After everyone took turns roasting the unreliable Joy Boy, they directly skipped over that apology text.
The crimson Road Poneglyph, however, was a different story—it recorded extremely important information.
"I have finally seen Lily again. She truly did not betray me, and through her, I have learned part of the truth. It turns out that everyone was not blinded by power and desire—rather, it was Nerona Imu. He possesses an extremely terrifying power. Back then, in order to oppose Davy, we borrowed his ability. And that ability subtly altered everyone's thoughts over time. After defeating the tyrant, he sought to become the king of the world. Perhaps this is Davy's curse? Those who slay the dragon become the dragon.
At that time, Imu used his power to control everyone. When Poseidon realized something was wrong with herself, in order to prevent the power of the Sea Kings from becoming Imu's tool, she ultimately chose to take her own life.
It was during her battle with me that Lily gradually clarified her previously sunken will and thoughts, reclaiming her true self.
Only then did I learn that she had been ordered by Imu to collect all the Poneglyphs.
And it was also then that I realized why, despite borrowing his power as well, I was not controlled like the others.
The root of it all lies in Nika. My ability is that of the Sun God Nika, known as the Warrior of Liberation, possessing the power to free all those enslaved through laughter and joy.
In the past, Imu did not know this. But now, he should understand. Perhaps this is the way to oppose him—though for us, it is already too late.
Lily and I have decided to leave everything to the future—to the 'D.'
Using the secret technique passed down through generations of the Nefertari family, I will transmit this unwilling will into the future, leaving behind the power to liberate everything upon the seas.
That is where Davy's royal authority once stood—now reduced to ruins.
We have recorded its coordinates upon the crimson Poneglyph.
Third: Star-Leading Technique, Reflecting the Full Moon, Seven Fingers."
After Valthior finished translating the Road Poneglyph, Roger and the others all wore expressions of deep thought.
"Now this is more like it! Something as important as a Poneglyph should record information like this. Who the hell writes apology letters on it?" Gaban was the first to snap out of it and speak.
Rayleigh put away his pen and paper and nodded. "Alright, major breakthrough. The twenty kings didn't actually betray the alliance back then—they were controlled by that guy Imu. This lines up with what we saw at God Valley."
"Sounds even more terrifying than that," Roger said gravely. "Not just controlling the body—even thoughts and will are gradually altered?"
Valthior's mind drifted to figures from the original story—Gunko and the Giant King Harald.
Gunko clearly had part of her memories sealed. She had nearly regained her true self with Brook—perhaps only temporarily.
As for Harald, he had explicitly stated that after his mind was controlled, his thinking gradually aligned with the Holy Knights' stance, even seeing himself as a 'god.'
That was clearly an imposed will from Imu.
In other words, those controlled by his power would gradually be assimilated into his ideology, becoming his most loyal followers.
"Then what about my old man!?" Valthior's heart jolted at the thought.
As one of the Five Elders, Saint Saturn had clearly entered into the highest-level contract with Imu—and that was indeed the case.
But why?
Why had Saturn, to some extent, defied Imu's will?
It wasn't just about letting Valthior join the Roger Pirates and search for the truth.
More importantly, over two hundred years ago, when Imu ordered the destruction of the giant robot, Saturn had secretly disobeyed and preserved it!
"No… no, no. Maybe it was precisely because of that incident over two hundred years ago—when he, as the Warrior God of Science and Defense, came into contact with that robot—that the mental shackles began to loosen! It's possible he only changed after encountering it. And inside that robot is sealed Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki—and Conqueror's Haki is often a manifestation of willpower…" Valthior analyzed carefully.
According to the Poneglyph's records, Queen Lily of the Nefertari family had also once been controlled. But later, upon meeting Joy Boy again, she freed herself from that enslaved state of mind.
Yet in reality, Imu had never realized this.
Because even when Cobra went to Pangaea Castle and met Imu, Imu still hadn't determined what had happened to Lily—whether she had betrayed him or simply vanished.
Only after Cobra revealed the contents and signature of that letter did Imu fly into a rage and truly confirm Lily's "betrayal."
From this, it could be deduced that although Imu could control others, he couldn't deeply perceive their inner thoughts.
Both Saturn and Queen Lily were clear examples of this.
"Hm… then it's very possible that my old man kept that giant robot in order to uncover its secrets—maybe to find a way to break… the control?" Valthior pondered inwardly.
It wasn't certain, but he felt this factor was likely involved.
As for why Saturn hadn't continued researching it—on one hand, he might have feared discovery by Imu. On the other, he might have realized that breaking the contract wouldn't just free his mind—his body would likely rapidly age and turn to dust in a very short time.
After all, his immortality came from Imu-sama.
Unless he had a death wish, he wouldn't sever that contract without solving that problem first.
While Valthior was lost in thought, Roger and the others had already begun discussing Nika.
"Sun God Nika—that should be a Mythical Zoan ability, right? Has anyone heard of this Devil Fruit?" Roger asked, looking around.
Everyone shook their heads in confusion. Clearly, no one had ever heard of such a thing.
"That idiot Joy Boy—couldn't he at least carve an illustration of the Nika Fruit on the Poneglyph? Wouldn't that be way more useful than his apology letter?" Roger cursed irritably.
"Is it possible," Rayleigh said, "that based on Queen Lily's letter and the other Poneglyphs we've found, the thing that was supposedly sealed is actually the Nika Fruit? It hasn't appeared for over eight hundred years, which is why we've never heard of it?"
"Now that you put it that way… that does seem possible," Gaban mused.
"Stop guessing. I'm a Celestial Dragon—I have the most authority to speak on this. Let me tell you," Valthior cut in. "In reality, the Nika Fruit has been deliberately altered by the World Government. Before awakening, it doesn't display Zoan traits or any Mythical Zoan characteristics. Instead, it exhibits properties similar to rubber—elasticity and the like. So for centuries, the World Government has labeled it as the 'Paramecia: Gum-Gum Fruit.' They've also been secretly searching for it. Records show it has appeared several times over the past few centuries, so it was definitely never sealed."
As a Celestial Dragon, a scholar, and the heir of a Five Elders family, Valthior's words carried unquestionable weight.
Roger and the others accepted his explanation without the slightest doubt.
"In Queen Lily's letter, she mentioned that when Poseidon awakens, the sun will cast its light and become the key to unlocking that seal," Rayleigh analyzed further. "If what Valthior says is true—that the Nika Fruit has always existed—then it might be that key. And the Nefertari family's secret technique may have done something to it, making it so it only appears when Poseidon emerges."
Valthior immediately nodded. "I agree with that theory."
After a brief pause, he asked seriously, "Then what does this 'Star-Leading Technique, Reflecting the Full Moon, Seven Fingers' mean? Is it a set of coordinates?"
At this, the navigator Gaban grinned. "That's right. As everyone knows, once you enter the Grand Line, traditional celestial navigation becomes unreliable. But hundreds of years ago, before the continents sank, Star-Leading Technique would've been highly effective.'Reflecting the Full Moon, Seven Fingers'—those are indeed coordinate terms used in that system. Once we gather all four Road Poneglyphs and compare them using Star-Leading Technique, we should be able to determine the location of the Final Island."
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