After reading the words on the stone tablet, Werther had a rough idea of what had happened here.
This place had once been an ancient kingdom. Some experiment had probably led to its downfall.
He had sensed something wrong from the start. Every native on the island had a twisted, frenzied aura, leaving little room for negotiation.
And the cause of it all was likely that experiment.
Researching the souls of Devils? It seemed the kingdom's scholars had delved into some advanced knowledge of Zoan Devil Fruits, with disastrous results.
Werther tossed aside the stone tablet and continued exploring.
After passing through a stretch of Forest, he finally reached the Indigenous People's settlement.
It wasn't that Werther had gotten lucky. The Indigenous People's settlement covered an enormous area.
It was almost the size of a small town.
As far as he could see, crude stone buildings stood among Indigenous People wandering aimlessly about.
One look told Werther something was terribly wrong. On closer inspection, the Indigenous People's eyes were cloudy and dull.
Werther was about to capture one alive and see whether an interrogation would get him any answers.
Then a native not far away suddenly sniffed the air, and his expression changed.
He looked both puzzled and vacant.
The native slowly transformed into a half-human, half-dog form. He sniffed again, then looked straight toward Werther.
At the sight, Werther had a bad feeling. Don't tell me he found me.
If he really had been spotted, he would have to carve his way out. There was no communicating with these Indigenous People, and Werther wasn't exactly easy to talk to either.
Once the two sides met, there were only two possibilities: Werther killed them all, or they killed him.
"Intruder! Intruder spotted!"
The canine native roared and charged toward Werther.