Pirates: I Could See Proficiency and Became a Legend

Dongze then asked with a teasing smile, "Aren't you afraid I'll leave you behind?"

At Dongze's words, Robin's face went pale. She had acted on instinct without thinking. Now, meeting his gaze again, she felt a tremor in her heart.

After a long while, a low voice answered.

"I am!"

"But I can't let you destroy it! The Poneglyphs bear witness to history. They're the only evidence left of the Void Century, and they're what everyone in Ohara devoted their lives to!"

Seeing her like this, Dongze sighed softly. She had her mission, but he had his own path to follow.

"Move."

Robin bit her lower lip and said stubbornly, "No..."

"I wasn't asking."

Robin's expression suddenly changed. A crushing weight fell on her shoulders, followed by an overwhelming force. It felt strangely familiar, though it was much weaker this time. She did not pass out, but she could no longer move.

"Conqueror's Haki!"

The term sprang to mind. It was the same force that had knocked her unconscious when she first met Dongze.

Clearly, he had grown much more adept at using Conqueror's Haki.

As Dongze walked past her, Robin struggled to reach out and grab his trouser leg. Tears streamed down her face, but her expression remained stubborn.

Dongze felt the tug and stopped. A complicated look crossed his eyes as he withdrew his Conqueror's Haki. She was the steward he had chosen, after all. He could not treat her like a stranger.

So he explained, "You can't just destroy a Poneglyph because you want to. Haven't you noticed that every single one is intact? If they could be destroyed, the World Government would have done it long ago. Why would they leave them for archaeologists like you?"

Robin froze. He was right; Poneglyphs did have that property.

In her panic, she had forgotten. Dongze's usual habit of leaving nothing standing had also led her to assume the worst.

Realizing he did not mean what she had thought, Robin asked with a blank, almost innocent look, "Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have a talk with it."

Under Robin's astonished gaze, Dongze walked up to the Poneglyph and slowly placed a hand on it.

He activated his Observation Haki. Roger had once heard its voice and left a mark on a piece of gold, which suggested that it possessed some kind of awareness. Admittedly, that sounded far-fetched, but Dongze had no better explanation.

So he wanted to try.

The next moment, a voice sounded in his heart.

"Heh. What an unlovable young man!"

Dongze's eyes lit up. So his guess had been right? The thing really was conscious?

Then he shook his head and thought, Of course. How could something entrusted with carrying history be ordinary? Why else would my old companion react to it?

"Hello."

"You must know why I'm here. Will you tell me your answer?"

This time, a long while passed before the voice replied.

"Young man, could you tell this old fellow what the outside world is like?"

Dongze's thoughts raced. It had not refused him outright. That meant he still had a chance.

He sat down where he was, kept his hands on the stone, and began chatting with the consciousness inside it.

Watching him, Robin felt increasingly conflicted. The more time she spent with this man, the less she understood him.

Remembering what she had done earlier, she blushed. She must have been so anxious that she had lost her head and rushed in front of him without thinking. Fortunately, he had not held it against her.

(Dongze: Why would a grown man hold a grudge against his own steward? Tonight, though, I'll show you exactly why flowers bloom so red!)

The Long River Sword and Aokiji's Trail

"So that's what the outside world has become?"

"Yes. It's chaos. Roger did conquer the seas and become the Pirate King. At the end of his life, he ushered in what may be the most chaotic age in history—the Great Pirate Era!"

"The whole world's in turmoil. Pirates have set sail everywhere in search of the One Piece! Even the World Government and the Marines, doing everything they can, haven't managed to change that!"

"I never expected that man to accomplish so much."

"Young man, you said your name was Dongze, didn't you? I understand why you came."

"I can give you some of it, but it cannot be too large. I still have a mission of my own to fulfill."

Dongze smiled at those words.

"Thank you very much."

He then described the sword he wanted.

"I have a feeling you may achieve even more than Gol D. Roger."

"I've placed it outside for you. It was a pleasure talking with you."

"Keep going, young man!"

Outside, a long sword suddenly appeared in Dongze's hand. Robin stared at it in disbelief.

"Impossible!"

Meanwhile, as Robin marveled at what she had seen, an unexpected visitor arrived at Cricket's cabin on Jaya Island, far below Sky Island.

A path of ice stretched across the surging sea as if from nowhere. A man in a suit, with an eye mask perched on his head, rode a bicycle along it without a care in the world.

He seemed completely unconcerned that a shard of ice might puncture a tire or that the bicycle might skid.

Well, the thought was too horrifying to dwell on.

The visitor was Aokiji, one of the Three Admirals.

Aokiji parked his bicycle, rubbed his naturally curly hair, and said sleepily, "Hey, friend. Mind if I ask you something?"

Cricket's jaw nearly hit the ground at the sight of his entrance.

