Shanks scratched Captain head and frankly told Sig, "Actually... this wasn't my first time at sea four years ago. I grew up on another pirate crew when I was very young, but I was just an apprentice crew member back then... I officially set sail as Captain four years ago."
"Eh..." Sig replied with a mix of interest and perfunctory replies.
Shanks didn't seem to mind and continued, "Guess which pirate crew I was in before?"
"Just a guess, it might not be right... The Roger Pirates?" Sig seemed quite adept at guessing.
Shanks:...
"How did you guess that? Your Observation Haki shouldn't be the type that directly reads memories, right?" Shanks' face fell.
Ever since Sig boarded the ship, the fun of opening boxes and uncovering secrets has vanished...
"No, boss, what you just said sounds like you've met someone who Voice of All Things, but you don't have that ability yourself," Sig said matter-of-factly.
"Like that? That's how you guessed the Roger Pirates?" Shanks felt Sig's logic was... frighteningly "pure." Even a normal person wouldn't guess like that, right?
"Besides being a 'Seafarer,' I'm also a 'Detective,'" Sig said matter-of-factly.
Shanks didn't ask any further questions about Detective, simply taking it as something Sig had said casually.
Now that they've opened up to each other, Shanks naturally revealed quite a bit, especially telling Sig about Roger's ability to "Voice of All Things."
This includes Roger hearing the voices of "unknown creatures" several times, and more importantly, being able to hear the voices of "important items"!
The most representative example is the Poneglyph —a stele containing Ancient Script engraved on special, indestructible stone to Record specific Poneglyph events. Roger could "hear" it!
It was this ability that kept Roger on the "right path" all the way. Although he couldn't understand the contents, each piece of the Poneglyph was like a "reigniting explosion" to him...
Sadly, Roger walked the path that "Joy Boy" should have taken, only to find himself too early in every place he visited.
Furthermore, in his middle age, Roger was already terminally ill and had no choice but to place his hopes on his descendants...
He left guidance for what might be his own son, or for another heir of the "D. Clan".
Shanks also knew that he was not D. Clan," and even...
"I also want to see Laugh Tale, which Captain Roger once visited! Sig, I know you have your own purposes, but... please come with me to the end of the world!" Shanks sincerely extended an invitation.
"No problem. I'd like to know the secret behind what made the Pirate King Roger succumb to fate," Sig said with a hint of provocation, then added, "And it would be great to make the World Government unhappy."
Whatever Laugh Tale has, it should be something capable of shaking the World Government's hegemony.
Of course, Sig never believed that relying on some secret or some vague destiny would be enough to overthrow the World Government.
Shanks later explained to Sig that the so-called "end of the world" did not actually refer to the end of the second half of the Grand Line.
Otherwise, wouldn't it be possible to climb down the Red Line Continent from the northwest of Reverse Mountain and arrive directly at Laugh Tale?
The first person to arrive there shouldn't be the One Piece, it should be the Rock Climbing King!
To find Laugh Tale, you need to collect four special Poneglyph inscriptions—these four inscriptions are made of red stone, and each one Record a "coordinate." Once you determine the four coordinates, their intersection is where Laugh Tale is located.
Sig was already aware of this setup, and after Shanks mentioned it to him, Sig asked with a strange expression, "Wait, if the intersection of the four coordinates is the location of Laugh Tale, then we only need three coordinate points, and then walk around the three sides of the triangle they form?"
Shanks:...
Sig's quick wit surprised Shanks for a moment, but Shanks quickly recovered and said, "If it really is on the sea, that's true, but... it could also be an underwater island like Sky Island or Fish-Man Island. Without a fixed coordinate, it's difficult to find."
"I see..." Sig nodded in understanding.
Indeed, once a point is identified, then either waiting in place for the Accumulating Emperor Cloud, or diving into the deep sea to search for the lost island, are all viable options.
However, searching along the three sides by land, water, and air would be too much work.
"However, I don't recognize any Poneglyph, and I might not be able to hear the voice of the stone tablet," Sig reminded him.
"You don't need to understand the text. Captain Roger could vaguely sense the ancient will on the stone tablet back then... If he hadn't later been diagnosed with a terminal illness, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to find someone who could decipher the Poneglyph," Shanks added.
It seems that Roger didn't just impulsively try to recruit Whitebeard; he felt his days were numbered and had no choice but to seek help from Kozuki Oden, who understood the Poneglyph.
Sig originally wanted to say that he might not be able to hear the voice of the Poneglyph at all— Sig himself understood that his "Voice of All Things" was essentially the ability to receive mystical information through the "The Hanged Man Path."
As for being able to understand the sound waves of Giant Sea Kings, Sig suspects that the "Tyrant Path" marine biological communication ability is at play...
However, Sig thought again that he had already triggered the "White Tower Path" ability to rewind history on Dawn Island and Jaya Island, so encountering Poneglyph inscription might have a similar effect, so he might as well give it a try.
Shanks currently only sees Sig as "Kozuki Oden of the Red-Hair Pirates"—perhaps this can speed up his journey to Laugh Tale.
"You can travel from Dawn Island to Jaya Island in the Grand Line anytime now, right?" Shanks asked Sig to confirm.
Seeing Sig nod, Shanks didn't keep him in suspense any longer and said, "After things are settled in the East Blue, I plan to go to the Sky Island there again by myself. Captain Roger left a message there, and I want to go and see it again, and maybe even try to Voice of All Things."
The phrase "going again by myself" does not mean Shanks will go alone, but rather "going with his companions." More than ten years ago, Shanks had already gone to the Sky Island of Jaya Island with Roger —the Sky Island on the Accumulating Emperor Cloud Eternal Night Island.
"About the situation in the East China Sea... how's that nobleman's rebellion going?" Sig asked out of curiosity.
"No, An'er is also one of the people who least wants war to break out in this country... We've recently learned that King Peter has formulated a plan to improve the Border Town. As long as there is proper communication and mutual understanding, I believe they can reach an agreement."
Sig looked closely at the naive man in front of him.
Peter didn't know what kind of person Sig was, but if Sig remembered correctly, just a year or two later, the Kingdom of Goa burned down the Terminal of Uncertainties in order to maintain the "city appearance" when the Celestial Dragons visited, without any regard for the "people" still struggling to survive inside.
Perhaps in their eyes, those weren't even people...
"I know it's fake even without using Observation Haki." Sig's expression darkened upon hearing this.
Shanks sighed and said, "Don't worry, I... will be careful too. Oh! By the way, there might be an Accumulating Emperor Cloud drifting towards Dawn Island soon. Why don't you and Lucky Roo go check it out?"