Some passing townsfolk waved cheerfully as Yahn stepped off the small boat.
"Hey, Commander Yahn, how come you're back from fishing so early today?" (Yahn is called commander on this island since he was the commander in the naval base here.)
Yahn smiled gently and waved a hand.
"The fish weren't biting today."
"Hahaha, Commander Yahn, you went and blasted the water again, didn't you? Even if there were fish, you must've scared them off!" a few civilians joked good-naturedly.
Yahn chuckled and replied while heading toward the town, "No, no, it's probably just the currents. I'll try a different direction tomorrow—should be better."
Meanwhile, on the deck of a newly docked merchant ship, a small cloaked figure kept her eyes fixed on Yahn.
In a flash, she leapt lightly off the ship and onto the harbor, following after him at a cautious distance.
Yahn, however, was constantly keeping his Observation Haki active. He soon noticed the sneaky presence shadowing him.
But this town around the 521st Marine Base was unusually lively.
To North Blue merchants, the 521st base town was something of a miracle—a haven of peace. For years, no pirates had dared raid this place.
Because of that, the town had gradually become a major trade hub for nearby seas. Crowds thronged the streets, and with so many civilians around, Yahn couldn't risk making a move—he didn't want a fight breaking out and harming innocents.
And everywhere he went, townsfolk enthusiastically called out to him:
"Commander Yahn! Got time today? Come by my place for a round of billiards—one shot, one pocket, learn some tricks from me!"
"Commander Yahn, these are the freshest fruits today. Have a taste!"
"Brother Yan! Candy! Do you have any candy today?"
Yahn responded to each warmly, all while gradually steering his steps away from the bustling streets, heading into quieter alleys.
The cloaked figure trailed after him. When she saw him disappear around a corner, she hurried forward.
But as soon as she entered the alley, she froze.
The ground was covered in a dazzling carpet of cherry blossom petals—when had they appeared?
Yahn stood waiting, face serious, as he watched the cloaked figure at the far end of the alley.
"Don't move," he commanded. "Or these beautiful blossoms will become your grave."
Pirate scout? World Government spy? Some other enemy?
As possibilities flashed through Yahn's mind, the figure suddenly threw back her hood.
A pair of deep, luminous blue-black eyes met his, and her smile bloomed brilliantly.
"If it's to rest beneath Brother Yahn's cherry blossoms, I wouldn't mind at all."
Yahn blinked at the delicate features of the girl before him, stunned for a moment. Then realization hit.
"…Nico Robin?"
Robin spread her hands, eyes sparkling with irrepressible joy.
"Six years. It's taken me six years, but I finally found you, Brother Yahn. You didn't lie to me back then. You said we'd meet again somewhere on this sea—and here we are."
Yahn stiffened.
Did I… ever say that?
Thinking back, maybe he had tossed the words out casually at the time.
But what shocked him more was Robin's sudden appearance here at the 521st Marine Base—and alone, sneaking around no less.
"Robin… did you come here by yourself? Weren't Dragon and the others with you?"
"Dragon?" Robin tilted her head, puzzled, before realization dawned. "Ah—Brother Yahn, you mean the man linked to that transponder snail number you gave me?"
"…Wait."
Yahn frowned. "Don't tell me, Robin… you never once contacted Dragon in the past six years?"
Robin looked at him with those dark blue eyes and shook her head. "No."
A chill of unease rippled through Yahn.
By his estimation, the only person alive who could read the ancient texts—Robin—should have long been under Dragon's protection.
But his last contact with Dragon had been six years ago. They'd parted on sour terms, and the conversation had ended abruptly.
Robin had also remained silent in their shared spiritual space all these years, so Yahn had simply assumed she'd made contact and was safe.
"…Why didn't you?" Yahn asked.
Robin lowered her gaze to her toes, fidgeting as if afraid of being scolded.
"Because… I only trust Brother Yahn. No one else. Even if they're comrades you trust, I don't."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Like back then—Saul trusted his friend Kuzan, and look what happened. And since Brother Yahn is a Marine, your companions must be Marines too. If I put my faith in them, I'd risk exposing myself."
Her words were hesitant, her logic uneven. Yet Yahn couldn't help but feel the raw, fragile trust behind them—like a skittish larva testing the world around it with trembling feelers.
"…Honestly."
Yahn rubbed the back of his head helplessly, studying the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl before him. "So you've just been wandering alone these past six years?"
Robin shook her head and broke into a small smile.
"Not really. I had Brother Yahn's strength with me all along, didn't I?"
Yahn sighed inwardly.
Girl… you're saying that too soon.
If you were six years older, those words might have moved me.
But now, at only thirteen or fourteen, they only make me feel like a father who abandoned his daughter—only for that daughter to travel across the seas for six years just to find him again.
Robin's dark eyes watched him carefully, as though terrified of seeing rejection.
"…Hah."
Yahn let out a long sigh and asked, "So, Robin—why did you come all the way here to see me? Do you have some plan?"
Robin shifted her gaze aside, toe tracing the ground.
"Not really… It's just… better than drifting aimlessly alone. I thought I might as well come see you, Brother Yahn."
Yahn nearly laughed aloud.
Better than aimless drifting? Do you call this a detour?
To sail from the West Blue to the North Blue, you first have to cross into the Grand Line, then somehow find one of the few routes back into the North Blue—that's practically a lap around the world.
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