In a voice full of gravity, he said, "Marine Admiral Aokiji—Kuzan!"

Aokiji casually touched the eye mask on his forehead.

"Huh? Am I that famous? Someone even recognizes me in a remote place like this?"

Cricket could barely keep a straight face.

Marine Headquarters had its Three Admirals—Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru—as well as Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Garp the Hero.

The pirates had their Four Emperors: Red-Hair, Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom.

Then there was Dragon of the Revolutionary Army.

Their names were known throughout the seas. Who hadn't heard of them, apart from people who never read a newspaper?

Cricket certainly had. He had even spent some time as a pirate himself.

"What do you want to know?"

Faced with Aokiji, Cricket could not even bring himself to think of hiding anything.

"Have two people come by in the last few days, a man and a woman? The man's name is Dongze. He should be a Pirate Hunter. I'm not sure what the woman goes by now, but she should be around twenty-two or twenty-three."

Cricket paused. "Why are you looking for them? A Pirate Hunter shouldn't be an enemy of the Marines, should he?"

Aokiji narrowed his eyes.

"That's none of your concern. Just tell me whether you saw them and where they went afterward."

After a moment's silence, Cricket told Aokiji where Dongze had gone. He had met Dongze only by chance. Nor had the incident from the original story, in which he fought the brute Bellamy, taken place. He was not particularly close to Dongze or Robin.

Most people knew better than to offend a Marine Admiral for two near-strangers, especially someone who had once been a pirate.

Aokiji's expression changed at Cricket's answer. He looked up.

"Sky Island?"

Aokiji knew Sky Islands existed, but he had never seen one. Hearing that the pair had ridden a Knock Up Stream into the sky left even him stunned.

He glanced at Cricket without giving anything away, wondering whether the man was telling the truth.

He had no idea how high that Knock Up Stream could launch someone. If it was only a few thousand meters, he could use Geppo and Shave to get up there with his strength as an Admiral. It would merely take some stamina.

But if it was tens of thousands of miles or even higher, that was another matter. The climate at such altitudes was harsh, and oxygen was scarce. It was no place for someone accustomed to living on land.

He was not about to fly up there simply because of one man's claim.

"Ah, well. Looks like that's it for this trip."

Aokiji sighed. Faced with an unknown Sky Island, he chose to give up.

Garp had told him about the Pirate Hunter's dream. If Dongze was still alive, Aokiji knew their paths would cross again.

"What a pain..."

"Hey, friend. Thanks for the information. But don't go back to being a pirate!"

Aokiji gave Cricket a meaningful look. Cold sweat broke out on Cricket's forehead.

"I won't. I have a new dream now!"

"That Sky Island?"

On Sky Island, Dongze studied the long sword in his hand and nodded with satisfaction. His guess had been right: it could indeed hold his Erosion Sword Intent.

The sword was black and red from end to end. Once imbued with Erosion Sword Intent, it seemed to come alive. As soon as Dongze let go, it circled him several times, then dipped toward him in midair as if greeting him.

"From now on, I'll call you Long River!"

The sword seemed to understand him. It flew over and gently rubbed its hilt against his shoulder like a pet.

Dongze held out his hand, and Long River obediently settled in it. He gave a light swing to one side. A wave of sword energy swept the sky overhead clear, its power no less than his earlier strike imbued with Ryuo.

Seeing its power, Dongze's eyes lit up. The sword had not disappointed him.

Dongze pressed the catch on his sword case and put Long River away.

"Boss, the ship's ready!"

A flash of lightning appeared before Dongze, and Enel materialized in front of him.

Dongze smiled. "Enel, I thought you weren't coming."

Enel's expression changed sharply. After leaving earlier, he had tried everything he could think of to rid himself of the Sword Intent, only to find it clinging to him like a parasite.

With no way out, he had been left with only one choice.

Enel waved a hand and said awkwardly, "Why wouldn't I come?"

Dongze turned and gave him a meaningful look. "Is that so?"

The look sent a chill through Enel. What the hell is with his Observation Haki? It's like he can read my mind.

Dongze said nothing more. As the boss, he needed to maintain a little mystery. It helped him hold on to his position.

Dongze and Robin then spent a remarkable night on Sky Island. (Two thousand words omitted here.)

The next day, everyone set out.

Robin was acting strangely that morning. She had dark circles under her eyes, and whenever she met Dongze's gaze, she immediately looked away. As soon as she boarded, she hid in the cabin and did not come out.

"Boss, is something wrong with that lady?"

"Heh. It's a secret."

I Lost to a Fool

"Come on!"

"Hit me with lightning!"

"My name is Enel. I ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Until recently, I lived as a god on Sky Island, doing whatever I pleased. Life was wonderful. Then, the day before yesterday, some guy from the Blue Sea beat me up!"