Chapter 207 Epilogue (Part Two): The First Library at Sea
The first library at sea has opened!
"The first library at sea?" The man squatting under the eaves, drinking tea and chatting, paused, then asked in confusion, "Who ranked it first?"
"The library is called the 'First Library at Sea,' and I heard... it was built in Ohara."
“Ohara…” The man who spoke first gasped sharply. After he finished gasping, he realized that it was no longer the era of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Ohara, and the only orphan of Ohara, had long been exonerated after the Revolutionary Army’s investigation.
Building a library in Ohara now is not dangerous at all; on the contrary, it is a symbol of resistance against the Celestial Dragons' past tyranny, and it is an act worthy of encouragement and praise.
"Go on, tell me, what exactly is inside that library, and why is it called the First Library?"
"Actually, I haven't seen it either, but the World Economic News has been reporting on it for several days in a row..."
"Have all the books in the library been sorted out? Tomorrow is the official opening day, so please make sure to check them carefully one last time." Sabo walked beside the tall bookshelves, randomly selected one, and compared the books on it with the classification in his memory.
“No need to be so nervous, Sabo,” Robin chuckled. “Everyone has already checked it many times.”
"Thank you all for your hard work. Go back and rest now."
"Phew—" Sabo let out a long breath. "I don't know why, but I always feel a little nervous."
This library is called the First Library not only because of Vere's designation, but also because the quantity and variety of its collection truly live up to the title of the first.
The library contains not only the original Ohara collection restored by Robin and Violet through their memories, but also other rare books that R'lyeh has acquired over the years through exchanges, purchases, and auctions.
Furthermore, with the latest new media digital technologies researched in collaboration between Bergabank and Morgans, it can be said that whether considering the quantity of books, the rarity of the collection, or the level of technology, this title of number one is well-deserved.
Most importantly, the First Library at Sea, owned by the current richest person at sea, Violet, is completely free!
Apart from the rare original copies that require review and advance reservation, the electronic and reprinted versions are all available for free browsing on the shelves.
"There are so many people..."
Vista, having heard that the First Library at Sea contained a precious sword manual, made a reservation well in advance, even shamelessly using his personal relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates and Violet to book a VIP room ahead of time.
At first, Namur and Harta didn't understand why Besta was so anxious as to use back channels, but when they saw the scene of ships blocking the way a dozen nautical miles outside Ohara, the brothers who had come with Besta to join in the fun couldn't help but gasp.
It's good that they found this back door; otherwise, they probably would have had to wait for half a month to get their turn.
This trip was for private business, and Vista and the others didn't bother to use the Whitebeard Pirates' name. Instead, they simply showed their VIP reservation cards and docked at the shore through a special channel.
When they got ashore and were led by staff to the rare book room, Besta saw several familiar faces along the way.
"Katakuri and Cracker, are you here looking for dessert recipes?"
"Hongo? Oh right, the Red-Haired Pirates have a good relationship with Violet, so it's normal that he was able to get a VIP status."
"Begabank? Is he here as a partner to debug the equipment, or is he really here to read a book...?"
"Jin?! Wait, are there interrogation books here too? The collection is a bit too extensive. I really don't want to know where Violet got them from."
"That's Hawkeye Mihawk!!!"
Vista spotted the great swordsman ahead, carrying the black sword Night and exuding a cold, aloof aura.
Mihawk's appearance here... could his target also be those rare swordplay books?!
Suddenly, a strong competitive spirit arose in Vista's heart.
When swordsmen at sea set their sights on the same swordsmanship book or famous sword, they inevitably have to fight it out to determine the winner.
But Violet had established the rules early on: Ohara was a place purely for academic and intellectual exchange, and all fighting was absolutely prohibited here.
No one would dare to disrespect Violet, nor would anyone want to risk offending someone who could contend for the title of the strongest person in the world.
Since we can't decide the winner through fighting, we'll just have to... first come, first served!
Marco and Izou, who were admiring the novel yet rational architecture, suddenly felt a tight grip on their arms. Before they could react, Vista pulled them forward with a sudden burst of speed!
"Um?"
Hearing footsteps behind him, Mihawk slightly raised the brim of his hat, his sharp golden eyes sweeping back to accurately locate Vista and his group.
Mihawk stared at Vista with an air of utter disbelief, like a starving high school student fighting for food in a cafeteria. He remained silent for two seconds, then, as if remembering something, spoke up as Vista passed by: "I'm not here to find a sword manual."
After saying that, he ignored Vista and the others and continued walking towards the target pavilion on his own.
Um?
Vista: "...Did someone just speak?"
Marco was speechless: "It's Mihawk."
Vista: "Mihawk? What did he say? Is he challenging me to a duel?!"
...What kind of image does Mihawk have in your mind?
Even when being pulled along by the hand by Bishta, she remained elegant and beautiful, speaking in a soft Tibetan tone.
Mihawk said he didn't come to see the sword manual.
