The Straw Hat Pirates endured days of agonizing waiting aboard the Thousand Sunny, when finally, on the night of the full moon, the area they had targeted changed.
Just a hundred meters ahead of them, the cool moonlight shone on a shimmering, distorting curtain of water, as if opening a door to another world—it was incredibly beautiful and dreamlike!
The shimmering light perpendicular to the sea surface wasn't very large, probably only a dozen meters wide. Such a phenomenon wouldn't be visible from a greater distance.
However, when this space distortion, resembling a water curtain, appeared, a thought immediately arose in the minds of all the Straw Hat Pirates members: the entrance to Laugh Tale had finally appeared!
Just as the Straw Hat Pirates raised their anchor and prepared to set sail, Vic had already torn open space and silently entered the alternate dimension where Laugh Tale was!
When the full moon appeared, Vic sensed a spatial fluctuation. As the moonlight poured down, this spatial fluctuation became stronger. At that moment, Vic knew that the time for Laugh Tale had arrived!
Outside, the moon was high in the sky and darkness had fallen, but the moment Vic entered the alternate dimension of Laugh Tale, everything before him lit up!
It turned out that in the alternate dimension where Laugh Tale was located, it was a bright and sunny day. Although you couldn't see the sun when you looked up, the sunlight was definitely there. In this huge space, apart from a small island, there was only an endless blue sea!
Vic didn't look closely. He took a step and arrived at the center of the island. The outer perimeter of the island was no different from ordinary islands, consisting of small slopes covered with grass and shrubs.
Only in the center of the island is an irregular mountain made of red and gray stones, barren of vegetation and covered with Ancient Script!
"Could it be that the stones used to carve Ancient Script were all sourced from here?"
With just one glance, Vic recognized that the mountain's stone material and the Poneglyph Road Poneglyph were consistent, but he did not see any traces of the mountain being artificially cut.
Sensing the spatial fluctuations at the entrance, Vic knew that Luffy had entered.
Although the Thousand Sunny would take a while to reach the shore, there were quite a few Ancient Script on the mountain. In order not to upset Luffy by seeing them, Vic decided to put aside everything else and memorize the Ancient Script on the mountain first!
After all, there can only be one Pirate King. Whoever arrives at Laugh Tale first will be the Pirate King. Right now, Vic is already standing on the island, but Luffy hasn't even landed yet!
Although Vic wouldn't try to steal the title from Luffy, Luffy is a stubborn person; he absolutely won't accept something that isn't his, not even the title of Pirate King. So it's better if they don't meet!
Vic didn't spend time finding the starting point of the inscription on the mountain. He simply flew around the mountain several times, scanning the Ancient Script on the entire mountain along with the shape of the mountain into his mind.
At this moment, a mountain made of reddish-grey rocks covered with Ancient Script was already floating in Vic's mind. He could bring it up whenever he wanted to see it!
"Huh! It's that egg. Roger actually left it here. Was it intentional? Or was it accidental?"
On the mountaintop, Vic spotted a giant egg with many circular spots on its shell. It was the egg Roger had always carried on his ship, but it disappeared after Roger became the Pirate King. Vic was surprised that Roger had left it at Laugh Tale. What was the purpose of this arrangement?
Vic guessed that everything was hidden in the Ancient Script on the mountain, but he didn't have time to ponder it now. Luffy were about to land, and it was time for him to leave!
With Vic flick of his wrist, an irregular spatial portal appeared in front of him. He stepped out and vanished from the island!
"Strange! Why does this place feel so familiar?"
The moment Vic closed the portal, Luffy's somewhat puzzled voice came through his Observation Haki, but he ignored it and quickly left the alternate dimension where Laugh Tale was located.
Vic stepped outside and hovered above the sea. The moonlight cast his shadow on the water. Looking back, the shimmering portal had vanished!
It took less than fifteen minutes in total, no wonder no one could find Laugh Tale by sheer luck. There are indeed many restrictions, not only must the location be accurate, but the time available for entry is also very, very short!
This alternate dimension of Laugh Tale restricts the time for entry but not the time for exit. Even without the entrance gate, one can exit from any direction, making it a one-way portal. That's how Vic came out!
Vic amplified his Observation Haki to its maximum. After discovering that there were no other powerful figures within a thousand miles, he directly opened a spatial portal and returned to Lodestar Island.
In Vic's eyes, a strong person is at least Marine Admiral- level fighter, and there are no such people around the entrance to Laugh Tale, which means that the Straw Hat Pirates's voyage has not alerted other forces!
This is also related to the fact that Luffy and his Luffy have sailed the Grand Line many times. After so many times, no one pays special attention. If they could find Laugh Tale, they would have found it long ago. They would just think that it was another ordinary voyage!
Just like the story of the boy who cried wolf, once it happens too many times, people get used to it and stop paying attention. That's why Luffy and his crew were able to enter the alternate dimension where Laugh Tale is so smoothly and without any obstacles!
Vic returned to his secluded retreat on Lodestar Island to await the Straw Hat Pirates' return. In the meantime, he would try to decipher the message left by Joy Boy, see if there were any other contingency plans, and just in case!
Vic's consciousness entered the illusionary world he had created, which was the alternate dimension where Laugh Tale was located, which he had just left.
Apart from the stone mountain in the center of Laugh Tale Island being a 1:1 replica, the other details are quite different. Vic only visited briefly and couldn't remember all the details, but it was enough for him!
Vic walked around the stone mountain before finding the beginning of the inscription. He read it word by word, following the order of the Ancient Script.
Not long after it started, Vic's expression turned serious. When he finished reading the last word, he understood why Joy Boy was so determined to leave a backup plan to overthrow Imu and the forces behind him!
Joy Boy wasn't seeking revenge for his country or his clan D. Clan., but for the future of the entire world and humanity!
"No wonder Joy Boy insisted on leaving behind so many contingency plans. It wasn't for revenge, nor for a power struggle, nor for a clash of ideologies, but rather for considerations of the future of the world and humanity!"
Celestial Dragons! Descendants of the Creator? I think they're more like descendants of demons!
After reading all of Joy Boy's writings, Vic held Joy Boy in even higher regard for his intellectual and moral character!
It was previously speculated that Joy Boy fought for the ideals of equality and freedom, and that the One Piece he left behind was also intended to eliminate his opponents and fulfill this ideal!
This idea is indeed great and revolutionary in this world, and it has made history. However, it doesn't resonate as deeply with Vic, a time traveler, because this idea already existed in his previous world!
Vic had assumed that once someone found the One Piece, it would simply be a war between two factions, a battle of ideologies. And from Vic's current perspective, Joy Boy and Imu were nothing to brag about!
But now, after reading the messages left by Joy Boy, Vic realized that his perspective had been too narrow. Joy Boy had transcended human thought and could be compared to a saint!