Pluton and the River!
The tunnel, filled with flowing water, was wide and long, and Vidal could feel himself moving deeper into it.
At the same time, there was stillness. The surrounding environment became quieter and quieter, and apart from the splashing sound of my feet in the water, there was only the sound of my own heartbeat.
The oppression was overwhelming, an endless oppression. Had Vidal not possessed such unwavering willpower, he might have already turned back and left.
It was far too long, far too quiet, and situated in a rather dark and enclosed space.
He didn't know how long or how far he had walked, but when he heard a louder sound of rushing water ahead, his heart leaped with excitement.
Has it finally come to an end?
[Clap, clap, clap, clap.]
As he splashed water, Vidal arrived at the other end of the tunnel, only to find that there was no way forward, and what came into view was a vast underground space.
He was halfway up the cliff face when, instinctively glancing down, his pupils shrank to tiny awns in the green light.
He saw it!
Because of the overhead view, he could only see a dark surface lying quietly in the lake.
It's like the visual effect of a giant turtle or crocodile lurking in the water, with only its back showing.
The water looked very deep and dark, and Vidal couldn't see very clearly from above, so the skilled and daring Colonel observed for a while before deciding to jump in.
As he leaped into the air, he used his Devil Fruit power to conjure a dozen logs on the water below, quickly shaping them into a small boat that caught him safely.
But the moment he landed on the boat, his expression changed drastically, because he sensed that the thing in the water was emitting a strange tree-like scent.
It's strange because its scent is unlike any other plant we've encountered before.
This phenomenon has only occurred with Devil Fruits, and the aura emitted by Devil Fruits is different from that of ordinary trees.
But the scent of the Devil Fruit was different from that of the giant object in the water, which made Vidal's heart begin to race.
He enhanced his perception of the Woods-Woods Fruit, even combining it with his Observation Haki, and in the next moment, the approximate outline of the creature in the water appeared in his mind.
Hey, what's this?
A boat?
Not only were there no sails, but there weren't even masts, and decks didn't exist either; it was a completely enclosed structure.
But he could sense that there was space inside. What was this, a submarine?
However, since it is made entirely of wood, Vidal could easily enter and explore its interior.
Without hesitation, he leaped directly from the small boat onto the black surface, then used his woody body to transmit his essence and will into it.
The whole process went smoothly, and during it, Vidal finally confirmed that what looked like a closed black ship was Pluton!
Having immersed himself in the ship's hull, he has gained a thorough understanding of its materials, structure, and functions.
The Woods-Woods Fruit's sensory abilities, combined with Observation Haki, are essentially a plant-based version of Voice of All Things.
What he wants to know, the plants or wood will try their best to tell him, in the way that the information will surface in his mind.
As expected, the ship is made of Treasure Tree Adam, which not only possesses exceptional toughness but also boasts strong resistance to corrosion, water, and fire.
Upon entering the interior of Pluton, Vidal was surprised to find that the interior design was distinctly futuristic and technological.
Silver and white are the main colors here; the floors, tables, chairs, and other items are all made of silver-white metal.
Painting the exterior of Adam Wood black while contrasting it with white on the inside is an interesting design concept.
What is this, a wooden spaceship?
Due to time constraints and the sheer size of the space, he glanced around and headed straight for the control room at the very front.
The control room was not much different from what I had imagined: several large black screens, a silver control panel full of various buttons, and a few chairs—it really did resemble a spaceship.
Well, after watching for a long time, I still can't figure out how Pluton controls it, and I don't dare to touch those buttons casually.
Otherwise, what if you press the wrong button and it triggers Pluton's activation?
That would be quite a mess. While finding Pluton so quickly is a good thing, it doesn't mean we can make him appear in the world so soon.
Someone else might be blinded by the legend of Pluton, eager to activate it immediately and then use Pluton's power to embark on the road to world domination.
But Vidal wouldn't, because he's not that kind of brainless villain.
Even if he could fully control all of Pluton's functions, he wouldn't truly believe he was invincible. Wasn't the Ancient Kingdom that built it impressive?
They were still wiped out by the Twenty Kingdoms pushed by Imu!
Therefore, this thing is of little use to an individual, even if it is powerful enough to completely shatter an island with a single shot.
Under Vidal's 'inquiry,' the Adam Wood around him 'told' him about the main functions of Pluton.
This is their limit; after all, wood is wood, and it can't teach you how to control Pluton by step.
Therefore, the 'Pluton Blueprints' are very important; for Vidal, they are like an instruction manual.
The core power of this Pluton lies in seawater!
It can convert seawater into its primary kinetic energy, allowing it to float on the sea surface or dive underwater.
It could even harness seawater as energy, firing it from the main gun to destroy targets, or using the stern gun to propel the entire ship forward, traversing distances of tens of thousands of meters.
Having learned all this, Vidal's first thought was to marvel at Franky, who would later design the Thousand Sunny, for indeed incorporating some of Pluton's designs.
Isn't that the same principle behind the Gaon Cannon Coup de Vent? They just use cola as their energy source.
No wonder some people speculated back then that the Thousand Sunny was a smaller version of Pluton; there really are hidden talents among ordinary people.
In addition to this, Pluton has another rather inconspicuous function: it can turn seawater into fresh water!
This technology was likely developed by scientists from the Ancient Kingdom to solve the problem of fresh water supply for the people on board.
Vidal casually found a chair, sat down, and began to think.
From this perspective, the Sandora River may not have originally been a river, but rather a seaway dug by a previous Alabasta king to hide Pluton inland.
After hiding it, in order to conceal his intentions, the king activated the function of turning seawater into fresh water.
They turned all the water in the waterway into fresh water, then claimed to have drawn up groundwater and named it the Sandora River.
What followed decades of seawater seeping into the riverbed was not actually an intrusion at all.
Rather, it's because Pluton's energy has been rapidly depleted over the past few centuries, causing the efficiency of converting water into freshwater to gradually decrease.
After all, although Pluton can turn seawater into energy, it is ultimately just a ship without intelligence.
Without anyone activating its energy conversion function, it can only keep consuming the previously stored energy.
Fortunately, converting water into freshwater is only a minor function for Pluton, and its energy consumption is far less than that of other functions, which is why it has been able to persist for so many years.
Vidal even guessed part of the plot of Pirate King Piece, that the Sandora River would one day be completely swallowed by the sea, causing a second great chaos and despair in Alabasta.
Then Luffy and his crew could come and reactivate Pluton, or perhaps use Pluton and then put it back to restore the Sandora River to its original state.
In any case, the issue of the Alabasta River being flooded by the sea definitely needs to be resolved. We can't just watch the kingdom lose its greatest water source, can we?
Note: The speculations in this chapter are merely a secondary setting for this book and can also be considered a prediction. Please do not take them as the original setting to criticize other One Piece fanfiction. Thank you.
As for whether Vidal will ultimately become a great prophet or suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of some creator god, let's wait and see.