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Chapter 62: Decision

Lucas and Roger continued to fight every day as it started to become more like a daily routine for both of them.

Each time, Lucas would get beaten up repeatedly without being able to get a clear hit on Roger.

Every morning, Lucas would be waking up to Roger’s attack. It reached the point where Lucas had to maintain his Observation Haki when he sleeps!

Roger would always stop when it’s breakfast time and continue thrashing Lucas after dinner. The only time Lucas could take a rest was in the afternoon and when Roger sleeps.

This continued to become a normal occurrence on the ship as it sailed the Calm Belt.

One day, after Lucas had Crocus patch him up, he walked to the deck to take a moment of rest. He needed to rest well before Roger finds him again later after dinner…

As Lucas looked for a spot where he can sit and relax, he found Olvia quietly sitting at the side as she held a book on her lap.

Her image seemed to overlap with Robin’s image in Lucas’ head. These two are really similar in a lot of ways…

Olvia never talked to him much during his stay here in Roger’s ship and Lucas also didn’t know how to face her.

Lucas sighed and thought that he would have to face this choice sooner or later so he decided to approach her.

Looking at the book she’s reading, Lucas’ expression became weird.

“Rainbow Mist? I thought you weren’t someone who believed in time travel?”

Olvia raised her head and showed an amused look.

“You know this book.”

“...Somewhat. They say that this Rainbow mist is a mysterious fog that is actually a gateway to another dimension right?”

Lucas spoke as he tried to remember the filler arc in his head. He really didn’t pay too much attention to those filler arcs but if this is true in this world, then maybe it could be the key for him to go back to his time...or even back to his own world.

Olvia nodded and asked.

“Do you really believe it? Such things like other dimensions…”

Lucas showed a wry smile and nodded.

After all, he himself is from another world! How can he not believe it!?

“How come you are so sure?”

“Hmm...think about it this way. There are two choices. Choice A and Choice B. Let’s say that at some point, you chose Choice A...but at the same time, there is another reality out there where you chose Choice B. Do you think that these two are still in the same dimension?”

“...No, it would appear as if they are the same, yet not at the same time.”

“Right. These two realities move in the same direction but are parallel to one another. Who knows, maybe a Choice A from many many many years ago has made the reality we know today to be completely different from Choice B from many many many years ago, creating a completely different world. A different dimension.”

Olvia nodded and seemed to be deep in thought.

Lucas smiled and looked at the sea outside.

“In fact, it doesn’t even need to be a choice. It could be anything as minute as the waves of the sea or the breeze of the wind...They say a mere flutter of a butterfly can create a storm on the other side of the world...that’s just how big the universe is. Like a smart guy used to say, ‘Anything that humans can imagine, is a possibility in reality’.”

Olvia blinked in surprise as she looked at Lucas.

Everything that seemed to come out of this man’s mouth seemed so unreal...yet somehow believable.

Is he really from the future?

“Can you tell me? About the future?”

“Err, didn’t Roger say he will kick anyone out who asks about it?”

“I’m not a part of his crew. Just humor me.”

“...”

Guess that’s true…

Lucas scratched the back of his head and sighed as he sat down next to Olvia.

“What do you want to know?”

“How far from the future are you from?”

“Umm, I’m still not sure actually. Do you have a daughter yet?”

“...I don’t have a husband yet.”

“Ah...guess it has to be more than 28 years in the future then…maybe 30 years just to round it up...”

“...”

Their conversation was short but held plenty of meanings already!

Olvia’s head started to hurt as she thought about it. Does he mean that I would have a daughter!? But with whom!? Also, why does he have to round up the years for!?

Lucas could feel Olvia glaring at him which made him laugh dryly. He knew he had probably said too much but it was her fault for asking too!

After thinking for a bit, he felt around his pockets and surprisingly found his smartphone.

Hm? Wasn’t this with Luffy before we separated? How come it’s with me now?

...No matter, let’s throw it in the magic trash can where all the other unexplainable stuff is. It was useless to think about questions that he had no answers for and no one to ask.

“What’s that?”

