The ship had been sailing for three days now.
A route leaving the South Blue and bypassing the Grand Line. It wasn't a dangerous path, but for a twelve-year-old boy, the sea was still unfamiliar and massive.
Astera stood on the deck, looking down at the Eternal Pose in his hand.
The needle pointed in only one direction. This was the same thing he'd shown the captain when he first boarded the ship.
"Please head this direction."
When Astera held out the compass, the captain squinted and peered at it.
"An Eternal Pose?"
There was surprise in the captain's voice. He looked Astera up and down and asked.
"Where'd a kid like you get something like this?"
"It was my father's."
Short answer. The captain didn't pry further and checked the direction the needle was pointing.
"West Blue, huh. Well, as long as you pay, I'll get you there."
And so the voyage began.
Astera leaned against the railing and stared at the horizon. There was no end in sight.
'It's different from what I saw in books.'
A vastness spread before his eyes that couldn't be imagined from maps drawn on paper. The sea reminded him every moment just how small he was.
"Kid."
The captain approached. Astera turned his head.
"You seasick?"
"I'm fine."
He answered calmly. The captain propped his arm on the railing and lit a cigarette. Smoke scattered in the wind.
"Yeah? Most kids on their first time throw up."
"Guess I'm lucky."
When Astera shrugged, the captain let out a small laugh. He stared at the sea for a moment, then spoke again.
"That Eternal Pose—where's it pointing?"
"Ohara."
"Ohara?"
The captain turned his head to look at Astera.
"The island where scholars live?"
"Yeah. I'm going to find my father's friend."
The captain stared at Astera for a while, then let out a long stream of smoke. He seemed like he wanted to ask more.
"Your father was a scholar too?"
"...Yeah."
Astera nodded and looked down at the Eternal Pose again. The needle pointed steadily in one direction without wavering.
'Unlike regular compasses, Eternal Poses permanently remember the magnetic field of an island once it's recorded.'
The fact that his father had this meant his father must have traveled back and forth to Ohara many times.
The captain didn't ask anything more. He just stared at the sea, puffing smoke, then muttered.
"Be careful. The sea is big, and people are small."
* * *
That night, a storm hit.
The sky turned black and waves began towering up. The crew moved frantically to lower the sails, and Astera went down to the cabin and sat on the bed, gripping his bag tight.
So the Eternal Pose wouldn't fall.
Boom!
The ship rocked violently. Luggage rolled across the floor.
Creak.
The walls screamed.
Astera gritted his teeth and endured.
'I'm not scared. I'm not scared.'
It was a lie. His heart pounded like crazy, and his palms were drenched with sweat.
But he couldn't give up here. He'd promised his sister he'd find what his father was looking for, that he'd definitely come back.
The storm continued all night.
Only when morning came did the sea calm down, and Astera climbed to the deck and checked the Eternal Pose.
The needle still pointed in the same direction.
'I'm alive.'
The tension drained from his shoulders.
* * *
They reached the West Blue on the fourth day.
He had to change ships at a small port town. Astera approached where some fishermen were gathered and showed them the Eternal Pose, asking.
"Can you take me to Ohara? It's this direction."
A fisherman checked the direction the needle pointed. Curious eyes showed between his bushy beard.
"Ohara?"
"Yeah."
When Astera nodded, the fisherman raised his eyebrows.
"A kid with an Eternal Pose, huh. What're you going there for?"
"To find my father's friend."
"A scholar, then."
"Yeah."
The fisherman scratched his chin and looked Astera over. When Astera held out money, his face finally softened.
"Alright. Half a day and we're there. Get on."
It was a small fishing boat.
Astera climbed aboard and sat at the bow. The sea was calm. Maybe because the storm had passed, the sky was clear too.
'Half a day.'
Half a day until he'd arrive at Ohara.
His heart pounded.
* * *
"There it is."
The fisherman pointed ahead. Astera looked up.
He could see an island.
It wasn't a large island. But what stood in the middle caught Astera's eye.
A tree.
A massive tree reaching toward the sky. At first, he thought it was a mountain.
But as the distance closed, he realized it wasn't a mountain. Branches spread in all directions, disappearing into the clouds, and the trunk was thick enough to wrap around an entire town.
