I,Akaino will not die easily

Fire. It was burning. The Tree of Omniscience, with its 5,000-year age as an ancient tree, had been given countless praises by the people—"a living history,"

"the Tree of Knowledge."

Through generations of relentless effort by the scholars and residents of the island, it had even been built into the largest and most expansive library ever known.

However, in the end, it could not escape its nature as a tree—wood that would ignite under flames.

The agents of the World Government had brutally blasted one side of its roots with explosives, revealing hidden chambers and massive stone carvings documenting historical truths.

The fire sparked by the explosion was not large, but the countless books stored inside the tree's hollowed body served as the best fuel for the flames.

One burning pile of scrolls after another set the dry wood of the tree ablaze.

Finally, one of the scholars noticed the thick smoke billowing from the tree roots at the site of the explosion. "Hey!! Look!!"

The other scholars, who had been focused entirely on the gravely injured Dr. Clover lying on the ground, were shocked and furious.

"The Tree of Omniscience is on fire!!!"

Several of the more hot-tempered scholars stood up angrily, ignoring the guns pointed at them and yelling at Spandine.

"Is killing us not enough?! What exactly does the World Government want?!"

"You bastards! Do you have any idea how priceless the knowledge stored in there is?" Even though they had been prepared for the worst, the sight of the burning Tree of Omniscience still filled them with unbearable heartache.

They were willing to die for the truth, to dedicate their lives to knowledge.

The books and ancient scrolls stored in Ohara carried immense knowledge and the wisdom of their ancestors—humanity's most precious treasure.

Was it truly destined to be reduced to ashes?! The scholars could not accept this.

Spandine waved his hand to his subordinates.

"Don't bother with them anymore. It's time for the Government's personnel to retreat."

He had no interest in debating with these doomed people, especially since the Buster Call had already been issued. Every extra second he stayed on the island increased the risk.

As the suppression from the World Government agents eased, the scholars frantically rushed toward the library to fight the fire.

Watching them charge into the flames of the library without hesitation, Spandine seemed to remember something.

He turned his gaze toward Nico Olvia, who lay on the ground. He then turned toward the outskirts of the island and began walking away, not forgetting to instruct the CP9 beside him,

"Bring that woman over to me!! She still has some useful information. I can't let her die here!"

The orange-haired CP9 agent quickly stepped forward, grabbing Olvia by the arm and dragging her toward Spandine, who was already some distance ahead.

Olvia, beaten and battered, couldn't help but glance at the little girl still frozen in place nearby, silently praying in her heart:

"Robin… I hope you can escape safely. You absolutely must not die!"

The young Robin stared at the figure being dragged away as if it overlapped with a certain figure in her memory. She seemed not to hear the scholars urging her to leave.

Tears welled up in her eyes, just as they had when she had once watched a certain person's silhouette grow distant. She said, "Are you… my mother?"

"!!!!"

Nico Olvia froze. At this moment, she desperately wanted to turn around and hold her daughter, to press her forehead against hers and respond to her with a smile! But precisely because of this moment, her rationality told her that she could not admit it. She absolutely could not admit it! She couldn't let Robin be identified as the daughter of a criminal hunted by the World Government.

Olvia lowered her head, biting her lip hard to hide her expression from Spandine. She couldn't let him see her near-breakdown state. If they grew suspicious, even admitting the truth would be futile.

"I'm sorry, Robin… I can't say that I'm your mother… Please forgive your mother for this…" she thought.

Olvia remained silent. The already tearful Robin, having received no reply, repeated her question in a trembling voice: "You're… my mother, aren't you?"

"!!" This time, Spandine clearly heard the girl's words. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Nico Olvia. "That's your dau—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a deafening, air-splitting screech came from the sky.

BOOM— An unidentified object trailing a fiery tail suddenly crashed into the open space between Robin and Olvia.

The violent impact knocked everyone in Ohara, including Spandine, to the ground.

Only two CP9 agents managed to stay on their feet.

Dust and smoke filled the air. Spandine yelled in frustration, "Damn it! What the hell is going on?! We haven't even left the island yet, and they're trying to blow us up too?!"

The always-calm CP9 agent beside him shook his head. "That's not cannon fire, Commander!"

"?!"

The bearded CP9 agent glanced at his colleague, seemingly seeking confirmation of something. "That's… a meteorite?!"

The orange-haired CP9 agent, who was closer to the impact site, saw it more clearly. For some reason, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He corrected him: "It's a massive volcanic bomb!!!"

"What the hell?! There are no volcanoes on this island or nearby!" Spandine was dumbfounded. The bearded CP9 agent didn't bother to explain anything to his thoughtless superior. He simply waved away the dwindling smoke.

At last, Spandine saw clearly what had fallen to the ground. It wasn't a natural phenomenon…