Opening the Ancestral Ruins

Buggy still remembered Chris saying that the parchment contained the method to open the secret passage to the Ancestral Ruins. In reality, however, the text at the bottom of the parchment was not written in the world's common script, but in ancient cuneiform.

This meant that without anyone capable of deciphering the meaning behind the text, Buggy's treasure hunt would likely end in vain. Of course, if he couldn't crack the secret, he would have simply tried to blast the place open with a Buggy Ball—a terrifying cannonball capable of destroying an entire town in a single shot.

However, Robin's sudden appearance meant things wouldn't have to become that troublesome.

Robin walked slowly toward the front of the stone statue, unfolded the parchment, and placed it onto a jagged stone trough platform in front of the broken statue.

Buggy followed curiously, standing beside Robin with his eyes fixed on the parchment.

Moonlight poured onto the uneven stone trough. Perhaps due to the uneven distribution of gases above Gali Island, the moonlight shining on this specific trough was the most concentrated and bright. The map and cuneiform script originally on the surface of the parchment dimmed under the moonlight, and strange patterns began to emerge from within, piecing together an entirely different map.

Robin explained, "This stone trough must be a Breathing Stone. When it's covered by the parchment, it's like a person having their nose and mouth blocked; the stone secretes a peculiar liquid. Combined with the special ink on the parchment and the most intense moonlight, the true secret of this map is revealed."

Buggy nodded secretly, "Miss Robin, you really are a knowledgeable and clever archaeologist!"

"Kaju-kaju!" For some reason, the Big Octopus also became somewhat excited.

Robin observed the map on the parchment and said, "Red-Nose-kun, there is a switch twenty meters to the west and another sixteen meters to the north. Go to that spot and listen for my instructions."

Once Buggy reached the location, Robin walked over to another stone tile by the altar and said to Buggy, "There are triggers for the door where we are standing. I'll count down from three, and we'll step down at the same time."

Buggy nodded, "No problem."

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One!"

As the two of them pressed down hard on the stones, the tiles in the center of the altar began to rumble. The two stone doors on the ground slowly parted inward, revealing a dark path leading deep underground.

"Kaju!" The Big Octopus suddenly became extremely agitated and started rushing toward the underground passage, only to be yanked back by Buggy, who was holding its leash.

"Octopus Slice, behave, or I'll have to decide whether to serve you sweet or spicy!"

Under the pressure of Buggy's might, the Big Octopus didn't dare protest directly. Instead, it spat out ink, drew a picture of a turtle on the ground, pointed one tentacle at Buggy and another at the turtle drawing, and looked at Buggy cheekily: "Kaju-kaju!"

Thump, thump, thump...

Buggy showed no mercy, leaving three large bumps on the octopus's head before retracting his steaming fist. The Big Octopus was left dizzy and unable to stand.

After waiting a moment, Robin took out a lit candle and placed it on a stone hand carved into the ground at the entrance of the passage. The candle flickered, but ultimately did not go out.

"We can go down."

After confirming there was enough oxygen below, Robin walked straight down the steps, and Buggy followed, leading the Big Octopus.

The rock walls below appeared to have been manually polished; they were smooth and flat, not a naturally formed cavern. The surroundings were deathly quiet, with only the sound of their light footsteps.

Although this single-lane passage took several turns, they did not encounter any of the traps they had anticipated.

"There is a hidden door here." Robin, who was observing carefully, reached out and pressed against the rock wall. A massive stone door rumbled open, revealing a stone chamber in the light of their oil lamp.

"Kaju!" The Big Octopus suddenly broke free from its leash and darted inside in a frenzy. Just as half of its body entered, two rows of spiked spears embedded in the ceiling and floor suddenly snapped shut, biting down like the teeth of a Sea King.

The Big Octopus moved rapidly, its speed doubling in an instant, and it escaped just as the spears closed. It exhaled a few times in a human-like manner: "Kaju-kaju..."

Clack-clack—

The spears mechanically moved back to their original positions, slowly retracting into the stone crevices.

Watching the Big Octopus's behavior, Buggy felt puzzled. The creature didn't seem familiar with this place at all. Could it be that the power it possessed didn't come from here?

Robin held the oil lamp high, but the faint light was not enough to illuminate the darkness within the stone chamber.

"Miss Robin, give me the lamp."

Buggy took the oil lamp from Robin, and his hand detached, floating cautiously into the stone chamber.

The hand moved through the air, illuminating the surrounding stone walls one by one. There were no carved texts or images. Looking at the floor, it was pitted and uneven, making it impossible to tell where the traps were.

The entire stone chamber was scanned by the light, but there was no trace of golden treasure; it was an empty room.

During this process, the Big Octopus also focused its head, following the movement of the lamp in Buggy's hand, and finally wore a dejected expression.

"There's nothing here. Why set up traps? How strange." Buggy lost interest, retracted his hand, and returned the lamp to Robin.

Robin followed up on Buggy's remark, explaining his confusion as they walked: "This stone chamber is very old. It's likely that the original inhabitants of that era set up these traps to lure in invading enemies. Logically, there should have been gold and treasure inside as bait, but it's also possible that the treasures were already looted by invaders, leaving it an empty room."

Robin's expression didn't change much; she wasn't someone who easily revealed her inner thoughts. She carried the lamp and continued to lead the way cautiously.

The two of them and the octopus walked through the passage and soon saw a half-section of a stone statue lying on the ground. Upon closer inspection, it looked like the upper body of the broken statue from the altar.

The statue depicted a muscular man. His right hand held a harpoon, his left hand was placed on his chest, and his face was covered in thick hair, looking quite wild.

Robin crouched down, examining the half-statue repeatedly, and pondered for a moment, "The upper body of that statue outside... how did it end up here? Red-Nose-kun, what do you think?"

Buggy glanced at the unresponsive Big Octopus and said, "It looks like someone placed it here on purpose... Let's keep moving forward. Perhaps we'll find the answer ahead."

"En..." Robin replied softly, stood up, and began to walk forward slowly.

The two walked very cautiously, their pace slow. The journey, which should have taken only two or three minutes, took nearly ten. They didn't encounter any traps along the way.

At the end of the underground passage was a stone wall. After finding the switch on the side, Robin reached out and pressed it.

"Boom—"

The massive stone wall opened in response, slowly sliding into the partition.

Looking at the shifting, rotating stone door, Buggy could hardly contain the excitement in his heart; there had to be treasure inside!

One had to know that pirates lacked a stable rear base to provide maintenance funds and daily expenses, so most pirates relied on plundering villages and towns to replenish their supplies, becoming existence akin to maggots.

If there was treasure of sufficient value inside the stone chamber to solve these financial problems for Buggy, then entering the Grand Line next would become much smoother.

Finally, the stone door fully retracted into the interlayer, and what appeared before his eyes was...

The Navy!!!