“Well, you can think of it as a device that lets me store images, videos, and such.”

“Is this from the future as well?”

“Hm? Nah, this is from another world.”

“...”

...Maybe it was best if I didn’t say that...oh well. For what it’s worth, Lucas enjoyed teasing Olvia who seemed to be the kind of woman who only believes in facts that she can see.

Lucas shrugged and tried his best to ignore Olvia’s ‘tell-me-everything’ gaze.

After finding a picture, Lucas showed it to Olvia.

“This is her, your daughter...Nico Robin.”

Looking at the image on the screen, Olvia can’t help but feel that the woman in that picture looked similar to her own image.

I guess this man isn’t lying...he really is from the future!

Looking at her future’s daughter smiling and seemed to be free from worries, she felt relieved despite not giving birth to her yet.

Strangely enough, she already felt a connection to Robin…

There was one thing she was confused about though.

“Why is she...why is my daughter on a pirate ship?”

Lucas heard her question and fell silent, not knowing if he should tell her about her own future or not.

Gritting his teeth, Lucas ultimately decided to tell her.

To Lucas, it was more important for Robin to be happy with her mother even if it meant no longer meeting her again...all he wanted was what was best for Robin. Maybe he’s wrong, but this is his selfish desire as well.

“...8 years after she is born, Ohara was...judged to be a devil’s land and a Buster Call was ordered...to wipe it out from the map.”

“!!!”

Olvia was shaken from the sudden news and grew even more worried.

“Robin was the only survivor...and she was given a bounty of 80 million as a kid. They call her the Devil’s Child, Nico Robin.”

“...”

Lucas could feel Olvia shaking beside her but he still continued.

“For 20 years, she had lived alone and without anyone she can trust. Ultimately, she started to join pirates and underworld gangs to survive and hide from the government...just so she can live long enough to discover the truth of the Void Century...”

“...”

Finally, Lucas smiled and looked back at the picture on his phone.

“After 20 years of surviving alone, we met her. She was an enemy at first...but she became a friend to us. A part of our crew...she became an indispensable nakama. I’d like to think that she has also achieved happiness with us...”

Lucas looked back at Olvia and spoke seriously.

“Olvia, as much as I want the chance to meet her...I don’t want her to suffer the way she did. Even if this is another reality, I hope...that you would live for her and stay by her side. Always.”

“I…”

Olvia seemed to be still processing what he had just said so Lucas didn’t rush her. He also knew that the information he told her was too much but it had to be done.

Lucas has decided. If he truly cannot return to the time he is from, then he will do whatever it takes to save those who had died too early in the story.

Olvia continued to look at the image of her future daughter’s smiling face while in deep thought.

Just as Lucas was about to leave her be, Olvia switched to the next picture which made Lucas froze.

In the picture was both Robin taking a selfie while in bed...with him beside her, still sleeping like a log! What’s more, Robin had her lips puckered and was kissing his cheek with a playful wink.

It can also be seen from their bare shoulders that they weren’t wearing anything beneath the sheets!

At that instant, Lucas felt a cold shiver deep in his bones! It was even colder than Aokiji’s ice!

Lucas turned his head to look at Olvia’s expression with difficulty and saw her smiling face. Yet at the same time, her eyes don't seem to be smiling at all!

Author: Let’s take a moment of silence for our this bastar- *cough* beloved MC…

…

After dinner, Roger went to find Lucas but found him already half-dead on the deck.

“Huh? Why is there a corpse here already?”

Confused, he scratched his head and found Shanks and Buggy who was shivering at the corner.

“Hey, what happened?”

“...D-demon…”

“...Hah?”

While Shanks was able to answer, Buggy had already fainted with foam in his mouth.

The next day, when Buggy woke up, he already forgot everything that had happened as if his brain instinctively deleted his memory to preserve his sanity…

As such, the only three people who knew of this event was Shanks, the half-dead corpse Lucas, and the Demon.

The days continued to pass as the crew touched down in West Blue and reached Ohara. During this period of time, Lucas had stuck close to Olvia seemingly wanting to quell her anger by humoring her with various things.

