Crocodile's guess was quite interesting, and of course, it was possible.
But having said that, they had already reached the main entrance.
Even Crocodile himself, who had proposed this idea, couldn't just stop here.
What if it was specifically designed for Devil Fruit users? What if they didn't want Devil Fruit users to see what was inside?
Crocodile was never someone who cared about such things. In fact, it made him even more curious about what lay beyond the gate.
As for Ryan Rowan, even if he realized such a possibility existed, the light in his eyes already showed the answer.
Compared to the so-called "risk," Rowan seemed more interested in exploring the "unknown" within.
And even if there was a risk, so what?
Eight hundred years had passed, and times had changed.
Who the ancient defensive measures were meant to guard against was perhaps unknown by now.
—But at least it wasn't to guard against people from eight hundred years later.
...
Among the three, Nico Robin was perhaps the most nervous.
Rowan had trained specifically with Seastone, but Robin was different.
She had no experience of acting for extended periods under the influence of Seastone, nor would she stubbornly endure it like Crocodile, clinging to pride.
Therefore, Robin's complexion was not good.
Furthermore, the information contained in the ancient text she had just seen sent shivers down her spine.
Visibly, Robin's lowered calves were trembling slightly.
She was about to brace herself and stand up, when a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
It was Ryan Rowan.
Robin thought he might be trying to comfort her, so she smiled and nodded, preparing to thank him.
But at that moment, a strange aura suddenly enveloped her.
Even Crocodile beside her could sense it – it was undoubtedly Conqueror's Haki, coming from Ryan Rowan!
Using Conqueror's Haki to attack an ally?
Crocodile didn't quite understand Rowan's actions.
But soon, he noticed something was wrong.
Crocodile had never seen Conqueror's Haki with such a "quality."
If it had to be described, it was a very "gentle" aura, like a soft comfort that made one feel unconsciously at ease.
This sense of peace gradually spread, dispelling the intense discomfort caused by the Seastone!
"Hmm, that helped quite a bit..."
Crocodile reached out his hand and found that his fingertips could move sand again.
From a realistic perspective, Crocodile wasn't in direct contact with the Seastone, so theoretically, he should have been able to use his Sand-Sand Fruit abilities.
But in reality, the immense influence of the Seastone had created a strong pressure, which restricted his elementalization.
Now, because Rowan's Conqueror's Haki had dispelled the intense, uncomfortable pressure, Crocodile could control his Devil Fruit abilities again.
In an unknown place, being able to freely use one's abilities was the most reassuring thing.
Looking at Robin, she seemed to feel the same.
She stood up and nodded her thanks to Rowan.
Seeing this, Crocodile marveled inwardly at how special one person's Conqueror's Haki could be!
If Rowan's use of Conqueror's Haki were made public, it would likely shatter many people's perceptions.
...
Meanwhile, two Sky Island guards had begun trying to push open the two Seastone doors.
"One, two, heave!"
*Creak...*
With a series of low grunts, the Seastone doors were slowly pushed open.
Unlike what they expected, the doors were not locked, and no traps were triggered when they opened.
It seemed that, just as Robin had seen, this was a special room marked with a "Research Institute" sign.
"Honestly, for the first place like this, I wouldn't be surprised if a zombie monster suddenly popped out..."
One of the white beret soldiers sighed.
His companion, however, was laughing it off.
"Hey, hey, a mere zombie monster is nothing compared to someone 'from our side,' right?"
Under the influence of that gentle Conqueror's Haki, everyone's minds had relaxed considerably.
In this state, they would make far fewer mistakes than if they were on edge.
And as the doors slowly opened, the light from the lighting shells shone in, and the interior of the "Research Institute" was finally revealed.
...
Everyone paused for a few seconds.
How should one describe it?
It was indeed difficult to describe the interior structure.
Because inside was simply... rudimentary.
No, "rudimentary" was already a very complex description.
More accurately, the interior should be called—minimalist.
Because there was nothing inside.
Equipment, books, not even ruins...
None of the things that should have been there were visible.
The room behind the Seastone doors was completely empty!
It was simply a rectangular empty space, an empty room with nothing in it!
Seeing this, Crocodile's expression became incredibly complicated.
After all this effort, they ended up in an empty room?
This deal was too much of a loss.
But soon, those who entered the room discovered something unusual.
The surrounding walls seemed pitted and uneven.
Crocodile squinted and looked closely, discovering that the walls were covered with dense, tiny characters!
These were by no means "symbols" or decorations. Each character had a similar format but varied in appearance, truly fitting all the criteria of "writing"!
Ancient characters inscribed on Seastone—
This was indeed a rare sight. Although it couldn't compare to the Poneglyphs inscribed on special materials, such a massive quantity was enough to pique anyone's curiosity.
Crocodile moved closer and carefully examined the surrounding walls.
Soon, he discovered something even more abnormal.
On this wall, there were not only incredibly regular ancient characters but also messy "scratches."
Messy and neat ancient characters coexisted, or rather, the messy ancient characters "covered" the neat ones!
It was like two different people, or two different times, had written them.
The neat ancient characters came first, followed by the messy ones.
The neat ancient characters densely covered the entire wall, while the messy ancient characters seemed to have been inscribed afterward, casually covering the original text without any regard for damaging the mass of neat characters.
This scene naturally led to more confusion.
"Hey."
Crocodile turned to Robin beside him and asked, "Can you understand the meaning of the text here?"
But to Crocodile's surprise, Robin's face was now exceptionally grim.
She pointed to a nearby wall, her voice trembling slightly, and said slowly:
"These words only have one meaning—"
At this moment, Robin's fingertips were shaking, and her voice was filled with fear.
She began to murmur:
"Run..."
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