Chapter 9: Destination East Blue! Cocoyasi Village!
Three months later. Still in the West Blue.
Luo Lin had just knocked out yet another wave of pursuing Marines.
"These Marines are so damn annoying! They never stop chasing us. We need a real plan to shake them off!"
"Mm!"
For the past three months, Luo Lin and Robin had done nothing but drift aimlessly at sea while fending off endless Marine hunts.
Luo Lin was fed up. He used to think the reason Robin managed to evade capture for 20 years in the original story—despite being an eight-year-old girl among countless pirates—was because the Marines were lazy and loved slacking off.
Now he knew better. In just three months, they'd been tracked down every one or two days without fail!
When it came to hunting Nico Robin, the Marines were terrifyingly dedicated. No matter how many ships they switched, they were always recognized.
Two kids with a combined bounty over 100 million Berry? They stood out like a bonfire in the dark.
That's why they still hadn't escaped the West Blue.
But they were finally close to Reverse Mountain.
Luo Lin's plan: take the canal up Reverse Mountain, make the Marines think they'd entered the Grand Line, then secretly slip into the East Blue through the downhill current.
They had discussed it many times.
Robin wanted to travel the world and read every Poneglyph.
Luo Lin had no personal goal—except protecting Robin and getting stronger.
Entering the Grand Line right now was suicide. He was confident he could steamroll the first half of Paradise with his current strength—two months ago he had completed the system quest and gained full control over Intermediate Conqueror's Haki. All three colors + Advanced Swordsmanship made him nearly untouchable in Paradise.
But the Grand Line's weather was insane. One minute sunny, the next a typhoon. And without a Log Pose? Suicide.
If it were just him, maybe. With Robin? The risk was too high.
After a long talk, Robin agreed they should wait until they were older and stronger.
So their new plan: disguise themselves and hide in the East Blue.
Why the East Blue?
Luffy would be born there (though not yet).
Thanks to a certain old man who "always went home," it was the weakest and most peaceful sea—few pirates, even fewer strong ones, and the Marines barely patrolled. If trash like Arlong could rule a territory there, Luo Lin and Robin could live in total peace.
His idea: find a quiet village, lay low, and only consider Windmill Village later—if Garp didn't immediately try to arrest them on sight.
…
A few days later.
They were approaching Reverse Mountain. A Marine warship trailed far behind.
"They're almost at Reverse Mountain! They're heading for the Grand Line!"
"Full speed! Cut them off! Once they're in the Grand Line, they're gone!"
Luo Lin smirked. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ) Exactly what I want you to think.
The two ships raced closer.
"Your little escape ends here! You'll never enter the Grand Line!"
"With you clowns? Not likely."
Luo Lin's eyes narrowed. Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
Dozens of Marines dropped unconscious instantly. Only one or two stayed standing, swaying.
"Devil's Guardian! What did you do?!"
"Guess♪ We're off to the Grand Line! Sweet dreams!"
He flashed over, knocked out the rest, then steered their ship straight into the upward current.
"So cool!"
Robin gasped as water flowed upward on both sides.
"Heh, right? First time I saw it, I thought it was insane too."
"You've been here before, Luo Lin?"
"Of course! Gol D. Roger was executed in the East Blue. I came once."
"Oh, okay!"
The canal on Reverse Mountain wasn't as narrow or fast as the anime made it look. It was wide and relatively calm, with a flat resting area at the very top. Otherwise, no one from the four seas could ever trade with each other.
Thanks to the current and their speed, it took about half an hour to reach the summit.
At the top, Luo Lin didn't hesitate—he turned straight toward the East Blue entrance and shot down the downhill river.
The descent was lightning-fast. Ten minutes later, they were in East Blue waters.
Following his memory, he headed for the closest town: Loguetown.
Just before arriving, he packed all their treasure onto a small rowboat and sank the bigger ship.
No way was he leaving their life savings behind. He'd rather die than get a job—he'd never worked a day in either life!
They disguised themselves thoroughly:
Luo Lin dyed his black hair blond, added fake freckles, stuffed Shinrai into a bag, and wore a homemade mask.
Robin dyed her hair blond too, tied it into a ponytail, and swapped her dress for a short-sleeve shirt and jeans.
If the old Robin was a gentle princess, this one looked like a tomboy.
Luo Lin couldn't help but sigh—In the original story, why didn't you ever think of dyeing your hair? Would've saved you twenty years of suffering…
They scuttled the big ship and rowed into Loguetown's harbor just before dark.
…
"Wow, this place is so lively!"
Robin exclaimed as they walked the streets.
"Of course! This is the only stop between the East Blue and the Grand Line, and it's where Pirate King Roger was born and executed!
Ever since the Great Pirate Era began, merchants and pirates have been flooding in!"
"Oh, I see! So where are we going?"
"First, let's find a place to stay. Aren't you hungry? I'm starving!"
