At this moment, still unaware that Zephyr had already started acting on his own, Ian continued leading everyone toward the new base.
Of course, other than Ian and Gini, who already knew about the new base, the others were filled with curiosity, anticipation, and confusion about it.
They had followed willingly, but facing the sudden bounty issued by the World Government, how could they not feel uncertain?
Even Robin, who was traveling with her child, felt the same. But with her family accompanying her, the confusion she felt about the future wasn't as heavy.
Whether becoming pirates or drifting across the sea, she no longer felt fear, only curiosity and anticipation.
Curiosity and anticipation for their new home.
But no matter how she asked, Ian always gave her the same mysterious reply: "You'll know when we get there."
It left Robin helpless. No matter how she pressured him, she couldn't squeeze any information out.
Instead, she only tired herself out each day.
For example, right now... Seeing Ian coming over again, Robin, holding their child, shot him a glare before saying irritably: "Dear, I don't recover instantly when I bathe in the sunlight like you! And I think you should be comforting Ain right now; she's been worried nonstop."
"Ain..."
Hearing Robin's words made Ian helpless as well. "Instructor Zephyr ran off so fast without saying anything. Isn't he just making his student worry even more?"
He knew exactly what Ain was worried about, but now was not the time to go after Zephyr.
Even if he found him, he wouldn't know how to persuade him. He couldn't exactly beat up the other party first and then convince him afterward, right?
Ian scratched his head in distress. "No matter how I comfort her now, Ain will keep worrying. Forget it, I'll deal with it once we reach the new base."
Hearing that, Robin felt a headache coming on, too. But before she could say anything, at that moment…
"We're here! We've arrived at our new base!"
Gini's excited voice suddenly rang out, immediately drawing everyone's attention, including Ian and Robin.
"Dear, we have arrived!"
Especially Robin, who had never managed to get any information from Ian. Right now, her face lit up with a playful smile as she winked at Ian.
"Let's see what kind of place you've been hiding so mysteriously."
But as she spoke and turned her head toward the outside, Robin seemed to catch sight of something and froze completely.
What appeared before her eyes… was an island.
A very familiar island.
In that instant, Robin's pupils dilated as she stared in disbelief. Her eyes unknowingly grew wet, yet she continued staring fixedly at that island, her lips trembling slightly.
That island was…
"Ohara!"
…
Ohara, a famous island in the West Blue, possesses the largest number of scholars in the world and the library with the most books, the Tree of Knowledge, hailed by the sea as the Holy Land of archaeology.
At the same time, this was also Robin's hometown.
But this once-Archaeological Holy Land was completely destroyed by a disaster (the Buster Call); everything on the island was wiped out, and even the name Ohara disappeared entirely from the map.
It could be said that children born after that year might not even know that the West Blue once had the most famous Archaeological Holy Land on the sea.
As she gazed at the nearing Ohara, no, it should be said she was the one nearing Ohara, Robin's heart at this moment was filled with various surging emotions: Sentiment, sadness, loss, fear, worry, and also a trace of happiness.
She truly never expected that the so-called new base was actually Ohara, and even more unexpected was that she would actually have a chance to return.
To return to her hometown once more!
And this time, she was returning with her child!
Even though everything on Ohara had once been destroyed, Ohara was still Ohara; it was her hometown. It held her laughter, but also her sorrow and terror.
Just as Robin stared fixedly at Ohara, memories of the past seemed to surge up within her mind.
The ship had already successfully docked at the newly built dock of Ohara.
Ian, who stood nearby, looked at Robin, who seemed lost in memories, holding her child, eyes red and wet while staring intensely at Ohara. He smiled as he said, "Robin, it's time to go home!"
As his words fell, Robin returned to her senses. Her eyes were still full of complicated emotions as she looked at the island before her, as though recalling something.
Then she murmured softly: "Go home?"
But only a moment later, she took a deep breath. Holding the child in her arms, her previously complicated expression loosened into a smile, and she smiled and nodded at Ian.
Ian didn't hesitate.
Hearing Ace below the ship calling for them, he directly took Robin's hand and led her off the ship.
He understood that Robin was very conflicted and anxious, not knowing how to face her former hometown, the hometown that had already been destroyed.
But as she felt the warmth from Ian's hand, and looked at the daughter in her arms, who had woken up at some unknown time and was curiously observing her new surroundings with her round, bright eyes, at this moment, Robin's fears and worries seemed to vanish.
The nightmare-like memory that had haunted her, the destruction of Ohara, no longer frightened her.
Yes, this was her home. A home she shared with Ian and Aria, it was no longer just Ohara.
When her feet touched the dock, Robin unconsciously lowered her head and looked at the ground beneath her, gazing at the newly built dock.
"Sorry, everything in Ohara was destroyed, so this dock is newly built."
Seeing Robin looking at the dock, Ian spoke apologetically: "Originally, I planned to have them build it exactly like Ohara's old dock, but those engineers have never seen the original, so this was the best they could do. And the same goes for the island, it was destroyed... Sigh... Those guys can't restore it, and even now the construction isn't finished."
It could be said that most of Ian's profits from Skypiea had been invested here, and to prevent leaks, all the workers sent here were carefully selected by the Grado Family.
From now on, those workers would have to stay here, and they weren't allowed to leave.
Unfortunately, everything happened too suddenly, so most parts weren't finished, and many locations hadn't even begun construction.
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