Speculation About the National Treasure
Two days have passed since Vegapunk's world-shaking broadcast.
But contrary to the anticipated panic, the whole world was surprisingly calm.
This calm did not stem from ignorance, but from that final scene.
On that day, in the final scene of the global live broadcast, Roy stood atop the ruins of the destroyed Holy Land Mary Geoise, his cloak billowing in the fierce wind, ashes swirling around him.
His expression was calm, composed, and resolute as he smiled slightly at all the Den Den Mushi cameras:
Don't worry, I have a plan.
These seven words, like a stabilizing force, calmed countless restless hearts.
That composure and calmness, conveyed through images, reached every corner of the world.
Fishermen stopped their fleeing boats, soldiers unloaded their trembling weapons, weeping mothers raised their heads, and Revolutionary Army soldiers tightened their armbands again.
That composure and confidence, for the first time in a world that had endured eight hundred years of oppression, gave the word "future" weight in the hearts of humankind.
--
The world is being reshaped.
With the complete defeat of the World Government, the Navy and the Revolutionary Army jointly took over the order of various sea areas, and the regions quickly stabilized.
Roy's proposal has gained global recognition.
Representatives from various countries and ethnic groups gathered on Land Fish Island, known as the "Island of the New Era".
It was a floating city built by land and sea, Fish-Men and humans, symbolizing New Era of "connection" and "coexistence".
Navy, Revolutionary Army, Scientists, Giant Race, Fish-Man Race...
For the first time, elders from various ethnic groups and representatives of the kingdom sat down at the same round table.
This is --
World United Assembly.
Its establishment marked the complete end of the old era.
No longer under the oppression of gods, no longer bound by nobility and bloodlines, every nation and every race has the right to speak out and choose its own destiny.
--
But the shadow of the Old World has not completely dissipated.
Beneath the shadows of the sea and the ruins, the remnants of the World Government still lurk.
They stole weapons, plotted revenge, and attempted to reignite the old flames amidst the chaos.
But before the plan could be implemented, the sky was torn apart.
"Zzz--!"
Thunder roared down from the heavens, and a bolt of Inazuma ripped through the sky!
With a deafening explosion, the hidden rebels were instantly vaporized into charred remains by the intense heat. Before the remaining ashes could even fall, a wild laugh echoed through the sky.
Enel hovered thousands of feet in the air, golden rings spinning behind him, lightning flashing in his eyes, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips:
"Those who surrender, I can turn a blind eye to."
He raised his finger, and lightning gathered at his fingertip into a slender golden spear.
"But if, in your heart, you still dare to harbor any ulterior motives..."
He paused, a slight smile spreading across his face, his voice turning cold:
"Then don't blame me for hearing it too clearly."
"Zzz--!"
With a low hiss, lightning flashed again in the air, leaving a scorched patch on the ground.
With his unparalleled mobility and superhuman Observation Haki allowed him to hear thoughts, Enel traversed the seven seas over several days, annihilating all remaining forces.
Those who surrendered were imprisoned.
Those who resisted were electrocuted to ashes.
When the thunderbolt struck, the old order turned to dust.
--
Meanwhile, deep within Pangaea Castle...
The firelight flickered, and the air was as cold as frozen memories.
Roy and Shanks walked side by side through the ruins of the collapsed Pangaea Castle.
The ceiling had collapsed, and burn marks remained on the charred stone pillars. The rubble underfoot crunched with a crisp, lonely sound.
The air was thick with the smell of blood and ashes.
There was no wind, no light, only the sound of their footsteps echoing through the long underground passage.
Shanks raised the oil lamp in his hand, its orange flame flickering in the darkness.
He whispered, "Down here."
The two of them stepped onto the spiral stone steps leading to the abyss, one after the other.
The deeper you go underground, the colder it gets. The surrounding rock walls gradually change from stone to metal, and a cold, silvery reflection flows across the surface.
When they reached the end, a huge door made of an unknown alloy appeared before them.
Inside the door, a huge Straw Hat was quietly displayed.
"... This hat is actually real."
Roy murmured softly.
Shanks looked serious as he walked to another closed alloy door, its mechanical gears turning.
He turned around, and his usually smiling face was now unusually solemn.
"Roy," he whispered.
"What you're about to see is the real 'National Treasure'."
With the final click of the gears meshing, the door slowly opened.
A blinding blue-white light shone through the crack in the door, illuminating the faces of the two people.
A faint, low-frequency hum could be heard in the air, like a heartbeat, or perhaps the resonance of time itself.
Roy squinted, and in that instant, he seemed to see a sealed history emerge in the light.
--
A few hours later.
Silence returned to the depths of Mary Geoise.
Shanks still stood before that metal door, his figure solitary, the Flame flickering in his eyes.
The blue and white light inside the door gradually dimmed, and his expression became unreadable.
Roy had already turned and left.
He walked slowly down the corridor leading to the ground, each step feeling as if he were stepping on the heartbeat of history.
He didn't turn around.
Only the thoughts in my mind surged like a tide.
"Really..."
Roy lowered his gaze slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"National Treasures are neither weapons nor the legendary source of immortality."
"It is a special device that can modify the structure of life."
He stretched out his hand, and the faint, trembling energy still lingered in his palm.
"A legacy from the ancient times... the 'First World'."
He murmured softly, his voice echoing through the metal corridor.
That was a civilization beyond imagination.
At that time, humans did not rely on the abilities of Devil Fruits, but instead used that creation known as a "National Treasure" to rewrite the genes of life.
They used it to reconstruct bloodlines, creating special races capable of surviving in extreme environments: the Giant Race, the Fish-Man Race, the Lunarian Tribe, the Buccaneer Tribe, and so on...
He walked slowly forward, his gaze growing increasingly cold and stern.
"Humans at that time... believed they had the power to create."
"But little did I expect the price—would be my soul."
He paused, looking up at the slightly lit exit at the end of the corridor.
"The ancestors of the Land of Gods were the first to use 'National Treasures' to alter their bloodlines."
"They gained superhuman powers, but lost the balance of humanity."
"Their descendants... all bear some kind of curse."
He was silent for a moment, and the face full of fangs and a twisted smile flashed before his eyes.
"For example, Teach's body..."
Roy slowly walked out of the passage, greeted by the blazing sunlight.
The air in the ruins was a mixture of dust and the fresh breeze of new life.
He raised his head slightly, half-closed his eyes, and let the wind blow through his hair.
"After the destruction of the First World, the Lunarian Tribe became the guardians of the National Treasures."
"And the surviving descendants of humanity, those whose lives were altered—"
"And so they became the 'Davy Clan'."
"They bear a genetic curse, their bloodline carrying the remnants of gods."
"Living out their last breath in the God Valley."
He let out a long breath, his fingers tightening slightly in the sunlight.
"I see..."
He raised his head, gazing at the azure sky, a fiery determination flashing in his eyes.
"That makes a lot of things make sense now."