The men changed sex

"Is that the Ancient Script?"

Hina's eyes were filled with curiosity:

"What exactly does it say?"

"Hina is curious."

"No idea. I can't read it either," Dill answered casually.

"If you're curious, ask Robin later."

"Why don't you learn it? Hina is confused."

"Why would I learn it?"

Dill was even more confused than she was. Was the Ancient Script important?

Not to him.

He had no desire to go to Laugh Tale or learn about the Void Century.

The only things that interested him were the Ancient Weapons, and he already knew about two of them.

Pluton was in Wano Country. Its blueprints were currently with Tom, then they would pass to Iceburg, and later to Franky.

Poseidon was the mermaid princess Shirahoshi, who hadn't been born yet.

Uranus was suspected to be in the World Government's hands.

As for the rest, he wasn't interested.

"Um, may I ask what it says?"

Sally approached with small steps and cautiously interjected.

They had guarded the Poneglyph for years. Now that she had the chance, she naturally wanted to know what it said.

"Why ask me?"

Dill spread his hands and shrugged.

"Go ask Robin. That's up to her."

Who she wanted to tell and who she didn't was Robin's choice. The two of them had always been partners, not superior and subordinate.

The translation went quickly, and Robin committed all of it to memory.

She directed the sailors to set up a ladder and cover it with a huge sheet of paper, making a rubbing of the Ancient Script as a backup.

Once all of that was done, she jogged lightly over to Dill and said with a smile:

"All done. Let's go."

"All right, let's go."

Dill reached out and ruffled her hair, then turned to Sally.

"Lead the way to your tribe."

He had promised to take the children away from here. Now that everything was done, he naturally had to keep his word.

Sally nodded firmly, leaving the Poneglyph unmentioned for now.

Compared to those meaningless words, the children's safety mattered more right now.

She waved, picked out a direction, and said:

"Follow me."

The forest was still a little cool and shady, but Robin felt happy enough to hum softly.

Although the inscription hadn't contained any important information, she had taken her first step.

Right now, everything she looked at pleased her.

Beautiful trees, gentle sunlight streaming through the canopy, a beautiful yak over ten meters tall covered in white hair.

Robin froze. As she stared into the forest on her right, her pupils contracted.

The enormous beast, over ten meters tall, stood in a distant clearing, its head raised as it munched on tender leaves in the treetops.

The white hair covering its body rippled in the breeze, giving it an almost sacred appearance.

Its eyes were half-closed, as though it were enjoying the sunlight beyond the canopy, and it didn't spare the group another glance.

"Dill, over there!"

Robin hurried to Dill's side, her joy completely gone and her face terribly pale.

It was her first time seeing such an enormous bovine on land;

it was nearly as big as Saul, the giant she knew.

Although the yak looked gentle, Robin still remembered what Sally had said before they entered the forest:

"If you encounter a long-haired yak, remember to run immediately."

Dill glanced aside and spotted the yak too, a trace of worry rising in his eyes.

He wasn't worried about his own safety. If he had to fight for his life, he was confident he could devour that yak completely.

Though his method of fighting would be far from elegant.

But the others were different. The aftermath of the battle alone could inflict heavy losses on them.

"I'll have some sailors take you and Hina back to the ship first. Once you're back, sail farther out."

Judging by its appearance, the long-haired yak didn't look like it could swim.

As long as they stayed far enough from the shore, where the water was deep enough, they would be safe.

Robin nodded firmly, knowing this wasn't the time to agonize over it, and immediately left the group with five sailors and Hina.

Her memory was excellent. She could return to the shore without Sally or the others guiding her.

Their movements naturally drew Sally's attention, allowing her to notice the beast in the forest.

"That's the yak I mentioned. If it spots us, it'll attack us like mad."

Sally came to Dill's side and whispered with a grim expression:

"After lunch, it'll pick a sunny spot to sleep;

take the children away then."

"What about you?"

Dill reminded her kindly, "It's just a few more passengers. You adults can come too."

Although there wasn't enough food aboard, he could have the people on Cologne Island deliver some.

With both sides heading toward each other, they could meet in about two and a half days.

Even if they failed to meet up, it wouldn't matter. At worst, they would go hungry for five days. Nobody would die.

Besides, he had special fishing techniques.

As long as Sally and the others wanted to leave, he could guarantee he would get them out. At most, they would suffer a little on the way.

"We're sick. We can't leave."

Dill: "?"

Damn it, why didn't you say you were sick sooner?!

He quietly put some distance between himself and Sally while covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve, then asked in a muffled voice:

"What exactly are the symptoms? Is it contagious?"

People in the pirate world rarely fell ill, but when they did, it was never a minor problem.

The only sick person he remembered was Nami in the future;

she had contracted some particularly hard-to-treat disease on Ancient Island. If not for a witch over a hundred years old, Nami probably would have died there.

"It's not contagious."

Sally paid no attention to his little movements and explained with her head lowered:

"About half a month ago, a fish covered in muscles washed ashore;

the fish was enormous, so we dragged it back to the tribe and shared it;

everyone received a bowl of fish, even the children;

three days later, Trelo, the tribe's strongest warrior, fell ill, and the muscles all over his body began to waste away;

then the adults in the tribe developed the same symptoms one after another, with the stronger ones falling ill earlier;

a week later, only the children and elderly on the island remained healthy.

This disease will strip us of all our muscles;

until finally, we won't have the strength to stand or chew and swallow, and we'll only be able to lie on the ground like invalids, waiting to die."

"Then why only ask us to take the children? What about the elderly?"

"Those old fools are all stubborn old mules. They say the ancestral teachings must never change, and they'd rather die here than leave."

At this point, Sally grew angry and said through gritted teeth:

"They even said this was divine punishment, that our ancestors were displeased;

so we should keep the children here and have them continue guarding that damn rock;

the ancestors would surely be pleased to see that, and their illness would be cured outright."

"Like hell I'm listening to them! The chief died still a man. Before he died, he handed his authority over to me. Now I'll do whatever I want!"

"Wait!"

Dill suddenly waved a hand to interrupt her, having caught the key point in her words.

"Your chief was a man?"

Ever since landing, he had seen nothing but women and female warriors. He had thought all the men on the island were dead.

"Of course he was a man. Men hold the highest status in the Moriju Clan. The chief has always been male."

"But that strange disease is more severe in men. It can take their lives in just four or five days."

"To live a little longer, most of the men on the island changed sex."