"Huh? What would a swordsman look at if not a sword manual? He's lying!" Vista didn't believe his rival's nonsense. "He must be trying to lower my guard so he can borrow those rare books before I do!"
Marco and Izou listened to Vista's confident assessment: "..."
No, it can't be that bad. Mihawk seems pretty honest.
Do you swordsmen really have so many tricks up your sleeves when it comes to things like this?
Marco turned around in disbelief to look for Mihawk, only to find that the other man had disappeared without a trace!
They got ahead of them? That's impossible; they couldn't possibly have missed it.
Wait, he remembered there seemed to be something like that on this road...
Marco squinted and quickly found a simply designed venue—an agricultural-themed library.
Marco: "..."
Marco: "Stop, Vista, there's no need to rush. Mihawk did indeed go to another pavilion."
He recalled the news that Violet had bought a third of Mary Geoise and turned it into farmland, and shook his head helplessly.
Honestly, one is Vil and the other is Mihawk; I don't know what it is about farming that attracts them.
"Ugh, this is so boring. What's so interesting about this place?"
The black-haired boy wearing a straw hat suddenly stretched out his arm like a spring and grabbed another boy with freckles on his face in front of him.
"Hey Luffy, I just got into line!!!"
"Stop lining up for Ace. Who wants to read such boring things as books? Let's go fishing and have a barbecue. Let's see who catches the biggest and most fish!"
As Luffy spoke, he wrapped his arms around Ace like snakes and pulled him toward the door.
"No, wait, Luffy, don't you want to know information about the Devil Fruit you ate?"
"Huh? I don't want to." Luffy said frankly, "It doesn't matter, I'll find out when I'm fighting anyway."
Ace looked helplessly at his younger brother who was not related to him by blood.
When Ace was a child, he ran away from home for a period of time and went to Windmill Village. There, he became sworn brothers with Luffy, who lived in Windmill Village, and Sabo, who also appeared in Windmill Village for some unknown reason.
Ace always felt that it was probably because Luffy's grandfather Garp let Luffy grow up freely that Luffy had an untamed wildness about him.
Just like now, rather than looking at the Devil Fruit encyclopedia in the library with him, Luffy prefers to figure out the abilities of the fruits he has eaten by stumbling and struggling on his own.
However, Ace knew how to deal with Luffy: "I heard that the museum also has the logbooks of Rocks, Whitebeard, and Val... "
"What?!" Luffy stopped in his tracks, pulling Ace along with him. "Ace, why didn't you say so sooner?!"
See?
Ace knew that Luffy's number one idol was his bastard father Roger, who conquered the final island and left behind his life's wealth there.
Luffy's second idol is Violet, who also reached the final island and fought and won against the strongest Celestial Dragon there.
Ace smiled, knowing that with Violet's logbook, he wasn't worried about Luffy not taking the bait...
"That was too dangerous! We almost saw something we shouldn't have! Let's get out of here!"
"...Huh?!" Wait a minute, isn't this reaction a little off?
Ace, looking completely bewildered, was picked up by Luffy and carried outside.
"Hey, you two, are you going to line up or not? If not, get out of the way!"
"Yeah, yeah, you two little brats, don't waste our time!"
"Whose child is this? Are the parents home? Hurry up and take the child away."
"That's perfect." Luffy looked at the man behind him with his clear eyes. "Move aside, we're leaving."
"What? No, we're not leaving!"
"We need to leave now!"
"You two brats..."
"What happened?" On the first day of the opening of the First Library at Sea, Sabo was definitely going to be here to oversee things. At this moment, he was checking for any potential safety hazards when he vaguely saw that the queue that had been forming a long line had shrunk into a small group, and noisy arguments were coming from there.
"Quiet, quiet!"
Sabo frowned and stepped forward to organize the crowd, pushing the onlookers aside one by one, before looking seriously at the group gathered in the center.
"Have you not heard of the rules of Ohara? No matter what conflicts you have, fighting is not allowed. Otherwise, we will have to permanently ban you..."
Before Sabo could finish speaking, the two black-haired boys suddenly charged at him like cannonballs.
With Sabo's combat awareness and reaction speed, this distance would have been enough for him to draw his fire staff and burn them both to a crisp, but for some reason, looking at those two faces filled with excitement, Sabo was completely unable to make a move.
He couldn't bring himself to hurt them.
“Sabo!” X2.
Two excited shouts rang out as Sabo was tightly embraced by the two men, one on each side.
"You're still alive, Sabo!"
"Great, Sabo, we meet again!"
The noisy, chaotic sounds echoed in his mind, yet Sabo strangely felt a sense of peace and familiarity, as if his life was meant to be surrounded by these two sounds.
“You…” Sabo raised his head with difficulty to confirm the two people’s appearances. The undeniable familiarity made Sabo certain that the two of them were closely related to the memory he had lost.
"The two of you."
Sabo gave a polite and gentle smile.
"May I invite you two for a drink?"
————————!!————————
Do you guys remember the amazing library that Violet promised Robin? [starry-eyed]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com