ended."
Robin tapped the World Economic News newspaper on the coffee table. "According to insider reports from the World Economic News president, 'Big News' Morgans, Navy Headquarters is showing signs of surrendering to the Empire."
As she spoke, Robin looked out the window.
Because the café they were in was located in the central district of the commercial street—a three-story building—and their seats were by the window, she could clearly see the Imperial Army methodically erasing the last remnants of the World Government from the Sabaody Archipelago.
Whether it was the black five-pointed cross flags of the World Government or the seagull insignias of the Navy painted upon the mangrove trees, all had been removed.
In their place fluttered the red banners bearing the golden double-headed aquila, alongside military standards of pure white wings spread wide beneath drops of blood.
"The violent are destroyed by those even more violent. The law of the dark jungle... Saul, I found the companions you spoke of. But it seems our journey can no longer continue."
"Hey, Robin, say something! What's wrong with you?" Chopper cried anxiously when he saw her muttering to herself.
"Chopper..."
When Robin looked back at him, Chopper's eyes brimmed with tears.
"Understand what? I don't get it, Robin. We're companions. Why are you saying our journey has to end?"
Robin drew in a deep breath and met Chopper's gaze sincerely.
"Because I don't want everyone to die."
When it came to the Straw Hat Pirates, it was true that each of them had their own role. Every single member was an indispensable part of their voyage across the seas.
Even Brook, as a musician, could bring joy to his companions with song during long ocean crossings, easing the monotony of endless sailing.
But Robin—though her identity as an archaeologist did not seem to align neatly with that of a pirate crew—was arguably the most intellectually and emotionally perceptive among them. She understood better than anyone the true face of the World Government and the Navy, and she possessed the keenest awareness of the world's warmth and cruelty.
Born in the now-destroyed archaeological holy land of Ohara, she had endured a lonely childhood, shunned by relatives and neighbors. She lost her father first, then her mother. In truth, she had barely known either of them.
On the eve of the Buster Call, she had been secretly released by the then–Vice Admiral Kuzan. From that day onward, she was placed on the World Government's wanted list.
Thus, as the youngest wanted criminal in history—branded with the epithet "Devil Child"—Robin drifted from place to place in search of work just to survive. Yet her identity and enormous bounty led to repeated betrayals and abandonment.
Before meeting Luffy, she had hidden in the underworld to evade the Navy and the World Government, surviving by betraying others first.
With such a past, even though Robin had long since accepted Luffy and the others as her true companions, she remained the most guarded and calculating among them.
As for the others—Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, Franky—there was little to say.
Nami's strengths lay primarily in navigation and cartography. In other areas, she was relatively ordinary. Usopp, though weak in combat ability, possessed sharp tactical instincts.
And Sanji—the lovestruck cook. One could not call him foolish. On the contrary, he was quite intelligent, both intellectually and emotionally, and even displayed remarkable combat intuition at times. But whenever a beautiful woman appeared...
Well—let me calculate—however high his intelligence might normally be, it always dropped into the negatives in such moments.
"Chopper, do you think we can stand against a Navy Admiral?"
Robin's piercing question left Chopper speechless.
"A Navy Admiral..."
Even though two years had passed, the Admiral they encountered at Sabaody—"Kizaru"—had shown Chopper what it truly meant to command the pinnacle of the seas.
If not for "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma, who had scattered them across the world, the Straw Hat crew would have already been captured.
Sitting upright, Robin handed the newspaper she had just set down to Chopper and asked seriously,
"An Empire that conquered most of the world within days and destroyed the World Government—do you believe we have even the slightest chance of breaking through them?"
"The Admiral 'Ryokugyu,' who remained in Mary Geoise, was slain by the Imperial Army. One of the Four Emperors who came to intervene—'Red-Haired' Shanks—was encircled and suppressed by the Empire..."
"Now, the two routes into the New World—the Red Line is entirely occupied by the Imperial Army. There is no passage."
