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The Strongest Frost Loli (105)
🕑 Added 2024-08-21 17:00:06 +0000 UTCChapter 105 - A Day in the Life of a Certain Archaeologist
Robin awoke from her slumber. It was a little late for morning. The position of the sun suggested it was just before noon.
She had apparently dozed off while reading. She had eaten breakfast early, and her stomach was now growling.
She left the sparsely furnished room she had been given, locked the door, and headed for the dining hall.
She had only been here for a few days, and the only locations she had memorized were the library and the dining hall. The vastness of the place, coupled with her tendency to stay indoors, meant she was unfamiliar with the rest of the base.
She made a mental note to explore later, but for now, her stomach was her priority.
"Oh, hello there. Where are you going?"
"To the dining hall. Want to come with me?"
"Sure. It's almost lunchtime, I wouldn't mind joining you."
On the way, she ran into Kaie, who was leaving the infirmary. They decided to head to the dining hall together.
Kaie had apparently been injured during training, bandages were visible on her cheek and arm.
Her purple hair was tied back in a neat bun, giving her an air of a reliable older sister – a role Robin, who had no siblings, had unconsciously assigned to her.
When she had stayed with her uncle's family, everyone had avoided her. But it was different here. That alone made her feel… comfortable.
"Honestly, Sukura is a handful. He's always trying to make me drink strange medicines..."
"Strange medicines?"
"Medicines that only affect Devil Fruit users. They shift the transformation wavelengths of Zoan users and make it difficult for Paramecia users to control their abilities."
"Huh? Why is he even making those?"
"Well, he says his goal is to extract the Devil from Devil Fruit users – but only he knows the true reason."
Devil Fruit users were common in the Twilight Pirates. No one feared Robin's ability. Some even commented on its usefulness, laughing.
It was the same with Saul. Their reactions were novel to Robin.
Apparently, Kaie was also a Devil Fruit user, but Robin hadn't seen her ability. Kaie herself didn't seem to like it very much.
They chatted as they reached the dining hall, which was already crowded.
"There are a lot of people here," Robin commented.
It was a common occurrence, but it seemed especially crowded today because the crew members who had been out on merchant ships had returned.
Just as Robin was considering waiting for the crowd to thin out, she noticed someone waving at them from the corner of her eye.
"Yo! Kaie-ane! Who's the newbie?"
"Yes. Is this seat taken?"
"Nope! No one comes near me! Zehahahaha!!"
Even in the crowded hall, Teach’s massive frame was easily recognizable. He was beckoning them, holding a slice of pie. The seats around him were empty, so Robin and Kaie approached him. Robin took a seat.
He was laughing with his mouth wide open, crumbs scattered as he spoke. It was no wonder people avoided him.
Kaie decided to lecture him later and went to order food with Robin.
It was a self-service system – they had to collect their meals and return the trays afterward. In a sense, it was the most disciplined place on the ship.
The food was free, but they had been warned it would become paid if they didn't follow the rules, so everyone was surprisingly cooperative.
"What do you want, Robin?"
"Hmm… I want this set meal!"
"Then I'll get something else."
The kitchen at this hour was a battlefield. Voices echoed constantly, cooks arguing over orders and scrambling to prepare meals.
A longarm man, one of the older crew members, noticed Kaie and peeked out from the kitchen.
"Yo, Kaie! Having lunch with the newbie?"
"Yes. She's still young and unfamiliar with this place."
"Good for her. This place is full of rough-looking guys!"
It was only natural, considering they were pirates. Kaie was used to it, having been with the Twilight Pirates since she was a child, but most children brought here for the first time ended up crying.
Robin, however, had seemed unfazed since the first time she had been brought here.
As they chatted, a shout echoed from the kitchen.
"Stop slacking off!!"
"Shut up!! I'm working!!"
"…It seems busy."
"Well, it's business as usual. Anyway, have you heard anything about what the Boss is doing today?"
"Kanata-san?"
Normally, her meals were delivered to her room, but today, she hadn't responded to their calls.
They hadn't heard anything about her leaving Hachinosu, so the food was prepared, but they didn't know where to deliver it.
"She usually eats alone in her room… to avoid any trouble."
She usually had one of the cooks deliver her meals and taste them for poison, but she generally ate alone.
