Chapter 328: The Poneglyph
"Wow, that big dog sliced through a house-sized ice wall with just a few sword strikes, that's way too cool!" The doll shouted loudly, its crisp high-pitched voice echoing around.
"Esdeath-nee's ice is even stronger!" Wendy explained to Yoshino, who hadn't yet seen the others fight. "Scáthach -nee's gun skills are unmatched, Artoria's holy sword is exquisite, Kurumi-nee's time abilities are incredible, and Chiron-sensei's arrows never miss."
"Ohhh!" Yoshino and Yoshinon nodded together. "That's really reliable!"
"Duke Inuarashi's sword draw isn't just to show off his swordsmanship," Esdeath lowered her gaze.
"Eh?" Wendy and Yoshino both froze for a moment.
"It's to demonstrate his strength and warn us not to act recklessly in the Furukami Kingdom," Scáthach continued Esdeath's sentence.
Chiron chuckled, "After all, we're pirates with 'ill intentions' now."
Bepo slapped his palm, "I see now."
Penguin angrily retorted, "Your reaction is way too slow!"
"Sorry."
Eric spread his hands, "But his actions don't do much for us."
"Captain, it feels like these fur tribes have hostile intentions toward us," Lawapproached holding his sword Kikoku Demon Wail. "Is that okay?"
"Demanding to go to their sacred place, Whale Forest, right off the bat? Anyone would be upset by that..." Eric wasn't too concerned about their hostility. "If they agree to our request, we'll just take a 'rubbing' and leave."
"What if Cat Viper doesn't agree?"
Eric smirked, showing a slightly wicked smile, "Then we'll have to be a bit more forceful and take the Poneglyph with us."
"Wow, Eric-kun is becoming darker, the righteous guy has turned evil!" The rabbit doll clapped its hands. "But Yoshinon likes this story development!"
"Yoshinon!"
Suddenly, someone asked, "By the way, why did we come all the way to Zou to search for the Poneglyph?"
"Hm?" Bepo, who had been looking down, lifted his head. "The Poneglyph on Zou is different from others; it's made of red stone. It's called the 'Road Poneglyph.'"
"What does that mean?"
"Didn't I say this before?" Bepo scratched his fluffy head. "The purpose of the Road Poneglyph is to guide people to the final destination of the great route that the brave pirates have been exploring."
"…Could it be!" Robin widened her eyes. "Is it the Poneglyph that points to the Final Island, Raftel?!"
Bepo nodded. "Yes, that's right."
"What?!" Shachi and Penguin leaned back in surprise. "Why didn't you say something this important earlier!"
"Sorry!"
Bepo took a moment to calm his disappointment and continued, "We originally came to help Cat Viper find the Poneglyph. I teamed up with Pedro and Jepo to form the Nox Pirates, and six years ago, we accidentally drifted into the North Sea while observing the sea."
"How did you drift from the New World to the North Sea? There's a calm belt between them," asked Shachi.
"..."
Everyone thought, 'Sharp question!'
Bepo continued, "Cat Viper probably didn't expect anyone would come to Zou to steal the Poneglyph."
Shachi and Penguin thought, 'Did he just ignore the question?!'
"I'm not sure if Pedro and the others managed to gather the remaining three pieces of the Poneglyph," Bepo sighed.
"It's impossible to find them," Eric interrupted his speculation.
"Why?"
"Because two of the Road Poneglyphs are in the hands of Big Mom and Kaido."
"!"
Eric explained, "The Road Poneglyphs record certain 'locations,' but none of them are Raftel. The other three red stones record different locations as well. When you connect the four points on a map, the center point is—"
Gin e excitedly interjected, "Raftel, the island only reached by the Pirate King's crew after hundreds of years?! And the legendary Great Treasure is buried there?!"
"Great Treasure? Now that's an exciting adventure, Yoshinon can't wait to see it!"
"One hundred years of blank history..." Robin clenched her fist, murmuring to herself. She was about to fulfill her dream...
While the Dawn Pirates were celebrating the discovery of the Great Treasure,
"You guys are celebrating a bit too early." Esdeath poured cold water on everyone. "Did you forget the full strength of the Whitebeard Pirates? Just the fifteen division commanders alone are a headache, not to mention the thousand six hundred members and the thirty-odd pirate crews under them."
