One Thousand Five Hundred Years

"What year is it now?"

Just that one sentence made the cold sweat on Crocodile and Caesar pour even more heavily.

Both were men of vast experience, yet neither had ever witnessed such a scene!

And then, what happened next struck the two as even more bizarre.

The sculpture that called itself "Aiven Lindsey" began to move its body.

Starting with its fingers, then all the joints of its body, they began to tremble slightly, while cracks tore open across the stone surface.

Crackle, crackle, crackle...

Pieces of rubble fell off one after another, revealing a body with skin the same color as an ordinary person beneath.

At the same time, an indescribable aura instantly flooded the entire laboratory!

Crocodile and Caesar were both stunned, because they recognized the truth of that aura—

Conqueror's Haki!

From the cracks in this sculpture, Conqueror's Haki had burst forth!

This piece of stone could also claim to be king?!

The next instant—

Whoosh!

The sculpture leaped up, breaking free from the stone restraints behind it, landing steadily in a manner that was "utterly unreserved."

Stone fragments scattered all around, and the chaotic, mottled Conqueror's Haki gradually dissipated.

As for that "sculpture," its posture was like the most perfect human model, showing not a single flaw.

"..."

The sculpture carved onto the Poneglyph had actually... come to life?!

Incomprehensible!

And more importantly, what kind of monster was this creation from the "ancient" era?!

Crocodile raised his hand, ready for battle, while Caesar had already prepared to flee.

The next second, the sculpture calling itself "Aiven Lindsey" shifted its feet and began to move.

Left foot tripped over right foot.

Thud!

It crashed heavily to the ground.

Crocodile: "?"

Caesar: "?"

Their puzzled gazes met Aiven Lindsey's, and the three stared at each other.

Was this guy a child? How could he not even know how to walk?

"One moment."

Lindsey spoke, then slowly stood up, imitating the movements of the two men before him, readjusting his footing.

In just a few breaths, Lindsey had completely steadied himself, then looked openly at the two.

Unable to hide his inner delight, he raised both hands high, bent his elbows, and turned sideways excitedly:

"Alright, I've got it!"

Crocodile: "?"

Caesar: "?"

Something felt... off?

That was a sculpture from before the "Void Century," crafted by ancient hands, and it had even emanated Conqueror's Haki!

But why, when this sculpture came to life, did its words and actions seem so "normal"?

The two sized up "Aiven Lindsey."

"Aiven Lindsey" sized up the two before him as well.

Mm, he recognized them.

[Sand Crocodile] Crocodile, and Caesar Clown.

He had a rough idea of what year it was now...

Lindsey, full name: Aiven Lindsey.

A transmigrator.

After observing for a while, he confirmed that he had arrived in the world of the Pirate King.

But now there were two troublesome problems.

One was that the year he had crossed into was a bit early.

The First Year of the Grand Line Calendar.

An era when the calendar had just been established.

The other was that he had crossed over as a piece of "stone."

Perched atop some nameless high mountain, overlooking islands, villages, and the sea.

Fortunately, because he was a stone, Lindsey's perception of "time" was quite hazy. And so it went, weathering wind and sun, year after year.

Many, many years passed.

Then one day, Lindsey suddenly found himself being dug out of the mountain by people.

What were they going to do?

He didn't know, so Lindsey hazily observed everything.

Year 550 of the Grand Line Calendar.

In that chaotic era, nations across the sea were locked in endless war!

As a hard "boulder," Lindsey's memories were somewhat blurry, yet he had experienced many things.

He vaguely remembered—

Being used by a kingdom's nobles as the foundation for building a palace;

Also serving as a weapon to smash city walls;

Warriors dying upon his body, their blood flowing;

Refugees tormented by the harsh wind, huddling beside him, shivering;

A Champion using him as a landmark to rally the people;

Bandits burying treasure beneath him to hide their greed;

And also...

Until Year 620 of the Grand Line Calendar.

Another group took Lindsey away.

They called themselves the Kōzuki Clan, hailing from Wano Country, wishing to record true history.

And so, Lindsey, along with other boulders, was forged and hammered, eventually becoming many indestructible stone tablets!

If everything had gone normally, Lindsey's surface would have been carved with Poneglyphs.

But history is always interesting.

Lindsey couldn't remember the details.

In any case, a certain young man asked the Kōzuki Clan for one stone tablet to use for another purpose.

Lindsey was taken somewhere by the young man, who then carved him into a human-shaped statue.

In some place, a group of people faced Lindsey and prayed earnestly.

They crushed a Devil Fruit into juice and smeared it over Lindsey, seeking a response.

They prayed for who knows how long, and Lindsey began to feel something.

But just then, a great roar sounded, and towering waves surged in, drowning everything around—nothing remained.

