Chapter 64: OHARA

Ever since the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, the World Government had been granted not a moment’s rest—from the highest echelons down to the lowest.

Pirate numbers surged worldwide, and with them, pirate-inflicted devastation. Complaints and pleas for reinforcements flooded in from member nations of the World Government. Some even went so far as to question why Roger had been executed in the first place.

The government smothered these grievances, public outcry, and dissent through information control and covert manipulation. As for the pirates themselves, the Marines were mobilized en masse to suppress them. Had it merely been a matter of civilians suffering, it might have been tolerable—but the fact that most of these pirates had taken to the seas in pursuit of the One Piece, the fabled treasure, made them impossible to ignore. For the World Government, acknowledging such pirates was utterly out of the question.

---

—HOLY LAND MARY GEOISE
Pangea Castle — Chamber of Authority

"This is a troubling situation..."

"The number of pirates has swelled to several times—perhaps even tenfold—what it once was..."

"We can no longer keep track. That damned Roger... Even in death, he’s managed to unleash this... ‘incident.’"

"Indeed... The situation in the Grand Line is particularly volatile. Though, to some extent, they are thinning each other’s ranks."

"We must accelerate the establishment of the system..."

The men gathered here were the supreme authority of the World Government—the Five Elder Stars. At the apex of the world, they sensed the peril of the Great Pirate Era now unleashed.

A single misstep could plunge everything into irreversible chaos. To prevent that, the World Government, its member nations, and the Marines deliberated over countermeasures. Among them, they resolved to enact the most radical and unexpected move—a decision secretly made during the World Council two years prior. Now, the selection process was underway, awaiting the system’s formal implementation.

---

—Elsewhere in Mary Geoise
A Conference Room — Round Table

Under the supervision of the Fleet Admiral, Admirals, and Vice Admirals, intelligence was scrutinized as the final selections neared completion.

"—That makes four. Three remain..."

In the chamber, seated at the round table and massaging his temples over scattered documents and bounty posters, was the Marine Admiral "Buddha" Sengoku.

A man renowned as the strongest of the Admirals and a master tactician, he was all but guaranteed to become the next Fleet Admiral. Beside him, several Vice Admirals and the current Fleet Admiral, Kong, studied the same materials—bounty posters and intelligence gathered by the Marines and Cipher Pol. Their task: to identify the individuals necessary for a new system.

"...In terms of sheer combat prowess, ‘Hawk-Eyes’ is the obvious choice."

"Agreed. However... he doesn’t command a crew. Will he truly serve as an effective deterrent?"

"It’s of no concern. His strength more than compensates. And if this reins in even a fraction of his... roaming swordsman tendencies..."

"Very well. We’ll extend an offer. Next... Ah, this dossier is ‘Crocodile.’"

"Crocodile... A Logia-type Devil Fruit user. His very existence is a threat to lesser pirates, if nothing else."

"He’s a cunning one. There are concerns, but... no matter. We’ll approach him as well. Next... Gecko Moria?"

"Another heavyweight. Arguably the most fitting candidate."

"According to CP intel, he recently clashed with Kaido himself—and lived. His infamy is spreading."

"Hmm... True. If he accepts, he’d be ideal. Extend the offer. —That makes seven."

Sengoku, Kong, and the others examined the seven bounty posters before them. Each depicted a notorious, high-caliber pirate of the Grand Line.

Yet their goal wasn’t capture. Quite the opposite—this was a selection process to turn them into allies of the government.

"...But can they truly be counted on to stem the tide?"

"...They must. The Grand Line—especially the New World—is overrun. ‘Whitebeard,’ ‘Big Mom,’ ‘Kaido,’ and other monstrous pirates grow bolder by the day. Without countermeasures, we’ll be overwhelmed. Hence... the pardon."

Yes—what awaited these pirates was a special status, privileges, and amnesty.

A system ratified two years prior during the World Council, born from protracted debate among the kings. Approved by majority vote, it marked a bold new stratagem for the government.

These individuals would be the World Government’s officially sanctioned pirates—just seven in all.

