Ethan had no intention of running away. He was exhausted in both body and mind, and this pirate world left him completely at a loss. Although he had gained temporary freedom, deep down he still felt as if he were trapped in an invisible cage, shackled and bound. His will to live was almost gone, yet somewhere in his heart he sincerely hoped that Robin could escape. Sadly, as an ordinary person, he was powerless in this world.
Ethan looked plain, spoke little, and on the island the one who talked with him the most was young Robin. She would often ask him, full of curiosity, what the outside world was like. In truth, Ethan knew very little himself. Since arriving in this world, he had spent most of his time either on a pirate ship or on a slave ship. All he could do was rely on memories from his previous life to make up stories and tell them to Robin. Every time he saw Robin's innocent smile, his heart throbbed with a sharp pain.
As the Sea Circle Calendar year 1502 arrived and the days passed one after another, Ethan became more and more silent. He found that not even reading could calm his heart anymore. Looking at this peaceful little island, at the kind scholars, and at the pure hearted Robin, Ethan's chest filled with pain and struggle. It felt as if a blazing fire was burning inside his already riddled, decaying heart.
One day, Robin ran over excitedly to share a secret.
"Ethan, I found someone else by the sea. He's a giant, and his laugh is really weird. He goes 'Dereshishishi'."
The way Robin mimicked the laugh made Ethan's eyes suddenly sharpen.
"Robin, take me to see that giant friend of yours, alright?"
The two of them went together to the shore.
There, before his eyes, stood Jaguar D. Saul.
"Ohhh, so this is Robin chan's friend? Hello there, kid. Dereshishishi."
Even at such a critical moment, Ethan could not help feeling speechless. The laughs in this world were truly something else.
He turned to Robin and said, "From now on you are not allowed to copy that laugh. If a girl laughs like that, she'll turn ugly, got it?"
"Okay…"
Since Saul had already appeared, that meant Robin's mother, Nico Olvia, must have returned as well.
"Robin, hurry back to the harbor. There is a surprise waiting for you there."
After quite a bit of coaxing and gentle lies, Ethan finally managed to send Robin away. With her gone, there were now some things he could say openly.
"I know the Buster Call is coming, and I know who you are. Please, I am begging you, protect Robin."
Before the giant vice admiral could fully recover from his shock, Ethan turned and sprinted toward the Tree of Knowledge.
He intended to end his own life there inside the Tree of Knowledge, to leave behind a world he had never truly loved. It sounded selfish, but as an ordinary person, he really could not change anything here.
Ethan hid inside the Tree of Knowledge, silently watching the story move forward, piece by piece. He had thought he would become utterly selfish and numb.
After all, he had only been tied to this world for three short years, yet he had already seen too much darkness and blood.
However, Robin's tears and Dr. Clover's blood seemed to touch something deep within him, igniting an emotion he thought had long died out.
The Buster Call was launched. The Tree of Knowledge was swallowed by raging flames. Those same flames were reflected in Ethan's eyes.
Anger, like a single spark, suddenly set fire to the memories of his previous life, to everything he had experienced in this world, and finally to Ethan himself.
He burst out of the burning Tree of Knowledge and rushed straight for the shore.
He wanted to question this world. He wanted to protect Robin. He even wanted to set this world ablaze.
Down by the sea, Saul had already fallen. Robin knelt at the water's edge, sobbing in grief.
Standing in front of her was the man who would one day become Admiral Aokiji, a logia type Devil Fruit user who stood at the very peak of the seas.
Aokiji's Observation Haki had long since sensed someone approaching, but he quietly remained where he was. Saul's conviction had shaken his sense of justice, and he needed time to think.
"Robin!"
The crying Robin suddenly saw someone burst out from the trees. His body was blackened by smoke, his clothes torn and ragged from branches, and he stumbled forward, panting for breath as he ran toward her.
Only his eyes remained bright and piercing, as if blazing with roaring flames.
"Ethan, Ethan, you finally came! Where did you go? I was so scared, waaaah…"
Robin's tears made Ethan feel even more pain, even more guilt, and even more rage.
He locked his gaze onto Aokiji, the flames in his eyes so intense it felt as if they might burn the admiral where he stood.
"This world is wrong."
"Kid, you have not truly seen this world yet. How can you decide that the world is wrong?"
Ethan suddenly thrust out his hand, pointing at the burning refugee ship out on the sea, crammed with innocent civilians, and roared hoarsely, "Then tell me, is that right or wrong?!"
His gaze slowly dropped to the girl lying quietly in his arms, and his voice trembled again. "And what about this… is this right or wrong?!"
His eyes moved once more and fixed on Saul's lifeless face. Grief and fury flooded his expression. "And that… is that right or wrong?!"
Then Ethan yanked up his sleeve, revealing the shocking slave brand burned into his arm, and roared like a wild beast, "And this… how do you judge this as right or wrong?! If I have done nothing wrong, then the only thing that can be wrong is this entire world!"
Boom.
In that instant, a wave of overwhelming pressure, laden with boundless fury, erupted from deep within Ethan and exploded outward in all directions. It felt as if the whole world was about to tremble under the blazing wrath of this single boy.
(End of Chapter)
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