Vic did indeed feel the attraction this thing held for him.
Without hesitation, Vic reached out and grabbed the Divine Staff. The Divine Staff was warm to the touch, unlike something that had been in the stone box for a long time.
Vic wanted to take it closer for a better look.
The instant the Divine Staff left the box, lightning struck from the void, and Vic was hit squarely.
His face was now blackened, his hair stood on end, smoke was coming out of his mouth, and he looked completely bewildered.
Just then, a second bolt of lightning formed in the void, and Vic quickly covered it with Armament Haki to block it.
Gion and Rebecca had already drawn their longswords and were looking at the richest man and his butler with hostility.
Thinking the two were plotting to harm Vic, they set a trap for Vic to fall into.
When Vic was struck by the second lightning bolt, he quickly put the Divine Staff back into the box.
The moment the Divine Staff was placed into the stone box, the lightning ceased to generate.
Vic glared at the fat tycoon.
"Oh dear, that beast from the richest man's house is roaring again!"
"Yes, every time he brings a stranger home, the strange beast in the yard roars like thunder. I wonder what kind it is?"
"Yes, I've never heard of it before, I'm really curious!"
Barnett and his men, who were selling meat and furs in town, were also very curious when they heard the townspeople talking.
They heard thunder just now, but the sky is clear now, and there's no condition for thunder at all.
"Sir, what were those two claps of thunder just now?"
Barnett asked a kind-looking old man who was selecting meat at their stall.
"Hey, that's a strange beast that the richest man brought back from somewhere four years ago."
It was brought back on a large ship; it was packed in a huge iron cage.
The cage was covered with a cloth, so we never saw what it looked like, which was a real shame!
According to the steward, the beast cannot see living people, otherwise it will roar in a frenzy.
His roar was like thunder; he warned us never to peek into the villa unless absolutely necessary.
Being discovered by the monster meant certain death, yet there were indeed those fearless enough to sneak into the richest man's villa to steal things.
They were all killed by that strange beast, so please don't go there out of curiosity."
The old man was kind-hearted and worried that these young people might be reckless and lose their lives in vain.
"Okay, sir, we won't go. Thank you. Please have this piece of meat."
Barnett picked up a pre-cut piece of meat from the stall and handed it to the old man, but the old man insisted on paying for it. Barnett finally accepted it after several refusals.
"They're really simple-minded. I guess they're only found near Marine Headquarters. A strange beast? I'm afraid it's not that simple!"
Barnett had never heard of any beast roaring like thunder, and this matter seemed suspicious, but that was none of his concern. His priority was to ensure the safe return of all the trainees to Marine Headquarters.
Inside the villa, the portly tycoon gave a wry smile. He was used to this, but he wasn't entirely unprepared.
He knew that the men were from the Navy, and that they were quite capable.
He already knew that warships were landing on the beach. To be able to do business in this chaotic sea for so many years without going bankrupt is certainly no ordinary person.
"Brother, I meant no harm, this truly is a divine object."
I see you're from the navy, representing justice, which is why I wanted to hand over the item to you.
"If you don't believe me, open the box again and take a look. There's writing inside the lid," the richest man quickly explained.
Although the three women of Gion were curious, they remained on guard and did not move.
However, if things go wrong, they will attack immediately, Gion will take down this fat man in no time.
Vic didn't speak. As long as the Divine Staff didn't come out of the box, no lightning would appear; he had already tried that.
Vic opened the stone lid, and there was indeed a line of text inside. His attention had been focused on the Divine Staff, so he hadn't noticed it.
Vic didn't recognize any of the characters, not because he was illiterate, but because he had learned all the modern languages on Laipe Island.
Vic's mind was in turmoil!
It was simply because the text inside the box was in Ancient Script; Vic had seen such square characters in the original work in his previous life.
Vic remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was deeply shocked. This was Ancient Script; surely this object was at least eight hundred years old?
Ohara only knew a little about Ancient Script and had always been in the research stage.
The general meaning of many of the documents they study requires combining the context of the surrounding texts and making inferences; it would be virtually impossible for them to write such a document.
"I've never seen this script before. Do you recognize it?" Vic asked casually, without revealing his true feelings.
The portly tycoon nodded to the butler, who quickly left the reception room and returned to the door shortly after, nodding to the tycoon again.