Granted letters of marque and governmental privileges, their sole requirements were strength and notoriety. They were to serve as deterrents against the unchecked rise of piracy in this new age.

Naturally, the chosen would be legends—infamous pirates whose bounties would be rescinded, their crimes pardoned. No longer hunted by the Marines, they could plunder freely, provided they surrendered a share of their spoils to the government.

...Of course, this didn’t guarantee they’d leave civilians unharmed. Pirates were pirates—trusting them entirely was folly.

Yet even so, forging this third power held meaning. A force to stand alongside the New World’s emperors and the Marine HQ—a balance.

They would be known as...

The Seven Warlords of the Sea.

---

"——Haaah? The Seven Warlords?"

"Yes. The government’s establishing a new system."

At the Beast Pirates’ stronghold—Onigashima, Wano Country—we gathered in the tatami-floored banquet hall we used for feasts (or, well, as a temporary living space). There, Stussy delivered fresh intel along with an explanation.

The topic? The newly enacted "Seven Warlords of the Sea" system, set to launch this year. Stussy explained it with complete seriousness, while Kaido, King, and Queen listened with varying degrees of scowls, grim focus, or mild surprise. Proof enough of how radical this system was.

But me? I just grinned through the whole thing. Not because the braised shank in tomato sauce and glazed thigh meat I was eating were delicious—though, okay, that was part of it! Damn, this leg-meat platter’s good. The breed’s got quality legs. King’s really leveled up his cooking, huh? But no, that wasn’t why I was smiling.

The "Seven Warlords" system being established? That’s what had me hyped. I couldn’t help getting excited.

Kaido, though, looked like he’d bitten into something sour, his brow furrowed deep. Clearly unimpressed, he downed a swig of booze after Stussy finished and growled:

"——So they’re the government’s lapdogs."

"Pretty much~! Well, not quite errand boys—but they’ll probably get summoned for big fights or ordered to hunt other pirates! Just like Stussy said!"

I chirped back, maybe a tad too energetically. King and Queen then tossed in their two cents.

"No way pirates teamin’ up with the government ends well. They’ll get used and betrayed—that’s how this shitshow’ll go. Didn’t think the government’d sink this low."

"Or they’ll betray the government! Mwahaha!"

King scoffed through his nose, while Queen cracked a joke in the same dismissive tone. Oho~… Kinda hitting the nail on the head there, huh? But yeah, if some hotshot pirates suddenly got government approval to pillage freely, of course nobody’d trust ’em. They’d get played and dumped—either way. Then a thought hit me, so I blurted it out:

"Woulda been hilarious if Kaido got recruited! Was he even on their list?"

"…His name did come up, but it was unanimously vetoed. ‘Too dangerous. Impossible to control.’"

"Damn right. Who’d lick the government’s boots? If they’d sent me an invite, I’d have slaughtered every bastard who voted for it."

"Uh, Kaido, sir. Even you can’t just storm the government’s HQ—"

"…Sounds like he’s dead serious. Guess the government lucked out."

Queen sighed, and King looked mildly exasperated. Honestly? Kaido would do that. If it’d happened, I’d have tagged along for a fun little rampage before heading home.

"But for no-name pirates, becoming a Warlord’s a golden ticket to fame, right? They’ll make enemies—and targets."

"True. Still, the government’s counting on them to suppress and crush other pirates. If they fail spectacularly… well, panic mode for the higher-ups."

"Don’t care. Anyone strutting around like they own the place dies."

"So what’ll you do if you see one?"

"Bloody welcome party."

"Yaaay!! Sounds perfect!!"

——So, dear Warlords, here’s some great news! If you waltz into our turf, Kaido’ll throw you a bloody welcome party! Yaaay!! This just keeps getting better! Wano’s a lovely place~ Do visit sometime~ One freshly minted Warlord bawled his eyes out at his party last time. Mhm. Good times. ——Oh, right. Speaking of good things…

"—Hey, Stussy. That other intel I asked about?"

"! Perfect timing. I was just about to bring that up."

"Oh! Yesss!! Spill it!!"

"? What’s this about?"

Stussy must’ve just gotten the info, ’cause she was ready to talk. Kaido tilted his head, clueless, so I answered before she could. Hell, he should’ve known already.

