Through History (Part One)

The moon, ancient city of Birka.

Crackle, crackle... As bright blue light flashed and electricity hissed, the ancient city, which had slumbered in darkness as far as the eye could see, awakened once more.

"So this is Birka... the homeland of the Skypieans and the birthplace of the Great Kingdom."

Reg swept his gaze across the city. The most striking sight was still the three-tomoe pattern, so like a Sharingan. Waves, stripes, circles, and other designs covered the towering buildings, which were thick with dust and steeped in history. Structures of every kind stood among them, along with pipes that should have been transparent but were now brimming with electricity. It all gave him an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

Shandia, Birka Island, and Zou were cities that looked alike but differed in their details, and traces of all three could be seen in this vast city, also named Birka: round, tentlike structures, flat-roofed houses, and magnificent palaces and temples.

The one thing they all shared was absurdly wide roads. But that suited the name "Great Kingdom." The people who had once lived here were smaller than adult members of the Giant Tribe, yet even their adults were generally built like Whitebeard.

"Too bad Berg can't see this. An artist like him would love it... Well, he'll have his chance someday."

Reg's murmur carried into the distance and echoed back. Around him, mechanical gears turned ever more frequently as electricity drove them. By sound alone, no one would have thought this city was "dead." Yet apart from him, nothing living remained among its air and ruins.

Reg could survive without air as long as he kept his body elemental, but the people of Birka who had lived here had needed it. Pots, bowls, bottles, and jars were everywhere. He could