Buggy knew that since Robin was willing to talk, she had probably chosen what parts to share, just as in the original story, when Crocodile pressed Robin for the whereabouts of Pluton, only for her to deceive him with the history of a country.
Robin began to recount the story. "Ohara was a beautiful place, renowned for having the world's best archaeologists, a first-rate archaeological team, and the world's largest library, the Tree of Knowledge. Eighty years ago, Gray set out from there and volunteered to join the Marines."
"Ka-chew!" At the name, Big Octopus whipped his tentacles around in excitement, but Robin held him down by the head, and he obediently sat back down.
"To search for the truth of the world, Gray chose to rely on the Marines' power. He followed them around, putting down pirates, and after years of accumulated service, he was promoted to Vice Admiral at a branch when he was forty-eight—that is, sixty years ago. He used his position to secretly seek out historical records. Many of the records in the Tree of Knowledge were provided by him, bearing his distinctive signature.
"Then one day, while searching for a Poneglyph, he passed through this island. At the time, the island had no trade or contact with the outside world, and its people worshipped the gods through rituals. After discovering these ruins, Gray realized how serious the situation was. When no one was around, he destroyed the statue, then promptly sent his troops away and applied for retirement, claiming he had a terminal illness. He stayed behind with just one trusted soldier, who, at his direction, blended in with the natives and searched for information on his behalf.
"The reason was the statue's unusual and mysterious nature... If he hadn't done that, and the statue had been discovered intact, this island might have met the same fate as Ohara later did... and been erased from the map."
Buggy looked as if he wanted to ask something, but after thinking it over, he said nothing about the statue. Robin probably wouldn't tell him anyway.
Robin continued, "But naturally, the island's witch-doctors took his actions as an invasion by demons. It was around then that Gray rescued this Land-Walking Octopus, which would otherwise have died in the jaws of a Sea King. He took advantage of the witch-doctors' ability to incite the natives and made the Land-Walking Octopus into a terrifying vengeful spirit. That was how it survived to this day."
When she finished, Robin glanced at Big Octopus. His eyes were brimming with tears, and he seemed lost in his memories.
Buggy asked, "Then why did Gray die here?"
Robin fell silent. After a while, she said, "The soldier Gray had placed among the villagers successfully earned their trust. Over the following year, Gray explored the secrets of these ruins while constantly training the Land-Walking Octopus, making the 'vengeful spirit' seem even more real and terrifying. His goal was to keep the islanders away and prevent them from returning to their old practice of worshipping the gods.
"A year later, the soldier he had placed there obtained that piece of parchment and handed it to him. As a former student of the Tree of Knowledge, Gray could read the writing on it, and he also knew how to enter the underground chamber.
"He entered the chamber and hid the statue's upper half inside. When he reached the end and found the stone tablet before him, he was about to transcribe the documents inscribed on it and send them to Ohara when he suddenly realized he was surrounded by an invisible, colorless gas.
"The poison may have been released by a mechanism inside the statue. The moment Gray destroyed it, the gas had entered his body, and at the very last moment, it burst out from within him.
"The moment he felt the poison invading his body was also the moment his life ended...
"Several pages of this diary are completely torn apart, and the others show signs of being ripped, but he gave up. He probably thought there was no need to get rid of them."
As Robin spoke, she turned her head to look at Big Octopus, feeling a pang of sadness. "As for Octopus, he probably still thinks Gray is alive."
Animals might not be as smart as humans, but humans fought each other to the death for their own interests, deceiving and betraying one another. Animals like these didn't betray anyone. Octopus had kept watch for so many years. Wasn't that kind of loyalty more dependable than the greed and ignorance of humans...
Big Octopus covered his head with all his tentacles and wept even harder. "Yingyingying~"
Although Robin had glossed over many details, Buggy didn't press her for more. His plan had been to claim the treasure buried here, but from what he'd seen, there was nothing he wanted. His only gain was a story from Robin with no practical value.
Buggy rose to his feet, feeling bored. "Now that we've achieved our goal... let's go."
Robin looked at Buggy with a smile that seemed almost unkind. "Red Nose, looks like the treasure you wanted isn't here after all. I'm sorry."
"The higher you climb, the harder you fall. Isn't that true for you, too?"
Buggy's words left Robin silent. Unexpectedly, they struck a nerve.
Robin wasn't interested in the whereabouts of the Ancient Weapons. She was interested in the hundred years that had vanished from history. This outcome felt like going in a circle and getting nowhere. She had spent no less time and effort traveling from the Grand Line to the East Blue than Buggy had, yet the result had been disappointing.
Robin said bitterly, "Although we've only just met, I feel like you're someone who can understand me."
Buggy laughed. "Since we get along so well, how about joining my pirate crew?"
Robin smiled but gave no answer.
Seeing her expression, Buggy's heart gave a little jolt, and his thoughts suddenly became clear, as though clouds had parted to reveal the sun.
His pirate crew could only throw its weight around in the weakest sea, the East Blue. Only two of his officers were even halfway decent. Their strength was far too low. Any two pirate crews washed out of the Grand Line could probably send him running for his life. How could he possibly protect the Child of the Devil...?
Strength. In the end, his crew was simply too weak. This world belonged to the strong. Even if he forced Robin to join his crew, the World Government would take her away, and his own crew would face the threat of annihilation.
Buggy shrugged helplessly and sighed to himself, saying no more.
Robin patted Big Octopus on the head, unexpectedly gentle. "Octopus, come on. Let's not disturb Senior Gray while he sleeps here."
"Ka-chew..." Big Octopus wiped his tears with his tentacles and answered dejectedly.
The two of them and the octopus made their way back. Half the statue was still lying on the ground. Robin examined it again, then continued back with Buggy.
When they reached the entrance to the underground chamber, the stone door had somehow shut tight, letting in not a sliver of light.
Facing the steps leading upward, Buggy tried pushing the stone door open. Suddenly, his body stiffened, and his arms went limp. He staggered back two steps. "S-Seastone?!"
Seastone was at least as hard as diamond, and it left Devil Fruit users weak all over. Even Buggy hadn't expected to find Seastone embedded here. A place that housed a tablet like this really was no ordinary place!
"The door must have shut automatically when the mechanism was triggered. There's a reason this passage has survived for so long..."
Robin looked around at the nearby floor, walls, and ceiling before calmly saying, "It doesn't seem like there's any way to open this door from the inside. I think we're trapped in here, Red Nose."