She sometimes ate with one of the executives, but she usually ate alone, aside from during feasts. There were always mountains of paperwork to attend to, so it was understandable.
Apparently, things had gotten easier since Izo had become more capable.
"I haven't seen her today," Kaie replied.
"I see. Let me know if you see her. It's unusual for her to forget to contact us. She's quite meticulous."
"I don't know where she is, but… I'll let you know if I see her."
"Thanks."
The longarm man returned to the kitchen, then reappeared shortly after.
"Here you go! Your set meals!"
He effortlessly carried their trays with one hand and placed them before them.
They thanked him and returned to Teach, wiping down the table before taking their seats. Kaie sat opposite Teach, reminding him not to speak with his mouth full.
"By the way, do you know where Kanata-san went?" Robin asked Teach.
"Huh? I think she's on the island. I haven't heard anything about her leaving."
"…I see."
Teach surprisingly gathered information from various sources. If he didn't know, then most of the crew wouldn't know either.
Teach seemed more interested in Robin, showing her the latest newspaper.
"Newbie. Is this you?"
The newspaper featured an article about the three individuals who had escaped from the burning Ohara – Olivia, Robin, and Saul. All three had bounties on their heads.
Olivia’s existing bounty had been 79 million berries, and Robin now had the same amount. Saul’s bounty was even higher – 90 million berries.
It was a considerable sum, but two of them were archaeologists who could read the Road History Poneglyphs, and Saul was a former Vice Admiral. It was a reasonable amount.
Robin nodded, confirming it was her.
"Zehaha, I knew it. You and your mom are archaeologists, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm also a bit interested in archaeology. We have some related documents in the library. I'll show you later."
"Really!?"
Robin, who had initially started studying to follow in her mother’s footsteps, was now genuinely interested in archaeology. Teach’s offer naturally piqued her interest.
Kaie was surprised by their unexpected compatibility, but she knew that despite his appearance, Teach was quite intelligent.
They were chatting when they noticed the dining hall becoming noisy.
“…Did something happen?”
“Who knows. I'm more interested in this–”
“There you are.”
Kanata appeared behind Teach.
Olivia was with her. The dining hall buzzed with excitement, surprised to see Kanata, who rarely appeared there.
"Robin, I was looking for you," Olivia said.
She had gone to Robin’s room when it was time for lunch, but Robin wasn't there. They had been searching for her.
Robin looked away sheepishly. “…Sorry,” she mumbled.
Olivia, not seeming angry, sat down next to her.
"It’s alright. It’s my fault for not telling you where I was going. Let’s eat together next time… It's okay to be together now."
"Yes… Yes!"
Kanata sat down beside Teach and looked at Kaie.
"Did you bring her here?"
"Yes. She said she was going to the dining hall alone. I thought it would be better if she wasn't by herself."
"I see. Thank you."
While children weren’t unusual, considering they often took in orphans, it was rare to see them in the Skull Rock, the heart of Hachinosu.
Many pirates came and went, and it was considered too dangerous for children, so it was mostly off-limits.
Kanata, apparently joining them for lunch, sat down, and one of the longarm cooks scurried about, preparing her meal.
"Hey Boss, Octavia’s bounty increased… Was that you in disguise?"
“Yes… Sengoku contacted me about it earlier. He said ‘Don’t do it again.’”
Berg had been her undoing. They had known each other for a long time, and he had likely suspected something was amiss when she hadn't used her ability.
There was no reason for Octavia to refrain from using her powers. Her disguise had been flawed from the start.
Facing five Vice Admirals without her Devil Fruit ability was a challenge, but it wasn’t impossible.
“But since Octavia’s bounty increased, it means the Marines aren't planning on making it public. The World Government would have protested if they knew… So they must be keeping it a secret.”
In other words, only the government was unaware of the situation. The Marines likely felt they couldn't afford to lose Kanata, the core of the Warlords system, especially now.
While they could handle insignificant pirates, only Kanata could hold back the likes of Linlin and Kaido.
“…Who’s this Octavia person?”
Olivia, unfamiliar with the details, listened to their conversation.
“She’s my mother,” Kanata replied simply, explaining that she had blamed the Ohara incident on her.
One or two extra crimes wouldn’t make much difference at this point.
"Your mother… What kind of person is she? And are you sure it was okay to blame her?"
