From Antiquity

The Grit Saber, indeed, fell.

BOOM!

The reason was simple: venting anger.

But for Ivan Lindsey, who had regained consciousness, he had already figured out the principle of the Grit Saber, so it wasn't difficult for him afterward.

Moreover, his body was already wrapped in "black cloth" like Armament Haki, making it even harder to harm him in the slightest.

"Tsk... cough cough!"

Crocodile almost couldn't catch his breath. After a long pause, he finally managed a few weak coughs.

Veins bulged on his forehead. Every word he spoke was heavy, as if gritted through clenched teeth.

"I want an 'explanation' from you."

"..."

Lindsey thought for a moment and replied, "Because you had a look on your face that said, 'He must have ulterior motives'."

"..."

"Did I?"

"Yes."

Sand swirled everywhere, then gradually subsided.

The expected great battle didn't erupt, but due to Crocodile's previous fierce assault, the basic structure of the entire secret room was destroyed, leaving it precarious.

RUMBLE...

Seeing the secret room about to collapse, Igaram urged everyone to evacuate quickly.

Cobra and the other five went first, with Lindsey and Crocodile following closely behind.

As for the Poneglyph, it was left to be buried underground.

Crocodile didn't attempt to take it either. After all, before finding a decipherer, it was just a hard stone.

Since its exact location was now known, it was safer to leave it underground.

Moreover, more questions now swirled in Crocodile's mind, and he needed time to sort them out.

Foremost among them was Ivan Lindsey's "transformation"!

On the way out of the secret room, Crocodile carefully observed Lindsey.

His body was the same body, his clothes were the same clothes.

Compared to before, the only and biggest difference was the large amount of black cloth wrapped around him.

It looked a bit like bandages, with a generally tattered appearance.

But regardless of its form, Crocodile was certain that its essence was Armament Haki!

Physical Armament Haki?

Crocodile couldn't understand.

But as they walked, Lindsey seemed to feel that the black cloth on his face was in the way, so he tore it off and casually tossed it aside.

Before it could even hit the ground, the black cloth that had detached from Lindsey scattered in the wind, leaving no trace.

Hmm, it seemed it wasn't truly "physical," just close to it.

A very special kind of Armament Haki...

Crocodile silently noted all of this.

Before long, everyone emerged from underground, and the secret room behind them completely collapsed.

"Ancestors, please forgive us."

As it was a former royal heritage, Cobra and the other five bowed to the ruins as a sign of respect and mourning.

However, Cobra didn't blame Crocodile at all.

Regardless of his motives, when the anomaly occurred, it was Crocodile who stood in front of everyone, blocking most of the danger.

Furthermore, as a Shichibukai, and a former pirate, Crocodile didn't leak the location of the Poneglyph, which was also a good thing.

After all, even if the secret room hadn't collapsed, Cobra would likely have ordered it filled in to completely bury its secrets.

The Poneglyph was a taboo of the World Government, and the risks it brought to Alabasta were too great; Cobra had to be cautious.

But it was worth mentioning that, as a brief "adventure," this operation was quite interesting, even marvelous!

Crocodile's "friend" had somehow "merged" with the Poneglyph, and his body had even undergone some kind of transformation.

Who was he?

And what exactly happened?

What happened?

Lindsey bowed to the royal heritage as well, then sat cross-legged on a nearby sand dune, looking up at Crocodile.

He actually wanted to answer Crocodile's question very much:

"What happened?"

"..."

Lindsey carefully recalled the scenes from just now.

The moment he stepped into Alabasta, he could feel something in the direction of the royal capital, Alubarna, "attracting" him.

It wasn't a physical attraction, but more like a destined calling, a matter of fate.

And the moment the secret chamber's door was opened and everyone stepped inside, that feeling intensified, forcing Lindsey to step forward and reach for that Poneglyph!

At first, it was just a cold touch.

But when Lindsey fully extended his hand, it felt as if he had touched some kind of liquid, and he was completely submerged in it!

In an instant, countless speculations flashed through Lindsey's mind.

He had once been part of an ancient Stone Tablet, but because he was soaked in the liquid of a Devil Fruit, he was finally able to move freely.

And the person who forged him was also the one who forged the Poneglyphs, the Kōzuki Clan!

In other words, the "material" that made up Lindsey originally was the same as the Poneglyphs, exactly the same!

Was it because of this reason? Or was there something else?

In any case, Lindsey felt his "overlapping" state with the Poneglyph, and then his consciousness immersed into it, feeling more things...

It was a memory.

It's unknown what year or month it was.

In short, there was a young man, weathered and worn, holding a hammer and chisel, who appeared before "Lindsey."

Placing the chisel on Lindsey's body surface, he struck down with hammer after hammer, carving Lindsey's form.

Mysterious liquid dripped onto Lindsey's body.

Blood? Sweat? Tears?

Perhaps all of them.

The young man's voice trembled, muttering something, the image blurry and indistinct.

It felt like a second, or perhaps years.

Lindsey tried hard to listen, and finally managed to hear some indistinct words.

"..."

"Is everything that 'God' does right?"

"Those people call themselves 'Gods,' they don't want to be human anymore!"

"..."

"It's the rules set by 'God' that cause suffering, but why do we blame each other instead of questioning 'God'?"

"..."

"Ugh!"

The young man roared, his face already indistinguishable, yet he continued to shout, continued to swing his hammer and chisel, continued to shed blood, tears, and sweat.

"If being an enemy of God is 'evil,' then I am willing to worship 'the devil'!"

"..."

The blurry images ended here.

Lindsey felt something surge towards him, he instinctively grabbed it, and then saw the scene before his eyes clearly.

It was Crocodile, and Cobra and the others in the distance...

Their faces were filled with astonishment, as if they were wary of Evan Lindsey.

So Lindsey thought for a moment, and then--

"Hee hee hee hee hee..."

"This is it!"

"Finally, I've finally obtained this power!"

"..."

Lindsey's memories ended, and he shrugged at Crocodile.

"That's pretty much it."

He hadn't held anything back, as there was no point in doing so for Lindsey.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Crocodile pondered for a moment. "So, your last statement was an impromptu idea?"

Lindsey nodded.

BOOM!

Another Grit Saber strike came down, and Lindsey casually dispersed it with two fingers.

Crocodile deflated a bit, then changed the subject and continued, "So, what exactly are these things on you?"

"..."

Lindsey casually pulled off a piece of black fabric from his body, watched it scatter in the wind, and replied, "It's Armament Haki."

Crocodile frowned. Of course, he knew it was Armament Haki, but this unique, anomalous form of it was something he had never seen before!

"But..."

Before Crocodile could ask further, Lindsey interjected, "It seems to be the Haki used by the ancients when forging Poneglyphs—"

"Ancient Armament Haki."

This statement piqued Crocodile's interest.

But then, Lindsey made a gesture and said something that made Crocodile involuntarily shiver.

Lindsey lightly drew a line in the air, pulling out a small, tattered piece of black cloth.

Lindsey then said, "I've probably learned a little bit?"