Vic's Observation Haki had already sensed that the butler had driven away all the servants nearby; there must be some secret he wanted to tell.
"Brother, it's like this, I obtained this item in Water 7 ten years ago."
I was doing business in Water 7 at the time, and I overheard a rumor...
It is said that the captain of a fishing team on the island retrieved a divine object in the waters near Water 7.
"Because this fishing captain lacked reverence and angered the divine creature, he was struck dead by divine lightning." The fat tycoon looked very serious, with reverence in his expression.
"Well, besides doing business, I also have a few hobbies, and I'm very interested in these mysterious things."
So they went to the home of the fishing captain whose accident had occurred.
Three months had passed since the captain's death. I was received by his younger brother, who gave me a detailed account of what had happened.
"The fishing team leader's younger brother also worked in the fishing team, and he was the one who discovered that the shipwreck was very old."
The wood on the ship was rotten beyond recognition, appearing to be several hundred years old.
At the time, only a few unfamiliar seashells were placed with this stone box; everything else had decayed and had no other value.
They only took the stone box and seashells; the fishing captain didn't initially pay much attention to them.
However, it was later discovered that this stone box was incredibly sturdy; even swords and knives couldn't leave a single mark on it.
The fishing captain then took it seriously and kept the stone box safe until he returned home to Water 7 before deciding to investigate it further.
His younger brother was also watching, when the fishing captain took the Staff of God out of the box...
Just like when you took out the Staff of God, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared and killed him instantly.
The Staff of God returned to the stone box. Neighbors who heard the thunder came out to see what was happening and eventually spread the news.
The fishing captain was also punished by the gods for disrespecting the sacred object, and his family no longer dared to touch the stone box.
"In the end, I bought it at a high price." Pan, the richest man, slowly recounted his experience from back then.
"So you knew all along, yet you still let me get struck by lightning. What were you thinking?"
Vic looked hostile, which, combined with his charred face, made him look quite comical.
"Ahem, I knew you weren't an ordinary person long ago. This lightning bolt definitely won't kill you; I've tested it."
I originally wanted to control this power for my own use, but after trying for many years, I still couldn't succeed.
Until five years ago, I accidentally met a group of people in the West Blue who actually understood the writing in the box.
I asked around and found out they were archaeologists from Ohara, but back then the island hadn't been given the name " Island of Demons " yet.
So I asked them about the written language; I didn't do anything else!
The fat tycoon looked at Vic with some trepidation. After all, Ohara was now known as the " Island of Demons " and had become a taboo place. He was afraid that the group would just capture him, so he quickly explained the reason.
Vic thought for a moment. It was now the second half of 1504 in the Sea Circle Calendar. Ohara was destroyed by the Buster Call in 1500.
Nicole Robin was only eight years old when she was adrift at sea alone.
Ohara was also a great tragedy on the high seas!
This is what the World Government does: to cover up the Void Century of history from 800 years ago, they are capable of directly wiping out the lives of an entire island!
This happened five years ago, before Ohara was destroyed. It has nothing to do with Vic, and he doesn't think Ohara did anything wrong.
Vic glanced at Gion, and seeing that Gion didn't react much, Vic nodded to the fat tycoon, indicating that he and the others wouldn't get involved.
That's true. It's mainly about what the World Government wants to cover up, and it has little to do with them.
"Those archaeologists spent half a month translating without any results. Just when I was about to give up and leave, they finally got the answer."
"Waiting for the destined one to arrive and restore peace and order to the world"—that's the meaning of these words.
Vic pondered this sentence, realizing that it, like Ancient Script, was indeed cryptic and obscure.
Are they all "destined individuals," and is one of them the same person Poseidon is waiting for?
Could it be King Luffy? But I feel like this thing is destined for me, what should I do?" Vic thought to himself.
"A year later, the Ohara incident happened, and I became even more hesitant to publicize it."
To keep this divine object a secret, I made some arrangements on the island to prevent the thunderous sounds from the villa from arousing the curiosity of the townspeople.
So I fabricated a story about a strange beast to cover it up. I researched it for two more years, but still made no progress. I still couldn't control it.
I know I am not destined to have it, and holding onto it might bring me disaster.
So I frequently invited extraordinary individuals to the villa to test my abilities, but none of them succeeded, and you haven't succeeded to this day either!
The portly tycoon then sighed.