Before he finished, Robin's stomach let out a loud growl~.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Robin turned bright red.
Luo Lin laughed but quickened his pace. He found an inn with a restaurant, flashed a million Berry, and the owner instantly rolled out the red carpet—best food, best room, the works.
After dinner, Luo Lin collapsed on the bed like a corpse.
Robin sat nearby reading a book.
"Luo Lin?"
"Hm?"
"Where are we going next?"
She had asked before—he always just said "East Blue," never a specific place.
Luo Lin stared at the ceiling, thinking.
Honestly, he still hadn't decided.
"Do you have anywhere you want to go?"
"No…"
"Then let's settle down somewhere quiet. You've seen how crazy the Marines are these past months. If we keep sailing or chasing Poneglyphs right now, the hunts will never stop."
"Mm… but I'm a scholar. If I don't search for and read the Poneglyphs, what else can I do? I carry Ohara's will…"
Her head drooped lower, voice growing smaller.
She didn't want to argue—Luo Lin was the most important person left in her life.
"Hey, hey! Of course I know that! I'm not telling you to give up your dream—I'll support anything you want to do, no questions asked!"
He ruffled her hair gently, then changed tone.
"But look—we're only 8 and 10! We've got all the time in the world!
And here's a secret: Pirate King Gol D. Roger knew the entire true history, including the Void Century."
(PS: Confirmed by Whitebeard's flashback during the Summit War—Roger himself said it.)
Robin's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"The person who knew everything… he must have been amazing!"
"Exactly! And get this—when he became Pirate King, he still didn't know the full history!
He only learned about Poneglyphs later. Then he sailed the Grand Line a second time and collected all of them in just three years."
"So cool!"
"See? We don't need to rush. We can wait until we're grown up—even until we're middle-aged with grown kids!"
Robin's face exploded red. She dove under the blanket and turned her back to him.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Luo Lin was in a great mood. Yep—gotta tease girls a little or romance never progresses!
(He conveniently forgot she was eight.)
He lay awake half the night and finally decided: Cocoyasi Village.
Nami's hometown. Remote, peaceful, perfect for settling down.
And… though he wasn't sure about the future, he wanted to make the childhoods of the characters he loved a little less painful.
He had felt the same about Robin at first. But after years together, both little Robin and the future Robin he remembered were his favorite person in the world.
Somewhere along the line, friendship had turned into something deeper.
…
The next morning, Luo Lin (carrying a massive bag of treasure on his back) found a merchant ship captain and launched into a tear-jerking performance:
"We're siblings… our ship sank in a storm… parents gone… only a few clothes and blankets left… we need to get to Cocoyasi Village to find our uncle…"
The captain felt bad but refused—detouring to Cocoyasi would cost him.
So Luo Lin dug around in his shoe for ages, pulled out a single grimy gold coin, and offered it with the most reluctant expression.
"Please, Captain…!"
One gold coin = 100,000 Berry!
That single detour would barely cost a few tens of thousands. Huge profit!
"Alright, kid! One coin isn't quite enough… but if you can give me one more, we'll take you!"
"We… we don't have any more… that was our last one…"
"But when we get there, our rich uncle will pay you handsomely!"
"Really?!"
"Of course! He's loaded!"
"Then let's set sail right now!"
Greedy bastard.
Luo Lin smirked inwardly. The captain never noticed the ten-year-old casually carrying several hundred pounds of treasure like it was nothing.
They were given the tiniest cabin and fed nothing but hard black bread.
Luo Lin was furious—if not for staying hidden, he would've sliced the guy in half.
Robin didn't mind; her old room at her aunt's house had been smaller. She even tried to give Luo Lin her bread. He refused, of course.
That night, he sneaked out and ate a full third of the ship's food stores.
The next morning the captain's face was green, screaming about ghosts aboard.
Luo Lin and Robin snickered in the corner.
That afternoon, the merchant convoy arrived at Cocoyasi Village.
The captain still tried to follow them to "collect from the rich uncle."
Luo Lin grinned: "We lied. No uncle, no money~ Bye!"
He grabbed Robin's hand and bolted. By the time the captain recovered, they were long gone.
"You little brats! I'll remember this!"
…
"Robin, let's walk around. If you like it here, we'll stay for a good long while."
"Okay! I'll follow you anywhere!"
They strolled through the village. It was still daylight, and people were coming and going.
Eventually, they caught the attention of the village policeman, Kensuke—a young, energetic man at this point.
"Hey! You two!"
Luo Lin and Robin turned.
"You kids aren't from Cocoyasi Village, are you?"
"Uh, no… we're from out of town. Our ship sank… we lost our parents… a merchant caravan saved us but dumped us here because we couldn't pay…"
Luo Lin launched into his sob story again.
Sure enough, Kensuke's expression instantly softened with sympathy.
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