"BIG MOM and Kaido's crews, although they differ from Whitebeard's, overall strength is still similar. Can you guys defeat thousands of regular pirates, even if I, Eric, Scáthach , and Kurumi can handle the executives?"
"Ah, you can still recognize the facts?" Kurumi teased. "I thought you'd immediately convince Eric to storm their base!"
"Hmph." Esdeath displayed her wicked side, "So, you're all going to go through my special training next..."
"Eh?!"
"Denied," Eric interrupted.
"Heh heh, such a bad boy," Esdeath affectionately pinched Eric's cheek.
Kurumi glared coldly at Esdeath's public display of affection.
As everyone continued to chat, time passed slowly, and the sun gradually set, stretching the shadows of various things.
"It's six o'clock..." Eric looked at the giant tree resembling a whale. "The fur tribes in the forest should be Waking up now..."
"Flap, flap, flap~" A large number of birds flapped their wings, as if something terrifying was approaching rapidly.
"Someone's coming..." The group stood up from their conversation.
"!"
"Growl meow~ Awo!" A large cat demon burst from the forest, its sharp teeth bared, a smoking pipe in its mouth. "So, you're the ones trying to go to Whale Forest?"
Bepo shouted, "It's Cat Viper!"
"Bepo? I'm so glad you're alright," the cat demon relaxed its fierce expression for a moment.
"Yes." Eric greeted it in a friendly manner, "Cat Viper... hello?"
"I'm not like that kind old dog," Cat Viper sharpened his claws on his teeth. "Before I get angry, you better abandon the idea of going to Whale Forest..."
Artoria stared at Cat Viper, "Lion?"
"I'm a cat!"
Artoria patted the chair, "Can you be my mount?"
"Do you even listen to people?!"
Eric took out a small ball, and the faint scent of wood anemone wafted from it. Cat Viper's nostrils flared, contracting back and forth.
"I'll toss it!" Eric casually flicked the ball, and it flew past Cat Viper.
"I'll catch it!" Cat Viper leaped like a goalkeeper, attempting to catch the ball.
"Oh!" The members of the Dawn Pirates erupted in applause.
"Great catch!"
"Do it again!"
"Meow..." Cat Viper scratched at his messy fur and smiled awkwardly. "Thanks for the praise..."
Then his face darkened, and he snarled, "——Not right, how dare you treat me like an ordinary cat?!"
"Here, it's a cat teaser~" Eric took out a large cat teaser and waved it in front of Cat Viper.
"Meow~" The huge cat paws swiped at the teaser.
"Smack!"
Cat Viper swiped the teaser away. "Stop playing with me!"
"Why did you come to Furukami Kingdom, Cat Viper?!"
"Didn't you hear?" Eric spread his empty hands. "I came for the Poneglyph. Once I get the rubbing, we'll leave immediately."
"..." Cat Viper glared at the side, where Esdeath was sitting on a chair, holding her sword, and Scáthach was spinning her spear.
"The Poneglyph is on the whale, isn't it?" Eric pointed to the massive shadow in the distance. "I know about it."
"!" Cat Viper immediately drew his double-headed trident. "How do you know?!"
"I haven't gone because I intend to coexist peacefully with you," Eric narrowed his eyes. "You should know that even if the entire kingdom attacks, you're no match for us."
Cat Viper bared his teeth and assumed a fighting stance. "Then let's see who's stronger!"
Stare—!
Eric didn't move, but the Conqueror's Haki emanating from him made him seem to grow impossibly tall in Cat Viper's eyes in an instant.
'This guy...' The illusion made Cat Viper, who has no sweat glands, shiver.
"...I understand now," Cat Viper spat out a mouthful of smoke. "Only two of you can come, no one else can approach Whale Forest!"
"OK~" Eric nodded and turned to Robin, "Let's go, we'll get the Poneglyph rubbed."
"No, what if they intend to harm you, Eric?" Kurumi didn't agree with this reckless decision.
Eric winked at her.
"..." Kurumi, understanding the meaning, quieted down.
Eric packed up his tools and, with Robin, followed Cat Viper into the forest, heading toward the Whale Tree.
After Eric left, Esdeath and Kurumi turned to look at Porche .
"Eh?" Porche pointed at himself. "Me?"
Kurumi smiled, "Yes, come here, Porche -chan~"
"Ugh~ I feel like I'm going to be unlucky..."
...
