One Piece: The Avengers

Let us not discuss whether Shanter is a sister-complex or a lolicon, but the day after, when little Robin woke up, she felt utterly refreshed. The heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart was completely lifted in the most thorough way, and anyone would feel a sense of relief in their heart.

"Big brother, I'm going to the Tree of Knowledge," Robin said. After last night's events, she had grown much more trusting and dependent on Shanter, unknowingly changing how she addressed him.

The Tree of Knowledge was the towering ancient tree that Shanter had encountered upon arriving in Ohara, but it was also, in truth, the world's largest and most authoritative library, housing the greatest collection of books. The archaeological scholars of Ohara conducted their studies of ancient texts in the basement of the Tree of Knowledge. From a young age, the prodigious Robin would go there every day to study, hoping to become an archaeologist like her mother, so she could sail on expeditions with her.

"Going to read again? Or are you going to find that boring old man, Dr. Kuroba?" Shanter had known Dr. Kuroba for a year, but he had absolutely no interest in the obscure historical research that the doctor was involved with.

"Big brother, Dr. Kuroba is very knowledgeable," Robin said, sounding somewhat displeased by Shanter's description of the doctor.

"Maybe so, but he's really not very interesting," Shanter changed the subject. "Little one, when you grow up, you want to be an archaeologist too, right? All this studying is for that, isn't it?"

"Mm, my mom left me when I was two to go on an expedition, and I think if I learn archaeology well, I can go out to sea with her one day," Robin said, clenching her tiny fist.

What a neglectful mother. Shanter muttered in his mind.

"Big brother, what do you want to do when you grow up?" Robin asked, curious.

"When I was five, my country was overthrown by pirates. My family and friends all died, and I myself drifted on a raft for a week before arriving on this island." Shanter's voice grew softer, and he absentmindedly stroked his nose. "Since then, I've sworn to become a marine, to kill all the pirates in the world. I believe the Marines are the most just organization in the world. What I seek is not just revenge, but justice, because I don't want what happened to me to happen to others." As Shanter said these words, the cruelty and hatred on his face had vanished, replaced by a calmness as deep as water.

When hatred stirs the softest parts of the heart day and night, everyone's heart eventually becomes numb. But this hatred never disappears; it merely sinks deeper and deeper. Once it erupts, it will consume everything.

"I also had a little sister, just as cute as you, little one. She'd always cling to me, pestering me to play with her," Shanter was fully immersed in his memories now, his hand automatically reaching up to pat Robin's head. "Oh, I had two good friends, Cardod and Angelina. They managed to escape as well, but out here on this vast ocean, I wonder if they had the same luck as me, to find an island."

Robin obediently leaned against Shanter, saying nothing.

"Alright, little one, go to the Tree of Knowledge. I won't hold you up any longer," Shanter quickly recovered, "By the way, would you like to live with me? If you do, I'll go ask your aunt to let you come live with me. What do you think?"

"Sure! Living with Shanter is the best," Robin, who had been worried about being scolded by her aunt, immediately jumped at the chance. "But will Aunt agree?"

"She should, I guess," Shanter's mischievous mouth began to move again. "A simpleton like you, who would want to take you in?"

"Hehe, big brother is even dumber. He's never beaten me in chess or cards!" Robin quickly shot back, giving Shanter no chance to retaliate, and vanished in a flash. Before disappearing, she even manifested two little hands above Shanter's head, giving it a few knocks.

"Heh, that little one," Shanter smiled bitterly, patting the spot where she had knocked him, then made his way to Robin's aunt's house.

The process of retrieving Robin went surprisingly smoothly. Perhaps it was because Robin's aunt disliked her, but Shanter hardly had to put in any effort before he was able to bring Robin back with him.

Although Shanter's finances were not abundant, and his means of earning money were rather limited, ensuring that the two of them had enough to eat and wear was not a problem.

Once Shanter had resolved the issue of Robin's guardianship, he decided to go look for her, to deliver the good news, and to borrow a few books on navigation from the "Tree of Knowledge."

Dr. Kuroba and the others knew Shanter because of Robin, but their interactions had been minimal. Even though Shanter didn't care much for their historical studies, he still held a certain respect for these dedicated individuals. In this regard, Shanter's relationship with the archaeologists was not bad at all.

At the Tree of Omniscience, Shanter unsurprisingly found Little Robin.