"Y’know—the Poneglyphs. The ones that record history."

"Right… The government’s planning a raid on the island of scholars who’ve cracked their deciphering."

"! Heh… Now that’s fun. Which island?"

Kaido’s lips curled into a grin as he pressed for details.

And with a smile, Stussy named the island I’d been waiting for.

"West Blue… An island called Ohara."

---

"Knowledge" is, in essence, "the past."

If that were true, then that island—the fabled "Tree of Omniscience," a 5,000-year-old giant, and the vast library housing countless texts gathered from across the world—must surely be the greatest repository of knowledge in existence.

But for that very reason… it also carried the risk of unearthing truths from the past that some would rather keep buried.

On the remote fringes of the West Blue lay the island of Ohara, a sacred ground for archaeologists.

Led by the eminent scholar Dr. Clover, the island had long drawn the world’s finest archaeologists—and, in turn, the scrutiny of the World Government.

The reason lay in the Poneglyphs, the "indestructible stones that chronicle history."

The World Government strictly forbade any research into the Poneglyphs or the "Void Century," punishable by death regardless of justification.

Officially, this was to prevent the revival of "Ancient Weapons"—but that was merely the Government’s convenient excuse. Those who brushed against the world’s taboos, or even those with sharp enough instincts, could see through the lie.

And for archaeologists, the very reason for their existence was to uncover the past, to learn what had been lost, to protect the truth. Ohara was a gathering of such scholars, secretly researching the Poneglyphs and the Void Century.

The World Government had long suspected this, capturing scholars across the globe in search of ties to Ohara.

But soon, even that would no longer be necessary.

"—Your crimes are now beyond doubt! Your execution is hereby confirmed!!!"

That day, Spandine, chief of CP9, arrived on Ohara flanked by government officials and two superhuman agents. They had come to extract evidence—but in truth, they were mere formalities. The real terror was yet to arrive.

"A Buster Call!!!"

—The Golden Den Den Mushi, wielded only by the Fleet Admiral and the three Admirals, summoned an indiscriminate, nation-level assault: ten warships and five Vice Admirals, enough to erase an island from the map.

As the order was given, a fallen archaeologist woman witnessed it all—the moment of despair. She was about to die. Her comrades, their knowledge, everything would perish.

Yet, more than anything, she feared for her eight-year-old daughter. A child she hadn’t seen in years, who shouldn’t even remember her face.

But to her shock, the girl recognized her. "Are you… my mother?" The woman bit her lip, fighting the urge to nod. She couldn’t bear to let her daughter be branded the child of a criminal.

Yet the girl wept, insisting—declaring her name, swearing she knew this was her mother. She had studied to become an archaeologist, to read the Poneglyphs, just to be with her.

Then—the cannons roared.

The warships opened fire, their shells indiscriminate, obliterating everything. No mercy for civilians, not even their own officials.

The scholars ran toward the Tree of Omniscience, desperate to protect knowledge—the past, the future. Amidst the chaos, the woman finally embraced her daughter, their fleeting reunion the only solace in despair.

"You must live…!" She entrusted her child to a giant, a fateful ally.

"We cannot let your future die with us!!!"

Tears fell as she watched her daughter scream for her. The relentless bombardment continued, but she and the others hurled books into the lake—preserving words, history, hope.

"It’s collapsing…!!! The Tree of Omniscience—!!!"

Soon, the end came.

With her last breath, she whispered an apology:

"I’m sorry, Robin… I couldn’t even leave you a mother’s words…"

And so, Nico Olvia—archaeologist of Ohara—perished with the tree, with her homeland.

Yet, as darkness took her, an unfittingly cheerful voice echoed:

"Aww, the Government’s so mean~ Wiping out a whole island? That’s not how people should act, teehee~ ♡"

The voice was bright, yet laced with something unhinged.

---

"…Huh?"

When she awoke next—she was in an unfamiliar room, on an unfamiliar bed.

"—Oh! You’re finally up! Wow, you recover fast!"

A black-haired girl grinned at her bedside.

"You… Why am I alive? How did I—?"

