The East Blue had already been almost completely cleaned up by him.
Without pirates as fuel for training, how was his swordsmanship supposed to advance?
This time, though, he was taking Robin with him.
A voyage through the other three seas was definitely going to be long, and Robin had no interest in waiting at home for that whole stretch of time.
So he brought her along. By now Robin also had enough strength to protect herself. Her Flower-Flower Fruit had been developed very well, and her Observation Haki was progressing quickly too.
Only Armament Haki showed no reaction at all.
Given her personality, Ethan just let it be. He really could not picture Robin turning into some musclebound brute. That mental image was painful to the eyes.
Before leaving, there were a lot of loose ends to tie up. The identity of "Adam" had to be preserved, so Ethan invited the chief editor of the World Economy News Paper over and signed the next cooperation contract for "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders."
Then he handed all the manuscripts he had already finished to Koushirou, asking him to mail them to the newspaper on a fixed schedule.
That sort of multi layered nesting did not just protect Ethan and Robin, it also protected the people who had any contact with Ethan.
For this voyage's cover identities, after discussing it with Robin, they decided on a fallen knight from Water 7 named Lancelot, and the noble lady he served, Artoria.
Robin had always been curious about these disguises. Ethan had told her some "little stories" behind each persona, and to her they all sounded especially wrong.
For example, the detective who got shrunk by a backwards fruit and kept taking advantage of his ex girlfriend.
Or the show off who had been through war and "no longer wanted to kill" but walked around swinging a reverse blade sword at people.
The first leg of this journey would follow the four cardinal directions, starting with the South Blue.
And so the two of them began their tour of the four seas.
Without their own ship, they mostly just hopped from one passenger or merchant vessel to another as they went.
They were in no hurry. Along the way, Robin and Ethan constantly investigated the economy, culture, history, politics and resources of each of the four seas.
All of that information was dutifully recorded, giving them an ever deeper understanding of this world.
Whenever they ran into pirates or a slave ship, Ethan would draw his sword and use those villains to further his training. The empty pirate ships were always put to the torch.
And so in the South Blue, rumors began to spread.
Stories of a pair of mysterious wraiths drifting over the sea, judging sinful souls.
One day, they arrived at Baterilla Island in the South Blue. Standing on that shore, Ethan could not help feeling a swell of emotion.
"Do you know, Robin? A truly great mother once appeared on this island."
"A great mother?" Robin looked up at him.
"Yes. In order to hunt down a baby with 'sinful blood' that was about to be born, the World Government once conducted a full sweep of this island.
"And that great mother, so her child would not fall into their hands, forced her body to hold that baby for a whole extra year.
"After she finally gave birth, she died on the spot."
Robin was stunned. What kind of terrifying willpower was that?
A mother's love?
Thinking of her own mother, Olvia, Robin felt that this nameless woman was truly too great.
"What kind of 'sinful blood' would make the World Government act so recklessly?" she asked softly.
"Gol D. Roger."
"I see… But I want to know that mother's name even more."
"Portgas D. Rouge."
The journey went on, but their voyage through the South Blue now had one more task.
They began collecting evidence of the crimes the World Government had committed back when they were searching for that baby.
Ethan believed that the people should not forget the sins of their oppressors.
Half a year later, they reached the edge of the South Blue. They had not plotted a route that hit every single island, but instead followed a ring like path.
Now they were about to enter the West Blue.
For days, Robin's mood had been low, shadowed by fear.
The West Blue had left a lifetime's worth of psychological scars on the young Robin. The burning Tree of Ohara, the frozen giant, still surfaced in her nightmares now and then.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here," Ethan told her.
"Ethan… Don't leave me," she whispered.
"I won't."
The truth was, it was not just Robin whose emotions were fraying as they approached the West Blue. Ethan's own mind was seething under the surface.
He still remembered that day.
That sea of flames.
That boy who wanted to burn everything down.
That scene kept replaying in his heart, again and again. It was the nightmare that would haunt his whole life.
Only when that blaze spread to Marineford, to Mary Geoise, to the Room of Flowers, only when it burned across the entire world, would his soul finally find peace.
Their travels through the West Blue began. Both of them grew quiet. They did their "work," but their thoughts never quite felt smooth or clear.
"Let's go to Ohara," Ethan said suddenly.
Robin had not expected him to say that.
She knew how hard what Ethan wanted to do really was. She knew what he had already paid to chase that goal.
They did not have the right, and should not be taking risks on something like this. The World Government was very likely still keeping the ruins of Ohara under watch.
Ethan knew all of that. So why?
"To pay our respects to the doctor. To pay our respects to your mother. To pay our respects to the people of the island. To pay our respects to the Tree of Knowledge.
"If we want to go, we go. This is not recklessness. It is a declaration to the world.
"Because maybe, in this whole world, only we still remember them."
That one line shattered Robin's defenses. Tears streamed down her face.
"…Mm."
On the island closest to Ohara, they stood and looked toward the ruins in the distance. Ethan and Robin removed their disguises.
In that moment, the survivors of Ohara had returned.
Constitution: 62
Strength: 60
Speed: 61
Skills:
Shave: Proficient 1%
Conqueror's Haki: 14%–16%
Shimotsuki sword style: Proficient 99%
Observation Haki: Proficient 80%
Armament Haki: Beginner 80%
Now, not even a mountain of blades or a sea of fire can stop me.
(End of Chapter)
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