· The reason Ryan asked that question was simple.
He wanted to determine the current point in the One Piece timeline.
Hearing his question, Nico Robin looked at him in surprise.
They had already barged into her room…
Yet they didn’t even know where they were?
At that moment, her gaze drifted past Ryan to the scenery behind him.
It was an unfamiliar Japanese-style living room.
But she clearly remembered that outside her bedroom door should have been a long corridor.
Could it be…
Some kind of Devil Fruit ability had connected two completely different spaces together?
Was that why they didn’t know where they were?
Robin’s mind raced as she answered, “This is the Kingdom of Arabasta.” Ryan nodded before asking another question.
“Have you ever heard of the Straw Hat Pirates?” Robin shook her head.
“No.” “I’ve never heard of them.” Ryan continued, “What year is it according to the Sea Circle Calendar?” This time Robin was genuinely astonished.
Not knowing where they were was one thing…
But not even knowing the current year?
Could they really be from another world?
The thought surfaced for only a moment before she dismissed it.
No.
If they truly came from another world…
How could they know about the Kingdom of Arabasta?
Robin found another explanation far more believable.
Perhaps they had been trapped somewhere completely isolated from the outside world.
There were plenty of people like that.
The seas were unimaginably vast.
Almost anything was possible.
“It’s the year 1520.” Ryan raised an eyebrow.
If he remembered correctly…
Luffy set sail in the year 1520.
Yet Robin had never heard of the Straw Hat Pirates.
That meant one of two things.
Either Luffy hadn’t left East Blue yet…
Or he had only just begun his journey, and news of the Straw Hat Pirates hadn’t reached the Grand Line.
There was, of course, a third possibility.
Robin could be lying.
But Ryan considered that unlikely.
After all, Robin didn’t know Luffy or the Straw Hat Pirates yet.
She had no reason to lie about complete strangers.
“Thank you for answering my questions, Miss Nico Robin.” Ryan smiled warmly.
“Now I’d like to ask you to come somewhere with me.” He stepped into Robin’s bedroom and closed the door.
Then he opened it again.
This time…
The doorway no longer connected to the Senju Clan residence.
Instead…
It led directly to Ryan’s room.
Robin’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Is this considered kidnapping?” As she spoke, she quietly prepared herself for the worst.
Ryan smiled.
“No.” “It’s an invitation.” He looked directly into her eyes.
“Miss Nico Robin…” “Don’t you want to learn the World Government’s secrets…” “…and the truth behind the Void Century?” Robin’s heart skipped a beat.
“You know?” Ryan shook his head.
“I don’t.” “But I know someone who does.” “Who?” “Eiichiro Oda.” Robin frowned.
“Who’s that?” Ryan smiled mysteriously.
“Come with me.” “You’ll find out.” With that, he leisurely walked through the doorway into his room.
Robin watched his retreating back.
She felt both anxious…
And tempted.
Every instinct told her this was probably a trap.
Yet the World Government’s hidden secrets…
The lost history of eight hundred years…
Those were things she had pursued her entire life.
How could she possibly ignore such an opportunity?
On top of that…
The blonde woman standing nearby continued watching her with unmistakable vigilance.
It didn’t seem like refusing was really an option.
After hesitating several times…
Robin finally gave in to temptation.
She stepped into Ryan’s room.
Ryan casually tossed a volume of the One Piece manga in front of her.
“Read it.” Robin looked completely bewildered.
He had brought her all the way here…
Just to read a comic?
Of course…
The world of One Piece also had comics.
The most famous one was the serialized comic published in the World Economy News— Sora, Warrior of the Sea.
It told the story of the heroic warrior Sora, inspired by a real Marine hero, leading his companions against the evil Germa 66.
The comic was especially popular in the North Blue.
Even Trafalgar D.
Water Law, the user of the Op-Op Fruit, had been one of its readers.
Robin was certainly no stranger to manga.
Ryan smiled.
“The World Government’s secrets are inside.” “You’ll understand once you’ve read it.” Still skeptical…
Robin opened the manga and began reading.
The moment she did…
She froze.
The manga was written in a strange square-shaped script she had never seen before.
Yet somehow…
She could understand every single word effortlessly.
Another Devil Fruit ability?
Curiosity overcoming her doubts…
Robin continued reading.
Before long…
She became completely absorbed in the story.
At first, she didn’t think much of it.
It was simply a fictional adventure about a young pirate named Luffy.
But after the Straw Hat Pirates were formed…
She began to feel that something was wrong.
Because earlier…
Ryan had specifically asked her about the Straw Hat Pirates.
Then came the Arabasta Arc.
The instant Robin saw herself appear in the manga…
Her expression changed dramatically.
Something wasn’t right.
This wasn’t fiction.
She looked up at Ryan.
Knowing exactly what she wanted to ask, Ryan smiled.
“Keep reading.” “You’ll understand.” Robin’s eyes flickered.
In the end…
She said nothing.
Suppressing the storm raging inside her heart, she lowered her head and continued reading.
The Arabasta Arc concluded with Straw Hat captain Monkey D.
Luffy defeating Crocodile.
Robin simply couldn’t believe it.
Crocodile…
Defeated by a rookie pirate?
He was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
A monster capable of destroying an entire nation single-handedly.
How could someone like that lose to a newcomer?
It was beyond belief.
Were rookies this terrifying nowadays?
But what followed…
The Skypiea Arc…
And then the Enies Lobby Arc…
Made Robin realize something else.
This rookie wasn’t just unbelievably strong.
He was unbelievably reckless.
He had actually declared war on the World Government…
For the sake of someone like her.
During the Thriller Bark Arc…
Luffy defeated another member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea— Gecko Moria.
For the first time…
Robin felt that this young man might truly carve out his own legend upon the seas.
Then came the Sabaody Archipelago Incident.
The Straw Hat Pirates suffered their greatest crisis.
The crew was completely scattered.
Luffy was forced to infiltrate Impel Down alone…
And later throw himself into the Summit War.
Unfortunately…
He was still far too weak.
He simply wasn’t qualified to fight in a battle of that scale.
But two years later…
After training under Silvers Rayleigh…
Luffy reunited with his crew and set sail once more.
They reached Fish-Man Island.
Created chaos in Dressrosa.
Defeated the Heavenly Yaksha, Donquixote Doflamingo.
Then, to bring Sanji back…
Luffy challenged one of the Four Emperors— Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin.
In the end…
The entire crew escaped Whole Cake Island alive.
He was even hailed by Morgans, the president of the World Economy News, as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea.
Everything she read…
Showed just how much Luffy had grown over those two years.
Every page left Nico Robin more astonished than the last.
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