'Even the biggest tree on my home island would be nothing but a blade of grass compared to that.'
"That's the Tree of Knowledge."
The fisherman said. Astera couldn't take his eyes off it as he listened.
"It's Ohara's symbol. I heard scholars live inside it."
Astera was speechless. He could only stare up at that massive tree.
He looked down at the Eternal Pose.
The needle was trembling slightly.
He'd heard the needle reacts when you get close to your destination. The place his father's Eternal Pose pointed to. He was finally arriving.
The boat reached the port.
Astera gathered his things and stepped onto the island.
He was finally here.
Ohara.
The place his father had been searching for. The place where someone named Clover was.
The port was quiet. Fitting for an island where scholars lived, it wasn't noisy, and there weren't many people coming and going.
Astera walked toward the Tree of Knowledge.
The closer he got, the more overwhelming its scale became. Roots covered the ground, and small windows were carved here and there throughout the tree.
Meaning someone lived inside this tree.
He could see a large entrance on one side of the tree.
Astera stopped in front of it.
'I made it this far.'
But now that he was standing at the door, his feet wouldn't move.
'What if nobody accepts me? What if this person named Clover says he doesn't know my father?'
"What are you doing there?"
A voice came.
Astera turned his head.
An old man was standing in the shade beneath the tree. His unusual hairstyle caught the eye first. Hair spreading out like a four-leaf clover. His long beard reached down to his chest, and his back was bent with the weight of years, but his eyes were sharp.
"..."
The old man slowly approached. His walk was leisurely as he leaned on his cane, but his gaze examining Astera was sharp.
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
When Astera answered, the old man's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Where did you come from?"
"The South Blue."
"From the South Blue, alone?"
There was surprise in the old man's voice. Astera nodded and showed him the Eternal Pose in his hand.
"I followed this. I found it in my father's study, and I'm looking for someone named Clover."
The old man's gaze fixed on the Eternal Pose. His eyes changed.
"...That Eternal Pose."
Eyes that recognized the movement of the needle, its distinctive shape.
"Where did you get it?"
"From my father's study. It was with some letters."
Astera pulled the bundle of letters from his pocket. Letters mostly smudged from water damage. But there were words here and there that could be read.
"This letter had the name Clover written in it. And words like Ohara, the D Clan..."
"Wait."
The old man raised his hand and stopped Astera's words. Then slowly, as if lifting something heavy, he spoke.
"What's your name?"
"Portgas D. Astera."
Silence fell.
The old man's eyes widened.
"Portgas..."
The old man murmured. The cane in his hand trembled slightly.
"And D."
The old man looked carefully at Astera's face again. His eyes, his expression, his gaze.
"...Those eyes."
The old man's voice lowered.
"They're exactly like your father's."
Astera's heart started racing.
"You know my father?"
"I do."
The old man nodded. Complex emotions crossed his wrinkled face.
"I'm Clover. That Eternal Pose... I'm the one who gave it to your father. So he could travel to and from Ohara."
Professor Clover led Astera inside the library.
Past the entrance, the interior unfolded.
Astera had to stop walking.
Books.
Everything was books.
The entire inside of the tree was made up of a library. Shelves reaching dozens of floors lined the inner walls in a circle, and countless books were packed on each shelf.
A spiral staircase stretched upward. Desks were placed here and there, and scholars sat reading books or taking notes.
Light coming from the ceiling scattered at angles through dust particles.
'Father's study had hundreds of books. I thought I'd read almost all of them.'
But this place was on a different level.
"These have been collected over hundreds of years."
Clover said. Astera turned his head to look at the old man.
"History, culture, languages from all over the world... The records humanity has left are here."
Clover approached a desk and sat in a chair. He gestured for Astera to take the chair across from him.
"Sit."
When Astera sat, Clover spoke.
"Your father came here too. A long time ago. It was probably before you were born."
"What was my father... looking for?"
Astera leaned forward and asked. Instead of answering, Clover waved his hand.
"I'll tell you about that later."
Clover looked straight into Astera's eyes. A searching gaze.
"First, I'll ask you. What do you want to know?"
A simple question.
But Astera could feel the weight of that question. This old man wasn't asking out of simple curiosity. He was trying to judge whether to accept him or not.