"As for the massive underwater tunnel leading to Fish-Man Island—the path into the New World—you saw it earlier. Large numbers of Imperial forces are assembling there. Colossal warships descended from the sky into the depths of the sea. Their destination needs no explanation. We have already missed the final window to enter the New World."
"But when Luffy and the others arrive, we can wait, right? We can wait for the Empire to lift the blockade," Chopper said, trying to muster courage despite Robin's bleak reasoning.
"Wait?"
Tilting her head back to look at the ceiling, Robin murmured, "I only hope everyone is safe."
"Right now, territories across the entire world are gradually being taken over by the Empire. If possible, perhaps we could wait a few years—wait for the world to stabilize. Perhaps the bounties issued by the former regime will be revoked, and we could set sail once more."
That was the best possible outcome Robin could imagine.
Judging by the conduct of the Imperial Army—particularly the Blood Angels' approach—there was indeed a strong possibility that the old wanted notices might be annulled.
When Imperial forces arrested pirates, they paid little heed to the bounty amounts listed by the World Government. Those executed on the platforms were largely the most vicious offenders—the ones who rampaged recklessly or were infamous for brutality.
In Robin's view, the Straw Hat Pirates were far closer to adventurers than true pirates.
They had few crew members. Only one ship—a medium-to-small sailing vessel with barely any cannons.
For pirates to operate at that scale—the Straw Hat crew was truly one of a kind.
Though they carried bounties, they had never massacred civilians or committed wanton slaughter and plunder. At most, they had attacked Enies Lobby and humiliated the World Government. Now that the Empire had taken power, it was unlikely to seek revenge on behalf of its predecessor.
"The only one I'm truly worried about is Luffy. That stubborn personality of his..." Thinking of their captain, Robin pressed a hand to her forehead and frowned deeply.
With Luffy shouting every day about becoming King of the Pirates, Robin had no doubt whatsoever that if the Imperial Army heard such declarations, they would not respond kindly.
While gathering intelligence in the café, Robin had also listened to Imperial broadcasts for some time. She had come to understand the Empire's reverence for order and its uncompromising policy of exterminating brigands.
Or perhaps she could tell Luffy to stop shouting about becoming King of the Pirates. Lower the pirate flag for now. Let him say he wants to be King of the Navigators instead... The Empire probably would not trouble civilian adventurers, would it?
Robin had a powerful premonition.
The Great Age of Pirates was over.
The moment the thought surfaced, she shook her head.
"How could that be? If Luffy stopped shouting about becoming Pirate King every day, would he still be Luffy...?"
Just as Robin was considering how to persuade Luffy to lie low and temporarily restrain his urge to set sail—
Bang!
"Robin! Lu—Luffy, he...!"
A young woman with long orange wavy hair burst through the door. A lock of hair hung over the left side of her chest. Pearl earrings glinted at her ears. Dressed lightly, wearing her Log Pose and golden bracelets, Nami rushed in breathlessly.
"Nami!" Chopper jumped up in relief. "Did you find Luffy? What about Brook, Sanji, Zoro—"
"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Franky—they've been captured by the Imperial Army. They're about to be executed!" Nami gasped as she hurried to the table.
"What?!"
"I knew it! With Luffy running around shouting 'I'm going to be King of the Pirates,' I knew something like this would happen!"
Robin slammed her palm against the table and stood up, regret written across her face.
"What do we do now, Nami? Robin? We have to save Luffy and the others!" Chopper was already in tears.
"Save them? With what? Us? How are we supposed to fight those heavily armored Imperial soldiers? Are we going to throw our lives away?" Robin clutched her head, her usual composure crumbling.
Her worst fears had come true.
Suddenly, she stiffened.
"Wait—where's Usopp? Nami, wasn't he with you?"
"Usopp... wasn't he right behind me?" Nami froze, cold sweat sliding down her forehead.
"He didn't go ahead to rescue them by himself, did he...?"
The two women and one reindeer exchanged horrified glances.
The next instant—
Crash!
