Laugh Tale, the top floor of the High Castle, the final hall was utterly silent.
The magnificent image of eight hundred years projected from the throne slowly dissipated, and the gilded light that filled the sky faded away completely.
In the empty, cold stone hall, only the silent stone and the turbulent waves churning in the hearts of a group of people remained.
Luffy stood before the high throne, his face, which always wore a carefree smile, now completely covered in ice.
His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Since setting sail, he has faced countless dangers, fought against numerous vicious enemies, and witnessed much of the world's darkness.
However, the despicable acts of the twenty founding kings—betraying their promises, stealing the credit for creation, and rewriting the entire history of the world—are unacceptable.
This was the first time it had truly shaken his soul.
Zoro leaned lightly against the giant stone pillar, his three swords sheathed, their blades silent, yet the chilling, ghostly Demonic Aura surrounding him stirred restlessly.
A chilling indifference lingered in his dark eyes, radiating a deep-seated hostility.
Sanji raised his hand and stubbed out the cigarette at the corner of his mouth. The few remaining sparks from his fingertips fell onto the cold stone ground and vanished in an instant.
He remained silent, his aura so low it was suffocating, his extreme silence concealing a suppressed rage.
Nami, Usopp, Chopper were all deathly pale and remained stunned for a long time.
Eight hundred years of layered dark deception, Void Century of untold bloodshed and slaughter, and a completely distorted truth about the world.
It felt like a huge boulder pressing down on their hearts, making them feel cold all over.
Even Loki, an ancient giant who had witnessed ten thousand years of war among the Giant Tribe and was accustomed to life and death battles,
At this moment, he gripped the giant Iron Thunder tightly with all five fingers, his golden vertical pupils filled with heavy solemnity, and his aura was extremely tense.
Everyone present was immersed in the shock and anger brought about by the truth.
Only Roy remained absolutely calm throughout.
His gaze swept heavily across the vast, empty hall, his mind racing as he reviewed every detail and every past event that had just been presented in the images.
Several fatal flaws that were difficult to reconcile were detected in an instant.
A clear, calm voice suddenly rang out, instantly shattering the deathly silence of the hall:
"Please don't get angry yet,"
This footage only records the surface truth from eight hundred years ago; there is definitely more of the past that we haven't discovered yet.
Roy's clear voice resounded throughout the hall, forcefully pulling everyone's chaotic and shocked thoughts back to reality.
Luffy suddenly looked up, his anger still lingering, his tone full of resentment:
"Is there more to the story?"
Those guys betrayed Davy Jones, slaughtered heroes, and rewrote the history of the world.
Isn't this despicable enough?
"Being despicable is one thing, but having a flawed truth is another."
Roy walked slowly and steadily to the foot of the throne, his gaze level with the platform, and methodically began to unravel the puzzle:
"Have you ever thought about this carefully? Back then, Joy Boy was no match for the combined attack of the Twenty Kings?"
Why, after ultimately choosing to retreat and go into hiding, did the World Government still fear him to the extreme even after eight hundred years?
Everyone was startled by the sound and looked at each other in bewilderment.
"If Joy Boy had truly suffered a complete defeat back then, with no backup plan, and had completely disappeared from the scene..."
Roy continued, each word hitting the nail on the head.
" Imu and those founding kings had no need to fear a long-dead figure."
There's no need to spend eight hundred years, sparing no expense to erase all traces related to him and eliminate all clues in the world.
He paused slightly, then posed his second question, a question that had remained unanswered for eight hundred years:
"And then there's Roger. Back then, he successfully reached Laugh Tale and became the Pirate King, but in the end, he left behind the words, 'We came too early.'"
He witnessed the bloody truth of the Void Century, the destruction of the Great Kingdom, and the false origins of the World Government. Why would he still express such sentiments?
There is only one answer.
Roy's gaze was resolute, his tone decisive:
"The true ultimate secret of Laugh Tale is probably hidden here."
Roger must have made some discoveries that we didn't know about!
That one short sentence instantly enlightened everyone present.
Usopp immediately slapped his thigh, his eyes instantly gleaming:
So that's how it is!
Roger is the undisputed Pirate King; even he couldn't catch the right opportunity.
This means there's definitely a more terrifying, more crucial secret hidden here!
Robin softly agreed, a flash of understanding in his eyes.
"Moreover, after his defeat, Joy Boy did not choose to die on the battlefield or sacrifice himself, but instead traveled the Four Blues and left his Poneglyph in various places around the globe."
This was not a desperate escape at all; it was a premeditated plan.
He must have left behind a contingency plan for posterity that could overturn everything.
"That's right."
Roy nodded emphatically, and in a deep voice revealed the root of the eight-hundred-year-old blockade:
" The World Government spares no effort to block out history, hunt down those who know the truth, and erase the existence of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika."
Ultimately, it all boils down to fear of the backup plan Joy Boy left behind.
What we just saw was merely the beginning of the eight-hundred-year Dark Ages.
The ultimate trump card that can truly overthrow Imu's rule and end this thousand-year-old deception is still hidden within this great hall.
"Then what are we waiting for! Let's find them!"
Luffy instantly suppressed his rage, and a burning light rekindled in his eyes.
He turned and rushed into the depths of the main hall, eagerly exploring and searching around.
With a new objective, everyone immediately sprang into action, scattering to conduct a thorough search of the vast and magnificent final hall.
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, as a group, bent over and carefully inspected every crack in the stone and the joints between the floor tiles.
Not a single corner was overlooked; even the years of accumulated dust in the cracks of the stones were carefully brushed away.
All that could be seen was cold, hard stone, without the slightest trace of abnormality.
Zoro and Sanji divided the work, with one of them examining the texture and patterns of the surrounding giant stone pillars.
One person surveyed the entire wall of the palace, unleashing a full-force, dual-colored Haki, their ultimate perception sweeping over every inch of the area.
They could only detect a few scattered traces of ancient divine power, but could not find any hidden mechanisms or secret entrances.
Loki, relying on his unique bloodline perception from the ancient giants, focused all his efforts on capturing the energy fluctuations flowing within the hall.
The energy in the entire hall is even and stable, and after eight hundred years of accumulation, there is no abnormality or flaw.
After a thorough search, everyone returned empty-handed.
"Strange, we've searched everywhere we could think of, but there are no other entrances or secret rooms."
Usopp raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his face full of confusion and bewilderment.
Nami frowned slightly and questioned softly:
"Could Roy have guessed wrong?"
Is there really no hidden ultimate secret here?
Roy did not respond, his gaze slowly shifting until it finally landed on Robin, who had been standing quietly and carefully observing her surroundings.
Of all the people present, only this historian, who is well-versed in history and adept at spotting subtle flaws, is most likely to discover the hidden truth.
At this moment, Robin's gaze was fixed on the stone wall at the deepest part of the hall, and he gently tapped it with his fist...