I'm Not Interested in Devil Fruits

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On islands where members of the World Government Allied Kingdoms are situated, you can usually find at least one Marine branch base.

The phrase "at least" is used because a World Government Allied Kingdom Member's territory might encompass more than one island. Some of the larger kingdoms have territories that stretch across multiple islands or even seas. 

To bolster military protection, the Marines may set up several branch bases, or they might opt to establish a strong base on the island where the royal city is located. Such a base would typically host high-ranking officers, like RearAdmirals, to ensure the safety of the surrounding islands.

Barke was a logistics Marine soldier stationed at the Marine branch base on this island, and his responsibilities revolved mainly around logistics.

While other Marines were still busy with shooting practice at the base, Barke had already completed his tasks. 

He had dealt with the base's waste, left the royal city, and purchased flour in the eastern town, fish and shrimp in the western village, and vegetables in the southern city when he found himself at the northern port.

"Huh?"

At the port, Barke was skillfully haggling with a street vendor. Their back-and-forth was lively and animated. However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a graceful figure.

That girl is stunning... Wait, no!

Barke rubbed his eyes, only to sting them with fishy water from his fingers. He yelped in pain, tears streaming down his face.

"What's wrong, Barke?" The vendor asked with a sigh. "Alright, fine, 4,000 Belly. How about it? No need to cry over it!"

"I'm not crying..." Barke muttered, trying to regain his composure. His eyes were still red as he glanced back at the bustling street corner, but the figure had vanished. "I think I just saw someone..."

"There are people everywhere," The vendor replied.

"What I saw was a real beauty! Not someone from town," Barke insisted.

"Where? Where?" The vendor craned his neck to look around.

"She's long gone!" Barke said, feeling a bit smug.

"4,300 Belly! No more haggling," The vendor shot back, clearly annoyed.

"You just said 4,000 Belly!" Barke exclaimed, stealing another glance in that direction. He mumbled, "I feel like... I've seen that person several times already..."

"Barke, you're not going to tell me that this beautiful lady is following you, are you?" The vendor joked, laughing heartily. He was well aware of Barke's daily supply route, knowing that by the time he reached their town, it was usually his second-to-last stop.

Barke's face flushed as he awkwardly retorted, "Maybe I just saw wrong!"

After some more bickering, he managed to negotiate the price down to 3,900 Belly. He loaded bag after bag of fresh fruit onto his cart. Before leaving, he glanced in the same direction again, shook his head, and moved on.

On the back of his cart, an ear disassembled into petals, scattering into the air.

…

In a quiet corner of the town's bookstore, a flower clone browsing through books paused briefly.

"The Tales of the Lost Bepon Kingdom"…

The bookstore owner chuckled, "Young lady, I didn't expect you to be interested in a book like this."

The flower clone smiled faintly, offering no explanation.

Speaking as a clone required diverting part of the main body's focus. If too much concentration was allocated to this clone, the other clones might falter. Thus, unless absolutely necessary, the flower clone naturally conserved its energy.

While selecting books, the clone only flipped through them briefly without delving too deeply.

Robin's reading tastes were eclectic, and she didn't care much about the quality of the books. As long as they were readable, they sufficed.

Robin's journey to becoming a historian wasn't solely driven by a love for history. Growing up without friends, the only people who showed her kindness were the scholars on Ohara Island. 

If those scholars had been musicians or biologists, young Robin would have likely aspired to become a musician or a biologist just to be closer to them.

Noticing a stack of newspapers on a shelf near the counter, the flower clone casually picked one up.

Although there were News Coo birds acting as diligent newspaper vendors across the seas, not all newspapers were distributed by them. News Coo birds were exclusive to World Economic News deliveries. 

Other newspapers, such as the South Blue Weekly and South Blue Entertainment in the flower clone's hands, were distributed differently. These local papers were delivered to islands via each publisher's own ships, with copies dispersed among various bookstores. 

Naturally, more affluent small publishers might afford to use Visual Den Den Mushi for long-distance image transmission to their regional branches for simultaneous printing.

"Visitor numbers on Magnifique Island hit a new high... It seems the announcement from Mutes Kingdom's Princess Oroson about selecting a husband through a martial arts tournament has drawn everyone's attention across South Blue. Who will claim the kingdom's most beautiful jewel in a month? ... Reporter: Elizabeth"

"According to insiders, the final champion might not necessarily win Princess Oroson's favor. Sources suggest that the princess may have a preference for Devil Fruit ability users. The next month could bring turmoil across South Blue's seas! ... Reporter: Marley"

"The stationed Marines have stated that additional forces will be deployed on Magnifique Island to crack down on pirates and other criminals seeking to exploit the situation... Reporter: Kate"

"A princess, huh..." The flower clone skimmed through the entertainment news, paid for the items, and packed the purchased books into a bag.

"What's wrong?" Liam asked, noticing Robin zoning out from time to time. With a grin, he teased, "Controlling five clones at once really is tough, isn't it?"

At that moment, Robin's main body was strolling through the port town with Liam, Hancock, and the rest of the crew where their pirate ship had docked.

"Someone's noticed my clone," Robin replied, shaking her head. She put on a pair of sunglasses she'd bought on a whim, and leaning closer to Liam, she said softly, "It seems to be a Marine logistics officer from the base on this island. While doing his rounds across the island's towns, he's spotted my clones multiple times."

"Oh, poor thing! What are the odds?" Liam laughed. "To wander through every town on this small island and just happen to run into your clones. That's such bad luck!"

Robin shot him an exasperated glance. Liam shrugged. "Still, it's not a big deal," he said, gesturing toward her face.

Over the past three years, Robin had grown significantly, and her features had naturally matured.

It wasn't just her real appearance as Nico Robin that had changed; even her disguise as Jolyne Cujoh had been carefully adjusted over time to align with her own developing features. It was as if her second face was growing alongside her. 

Because of this, even if her flower clones were noticed, it was unlikely they would be linked to Robin's true identity— or even to the identity of Jolyne Cujoh. After all, "Jolyne Cujoh" now appeared to be a lively teenager, far removed from the 10-year-old girl on the bounty poster from three to four years ago.

"Besides," Liam added, "these days, South Blue seems to have no shortage of Devil Fruit ability users popping up."

Somehow, Liam had acquired a copy of South Blue Entertainment.

Robin's flower clone had already read this newspaper, so she knew exactly what it said. She blinked and remarked, "But I'm a girl…"

"Girls can't compete in a martial arts tournament to win a princess's hand?" Liam laughed heartily, his eyes drifting thoughtfully to the name of the island mentioned in the paper: Magnifique Island.

If his memory served him right, it was the very same island that Haredas, the old man, had once mentioned— the home of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit ability user.

(End Of Chapter)