Confusion, suspicion. The girl seemed harmless, yet carried an eerie aura. Familiar, somehow.

"Pfft, so serious right after waking up? Relax! I saved you, y’know?"

"…You saved me? From Ohara’s destruction?"

"Yep!"

The girl’s casual tone clashed with the gravity of her claim.

"How? Why? And what of the others—?"

"Ahaha! So many questions! Chill~ I’ll explain everything!"

The girl’s laughter was carefree.

"Ohara’s gone. Scholars, civilians—almost no survivors."

The words struck like a physical blow. Everyone was dead.

Her daughter—gone.

Surviving felt like a curse. Why her? Why not Robin?

"…How did you save me from the Buster Call?"

"The warships weren’t that big of a deal, honestly. Their performance wasn’t much different from usual, and thanks to the giants rampaging around, there were only four left by the time I showed up. Honestly, even if there were ten of them, if the guys on board are weaklings, it’s nothing I can't handle. But... with Sakazuki and Kuzan there, you know? They managed to pull two jackpot Vice Admirals from the lottery. Even for me, it would've been tough to fight them while dragging you around, so I just caused some trouble to annoy them a bit and made my escape."

"...What are you... no, never mind. That’s not important right now..."

"Hmm? What’s wrong? If something’s bothering you, you can go ahead and ask, you know!!"

The girl spoke with a carefree tone, like she was telling her parents about her day after coming back from playing—but the content of her words was violent and utterly incomprehensible.

I almost asked what exactly she meant, but stopped myself at the last second and swallowed the question. How she pulled off the rescue didn’t matter now.

What mattered was who she really was, and why she had helped me.

"...Who exactly are you? And for what reason did you save me?"

"...Fufufu. Would it be bad if I said I’m just a cute little angel who heard your prayers for the future and came to answer them~?"

She said it with a playful smile, almost charming in its innocence. In any other situation, that smile would have seemed like nothing more than that of a pure-hearted girl. But now—what I felt was an unfamiliar, chilling fear.

"Answer me."

"──Ah, so no good, huh? Well, yeah, figures. ...Alright, I’ll give you your answer. But as for the reason... you’ve already figured it out, haven’t you? Ms. Archaeologist♡"

"!! I knew it... You’re after the Poneglyphs too..."

"Ahahaha! Bingo!! It’s obvious, isn’t it~~~? I mean, you’re one of the rare few who can actually read the Poneglyphs. And if you can read them... you must know, right? Just how many different ways that knowledge could be used?"

"...!"

She laughed and stepped closer, setting a glass of water on the table beside me.
──Come to think of it, my throat was parched.

I hesitated, but the girl was still smiling innocently. The water looked perfectly clear, no signs of poison. Besides, she had poured it right in front of me. If she—or whoever was behind her—wanted to use me, it would make no sense to poison me here. They wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of rescuing me in the first place.

I took a sip to wet my throat and placed the cup back down. She offered me another, but I politely declined, wanting to continue the conversation.

"...I don’t know your goal... or your group's... but it’s obvious. It can’t be anything good, can it?"

"Hmm? Why do you think that? Besides, I don't recall ever telling you who I am. Who exactly are you calling ‘your group’?"

"Don’t play dumb!! I spent six years at sea. I remember the faces of the criminals who made the headlines... You’re the vice-captain of the Beasts Pirates—‘Phantom Beast’ Nue...!!!"

I finally said it out loud—the identity of the girl standing before me. And in response, her smile only deepened.
She wasn’t the least bit fazed by being found out. She simply looked amused, unconcerned by my glare.

"Ahahaha♡ Yeah, well, it’s not like we’re trying to keep it a secret!! We’re pretty famous, after all!"

"Whatever you’ve done, I’ll never cooperate with you. Saving me was nothing but an unwelcome favor!!"

"Aww, you’re suddenly full of energy again... Fufufu. You must really hate the idea of history being twisted, huh?"

Of course.

No archaeologist—or no decent human being, for that matter—would ever lend their knowledge to pirates, beasts in human form.