Astera thought for a moment, then slowly spoke.
"The cycle of the world."
"Cycle?"
Clover raised his eyebrows. Astera continued.
"Why people are born and die. Why countries rise and fall. Why some things are remembered and others are forgotten."
Words flowed out. These were questions he'd carried alone for six years.
"My father's books didn't have the answers. Even reading history books, they only told when things happened, not why those things kept repeating."
Astera clenched his fists. His voice gained strength.
"I think my father wanted to know that too. The letters mentioned 'research.' About researching the D Clan."
Clover listened silently. His gaze deepened.
"Do you know what the D Clan is?"
"No. I saw it for the first time in the letters."
Astera shook his head. Clover nodded.
"Right. Of course you wouldn't."
Clover looked out the window for a moment. Sunlight shone through the branches of the massive tree.
"...Your father asked a similar question."
Astera held his breath. Clover turned his head again to look at Astera.
"When he first came here. He wanted to know why the world works the way it does."
"..."
"A scholar's eyes."
Clover stared at Astera and said.
"Eyes that can't stand not knowing. Eyes that can't sleep without answers. You have those eyes too."
Astera couldn't say anything. Clover continued.
"It's both a blessing and a curse. Those who have such eyes can never stop asking questions."
Clover stood up. Astera tried to stand too, but Clover stopped him with a gesture.
"I'll tell you the meaning of D slowly. While you stay here."
Astera's eyes widened.
"Stay here?"
"If you came, you should learn."
Clover let out a small laugh.
"Isn't that what you want?"
Clover pointed inside the library.
"First, I'll arrange a place for you to stay. You'll need to eat too."
Astera was speechless.
'He's accepting me.'
On this unfamiliar island, an old man he'd just met was accepting him.
"...Thank you."
His voice shook.
Three days of sailing. The storm. Unfamiliar seas. Parting from his sister. All of it suddenly felt heavy, like his legs might give out.
But Astera held on.
'It's not time to cry yet.'
Clover led Astera to a small room on one side of the library.
Light coming through the window illuminated an old bed and desk.
"Stay here. Tell me if you need anything."
"Okay."
Astera answered as he looked around the room. It was small but clean. Clover added:
"Rest today. Tomorrow I'll show you around the library."
Clover headed toward the door and stopped. Like he'd remembered something, he turned around.
"Oh, and."
"Yes?"
Astera tilted his head. Clover continued.
"There's another child on the island besides you. Get along if you run into her."
"Another child?"
Astera asked. Clover nodded and answered briefly.
"Yeah. A girl younger than you. She's... a lonely child."
Clover left with just those words.
Astera sat on the bed.
His legs gave out.
'I'm really here. At Ohara. The place my father went.'
He looked down at the Eternal Pose in his hand. The needle was no longer pointing in one direction but slowly spinning in place. Meaning he'd arrived at his destination.
'Father must have watched this while coming here too.'
Fatigue washed over him. His eyelids grew heavy.
Astera lay on the bed with the Eternal Pose held to his chest. And fell asleep.
How long had he slept?
Astera woke up as if drawn by something. It was dark outside the window. Faint light leaked from somewhere in the library.
He was thirsty.
Astera got out of bed, opened his door, and went into the hallway.
That's when he heard a sound.
Rustle.
The sound of pages turning.
'At this hour?'
He moved toward where the sound was coming from.
A corner of the library. A single candle was lit by a window.
And beneath that light sat a small shadow.
It was a girl.
She had a book bigger than herself spread open, reading with her head buried in it.
Alone.
In the middle of this late night, in this massive library, by herself.
'Is that the child Clover mentioned?'
He'd said she was lonely.
Astera slowly approached. His footsteps made noise, but the child didn't look up. She was completely absorbed in the book.
When he reached the desk, the child finally flinched.
She looked up.
Black hair and pale skin. Eyes larger than most kids her age sparkled in the candlelight.
"Hi."
Astera spoke first. The child blinked and looked up at Astera. Wary eyes.
"I'm Portgas D. Astera. What's your name?"
The child stared at Astera for a moment. Like she was hesitating about whether to answer or not.
But soon she opened her mouth in a small voice.
"Me?"
Her voice trembled.
"I'm Robin."
A brief silence.
"Nico Robin."