Vic began to understand. One method was to reduce his own energy consumption, and the other was to obtain additional replenishment of vital energy. To maintain this for almost two hundred years was truly abnormal.
He absolutely couldn't do that. It's just a Poneglyph, is it really necessary to go to such lengths? The price is too high! Vic turned his head and glanced at the Poneglyph next to the mechanical giant.
"Is it the power of Devil Fruit?" Although what the old man said earlier made sense, obtaining someone else's life essence is not something that can be done by ordinary means.
"Yes, Swap-Swap Fruit, you can trade things with others. I use various feelings and repairs to exchange for a little bit of essence."
"These things are insignificant to young people, but I never trade with older people. I also used my Devil Fruit power to become this short, just to live longer!" The old man spoke calmly, but Vic still felt very sad.
"Is this how it is with every generation? How can you guarantee you'll find this Devil Fruit every time?"
This is what puzzles Vic the most. Devil Fruit appear randomly. It's understandable if they're passed down for several generations, but it's abnormal for each generation to live for so long.
"No need to look for it! As long as I die, this Devil Fruit will appear in this space. I found the Devil Fruit here after my ex died, but I don't know why."
However, this Devil Fruit seems to have a memory, constantly reborn here, so from the first generation onwards, this island has been transformed into a hot spring resort.
"Because of the Devil Fruit's power, this island is quite famous and has never lacked outsiders, which is why we've been able to live this long." Vic believed this, but only half of it.
It's said that Devil Fruit have their own will, but this Devil Fruit's will is exceptionally strong. Or perhaps this space has some kind of setting that prevents the power inside the Devil Fruit from escaping.
If that's the case, then wouldn't capturing and killing the ability users here allow us to obtain their Devil Fruit? This is a question worth investigating.
"If that's the case, there's really no need to have anyone here. Ordinary people can't even find this place. What's the point of your existence here?"
"Are you so powerful that you can protect the Poneglyph from being taken away?"
Vic still didn't understand why someone was assigned to guard the cave; his intuition told him that the old man had some very important information he wasn't telling him.
"Haha, aside from my slightly stronger Observation Haki, I'm utterly useless in everything else. Can you hear the voices coming from the Poneglyph?" The old man didn't answer Vic's question directly, but instead asked a question in return.
"I can't hear you! You mean the ability to Voice of All Things, right? I don't have that ability."
Vic wasn't lying; since the other party asked that question, they probably had some way of testing it. Vic glanced at the Poneglyph again.
He knew that the Pirate King Roger had this ability—to hear the unique voices emanating from the Poneglyph. The second person was King Luffy, but he hadn't fully Awakening this ability yet.
As for Oden and Momonosuke, they probably won't be able to hear the sounds of the Poneglyph, except for the sounds of those large animals.
Hearing the voice of the Poneglyph doesn't mean you can decipher their true meaning. That's why Roger asked Whitebeard to let Kozuki Oden his crew.
Furthermore, if Voice of All Things were enough to decipher the Poneglyph, then Robin would be useless in the Straw Hat Pirates, Oda wouldn't make unnecessary arrangements.
In other words, the ability to Voice of All Things is merely a tool for finding Poneglyph, but to truly understand the meaning of the text, one still needs people like Oden and Robin who can decipher Ancient Script.
"Oh! You know about Voice of All Things, that's quite knowledgeable. Since you can't hear any sounds, it proves you're not the chosen one. There are some things I can't tell you now. You already know quite a lot, so leave!"
The old man clearly harbors a secret and carries some kind of mission, but he refuses to tell Vic. Like the Pirate King Roger, he is waiting for that person—the appearance of Oda's beloved son, Straw Hat Luffy.
It was indeed a pity that Vic didn't get access to that lost history, but he wouldn't do anything to pressure the old man.
His main purpose in coming here was to investigate the hot springs. He was satisfied as long as he knew it was done by an old man, that he meant no harm, and that there was no danger.
Moreover, we learned some secrets here, saw another Poneglyph, and even saw mechanical behemoths we had never seen before. This trip was definitely worthwhile.
If we really want to know the message they're trying to convey, we can just bring the Straw Hat Boy here later. Maybe there's important information on that Poneglyph. If all else fails, we can always ask Robin to translate it.
Since the old man wouldn't say anything, Vic didn't press the matter further. He went down the steps to the back of the platform and stood in front of the Poneglyph to read it.
Anyway, he has a photographic memory, so he memorized everything after reading it once. Robin can translate all of this later; she'll probably be very interested. I just don't know if she'll tell Vic the truth, since Vic is a Marine.
"Why are you looking at it? You don't even recognize it. Don't say you've seen the Poneglyph after you get out, and don't write anything like this. It will bring you death!" The old man kindly reminded Vic, who was staring intently at the Poneglyph.
"Got it, I was just curious to take a look!" Vic had memorized everything, glanced one last time at the huge iron lump beside him, and then used Geppo to fly out of the mountain cave entrance without leaving a trace.
"This young man is quite good. He has such strength at such a young age, and his aura is also upright. I hope he will become that person's help in the future!"
After Vic left, the sound echoed within the mountain space, then fell silent. The flames on the inner wall went out, and the space was plunged into darkness once more. It was unknown when the next guest would arrive.
After leaving the mountain space, Vic didn't go straight back. Instead, he went to another town on the island. He had a very important thing to do on this trip: to test the functionality of his spatial ring, so he needed to buy some things.
His spatial ring couldn't be revealed yet, so acting alone was the most suitable option. However, his Observation Haki was also constantly monitoring the battle with Rebecca.
The fire in the hot spring town has been brought under control. With the Elite Camp members coordinating and the people on the street cooperating, plus the abundant hot spring water, the fire has been almost extinguished. Many people are now watching Rebecca and Kanbo's battle, including members of the Elite Camp, tourists, and native islanders.