Lindsey sank to the bottom of the sea.

He drifted into a dazed sleep until the seawater around him receded, and he finally regained consciousness.

Lindsey heard someone speaking.

"Shurorororo, what a marvelous discovery this is!"

"..."

"Just who is he?"

"..."

"Who are you?"

"..."

At that moment, Lindsey finally woke up completely!

Unwilling to let go of this rare opportunity, he desperately grasped at that "feeling," eventually loosening the rock on his body and breaking free from his bindings.

Over fifteen hundred years as a stone had made Lindsey forget how to stand.

Like a child, he imitated the movements of the two people before him, and only then managed to steady himself.

His eyes shone with light.

Calculating the time, he should have been a "stone" for fifteen hundred years now.

Though most of that period was spent in a daze, now that the reality of "freedom" was laid before him, Lindsey felt an overwhelming longing.

The Great Pirate Era, fifteen hundred years later!

Lindsey urgently wanted to see this era—one he knew so well, yet had never truly witnessed.

Lindsey was excited.

Seized by a sudden whim, he began to move his body, savoring the sensation of skin cutting through the air.

To Crocodile, however, this scene was rather hard to appraise.

A naked man, utterly unashamed, a "living sculpture" with a nearly perfect physique, was actually doing stretching exercises?!

The immense confusion left Crocodile momentarily dazed.

But he quickly pulled himself together, intending to learn more through Caesar.

"Hey, Caesar?"

"..."

"Caesar!"

Crocodile turned around when no one answered, but where was Caesar?

Glancing to the side, he saw that Caesar had somehow already fled the laboratory, simultaneously pressing a button to seal the entire room shut.

Whoosh—hmm!

The ventilation duct hummed, and a pale purple gas drifted in, spreading through the air.

"Shurorororo, I never expected such a haul today. Let me study you properly!"

"I'll knock you out first, then take my time researching."

"[Sand Crocodile], just bear the crime of stealing the Poneglyph and let yourself be locked away in Impel Down for me! Shurorororo..."

"..."

"Heh. Truly a scumbag."

Watching the anesthetic gas slowly approach, Crocodile realized this laboratory was no longer a place to stay.

He didn't intend to make a big scene, and as a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, a mere lab couldn't hold him.

But...

Caesar had played him dirty. Leaving like this didn't suit his nature.

You want to study that "Aiven Lindsey"? Then I'll take him away!

Such a peculiar "person" must be entangled in countless secrets, perhaps even connected to the Ancient Weapon.

"Heh heh heh heh..."

Crocodile laughed darkly, then turned his head again—only to find that Lindsey had also vanished!

"Could it be?!"

He looked up at the vent on the ceiling, but there was only a gap as wide as a finger—an ordinary human could never pass through there.

That had also been Crocodile's original infiltration route.

Crocodile exclaimed in shock, "Has he already entered the ventilation duct?"

"No, no. I can't squeeze in there."

Lindsey's voice came from below Crocodile's feet.

Looking down, Crocodile saw that the laboratory floor had been torn open, a massive hole ripped through it.

Lindsey's body was submerged in the earth, only his head left visible, looking utterly at ease, as if swimming in soil.

Crocodile suddenly understood. "You're... a Devil Fruit user?"

Lindsey nodded. "Yes."

Crocodile wanted more information and pressed on. "What fruit?"

"Devil Fruit."

Crocodile frowned slightly. "I know it's a Devil Fruit. I'm asking what kind of fruit?"

Lindsey blinked, looking somewhat innocent, and said, "Yes. Devil Fruit."

Crocodile's eye twitched. He was about to snap, but then something occurred to him, and he froze in place.

"Devil... Fruit?"

"Mm."

Lindsey smiled faintly and nodded, lying back in the dirt like a tourist vacationing on a beach.

"Devil Fruit."

"--Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Oni."

Lindsey blinked.

Crocodile noticed that Lindsey's pupils had already changed.

Six short lines arranged in two rows replaced the original round pupils, looking eerily strange.

Lindsey, bearing those abnormal pupils, continued to explain:

"The one who carved me coated my body with the juice of a Devil Fruit. The juice seeped in slowly, allowing me to gain the power of a Devil Fruit."

"Over the years, I've come up with quite a few uses, but I've lacked practice, so I'm still not very skilled."

As he said this, Lindsey's body began to change.

His limbs started to swell, his skin turned a deep red, and even two pitch-black Demon Horns sprouted from his head.

This monstrous form indeed matched the appearance of a Zoan Mythical Beast Type!

Lindsey's voice grew low and hoarse as he grinned:

"The ability I'm using now is called 'Earthquake.'"

"Also known as--the [Earth Demon]."

Chapter two delivered!

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