Sky Island, Upper Yard, the ruins of the Golden Bell tower.
Nico Robin stood before a massive Poneglyph, her slender fingers hovering above the cold stone, trembling slightly. Her face was pale, her blue-green eyes fixed on the ancient script, her pupils contracting and dilating as her breathing grew almost inaudible.
Around her, the other Straw Hat Pirates sat or stood in a heavy silence. For once, Luffy was not making a racket. He simply sat cross-legged on the ground, his arms behind his head, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds half obscured by the Golden Bell tower overhead, his thoughts unknown. Zoro leaned against a broken rock with his eyes closed, but the hand gripping Wado Ichimonji's hilt betrayed his inner unrest. Sanji smoked cigarette after cigarette, the curling smoke doing nothing to dispel the gravity between his brows. Nami hugged her knees, while Usopp and Chopper huddled together, muttering quietly and glancing at Robin from time to time.
Two days had passed since Chen Yu had "taught" them in a manner bordering on humiliation. After that day, under Conis's complicated gaze and with Mantis and the other guards "accompanying" them, they had been allowed to move within designated areas, giving Robin the chance to study the exposed Poneglyphs carefully.
So that was it... this was... an Ancient Weapon... information about Poseidon... Joy Boy's promise... Robin murmured inwardly. Every phrase she deciphered pressed on her heart like a boulder. This information was too shocking, too dangerous, and even more deadly.
That man—Chen Yu—what did he know? What did he want? And what role did he play in this vast fog of history? Robin felt a chill more piercing than when she had faced Crocodile in Alabasta, Cipher Pol No. 9 at Enies Lobby, or even the Buster