Poneglyph

The cargo ship followed a very regular route.

It left the main island in the morning, reached Dill Island at noon, unloaded its goods for sale, and took on new cargo;

After a night's sleep aboard, it set off back to the main island the next morning, then repeated the process.

Because of the intrusion by Dill and the other two, today's cargo ship had hurriedly departed before it could load any new goods.

Without cargo weighing it down, it traveled considerably faster, reaching port as dusk approached.

Few ships sailed at night. Most captains chose to dock at a port and rest.

The port was bustling at this hour, with laborers hauling cargo, vendors shouting their wares, and sailors making plans to go find some fun.

Under the orange-yellow setting sun, all sorts of people gathered here, and the air was thick with the bustle of everyday life.

Dill remained two meters tall, his white hair standing out in the crowd.

"Will those other six people be all right?"

Robin tugged at his clothes, feeling a little worried.

Dill played with the coin in his hand and reassured her:

"I put them under temporary hypnosis. For the next day, they'll subconsciously ignore our existence."

"And with the female captain watching them, it'll be fine."

"Let's buy a Den Den Mushi and a pocket watch first, then get something to eat, find somewhere to stay the night, and leave on a passenger ship tomorrow morning."

Robin tilted her head up and asked, a little puzzled:

"Why buy a Den Den Mushi? Doesn't that captain already have one?"

"Uh, I don't like secondhand things."

"Hina thinks we don't need a pocket watch."

"How can a hypnotist not have a pocket watch? If wearing a monocle didn't look so scary, I'd even want to..."

With a stack of Beli kindly contributed by the female captain, the three entered a shop.

Dill bought a Den Den Mushi, Hina bought a pair of sunglasses, and Robin picked out a book introducing the customs and culture of the surrounding islands.

After all, it was only a general shop, not a dedicated bookstore.

The three then headed straight to a restaurant and asked for a private room.

While waiting for the food, Robin read her book, Hina played with her new sunglasses, and Dill called Bege.

Buru buru buru~

Click~

"It's me, your ally."

The other end fell silent before a low voice spoke:

"You shouldn't have called."

"But I already have."

Dill felt a strange sense of familiarity, so he shook his head and quickly said:

"Are you safe?"

"Very safe!"

This was their agreed code. "Very safe" meant no one was nearby, and they could say anything.

"There's an Erdi Island southeast of Cologne Island. The king there is dead. Take some people you trust over there as soon as possible and grab the treasure;

Don't use the port. Land on the southern side, then head east. You'll reach a town. The treasure is most likely stored in the castle at its center;

Remember, you have to go in person. There's a whole lot of treasure there, along with several branches of Treasure Tree Adam. Stuff it all into the space inside your body."

The other end remained silent for a long time. Dill seemed to hear the sound of a cigar burning a tablecloth.

Gulp-!

Bege swallowed and exclaimed loudly in astonishment:

"You killed a king in less than three days?!"

Three days?

Dill silently worked it out.

It had been noon when he formed his alliance with Bege. He left with Robin that afternoon, met Hina at dusk, and encountered the sea cow late that night.

They landed on Erdi Island early the next morning, reached the hunter's house at noon, and set off for town that afternoon.

He was arrested at noon on the third day. After escaping, they seized the cargo ship and took roughly four hours to reach their current island.

It was now the evening of the third day.

"Hmm... counting from when I left Cologne Island, I slaughtered that king at the forty-eight-hour mark."

He was deliberately showing off.

They were merely allies. Whoever was more capable would take the lead.

"Anyway, that's that. Hurry and take your people over to collect it. Don't let someone else beat you to it."

"Are Gunpowder and the others with you? Let me have a word with them."

Bege's eyes were vacant as he obediently stuffed the Den Den Mushi into his belly.

Gunpowder and Boren had been training in the space inside his body all along.

He sat at the dining table, letting the flames ignite the tablecloth in front of him, unable to recover for a long time.

The alliance's ultimate goal was to overthrow the World Government;

Clearly, Dill had already started taking action, and he was moving very quickly.

"I can't let myself fall behind."

He lit another cigar and strode out of the room.

"What?!"

The restaurant's head chef demanded, his face filled with shock:

"They want another ten servings?!"

"They already ate ten servings. Are you sure you heard them right?"

The waiter wiped the spit from his forehead and said fearfully:

"Absolutely, Chef! These are all the plates we cleared from their room."

The head chef looked at the stack of plates beside him and tightened his grip on his spatula:

"Then bring it on! I won't lose to a customer's stomach!!"

"Come on, boys, put your backs into it! Don't disgrace our restaurant!!"

"YEAH!!!"

For some reason, the kitchen's atmosphere grew fired up.

Inside the private room, Dill experienced what it felt like to be a big eater for the first time.

He bit through a beef bone, his teeth crunching as they crushed it, then tipped his head back and swallowed after a couple of rough chews.

The coarse bone fragments could neither scratch his esophagus nor place the slightest burden on his stomach.

Steak, ham, grilled fish...

His stomach was like a bottomless pit, urging his mouth to swallow the food before him.

Sometimes, when he ate too quickly, he even chewed up and swallowed the plate.

"Should we move farther away? Dill won't eat us too in a minute, will he?"

"Hina is worried."

Robin reassured the girl four years older than her,

"No. Dill's just hungry, not crazy."

Before Hina could sigh in relief, she added calmly:

"But we don't have enough money. The angry chef might chop us into mincemeat with a knife."

"Don't say such scary things."

Hina complained quietly and shifted closer to Robin.

She wasn't scared, just bored.

Dill was eating, and Robin was reading.

All she had bought was a pretty pair of purple sunglasses.

She couldn't eat them or read them, so she simply moved beside Robin to read with her.

Just then, Robin turned a page, revealing an illustration of a jungle.

And a group of savages dressed in very primitive clothing.

Unlike the half-literate Dill, Hina, who came from a wealthy family, could naturally read.

She instinctively read aloud:

"Sail due east for three days, and you will reach an unnamed island filled with a primitive atmosphere;

A group of rude barbarians lives on the island, and they allow no one to set foot there;

It is said that they guard a stone in accordance with their ancestral teachings;

Children, never get the idea of visiting that place for fun. They'll poke several holes clean through you with their ridiculous spears."

"Guarding a stone? Aren't those things everywhere?"

"Hina is confused."

"Robin, turn the page. Let's see if there are any islands nearby suited for a vacation."

The hands holding the book didn't move. Hina looked up in puzzlement and found Robin's mouth slightly open, while Dill had stopped eating.

The two spoke in unison:

"A Poneglyph!"