"A good-for-nothing who abandoned me to become a pirate. Don't worry about it."
That was Kanata’s assessment of Octavia.
Their meals arrived shortly after, and the five of them began eating. Teach, whose hobby was archaeology, got along surprisingly well with Olivia, and they decided to visit the library together afterward.
Kanata said she had work to do, and Kaie decided to return to her training, so the three of them headed for the library.
The library on Hachinosu was modeled after the Tree of Omniscience on Ohara.
It was a vast library, housing numerous documents collected from various seas and islands.
Kanata wanted to recover the remaining documents from Ohara, but the World Government was still cleaning up the aftermath. She planned to collect them when the opportunity arose, but it was a pressing matter.
Olivia knew that Kanata had promised to retrieve the documents, and she prayed it would be soon.
“Documents from Ohara… Zehahaha, interesting,” Teach remarked.
“Teach…-san, did you study archaeology somewhere?”
“Just call me Teach. The formalities make my ass itch. I started studying archaeology after coming here. I’m an orphan who was picked up by Boss.”
He had several options, but Teach had chosen to join the Twilight Pirates.
Many orphans had similar backgrounds, but few were interested in archaeology.
Some couldn't read, some didn't see the need, and some simply couldn't learn.
They chatted as they reached the library. Teach asked Robin if she knew where the archaeology documents were.
“You’ve been to the library before, right? Do you know where the history documents are?”
“No. I haven’t explored the library much yet.”
“It hasn’t been long since we arrived… We prioritized getting settled in.”
“Zehahaha, that’s understandable. Come on, this way.”
Teach surprisingly frequented the library and was familiar with most of the collection. While he wasn’t as knowledgeable as the librarian, he knew the general classifications.
They headed towards the section with the archaeology documents, and along the way, they encountered Izo, a man dressed in women's clothing, carrying several books.
“Yo, Izo. Looking for something?”
“Yes, I’m looking for documents about countries near Wano.”
It seemed he was researching which countries to establish trade with in preparation for Wano’s eventual opening.
He apparently did this during his free time. Teach chuckled, commenting on Izo’s diligence.
“Right, let me introduce you. These two are archaeologists. They can read the Road History Poneglyphs.”
Izo’s eyes widened as he looked at Olivia.
Information about the Poneglyphs was generally kept secret to prevent it from reaching the World Government, so it was usually only shared with those close to the executives. Olivia glanced at Teach with concern.
He, however, seemed unconcerned.
“Olivia. This guy is from Wano. He’s a retainer of the Kozuki Family, the descendants of the stonemasons who created the Road History Poneglyphs.”
Now it was Olivia’s turn to be surprised.
The Road History Poneglyphs were shrouded in mystery, and meeting someone connected to their creators sparked countless questions in her mind.
Olivia and Izo shook hands, introducing themselves. Robin also shook hands with Izo.
“Izo was a member of the Roger Pirates. I’m sure he knows a lot about the Void Century, but he’s not talking.”
“Oden-sama forbid me from speaking about it. I’ll simply do what I can to prepare for the great battle that’s to come.”
It seemed he had some things he wanted to discuss with Olivia, but he said he was busy organizing documents and promised to talk to her later.
After seeing him off, Teach led them to the shelf with the archaeology documents.
While Teach was quite large, the bookshelves towered over him. They were filled with countless books, and several rolling ladders were available to reach the higher shelves.
Olivia looked around, muttering, “It’s similar to the Tree of Omniscience…”
“That’s because Boss modeled it after the Tree of Omniscience,” Teach replied.
It was a place Kanata held dear. It had been the most convenient library she had ever seen.
She had promised to return the books she had borrowed, but that promise remained unfulfilled… However, the knowledge she had gained on Ohara was always with her.
She hadn’t forgotten.
“…I see,” Olivia said.
She couldn't help but feel indebted to Kanata, who had risked her life to save them.
She would have to stop Kanata if she ever tried to revive the Ancient Weapons, but to reveal the truth of history, cooperating with her was the best course of action.
It was her way of repaying Kanata, who had saved her and her daughter, and fulfilling the duty entrusted to her by Clover and the other scholars – to continue the legacy of history.
The library's collection was still relatively small, but it would grow.
Olivia, with renewed determination, began her research to uncover the truth of the Void Century.
