"Don't you dare insult Lord Joy Boy!"
Law's remark immediately enraged the little robot. It spun around and shouted, "Lord Joy Boy is the greatest person of all!"
Law clicked his tongue and couldn't be bothered to argue with a machine.
But Queen's eyes lit up like twin flashlights. His gaze toward the robot was filled with amazement.
"It even has the emotion of anger?"
What an astonishing piece of technology.
It might be a robot, but if it could think and feel, then without a doubt it should count as a true intelligent being.
The only difference between it and a human was that its body was not flesh and blood, but forged of steel.
"Follow me!"
The small robot sounded irritated, its footsteps growing heavier as it rushed ahead.
It clearly didn't want to speak with Ian and the others any longer.
Anyone could see how deeply it respected Joy Boy.
Ian only chuckled and said nothing, matching its pace as he followed.
The city wasn't particularly large. Before long, the little robot led Ian and the rest straight toward the center of the island.
There stood a massive structure—square, towering, and almost as large as Onigashima itself.
"What Lord Joy Boy left behind is inside this building."
The robot spoke with the same puffed-up displeasure as before. "Please go in and see for yourselves."
Still upset, huh?
Ancient Birka technology really was on another level.
If Vegapunk were thrown back eight hundred years, what rank of scientist would he be compared to them?
With those thoughts in mind, Ian stepped toward the building's enormous double doors—so tall they looked absurd.
"Oh?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Eh!"
Yamato, following close beside him as always, let out a surprised laugh. "Are those Roger's words?"
The moment Roger was mentioned, Kaido-sensei, Aunt Linlin, Redfield, Dragon, and even Shanks hurried over.
Ace carefully squeezed in as well.
Ian studied the inscription carved onto the gate.
"If you are prepared, then inherit the legacy from eight hundred years ago… and change this world!"
Ian read it aloud. "Left by Gol D. Roger."
"Gurararara!"
Kaido burst into laughter. "So the Roger Pirates back then weren't ready, and that's why they didn't do anything?"
"Then, Ian."
Dragon's eyes were fixed on Ian's back. "Are you prepared?"
"I should say—I've been waiting for this moment."
Ian smiled, stepped forward, planted both hands on the massive metal doors that stood dozens of meters high, and pushed them open with force.
The scene behind the massive gate finally unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Robin practically shoved her head forward, eager to peer inside.
What she saw was an enormous open space.
So large that it felt almost excessive.
And at the very center of that vast space stood a gigantic stone.
A colossal cube of stone, almost identical to a Poneglyph—only dozens of times larger.
"It seems… this is what we came for."
Ian walked toward the massive stone.
Compared to it, the contrast was overwhelming. Standing before the monolith, Ian looked as tiny as an ant.
"This should be the final Poneglyph, right?"
Hancock stood on Ian's right side, gazing up at the towering block. She stared at the ancient carvings she couldn't understand and spoke softly.
"Everything that happened during that hundred-year blank period… it must all be recorded on this."
Jack's voice trembled with excitement.
Ian didn't rush to decipher the inscriptions immediately. Instead, he slowly looked around the surroundings.
The entire structure resembled a colossal library.
Beyond the open chamber that housed the massive stone were several tall floors.
Each level had rows of towering bookshelves, packed to the brim with countless books.
This must be one of Joy Boy's greatest legacies, Ian thought.
Ancient knowledge, technology, and records from eight centuries ago… all of it preserved here.
"Ian! What are you still looking around for!?"
Kaido couldn't contain himself. He smacked Ian's back impatiently. "What does it say on the stone? Hurry up and translate it already!"
Ian glanced back at him.
He had tried to get his teacher to study ancient scripts years ago, but the man dismissed it back then. Now, the boomerang had come all the way back.
Still, with everyone watching him expectantly, he stepped forward to begin the translation.
Ian cleared his throat.
He had just been about to start translating when Robin's eyes lit up with excitement.
What was written here was exactly what she had longed for—the kind of knowledge the scholars of Ohara would have risked their lives to uncover.
"I am Joy Boy. To those who come many years later, I offer my apologies here first,"
Ian began translating, word by word. "Because of our foolishness, the war ultimately failed, and we left behind the most troublesome enemy."
"Everything… all of it began nine hundred years ago."
From that point on, Ian and his companions finally understood what had happened during the void of that lost century.
In fact, after seeing the full picture, none of them could keep their composure.
No wonder Roger and the others had laughed so heartily back then—it was genuinely funny.
The erased century, though a period of suffering, in some ways could also be considered a joke.
Around nine hundred years ago, a massive ship descended from the sky, bringing advanced technology with it. The Birkans, who came with this power, gave the nations of the Blue Sea—still in their early slave-era—quite a technological shock.
The Birkans established a new Birka atop the Red Line.
As the nations were rebuilt, they began interacting with the natives of the Blue Sea.
The ideas and technology of Birka began to spread.
The advanced civilization of Birka drew many ambitious people from the Blue Sea.
They came to learn new techniques and new philosophies.
Some even chose to settle here, becoming part of this new nation.
They raised families here, fully integrating into this land.
Among these new Birkans, one man was born.
His exact name was not inscribed on the stone; he simply called himself Joy Boy.
Everything, every event, began with the journey of this man.
**********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
patreon.com/PirateKing24