"This news is truly exhilarating!"
Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement, and he subconsciously licked his lips.
In fact, ever since arriving in the world of One Piece from Konoha just half a day ago, he had already noticed that his physical condition was gradually improving.
It seemed he was adapting to the high-oxygen environment of this world.
Even without training, simply living here would strengthen the body.
"..."
While the boy and girl were busy training, a furious middle-aged woman appeared from the nearby village, storming over with the four mischievous kids following behind her.
"Hey!"
The woman glared at Robin.
Little Robin looked up in confusion.
Hands on her hips, the woman snapped angrily, "My kid came home crying, saying they were beaten for no reason by you and another monster."
She then glanced at Naruto, a look of disgust in her eyes.
"You're the one, aren't you? The monster who bullied my kid!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow slightly.
Little Robin set her book down and tried to explain, "That's not what happened..."
"Shut up!" the woman interrupted impatiently. "I hope you stay away from my children from now on."
In the distance, the four kids stuck out their tongues and made faces, mocking Robin and Naruto.
Robin immediately fell silent.
But the woman only got angrier and shouted, "Say something, you annoying brat!"
"I think you're the truly annoying one here, obāsan."
Naruto stood up and cut her off.
The woman scowled, "I've never seen you before. Where are you from, kid? You have no manners at all..."
Naruto didn't bother arguing with her. A black kunai suddenly appeared in his hand, and he started spinning it skillfully with his pinky.
The kunai whirled like a windmill.
Startled, the woman instinctively took two steps back.
"W-What are you doing? Kids shouldn't have such dangerous weapons. Put that down right now!"
Shu!
The black kunai flew past her.
The woman fell back in terror, eyes wide with fear.
"Y-You trying to kill me, you brat?!"
Naruto didn't say a word. He merely pointed behind her.
The woman turned her head—and saw the kunai embedded in a large tree, its handle glowing with fire, as if burning a piece of paper.
Halfway through the burn—
BOOM!!!
The explosive tag ignited.
A blinding flash followed by a thunderous shockwave.
The giant tree—so thick that three people couldn't wrap their arms around it—collapsed with a roar.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
The woman screamed in terror, her face twisted with panic, and she fled toward the village, tripping over herself as she ran.
The previously arrogant kids were also scared witless and ran off crying.
"Naruto-kun..."
Robin stared blankly at the blond boy.
Naruto chuckled, opened the Air Door, and took out another kunai. "This is an explosive tag, a standard weapon for a ninja."
"..."
"So, Robin-chan, you really are a strong girl…" Naruto said with a sigh, gently ruffling her hair.
From their conversation earlier, Naruto had already learned about Robin's current situation.
Her mother was Nico Olvia, a famous archaeologist who had gone to sea in search of the Poneglyphs when Robin was just two years old.
Left alone, Robin lived with her uncle, Nico Oran.
But her aunt was a cruel woman.
She treated Robin like a servant, making her do all the chores, feeding her stale bread, and forbidding her from joining family events.
Only in the Tree of All-Knowing did the doctors and scholars treat Robin kindly.
Robin nodded quietly, a trace of sadness in her eyes.
"It's okay!" Naruto grinned brightly and patted her head again.
"From today on, I'll be right by your side. No one will bully you, and no one will scold you again."
Robin looked up in surprise.
Naruto smiled. For him, as long as he wasn't in that damned Konoha, anywhere else was a land of freedom.
"..."
Soon, it was dusk.
With the help of Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique), Naruto spent only two hours building a wooden cabin in the forest.
There was a bed, a table, chairs, and blankets—
All brought from Konoha.
Unfortunately, no matter how much Naruto tried to persuade her, Robin still returned to the village alone.
But she came back shortly after.
Her uncle's family had gone on vacation to another part of the island.
So the two of them spent the night in the cabin.
"..."
The next morning.
Naruto and Robin arrived at the Tree of All-Knowing.
It was a massive tree with thick, sprawling branches, seemingly over a hundred meters tall. Even a hundred people couldn't encircle it.
The center of the tree had been hollowed out into rooms, and through the windows one could see walls packed with books.
"This is the holy land of archaeology?"
Naruto stared in awe at the tree.
Only in the world of One Piece could such a magnificent plant exist.
Robin nodded happily and led him inside. "Naruto-kun, this is where I come every day. There are lots of books here, and everyone's very kind."
They walked into the Tree of All-Knowing and saw many scholars busy at work.
An elderly man with three-leaf-clover-shaped green hair and beard approached them curiously.
"Robin, who's this young man?"
Robin quickly bowed and then pulled Naruto forward.
"Dr. Clover, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He was in a shipwreck and now lives in the forest. He's my friend."
Dr. Clover smiled, ruffling Naruto's hair.
"So, you're Robin's friend. That means you must be a good kid. Are you here to read books too?"
Naruto nodded quickly. "I heard there are many books here, so I came to take a look."
Dr. Clover nodded. "Liking books is a good thing. Robin, why don't you show him around?"
Robin nodded happily and took Naruto deeper inside the Tree of All-Knowing.
As expected of the holy land of archaeology, the place was filled with shelves and countless books, stretching so far it felt endless—
Like a world made entirely of books.
(End of Chapter)
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