Sometimes he would show her some tricks or some videos on his phone. Sometimes he would tell her unbelievable stories.

To Lucas, he merely wanted to appeal to his would-be mother-in-law but to everyone watching, it looked like Lucas was courting Olvia!

Now, looking at Olvia who was about to leave, Lucas let out a deep sigh and held her back.

“Olvia...remember what I told you.”

“...Hmph! Knowing that my future daughter will get to be with a pervert like you, I’ll definitely not die!”

“...”

Should Lucas say he’s glad or not…maybe this was a mistake…

Olvia turned around and was about to leave when she suddenly stopped. Turning her head slightly, she spoke again.

“...You better know how to take responsibility...pervert.”

“...Huh?”

Lucas was surprised and was about to speak but Olvia already left and disappeared from his sights quickly.

In the end, Lucas sighed again and shook his head.

Suddenly, from both his sides, he felt two elbows poking at him. It was Roger and Rayleigh. Both of them had a knowing look and a smirk on their faces.

“...”

Lucas could only rest his face on his palm.

These damn geezers! I already slept with her daughter, what do they think I’m going to do to her mother!?

Lucas wanted so badly to beat them up but knew that he will only end up worse if he tried to so he could only hold himself back.

The crew resupplied and left quickly since Roger didn’t want to attract marines to Olvia’s homeland.

As they left the island, Lucas gave one last look at the island before turning away.

On the island, Olvia also looked back on the ship with unknown thoughts. On her hand was a picture she had secretly printed with a special denden mushi. It was a picture of Lucas and Robin smiling together.

Giving the picture one last look, she sighed and hid it.

“Olvia, what’s up?”

“Ah...it’s nothing. Just remembering something.”

Olvia turned and saw a black-haired man who looked at her worryingly.

“I see...it must’ve been quite an exciting adventure.”

“...Indeed.”

For a moment, there was this silence around them. After a while, the man spoke again.

“L-listen...Olvia...this time, when we lost you...I was really worried...and I realized…”

Olvia looked at the man who was trying his hardest to speak out his feelings. She chuckled and was about to speak when another man appeared in her head.

That man who told her unbelievable yet interesting stories...that man who showed her various videos on his so-called phone…

Meeting that man had made her feel as if there truly is more to this world. He was basically proof of the impossible.

She then remembered the picture and shook away her thoughts.

With a smile, she looked back at the man and held his hand as they started to walk away.

Olvia knows...that she cannot fall for that man. He is already with her daughter...and she knows that her daughter is genuinely happy with him.

That’s why…

…

Back on the ship, Roger and Rayleigh kept watching Lucas who was leaning on the rails on the deck sighing for the nth time already.

Seeing him like this, Roger nudged at Rayleigh.

“Hey, don’t you know a lot of ladies? Go cheer him up!”

“What do you mean, Roger!? You know more about this than I do! You go cheer him up!”

“I don’t know anything about this!”

“...Should we call Shakki?”

“...Better not disturb her…”

“...Good call, how about we send him to Tsuru?”

“Send him to the marines!? No way! He’s my crew!”

“But he hasn’t accepted yet. Plus, he is technically not a known pirate at this time, right? Maybe they won’t arrest him? Who knows, maybe he could melt the heart of that ice woman Tsuru.”

Roger groaned when Rayleigh pointed this out. Still, he needed to point something out.

“Nothing in this world can melt that woman’s heart. Ever.”

“...”

While the two were bickering and discussing this, Lucas approached Roger.

“I’ve decided, Roger…”

…

Roger looked surprised to hear Lucas’ decision and laughed.

“Hahaha! Interesting! Alright boy, let’s do it that way!”

“Thank you...Captain.”

As the crew began to re-enter the New World from the Calm Belt, Lucas’ rigorous training began as Roger started to hammer Armament Haki into his body.

Despite the cruel and harsh training, Lucas gritted his teeth and persevered!

After all, this was a rare chance to be taught by the man who would one day be known as the Pirate King! It would be a waste to let this opportunity slip by!

Stronger...stronger...and even more stronger!