The interior of the Frozen Castle resembled a vast crystal palace, its crystalline dome reflecting a deep blue light, and the air filled with the unique chill of millennia-old ice. Following the old woman known as the "High Priestess" and the ice warriors, the Straw Hat Pirates walked through the wide ice corridors, the exquisite bas-reliefs on the ice walls on both sides seemingly telling silent stories of the past.
"These murals..." Robin slowed his pace, his gaze sweeping sharply over the patterns on the ice wall, "... record a prosperous kingdom."
The murals depict people in splendid attire celebrating in the sunlight, with lush green vines entwining marble pillars, a stark contrast to the icy landscape of the present day.
"That was a long time ago," the high priest's voice carried the weight of time, "Our people have guarded the ' Fire of Life ' for generations, which gives this land life and warmth."
As the group ventured deeper, the murals began to change: the sky grew gloomy, the plants withered, and a blurry, chilling shadow enveloped the kingdom.
"Until the arrival of the ' Lord of Frozen Silence,'" the high priest stopped before a massive mural depicting a terrifying being made of ice and snow, "It seeks to seize the Fire of Life and reduce everything to eternal ice and silence."
The following murals depict a fierce battle, with the kingdom's warriors charging forward wave after wave, yet unable to withstand the power of the Lord of Frozen Silence.
"The final mural," the high priest led the group to the end of the corridor, where the scene there stunned everyone—a tall Red-Haired man, wreathed in blazing flames, was fiercely battling the Lord of Frozen Silence! His face was resolute, and his features bore a striking resemblance to Ace and Allen!
"This is...!" Ace's pupils contracted.
"' Guardian of Flame ' Portgas," the High Priest's voice was filled with deep respect, "He was the only one capable of directly confronting the Lord of Frozen Silence. To protect this land and the Fire of Life, he waged a final battle against the Lord of Frozen Silence."
The final mural depicts a tragic end: Portgas, at the cost of all his power, split the core of the Fire of Life in two, one half sealing the Lord of Frozen Silence and the other transforming into an eternal barrier guarding the kingdom's last bloodline. He himself became the enormous ice sculpture at the far end of the mural, maintaining a fighting posture—standing lifelike in the center of the throne room not far away, as if he might awaken at any moment.
" Portgas prophesied at the last moment," the High Priest said, looking at Ace and Allen with a complex expression, "That in the future, an inheritor flowing with the same flame will arrive to complete his unfinished mission and completely purify the curse of the Lord of Frozen Silence. Princess Illya, as the last of the royal bloodline, inherited both half of the Fire of Life and half of the remnants of the Lord of Frozen Silence's curse. These two powers have become increasingly out of control with age..."
Everyone finally understood why the princess was tormented by both ice and fire.
"So you're pinning your hopes on a prophecy?" Zoro asked calmly, arms crossed.
"We have no choice," the lead ice warrior said in a deep voice. "For hundreds of years, the curse on the princess has grown stronger. If this continues, she will either be completely devoured by the ice or burned to ashes by the flames within her..."
Just then, Princess Illya's painful groans echoed from the depths of the throne room, and the light of ice and fire once again burst forth uncontrollably from her body.
Luffy adjusted his straw Straw Hat, looked at the ice sculpture, then at the princess struggling in pain, and finally his gaze settled on Ace and Allen:
"Hey, Ace, Allen, that guy in that ice cube, is he your ancestor?"
He grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth:
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and completely blast that guy called the Lord of Frozen Silence away, and finish the work your ancestors didn't complete!"