One Piece: Signing In as a Pirate Begins with Roger's Execution

"Stop it, everyone! This is a misunderstanding! He's Brother Karl, not one of those evil Marines!

He was the one who ordered Capone Bege to save us before. Please, don't attack him!"

Robin's voice rang out urgently as she saw the villagers arming themselves, ready to gang up on Karl. She ran toward the crowd, shouting to stop them.

"Robin! Since when did you start defending the Marines? Get out of the way!"

"Exactly! Even though you're our village chief, and we respect your abilities, there's no such thing as a good Marine!"

"Nico Robin, you told us yourself that the Marine who helped us is dead. How can a dead man come back to life? You've clearly been tricked by this Marine. We can't trust him!"

"Don't believe him! Capone Bege was probably coerced by him. We can't let this Marine off so easily!"

The villagers, fueled by righteous indignation, grew increasingly enraged. Robin was on the verge of tears.

Using her powers, she desperately tried to intercept the villagers, slowing their advance without harming them. She didn't dare use her full strength.

Witnessing this chaotic scene, Karl couldn't help but laugh wryly.

"So, you're saying I've been declared dead in Ohara?"

"Don't worry, Lord Karl. I'll handle this," Capone Bege said, shaking his head in exasperation.

He had once told Robin that Karl had been under house arrest, but he hadn't elaborated further. He never imagined Robin would misunderstand to such an extent, leading the people of Ohara to believe Karl had died.

No wonder the villagers harbored such hostility toward the Marines. It was clear Karl's supposed 'death' had played a role in their resentment.

"Be careful not to hurt them," Karl said. "These people are just reacting naturally—they've been suppressing their anger for too long."

Capone Bege nodded, activating his Devil Fruit power to create an air door. As the villagers charged forward, they unknowingly rushed through the door and reappeared in a different direction, confused as to how they got there.

"Calm down, everyone! I'm Capone Bege, priest of the Red Church!

The news you heard about Lord Karl's death was just a misunderstanding on Nico Robin's part. Lord Karl was under house arrest for five years, and now that time is up, he's been released. So—"

"What do you mean by 'released'? That makes it sound like I was imprisoned," Karl interrupted, correcting Bege's misleading wording.

Bege shrugged helplessly and continued explaining. Robin, meanwhile, ran up with a photo of Karl from five years ago, showing it to the crowd.

Comparing the photo with Karl's current appearance, the villagers noticed he looked much the same, albeit more mature and slightly taller.

Karl then recounted specific details about his rescue efforts in Ohara, finally convincing the villagers that he was indeed alive.

"Why are you all standing around? He's our savior! Let's bring him back to the village and throw a celebration to welcome him properly!"

Someone's suggestion sparked a wave of enthusiasm among the villagers. They swarmed Karl, lifted him up, and carried him toward the village.

This time, their attitudes were the polar opposite of their earlier hostility. They were brimming with warmth and gratitude, eager to thank Karl for saving so many lives five years ago, even though he couldn't save all of Ohara.

Capone Bege and Robin both breathed sighs of relief.

Robin's earlier misunderstanding about Karl's death had caused unnecessary distress among the villagers.

"Robin, you're incredibly knowledgeable, but you scholars tend to overthink things. You should be more careful in the future—otherwise, you might end up 'killing' Lord Karl with your imagination again. How awkward would that be?" Bege teased lightly.

"I understand. I'll be more cautious from now on," Robin replied, blushing with embarrassment.

The relationship between Robin and Bege was more sibling-like than hierarchical. They spoke openly with each other, never hiding anything.

They both knew that withholding information could lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary trouble—like the rumor about Karl's death.

"Let's go. It's been ages since I've had a good meal here. I've been so busy lately. If it weren't for Lord Karl's visit, I wouldn't have had time to take a day or two off," Bege said, following the villagers into the village.

Robin, still flustered, wished she could use her Devil Fruit powers to dig herself a hole and hide in it.

Karl spent the night enjoying the villagers' enthusiastic hospitality, feeling relaxed and at ease.

The next morning, Karl convened a meeting with Robin and the scholars of Ohara to discuss the implementation of a nationwide literacy campaign.

Karl's plan was simple: leverage Capone Bege's Red Church to spread knowledge widely.

The goal was to start with the church members, ensuring they gained substantial knowledge, and then extend education to the general populace.

Most importantly, there would be no discrimination between church members and civilians—knowledge must be shared equally without bias.

Whether people understood the teachings or not would be up to their individual capabilities; the focus was on eradicating illiteracy.

Karl aimed to ensure that even those who were previously uneducated would attain at least a basic level of literacy equivalent to elementary education in his previous life.

By doing so, he hoped to awaken the people's dissatisfaction when the World Government inevitably made unjust decisions.

With Capone Bege teaching them political awareness and interpreting guiding principles, seeds of change would be sown.

Even if these civilians remained under oppression for now, their awakened minds would eventually rise up when the time was right.

However, Karl wasn't advocating for revolution; instead, he wanted them to understand that the true enemy wasn't the Marines—it was the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.

Karl also intended to use this initiative to publicly associate himself with the Red Church and reveal his identity as a Celestial Dragon.

By doing so, he would not only advance his plans but also establish himself as the Red Church's ultimate shield.

Still, the irony of being a Celestial Dragon denouncing his own kind wasn't lost on Karl.

Though he had grown accustomed to it, others found the notion shocking and couldn't hide their astonishment.

Who would've thought that amidst the depravity of the Celestial Dragons, someone like Karl would emerge—a complete anomaly, intent on tearing down the very system he was born into?

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