[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV
Alabasta, First Half of Grandline.
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Robin quickened her pace, a mix of anticipation and urgency in her movement as she navigated through the ancient corridors. Following the origin of Luffy’s voice and the trail of purple flames he left behind, she quickly found him at the end of the hallway in front of two ancient stones.
Her heart raced with the possibility of a new discovery about the history of the lost century.
She arrived at the spot where Luffy stood. The captain was standing, his imposing figure before the two Poneglyphs. They were massive stone blocks, covered with the intricate glyphs of the ancient language. The sight of new Poneglyphs made Robin’s heart race even more.
“Two poneglyphs….” She murmured, still in disbelief, having found 4 of these stones in the last few weeks as opposed to nearly 2 decades of pursuit and no results.
Luffy turned to hear her approach, a broad and confident smile on his face. “Can you read them?”
Robin stepped closer, touching the cold surface of the stones with trembling fingers, feeling the deep connection to history that only an archaeologist like her could understand.
“Robin, what is this?” Luffy asked amid the silence as the rest of the crew approached.
“It’s an ancient story, Luffy, about a very powerful queen of Alabasta during the lost century,” Robin began, her calm and gentle voice filling the air around them. “Her name was Nefertari D. Lili.”
“Lily… I’ve heard of her…” Luffy spoke a bit thoughtfully as he rummaged through his memories, he didn’t remember this part of the story very well but recognized the name Lily.
“But something intriguing there, Nefertari is also a D.” Luffy pointed out.
“It seems so…” Robin commented.
“So Nefertari Vivi isn’t our second princess’s full name…” Luffy smiled, a bit surprised that Vivi was a D. too.
Luffy approached Robin and asked about the scriptures. “So, what does it say about Queen Lili here?” he asked, his voice filled with genuine interest.
Robin began to translate, her voice slightly echoing off the stone walls around them. “Nefertari D. Lily was a ruler of Alabasta during the lost century, she was known for her wisdom and strength. During the lost century, a time of great conflicts and secrets, she faced challenges that threatened not just her kingdom but all the knowledge of the world.”
“So there aren’t many details, are there?” Luffy asked, already imagining that these blocks just said generic things. Luffy was intrigued to know how someone with D. allied with the World Government at the time, since the Nefertaris were one of the few that remained in their kingdoms, unlike the other world nobles according to his memories.
She looked at Luffy before continuing, “The story tells that, in response to the oppressive forces of that time, Queen Lily made a journey to a distant and unexplored place. There, she founded a refuge, an island known today as Amazon Lily.”
Luffy, a bit surprised by this, murmured: “The island of women? Well, the place bears her name…”
“Yes,” confirmed Robin with a nod. “She created a sanctuary for women from all parts, a place where they could live freely, train their skills, and keep the flame of resistance of that time alive, even though it doesn’t say much against what she was fighting. Amazon Lily was not just a refuge; it was a symbol of defiance and hope for Lili.”
Luffy smiled. “She sounds incredible, like a true adventurer! It’s a shame we’ll be without answers for many questions…” Luffy said with some regret.
Robin smiled back, happy to share the story. “She really was, Luffy.”
As Robin spoke with Luffy, a familiar figure approached, drawn by the conversation. Vivi, had heard of Nefertari D. Lili in her own history lessons, but the information was scarce and often shrouded in secrecy.
“Robin, Luffy, are you talking about Queen Lili?” Vivi asked, her eyes shining with renewed interest and curiosity. “I grew up hearing fragments of stories about her. Lili was known in Alabasta as the greatest queen Alabasta ever had!”
Luffy turned to her. “Do you know why she chose not to go to Mariejois?”
Vivi shook her head. “No, nobody knows. It’s said she was one of the few, if not the only, monarch from the alliance who refused the invitation to become a World Noble. Instead, she chose to stay with her people, protecting the secrets and sovereignty of Alabasta.”
Robin nodded in acknowledgment. “That explains part of what I read on the Poneglyphs. Lili was a woman of unshakeable principles. She believed that true leadership came from being with her people, especially during times of adversity.”
Vivi smiled, proud of her legacy. “Lili was more than a queen; she was a symbol of resistance and strength. History says she was incredibly wise and powerful, a leader who inspired both respect and love.”
“It’s fascinating,” said Robin, “how the actions of one person can echo through the centuries. Lili didn’t just create a refuge in Amazon Lily, but she also left an indelible mark on Alabasta. She defined the spirit of our kingdom as a place of honor and resistance.”
Vivi agreed, looking at the Poneglyphs with a new perspective. “Learning more about her makes me even prouder to be from Alabasta. And it makes me want to protect our legacy and our secrets, just like she did.”