A long-nosed figure covered in blood smashed through the café wall and tumbled inside.
"We noticed your strange expressions at the execution ground earlier. Lady Arisa guessed correctly. That rubber brat has accomplices!"
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Accompanied by a low metallic voice, a squad of Astartes clad in purple armor trimmed with gold stepped through the breach in the wall, their heavy footsteps shaking the café.
Under their immense weight, the floorboards and walls groaned ominously.
"Imperial Army!"
They were surrounded.
The roaring whine of chainswords spun to life at close range. Massive bolter muzzles aimed directly at them.
Even with their relatively weak Observation Haki, the overwhelming threat of death reverberated through Robin and Nami's minds.
"Who are they?" asked a Black Marlin officer, holding a power sword and wearing a plumed crest upon his helm.
Two middle-aged sailors in Navy uniforms stepped forward cautiously, clutching a thick catalog of wanted posters.
"Navigator of the Straw Hat crew, 'Cat Burglar' Nami. Bounty: 66 million Beli."
"'Devil Child,' the last archaeologist—Nico Robin. Bounty: 80 million Beli."
"And... uh..."
"Pet? Reindeer. Bounty: 50 Beli..."
"Pet? Navigator? Archaeologist? These are pirates?"
For a moment, even the Astartes officer was confused. He muttered over the internal squad channel within his armor.
"Did we grab the wrong people?"
Two delicate beauties and a reindeer—navigator, scholar, and a reindeer.
Compared to brigands, they looked more like noble ladies out on holiday.
"Doesn't matter. Detain them first. The bounty amounts aren't reliable metrics. We'll interrogate them later. If they're guilty, we'll know."
"If we made a mistake, we'll compensate them."
...
This was the distinctive Legion culture that had formed within the Astartes Third Legion, the Black Marlin, under Liver's command.
"Oh—archaeologist. Can you read ancient script?" the officer suddenly asked, stepping before Robin and staring down at her rigid form.
Hands raised, Robin answered quietly, "I... I can read some."
"Good. You're requisitioned. Perform well and your sentence may be reduced. If you're innocent, you may even be granted a title."
Robin was still processing his words when a massive armored hand descended.
Her vision went black.
The last thing she heard—aside from Nami and Chopper shouting her name—was:
"Send her to Lady Arisa. We found someone who can read those stone monuments... the Poneglyphs or whatever they are."
...
Elsewhere, in the New World—on the Pirate Island, Hachinosu.
Big Mom Charlotte Linlin, Kaido of the Beasts, and "Blackbeard" Marshall D. Teach stood side by side, their expressions grim as they watched a streak of golden light racing toward them from the distant horizon.
Slowing to a halt a hundred paces away, Sanguinius descended, hovering in midair. Pure white angelic wings spread wide, radiating dazzling brilliance.
"So you've united... Good. That saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."
"How arrogant," Big Mom screeched with a shrill laugh. "And what should we call you?"
"Sanguinius."
Facing these true pirate overlords, Sanguinius had no intention of conversation. He spoke sparingly.
"You've already taken the Red Line. Why not negotiate? I can pay tribute from Totto Land. You could even marry one of my daughters—"
Thud!
Without the slightest interest in listening further, Sanguinius flicked his hand. A bundled spherical object flew through the air and landed precisely before the three Emperors. As the cloth unraveled while it rolled, it revealed the bloodied contents within.
"Shanks!"
The bright red hair was unmistakable. On the charred left eye, the three scars were still visible.
It was none other than "Red-Haired" Shanks, who had previously crossed paths with Sanguinius.
"Worororo... Linlin, looks like he isn't interested," Kaido laughed, tilting back his sake gourd.
"Zehahaha! Negotiation? Impossible. These new rulers are far more domineering than the World Government ever was," Blackbeard cackled.
Listening to the distinctive laughter of the pirate leaders, Sanguinius remained expressionless as he drew his crimson-stained blade.
"The era of pirates is over."