"Paradise… a Dream Kingdom!!!"
Hearing those two words made everyone feel as if they had just stepped into a fairy tale.
Their first instinct was that the four robots were talking nonsense.
After all, it sounded far too fantastical.
But then they looked at the robots' serious expressions, and then at the captain and vice captain themselves—people who came from places that once existed only in fairy tales, the City of Gold and Skypiea. Subconsciously, they began to feel that maybe this really was true.
And that there might be an incredible story hidden behind it all.
Their curiosity only grew stronger. Everyone stared at the four robots, eyes filled with probing interest.
At that moment, however, Yemu unexpectedly raised his hand and stopped them.
"That's enough. We'll stop here."
"Eh?!"
Flare, Baby-5, Erik, and Ayala were all taken aback. Tiger looked thoughtful, while Enel didn't seem to care at all, even showing a hint of impatience.
Yemu looked at the four small robots, who were equally surprised, and explained why he had cut them off.
"It's not that I don't want everyone to keep digging. It's just that whatever this so-called Paradise or Dream Kingdom is, it's definitely not something the World Government wants people to know about. Otherwise, Reykjavik wouldn't have been destroyed seven hundred years ago."
That was when everyone finally realized it.
They had been so captivated by the words Paradise and Dream Kingdom that they had completely overlooked one thing. The ones who destroyed Reykjavik were the World Government—and the World Government from seven hundred years ago.
"It's not that I don't trust you," Yemu continued. "It's just that every one of you is already carrying more than enough on your shoulders."
As he spoke, he glanced at Tiger, then at Erik. Both of them immediately understood what he meant.
Then Yemu turned his gaze to Flare and went on.
"On top of that, because of my own reckless actions, we already have plenty of enemies. I don't want to add any more unnecessary burdens."
Flare rolled her eyes, her look clearly saying, 'So you do realize that yourself.'
"And there's another thing. Judging by our current route, we've already missed the waters leading to the Sky Island where Enel and I came from. It's not that we can't turn back, but there's no need. Shandora is there. We can go anytime. Don't forget, the Twin Goddesses can cross the Calm Belt."
"What matters most right now is heading to the New World. Only then can everyone truly be safe, instead of constantly hiding like this."
Compared to the unfathomable depth of the World Government, Yemu found the great pirates of the New World far more approachable.
After hearing his words, everyone nodded in understanding.
Strictly speaking, every person present was still a rookie pirate. Yet what they had already experienced was more than what many great pirates might encounter in an entire lifetime.
"Then what about these four?"
Enel dug a finger into his ear, still unable to forgive the four robots who had eaten Devil Fruits.
Yemu thought for a moment.
Although what the robots had said wasn't long, it revealed far too much.
A nation from seven hundred years ago. Shandora. The World Government. Technology far ahead of its time. Robot manufacturing. The infinite land. A cataclysm that wiped out a nation. A freezing bomb. Paradise. Blueprints for a Dream Kingdom.
Any one of those topics alone would be shocking if examined closely.
And on top of that, these four robots had eaten four Paramecia-type Devil Fruits with tremendous potential.
Yemu quickly made his decision. Looking at the four robots, who were nervously awaiting their fate, he spoke.
"Untie them first."
Enel was clearly reluctant, but he still did as told, releasing the golden chains binding the robots.
Freed at last, the four robots looked overjoyed. As if they had practiced it countless times, they immediately straightened up and saluted Yemu in perfect unison.
"Boss, thank you for sparing us!!!"
Yemu waved his hand and spoke in a low voice.
"Don't thank me yet. First, tell me this. Seven hundred years have passed, so how are you still able to wake up? Aren't you robots? After seven hundred years, your energy should've run out long ago."
The silver robot in the middle responded as if giving a formal report, rigid and precise.
"Reporting to the boss. Part of our bodies is composed of biological structures."
"Biological structures?!"
"Yes. This technology was brought from Dr. Kuro's homeland. He endowed our bodies with a portion of living structures. Even if we obtain no external energy at all, this biological component can still maintain our most basic bodily functions for thousands of years."
"Eh?!"
Once again, everyone couldn't help but cry out in shock.
"Thousands of years? Wouldn't that mean you're almost immortal?!"
Even Tiger, who rarely let his emotions show, couldn't keep his composure.
At this moment, Yemu frowned deeply.
He suddenly realized that the secrets hidden within these four robots that had appeared on his ship by chance were far more frightening than he had imagined. So he wisely chose not to let the discussion linger on that topic.
"Then why did you still eat Devil Fruits? Couldn't you just absorb energy instead?"
The silver-white robot looked extremely awkward.
"S-Sorry… This was something Dr. Kuro deliberately set when he created us. Although we are robots, he wanted us to live like humans. So he gave us not only normal human emotions, intelligence, and the five senses, but also the ability to digest food to obtain energy. As a result, even though we are robots, we need to eat and drink like ordinary humans, and we also feel hunger and thirst."
"Is that so? Go on."
"Yes. Although the biological systems in our bodies can sustain our most basic functions, to operate normally, we still need to absorb a large amount of energy.
After the ice melted, we awakened.
Our sensory systems detected an energy source on the ship.
So we followed that signal, boarded the ship, entered the cabin, found the energy source, and began absorbing it."
At this point, not only Yemu, but even Enel reacted.
"So you were hiding in the engine room the whole time?!"
No wonder he hadn't noticed them when he went to store that Devil Fruit earlier.
"S-Sorry…"
Yemu didn't feel like dwelling on that anymore.
"Continue."
"Yes. After absorbing enough energy, we were fully awakened. Then we felt hungry and went into another room. There, we saw four fruits placed on a cabinet. We thought they were just ordinary fruit and ate them. But they tasted unbelievably awful, far beyond what our sense of taste could tolerate, so we passed out again… and then… today happened…"
With that, the robot had completely explained how they ended up on the ship, from start to finish.
Although Yemu still had many questions, there was only one that mattered most right now.
"Then let me ask you…"
"After eating the Devil Fruits, are you able to use their powers?"