As Robin and Vivi spoke animatedly like never before, since Vivi had some apprehension about Robin for being an important agent of an organization aiming to harm Alabasta and Vivi’s family, the other crew members explored the area.
Hugo was scouring a forgotten part of the ruins when his eyes caught the glint of something unusual. It was a box, dusty and ancient, but clearly distinctive with symbols that echoed those of the Poneglyphs. He opened the box out of curiosity and was surprised to find a devil fruit with brown hues.
“Hey, captain! I found a devil fruit!” He called to Luffy, who turned to him a bit surprised.
“Really? Let’s see!” Luffy asked.
“Here…” Hugo passed the box to Luffy, who quickly analyzed and understood it, before calling Robin.
“Robin, read what’s written here, please!” Luffy was excited to know what fruit it was; he didn’t plan to replace anyone’s fruit that he already planned for the crew, but still wanted to know if it might be a fruit worth having.
Robin, seeing the box, approached quickly. She dusted off the surface, revealing the intricate symbols. Her expression became serious and focused as she read the inscriptions. “Eikon Eikon No Mi: Titan,” she murmured to herself. Her tone was one of confusion; the name didn’t tell her much, but the gravity of the ancient symbols indicated it was something of great importance.
Luffy, hearing the translation, froze for a moment, then his eyes widened in total surprise. “The Titan fruit?! Here?!” he exclaimed, almost not believing what he heard. “I never imagined finding something like this here… and by Hugo’s hands!”
Robin looked at him, surprised by his reaction. “Luffy, do you know what this is?” This also caught the attention of all the others nearby.
Luffy nodded, seriousness taking over his usually cheerful face. “Of course! For this is a fruit I planned to obtain anyway. This isn’t an ordinary fruit. It belongs to the fruits that Nami and I possess, the Eikons!”
“The same fruit of beasts that you and Nami have?!” Nojiko exclaimed in surprise, as she would never forget Luffy and Nami fighting against each other on her island and Luffy releasing that monster in Little Garden.
“Titan is the greatest beast among the eikons and can control the element of earth. In the black market, this fruit would cost more than 5 billion just to obtain it.”
“5-5 billion?!” Vivi shouted, her voice echoing throughout the ruin.
“Karooo…”
“Grrrr….”
The scream was so loud that it startled Karoo and Laboon.
“But how did this end up here?” Vivi asked again, her voice a whisper of awe and uncertainty.
Robin, still looking at the symbols, speculated: “Perhaps it was left here as a form of protection, as a reinforcement for the war in the lost century like the case of Chouchou’s fruit, Cerberus.”
“This fruit is a blessing for the crew, it saved me 5 billion, I couldn’t be less pleased!” Luffy spoke in a quite pleasant tone.
Everyone who heard nodded with the captain’s reasoning; they had no idea they would find a city of gold in the sky like Luffy, so the meaning of saving 5 billion was greater for them than the captain himself.
“Explore the place, anything you find you can take with you, I’ll take the gold when you’re done if you find any.” Luffy announced while staying with Robin.
As time passed within the ruins, Luffy decided it was time to leave, “I’m going to shrink these Poneglyphs so we can take them with us,” he approached the Poneglyphs and used his ability from the Mao Mao No Mi, which granted him the ability to alter the size of things, the Poneglyphs began to shrink, diminishing to a size that could easily be carried in a pocket.
With the Titan fruit and the miniaturized Poneglyphs ready for transport, the crew prepared to return to the surface. They presented a small treasure of 300 million that Luffy added to the system, it wasn’t much, but it already helped him a lot for someone who had almost nothing as credit in the system.
“With all that we got, we have more than we expected, it was worth coming here,” said Luffy, satisfied with the outcome of the exploration.
After their successful expedition into the depths of the ruins, the crew, carrying their newly acquired treasures, made their way back to the Black Pearl.
“You guys have been quite busy…” Jimbei spoke tied to the deck.
“Luffy-Sama, should we take Jimbei-Sama out of the sun, he doesn’t look too good there.” Shirahoshi pleaded.
“Leave him where he is, he’s a shichibukai, he’ll survive.” Luffy shrugged.
He turned and took the shrunken Poneglyphs and the Eikon Eikon No Mi: Titan to the ship’s vault, still wondering what he could do with the fruit, whether he gave it to Hugo now or waited to leave Alabasta.
After storing everything, he announced on the deck to everyone, “Time to set sail, heading to Rainbase in the North!”
The ship began to move slowly, navigating through the desert was a unique feat of his ship, and the Black Pearl was more than up to the challenge. With Hachi at the helm and the others preparing the ship, they moved forward, leaving behind them a winding trail in the sand.
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Raccoon Here:
I know the chapter is short and slow, but this was one of the most fun episodes I found in One Piece.
“Stone Stone!”
I appreciate your early support in following this exciting journey! I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments.
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