Story

Buggy knew that since Robin was willing to speak, she must have carefully selected the parts she shared, much like how Crocodile had pressed her for the location of Pluton in the original story, only for her to deceive him with tales of national history.

Robin recounted, "Ohara was a truly beautiful place. It was world-renowned for gathering the best archaeologists, the finest research teams, and the 'Tree of Knowledge,' the largest library in the world. Eighty years ago, Gray set out from there and voluntarily joined the Navy."

"Kachuu!" Hearing that name, the giant octopus waved its tentacles in excitement, though Robin pressed down on its head, and it obediently sat back down.

"In his search for the truth of the world, Gray chose to leverage the power of the Navy. He followed the fleet to suppress pirates everywhere, and after years of accumulated merit, he successfully promoted to Vice Admiral of a branch at the age of forty-eight—sixty years ago. He used this status to secretly search for historical materials. Many of the historical records in the Tree of Knowledge, including those with his unique signature, were provided by him."

"It wasn't until one day, while passing this island during his search for Poneglyphs, that he discovered the ruins. At the time, the island did not trade with the outside world and practiced rituals of worshipping gods. Upon discovering the ruins, Gray realized the gravity of the situation. When no one was around, he destroyed the stone statue and, with decisive efficiency, sent his troops back and applied for retirement on the grounds of a terminal illness. He stayed behind with only one personal soldier, who, under his instructions, integrated into the native population to gather intelligence for him."

"The reason for this was the unique and mysterious nature of the statue... If he hadn't done that, once the intact statue was discovered, this island would likely have been wiped off the map, just like Ohara was later."

Buggy wanted to say something but stopped himself. After a moment of thought, he decided not to ask about the statue; given Robin's personality, she likely wouldn't tell him anyway.

Robin continued, "But his actions were naturally interpreted by the island's witch priestess as a demonic invasion. It was at that moment that this Land-Walking Octopus, which had been on the verge of death in the jaws of a Sea King, was saved by Gray. He used the priestess's psychological manipulation of the natives to frame this Land-Walking Octopus as a terrifying vengeful spirit, a guise it has maintained to this day."

Having finished, Robin glanced at the giant octopus, which had teary eyes, seemingly lost in memory.

Buggy asked, "Then why did Gray die here?"

Robin fell silent for a moment before saying, "The soldier Gray planted successfully gained the trust of the villagers. Over the following year, Gray explored the secrets of these ruins while continuously training this Land-Walking Octopus, making the 'vengeful spirit' a more realistic and terrifying presence. His goal was to prevent the villagers from approaching and reviving their old customs of worshipping the gods."

"A year later, his soldier obtained the parchment and delivered it to him. As a former student of the Tree of Knowledge, he understood the script and knew how to enter the crypt."

"After he entered the crypt and hid the upper half of the statue inside, he reached the end and discovered the stone tablet before him. Just as he was about to record the text on the tablet to send to Ohara, he suddenly realized he had been exposed to an invisible, odorless poison gas."

"This poison was likely released by a mechanism within the layers of the statue. The moment Gray destroyed the statue, the gas had invaded his body, only to bloom from within him at the very last moment."

"The moment he felt the poison take hold was the moment his life ended..."

"A few pages of this diary are completely shattered, and others show signs of tearing, but he gave up on them, likely thinking there was no need to erase them."

As she spoke, Robin tilted her head to look at the giant octopus, feeling deeply moved. "As for little octopus, he probably still thinks Gray is alive."

Although animals are not as intelligent as humans, humans will fight to the death and scheme against each other for profit, while these animals will never betray you. The loyalty the little octopus has shown over all these years—isn't that more reliable than the greedy and ignorant humans?

The giant octopus covered its head with all its tentacles, crying even more miserably, "Ying ying ying~"

Although Robin glossed over many details, Buggy did not press her. His plan had been to obtain the treasure buried here, but as it stood, there was nothing he wanted, and his only gain was the practically useless story Robin had told.

Buggy stood up, feeling bored. "Since we've achieved our goals... let's go."

Robin looked at Buggy, her smiling face appearing somewhat unkind. "Mr. Red Nose, it seems there is no treasure here that you wanted. I'm truly sorry."

"The higher you climb, the harder you fall—isn't that the case for you as well?"

Buggy's words made Robin fall silent; the remark had unexpectedly stung her.

What interested Robin was not the location of the Ancient Weapons, but the "Lost Century" of history. To her, this result felt like running in circles, with no progress made. Moreover, the time and energy she had spent traveling from the Grand Line to the East Blue were no less than Buggy's, yet the final result was unsatisfactory.

Robin said bitterly, "Although we met for the first time today, I can feel that you are someone who can understand me."

Buggy chuckled dryly. "Since we get along so well, why not consider joining my pirate crew?"

Robin offered a smile, neither confirming nor denying.

Seeing that expression, Buggy's heart skipped a beat, and his thoughts suddenly cleared as if the clouds had parted.

His own pirate crew could only act arrogantly in the weakest of the seas, the East Blue, and there were only two officers on board who were even remotely passable. Such combat power was truly too weak; he feared that any two pirate crews discarded from the Grand Line could send him running for his life. How could he possibly protect this "Child of the Devil"...

Strength—in the end, it was all about strength. This world was, after all, a world of the strong. Even if he forced Robin to join, it would not only lead to her being taken by the World Government, but his own crew would also face the crisis of annihilation.

Buggy shrugged helplessly, sighed inwardly, and said no more.

Robin patted the giant octopus's head with unexpected gentleness. "Little octopus, let's go. Don't disturb Senior Gray while he sleeps here."

"Kachuu..." The giant octopus wiped away its tears with a tentacle and responded dejectedly.

The two of them and the octopus retraced their steps. The broken statue still lay on the ground. Robin took one last look before continuing back with Buggy.

When they reached the entrance of the crypt, the stone door was now tightly shut, not letting in a single ray of light.

Facing the upward stairs, Buggy tried to push the stone door open, but suddenly his body stiffened, and his arms went limp. He stepped back twice. "Sea... Seastone?!"

Seastone had at least the hardness of a diamond and would drain a Devil Fruit user of all their strength. Even Buggy hadn't expected Seastone to be embedded here. A place that housed such a stone tablet was certainly no simple location!

"It must be that the door closed automatically after the mechanism was triggered. It's no wonder this tunnel has existed for so long..."

Robin scanned the surrounding floor, walls, and ceiling before saying calmly, "It seems there is no way to open this door from the inside. I'm afraid we can't get out, Mr. Red Nose."