The Poneglyphs contained information about ancient weapons, just like the World Government claimed.
If that knowledge were to fall into the wrong hands, it could destroy the entire world.

It would mean stealing away the future itself.
That was something I could never allow.
Even if they tortured me. Even if they killed me. No—if anything, death would be preferable.
Better to die than to live as a tool for them.
With that conviction burning inside me, I glared at the girl.

"I won’t cooperate...!"

"Aww, what a shame. If you’re saying that, I guess we’ll have to give up."

──But back then, I still didn’t know.

"...By the way, have you seen this new wanted poster going around?"

"...Huh? ......!!!"

──The true malice of pirates.
The overwhelming, terrifying power they possessed.

‘Devil Child Nico Robin – 79,000,000 Berries’

"Robin...!!!"

I instinctively tightened my grip around the poster.
Seeing my daughter's face printed there stirred a flood of emotions.
Relief that she was alive.
Fear and panic that she had become a wanted criminal.
Worry that she would now have a target on her back.

And those feelings must have shown clearly on my face—because the girl just smiled as she perched casually on the edge of the big bed, continuing her explanation.

"I’ll show you the newspaper later too, but apparently, this eight-year-old kid’s been branded as a survivor of the ‘Demons of Ohara’ who dreams of destroying the world~ ♪ They even say she’s the one who sank eight Marine battleships. By the way... she’s your daughter, right?"

"...!!"

I couldn’t speak.
My hands, my lips, they trembled uncontrollably.
The anger at the Marines and the government.
The anguish at what Robin was going through.

I was happy she was alive, but if things stayed like this, she’d be hunted down.
Even if she managed to escape, her life would be nothing but that of a fugitive.
It was too cruel for a girl who was only eight years old.

"Man, the Marines really know how to be sentimental, huh? Giving you both the same bounty... Is it the bond of parent and child? Or is the child just being punished for the parent’s sins?
So, tell me—how does it feel? Being branded the ‘Devil’s Parent’?"

"......!! No way... You saved me because...!!"

Looking at the wanted poster, a terrible realization struck me.
And the girl confirmed it without a moment’s hesitation.

"Correct~!! That’s right—you will cooperate with us. You have no other choice... Right, Kaido?"

"──Worororo... That’s exactly right."

"Wha... huh...!?"

When the girl casually called out toward an empty corner of the room, a giant man suddenly appeared there.

Recognizing his face and the sheer pressure he radiated, her own face drained of color. She had seen him in the newspapers countless times—"Kaido of the Beasts," the fearsome pirate wreaking havoc across the New World.

The terror she felt toward the girl, Nue, had been an unknown, chilling kind. But this man was different: he was the very embodiment of simple, brute terror and violence. He looked down at her and spoke.

"I don't care much for history... but I'm interested in the Poneglyphs. So here's the deal—I'll make you the archaeologist of my crew."

"W-What...!?"

"It's a sweet deal, y'know! We're real nice to crew members who are useful to us~ Plus, your research will make some serious progress! I mean, this is the very country that created the Poneglyphs, and we've even got a Road Poneglyph here~♡"

"!? A Road Poneglyph!? And... the country that created the Poneglyphs...!"

"Oh? You didn’t know? This is Wano, our base of operations. You were out cold for a whole week, y'know? When we first brought you here, you woke up right away, so we hid Kaido and just watched for a bit to see what you'd do. Fufufu, your reaction's priceless~"

"Warorororo! Yeah, it was a damn good show! But more importantly... hey. What's your answer?"

"...!!"

His words, laden with sheer dominance, froze her in place. It was the kind of question that didn’t allow for any answer except "yes." And then it clicked. This wasn’t a request—it was a threat.

Summoning all her courage, Olvia forced the words out of her mouth.

"...If... if I refuse... what will you do?"

"If you say no... I'll track down that brat of yours... and kill her."

"!!"

Kaido said it lightly, like he was commenting on the weather. He spoke of murdering her daughter—an innocent eight-year-old girl—as if it was nothing.

"No... no, you can't...!"

"Aww, you think I’m bluffing? Just so you know... I will do it. If you betray us even a little, if you make a single move against us, or if you try to run away... we’ll find her and kill her. This isn’t a threat. It’s a guaranteed future."

