Grand Line — Saintin Island, Alabasta Kingdom
The Alabasta Kingdom was one of the greatest superpowers on the Grand Line — and in the world.
It was also one of the few nations with a history spanning more than 800 years.
...
...
The blazing desert sun hung high in the sky, pouring endless heat over a vast golden sea of sand.
Across the dunes moved a giant gray-brown sea turtle, carrying an ornate royal carriage on its back.
Its speed was nothing like the slow turtles most people imagined.
Inside the lavish carriage, a woman's soft voice drifted through the dry air.
"One of the Twenty Kings who founded the World Government eight hundred years ago — Queen Nefertari of Alabasta — refused to relocate to the Holy Land and become a Celestial Dragon. Instead, she chose to remain in her homeland…"
"Based on the records that survived, it's possible that before the fall of that mysterious Great Kingdom and the founding of the World Government, the royal family of Alabasta learned part of the truth…"
"They gave up the prestige of becoming World Nobles. And for generations, they concealed the existence of an Ancient Weapon from the Government — the legendary battleship Pluton."
"Was that an act of atonement… or resistance?"
The speaker was a tall, striking woman with an elegant, mature aura.
She wore a fitted vest, short pants, a light white coat, and a wide-brimmed white hat to shield her from the sun.
She was Nico Robin — the sole survivor of Ohara, the Island of Scholars, and the only archaeologist in the world capable of reading Poneglyphs.
At present, she was also the vice president and top agent of Baroque Works, operating under the codename Miss All Sunday.
More than five years ago, she had accepted an invitation from the organization's president and traveled from the West Blue to Alabasta to investigate a massive secret hidden within the kingdom.
After more than four years of research, she had confirmed that the secret involved the Poneglyph recording the location of the Ancient Weapon Pluton.
However, its exact location remained uncertain.
Even Robin could only piece together scattered clues from incomplete historical records.
...
About two hours later, the giant turtle — Binch — stopped in a rocky region north of Alabasta.
"Thanks. Wait here," Robin said softly, patting the turtle's massive head before walking deeper into the stone fields.
According to ancient documents she had uncovered, this area had once been Alabasta's second royal capital, centuries ago — second only to the present capital, Alubarna.
Its downfall?
A rebellion.
Five hundred years ago, civil unrest leveled the city.
Over time, even the people of Alabasta had forgotten it ever existed.
But Robin hadn't.
She had rediscovered its name buried in neglected texts.
"There it is…"
After half an hour of searching, her eyes lit up.
Her normally composed expression cracked with genuine excitement.
"The records were right. The underground palace does exist…"
She paused.
"Let's hope it wasn't buried during the earthquake forty years ago."
Robin knew the kingdom's history thoroughly. She hadn't overlooked the major quake that struck decades earlier — its epicenter was here.
She entered through a narrow underground passage.
Moments later, the space opened dramatically into a vast subterranean hall.
The condition of the ruins exceeded her expectations.
Though broken pillars littered the chamber, the structure itself hadn't fully collapsed.
"Bloom."
Robin crossed her slender arms before her chest.
The power of the Flower-Flower Fruit activated.
Petals materialized in the darkness, drifting gently through the underground palace.
Each petal transformed into a white arm sprouting from walls and ceilings.
An eye opened in the center of each palm.
Through dozens of blooming "Flower Eyes," Robin surveyed the entire underground structure in seconds.
"It seems the Poneglyph recording Pluton's location… isn't here."
She exhaled quietly, disappointment flickering across her face.
Poneglyphs were never easy to find.
Still—
As she turned to leave, a faint sound brushed her ears.
A subtle whisper of wind.
In a sealed underground chamber.
Robin froze.
With her wide sensory coverage, she never ignored anomalies.
Three minutes later, she traced the source to a cracked stone wall illuminated by a flickering torch.
The wall was riddled with fractures, barely holding together.
Through the gaps, she sensed open space beyond.
"Bloom."
Excitement flashed across her face again.
She extended another Flower Eye toward the space behind the wall.
But before the eye fully formed—
A strange fluctuation rippled outward.
Robin winced slightly.
That wasn't normal.
After confirming there was no simple opening, she switched tactics.
Archaeology was her specialty.
She picked up a small pickaxe in one hand and a shovel in the other.
With careful but decisive strikes, she began dismantling the weakened wall.
It crumbled quickly under professional hands.
Dust exploded into the air.
Coughing lightly, Robin shielded her face and stepped forward through the settling haze.
Then—
She saw it.
Her calm composure shattered.
Her eyes widened.
Her breath caught.
The enormous chamber beyond did not contain a Poneglyph.
It did not contain an ancient inscription.
It contained—
A person.
More precisely—
A person sealed inside a strange, translucent cube.
"I… just excavated a human being?"
Robin whispered in disbelief.