Little Robin was focused on her book, at least far more concentrated than Shanter had been when learning navigation. She didn't notice Shanter's arrival at all.

Shanter tiptoed over to Little Robin's side, suddenly reaching out and rubbing her 3D nose.

Little Robin was startled, but when she saw it was Shanter, she quickly regained her composure. "Brother, how did it go?"

"Of course, it was a success. I told you, a girl as silly as you would never find anyone who'd want you!" Shanter said, while pinching Little Robin's cheek and teasing her with a grin.

Little Robin felt quite happy upon hearing this and chose to ignore the latter half of his remark. She only pouted in dissatisfaction at his actions. "Stop pinching my face."

But instead of letting go, Shanter became even more mischievous, using both hands to pinch her cheeks. "I'll keep pinching. What are you going to do about it, brat?"

"Annoying!" With a flutter of petals, Little Robin grew many hands on Shanter's body, not only pinching his face back in retaliation but also tickling him.

"Ah, haha, stop it, you little brat!" Shanter hadn't expected Little Robin to have such a trick up her sleeve. In the past, Little Robin had never shown her Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit) abilities while being "teased" by him, since she was afraid of annoying him, and usually only protested.

Actually, if she used her strength to slap his arms, Shanter could easily shake her off. But to strike Little Robin with full force?

Soon, Shanter was laughing so hard he could hardly catch his breath. His hands had long since left her face, and all he could do was defend himself, having no power to retaliate. Little Robin, seeing this, couldn't help but feel pleased. After all, she had endured more than a year of "torture" due to Shanter's mischievousness. While she didn't mind, it occasionally left her feeling uncomfortable. "See how you like that, bad brother! Can you handle it? At the same time, a new thought she had never had before crossed her mind: this ability is really useful!

"I give up, I give up," Shanter admitted, having no way to deal with her ability. He couldn't very well punch her and send her flying. Since he couldn't fight back, the only choice was to beg for mercy, or else he might die from laughing.

"Admit defeat?" As soon as Little Robin retracted her hands, Shanter launched a sneak attack, and the two of them tumbled to the floor, laughing and play-fighting.

"Hey! What are you two doing? This is the library! No loud noises, get out!" The voice of the librarian interrupted them as they wrestled on the floor.

Upon hearing this, Shanter and Little Robin realized they had made a scene and quickly stopped their playful antics. They rushed out from under the Tree of Omniscience, leaving behind the books they had planned to borrow.

"Brat, from now on, we're living together. Let's celebrate this properly." Shanter said as he cooked.

Little Robin, engrossed in her book, didn't pay any attention to him. After all, Shanter often said things without much thought, so it didn't matter whether she responded or not. If only Shanter were as focused on his studies as she was, he might have mastered navigation by now. After all, unlike archaeology, navigation was more about experience (don't bring Nami into this—Nami is a genius, but Shanter is not!). In terms of professional knowledge, it required far less.

Of course, Shanter never slacked off when it came to training his body. After all, to become a strong navy officer, physical strength was the foundation. Whether it was the abundant energy in the pirate world or not, there seemed to be no upper limit to physical training. It could always be improved. Of course, as with cultivation, the further one went, the harder it became, and the pirate world was no exception.

"Brat, I need to tell you something." Shanter mumbled, his mouth full of a delicious dinner. His cooking skills had greatly improved after more than a year of practice.

"I'm listening, brother." Little Robin put down her utensils.

"I know you want to be an archaeologist and sail with your mom, but I've already decided to join the navy when I turn 15. What I mean is…" Shanter gestured as if adjusting imaginary glasses. "If your mom comes back before I turn 15, I'll go with you to study archaeology. But once I turn 15, I'll join the navy and leave you behind. You won't blame me, right?"

"Don't worry, brother. I won't blame you." Little Robin imitated Shanter's gesture. "If Mom hasn't returned by then, I'll go with you to join the navy. But you can't leave me behind."

(Robin joining the navy… I'm sure anyone who has watched One Piece will find this hard to accept.)

"But brother, won't it put a strain on your finances if we live together?" Little Robin asked.

"Silly girl, I won't let you go hungry." Shanter was touched by her concern, but his mouth still ran away with him. "I'll treat it like I'm investing in you. When I'm poor, I'll just sell you off! A surefire profit!"

"…"

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