"...You don’t even know where she is...!!"

Her desperate denial was met only with a deeper, more chilling sense of despair.

"We don’t need to know. We'll just wipe out the islands of the West Blue... one... by... one... and sooner or later, she’ll die."

"What—"

For a moment, she truly couldn’t speak. It was too monstrous, too cruel to comprehend.

They would destroy entire islands... to kill a single girl. The number of innocent lives lost... it was beyond imagining. She wanted to believe such a thing was impossible—but deep down, she knew. If it was this man, he would do it without a second thought.

"Even if she flees to another sea, it’ll be the same. Sooner or later, she’s dead. Unless, of course, the Marines or bounty hunters get to her first! Warorororo!"

"Ahaha! Come on, Kaido! You're gonna scare her too much, and she's about to be one of us! Hey, Olvia, don’t worry, okay? That was just a 'what if.' Let’s get along~ We're even about the same age♡"

"Y-You...!"

At last, she understood. There was no use trying to reason with them. No morality, no common sense could reach these monsters.

If they said they would kill, they would kill. If they decided to destroy an island, they would destroy it—laughing all the while. They were living disasters.

And she was trapped in their cage.

There was no choice. Of course, she could refuse—sacrifice herself, refuse to cooperate—but her daughter...

"...I have one condition."

"Hah?"

"Hmm?"

Both monsters tilted their heads at her words, curiosity sparking in their eyes. She had already made her decision. She had no choice but to make it.

Her own life meant nothing. But—

"──You must never lay a hand on my daughter. Leave Robin alone."

"...Oh?"

"Heh...?"

Of course she couldn't abandon her daughter to die. So she swallowed her pride, her fear, and begged them.

The two monsters twisted their mouths into amused smirks.

"That's surprising! I figured you’d ask us to take the brat in and protect her!"

"…I’d never let her become a pirate... no, I’d never let her become one of you. And—"

"Aww, what a shame. If you'd asked nicely, we would've gladly 'protected' her~ So? What’s the 'and'?"

She spoke, clearly and firmly, even if it broke her heart to do so. She had to.

"This way... I won't turn my daughter into the child of a sinner like me."

"...! Warorororo... I like you, woman. Fine. We'll leave the brat alone. Not a finger laid on her."

"Do we have a deal? Fufufu~ Welcome to the Beasts Pirates!! Don’t worry—we’re pirates, but we keep our promises!!"

"Yes… Thank you…"

…That’s right. I’ll surely be hated by people all over the world.
I’ll bring about countless sacrifices. As an archaeologist, as a parent, as a human being… I’m already a dead woman.

"Nico Olvia. Starting today, you’re our archaeologist and an executive—take this."

"! This is…!?"

What she was handed in return was a mask to conceal her eyes—and a Devil Fruit. Its meaning was clear.

"If your identity gets exposed, it’ll be trouble for us—and nothing good for you either. You’ll hide who you are."

"As my subordinate, I’m giving you power and a new name. Listen well. From today onward, you’ll go by—‘Drake’."

"…I… understand."

Olvia solemnly accepts the mask and the Devil Fruit.
She will never again go by the name "Olvia." An unbearable cruelty—but she tells herself: This is my punishment.
A punishment for failing as an archaeologist, as a mother, as a human… for killing and condemning countless lives.

She dons the mask and steels her resolve.
She, of all people… chose her daughter’s life over the lives of every human being in the world.
And for that, she is prepared to become a true demon.

So… she prays for the daughter she can no longer call by name. —Just live. Please.

"WORORORORO!!! You actually ate the damn thing!! Thought a soft-hearted do-gooder like you’d refuse… Hey, Olvia!! You really don’t give a damn how many people die for that brat of yours!?"

"—I don’t. …And don’t call me by that name."

"WORORORO!! Right, right!! My bad, Drake!!"

"Let’s get along~♡ Drake♡"

"Yes…"

…I’m sorry for being such a fool.

An apology whispered to a daughter living far across the sea—one that will never reach her.

And so, on this day, the archaeologist—Nico Olvia—died.