"Cat Viper!" In Whale Forest, many members of the Warrior Group jumped down from the trees.
"Oh, Black Back..." Cat Viper gestured behind him, "They're here for the Poneglyph. Tell all the members of the Warrior Group to disperse."
"Yes!" The orangutan furs immediately climbed the trees and left.
"So, this is the so-called new Sea King?" Rodi glared at Eric with a provocative look. "Not that impressive, so short..."
Eric sneered and replied, "Although short, it only takes one punch to deal with you... Want to try?"
"What did you say?!" The water buffalo fur's eyes turned red with anger.
"Rodi!" Cat Viper shouted angrily. "Stop causing trouble!"
"...Yes!" The enraged buffalo had no choice but to step back.
They climbed the vines around the whale and ascended the long mountain road. They passed through a hidden door at the whale's tail and descended a steep staircase.
"Robin, watch your step."
Robin smiled faintly, "Thank you for the reminder, Captain."
After exiting a narrow corridor, the view suddenly opened up.
"We've arrived—!"
The family crest of the Kozuki clan was carved into the stone wall, with a square red stone just below it.
"The Poneglyph!" Robin quickly walked toward it, her eyes shining with brilliance, as though she were about to light up the entire space.
"Ha..." Cat Viper blew out a round smoke ring. "Hurry up and take the rubbing of the Poneglyph, then leave Furukami Kingdom."
"How heartless, I did bring Bepo from the Furukami tribe to Zou," Eric handed Robin his backpack.
Robin attached the paper to the red stone and began the rubbing with her tools.
"I was actually thinking, if you didn't give us the rubbing, we'd have to take the Poneglyph by force."
"What did you say?!" Cat Viper roared, pointing his weapon at Eric. "This is the Kozuki clan's treasure, something we've protected for generations..."
Eric remained calm, continuing, "Since you've been so reasonable, you'll have to abandon that plan now."
"...Clink"
In the quiet space, a faint sound came from an empty spot, which the excited Cat Viper didn't notice.
Seeing that Eric didn't make a move, Cat Viper lowered his arm but still glared at Eric with suspicion.
"Whoosh~ Whoosh~"
The paper rustled in Robin's hands as she peeled off the rubbing from the stone.
"Let's get a few more copies, Robin."
"Hm?" Robin asked confusedly. "One copy is enough, right?"
"It won't hurt to have more copies."
"...Mm." Robin started working again.
Cat Viper puffed on his pipe.
...
"Isn't this enough?!" Cat Viper yelled at the two for their greed. "You've already got ten copies! Do you need that many?!"
"Such a miser. What if they get wet while sailing?" Eric scoffed. "Robin, let's go."
"Hmph!"
Packing up his tools, Cat Viper followed behind as Eric and Robin left the room and climbed the long stairs.
The room with the Poneglyph returned to silence.
Several people who were protecting Eric's safety had followed him here through Porche 's spatial manipulation.
"Eric already said, don't steal the Poneglyph!" Kurumi pulled out two guns.
"We'll take the Poneglyph and fight those two as we leave." Esdeath licked her lips.
"We should listen to Eric and not cause trouble." Akame stood with Kurumi. "Besides, Eric's already gone."
"Oh?" Esdeath drew her rapier. "Akame, you're with Kurumi now?"
"No, I'm with Eric," Akame said calmly. "You can't just let personal preferences push potential allies to the enemy side."
"...Hmph." Esdeath sheathed her weapon. "You're getting more eloquent, Akame."
Far away, Porche , who had been scared and trembling, finally stopped shaking.
Back at the temporary residence, Eric called everyone back to the Without Fear.
"Hmph, are you leaving already?" Cat Viper said unhappily. "Others might think we fur tribes hate humans."
"If we stayed here, you'd be up all night, wouldn't you?"
"Bullshit, I don't sleep at night!" Cat Viper said confidently. "I'm a night owl!"
"Heh... that's not a funny joke."
"I didn't tell a joke!"
"Bepo..." Cat Viper called to the polar bear. "Aren't you staying?"
Bepo turned to look at Robin, Penguin, and Shachi, then bowed to Cat Viper. "I already have companions."
"...I see." Smoke wafted from his pipe as Cat Viper waved his hand. "Remember, Zou will always be your home."
Bepo blinked his cute eyes and replied loudly, "Yes!"
(END CHAPTER)
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