"The sound disappeared?"
Shura looked surprised as he tilted his head, listening to the silence that had replaced Satori's presence.
Nearby, Gedatsu was biting his lip so hard it nearly bled, his eyes rolling back. He'd forgotten how to speak properly ages ago, and his inability to breathe through his nose meant he couldn't even express his shock with the appropriate gasping sounds.
"Satori is dead," Shura said, though his tone carried no real grief. "Looks like God's about to deliver some judgment."
The Four Priests had never truly been comrades. They'd clawed their way up through mountains of corpses and rivers of blood to earn their positions, and that kind of background didn't breed friendship, it bred competition. Sure, they worked together when needed, but deep down? They were rivals.
So Satori dying? That meant one less competitor for him. From his perspective, that was almost a good thing. Still, he wanted to meet whoever was responsible. After all, if they were strong enough to kill a priest, they might make decent colleagues someday. Maybe even replacements.
He leapt onto the back of his giant bird, Fuza, preparing to take flight. But just as he was about to launch into the air, something caught his attention.
The Ordeal of String had been triggered. Someone was entering his domain.
"So they've come already?"
At that exact moment, the Shandians had launched their all-out assault as planned, attacking from multiple directions to reclaim their homeland.
---
Somewhere else entirely, Usopp sat in a small boat, surrounded by citizens of Angel Island, slowly making his way toward the forbidden land. He was trying to contact the rest of the crew through his Den Den Mushi. Behind him, dozens of hopeful eyes stared at his back, placing all their faith in him. Their expectations made his back prickle with sweat, and his whole body squirm with discomfort.
But he still had to maintain his composure.
I'm fucked! he thought to himself, trying to keep the smile plastered on his face for the watching crowd.
---
Deep inside the belly of Nola...
"Whoa! Nami, come look! It's a crown!" Luffy held up a torch, the flickering light revealing artifacts scattered across the cavern-like interior.
Even in the darkness of the giant snake's stomach, the crew could see clearly enough to navigate. And what they saw was treasure, lots of it.
The massive space contained not just ruins of ancient structures, but countless golden artifacts that had somehow survived being swallowed whole.
Robin examined what remained of the ruins. The structures were relatively intact compared to what she'd expected, though there were no Poneglyph inscriptions anywhere, just buildings. Some structures had nearly dissolved completely. Creatures the size of sea kings didn't have particularly strong digestive systems, but after years or decades or even centuries of exposure to stomach acid, even stone could be corroded and melted away. Trying to reconstruct the original architecture from what remained would be nearly impossible.
"There really are ruins here. Such a shame they can't be properly identified anymore."
The others, however, were far more focused on treasure hunting.
Gold was an extremely stable metal, human stomach acid could barely touch it, let alone the relatively weak digestive fluids of Nola. And since gold couldn't be absorbed by any living organism, these artifacts could remain intact for eight hundred years or more.
So the gold inside Nola's belly, though it looked aged and tarnished, would shine like new after a good washing.
They were basically on the world's most unusual treasure hunt. Sure, they weren't hurting for money, but who in their right mind would walk past treasure without picking it up?
Robin continued moving forward, studying the ruins, while behind her the rest of the crew excitedly scoured every corner for valuables, well, mostly Nami.
"No more room!" someone called out.
Marcus simply crafted more boxes on the spot and handed them to Sanji to carry.
If even that wasn't enough, they'd have Goliath eat the gold, process it into standardized bars, and stack them neatly. Though he was somewhat reluctant, after all, this stuff had already been eaten once by a giant snake, and eating it again felt wrong somehow. But he didn't have much choice.
Fortunately, Marcus' storage boxes held more than enough.
"Just this haul alone has to be worth at least four or five hundred million berries," Nami said, her eyes gleaming as she mentally tallied their earnings. "Not bad for a day's work!"
Though it wasn't the biggest score they'd ever made, these earnings came from honest exploration and discovery. The sense of satisfaction that brought was real.
"Hmm? Robin, what's wrong?" She noticed the archaeologist's troubled expression. "Didn't find anything useful?"
"I found some things," Robin replied slowly, "but nothing particularly valuable. Most of it was too damaged. I didn't find any useful records or historical information... though I did discover quite a few human remains."
As she spoke, she somehow already had a skull cradled in her hands.
Nami involuntarily shuddered at the sight.
"Why do you always find the creepiest stuff?" she complained, though her tone was more resigned than actually disturbed.
Robin ignored the complaint, her attention focused entirely on the skull. "You can learn a lot from human bones, like age, place of origin, even cause of death in many cases. Honestly, this might be the most historically valuable thing we find here."
The other women exchanged glances that clearly said they couldn't relate to that enthusiasm at all.
She caught their expressions and smiled slightly. She supposed bones weren't exactly something most women would get excited about.
"So did you figure anything out?" Marcus asked.
"This skull belonged to a woman," Robin explained, turning it in her hands. "And based on the degradation patterns and mineral content, I'd estimate it's over four hundred years old."
"Wait, what?" Nami looked confused. "The stomach acid in this thing can dissolve stone. How could bones survive four hundred years?"
"She was sealed inside a metal coffin," Robin gestured toward a nearby corroded container. "That protected the remains from direct exposure to digestive fluids. The person was even buried with grave goods."
"Where?!" Nami instantly latched onto the key word.
Robin pointed to a metallic coffin not far from where they stood.
With a whoosh, Nami vanished from her current position and reappeared beside the coffin in the blink of an eye.
Inside the metal container were rows of pearls and precious gems.
"This coffin is made of solid gold! So luxurious! When I die, I want one exactly like this!"
The others were momentarily speechless at the morbid declaration.
Marcus walked over to examine the find more closely. Inside, just as Robin had said, lay a skull and skeletal remains, surrounded by burial treasures.
"There are several more coffins in the vicinity," Robin noted. "But most have been severely corroded. Only this one remains relatively intact."
Marcus frowned. Why would Nola eat coffins in the first place? Had it accidentally swallowed an entire graveyard? But it didn't seem like the type of creature that would go around digging up graves to eat corpses.
"Can you determine exactly how old these remains are?"
Robin shook her head. "We'd need Chopper to examine them properly for a precise age. I have extensive knowledge, but accurate bone dating requires specialized medical expertise."
She gestured at the skeletal remains. "Besides, even though the metal coffin provided protection, stomach acid still seeped inside over the years. You can see where the bones have been pitted and corroded in places. It's nothing like that shipwreck we explored underwater, this is much worse."
Marcus moved ahead, noting traces of more coffins scattered throughout the area. Apparently, at some point in history, multiple coffins had been sent here together, in batches or groups, perhaps.
But the surrounding ruins didn't look anything like a cemetery. There were no gravestones, nothing to indicate this had been a burial ground.
Could it be that four hundred years ago, people simply didn't erect monuments for their dead? That seemed unlikely, but who knew?
He made a mental note to ask Nola about it later. The creature was clearly more intelligent than the Shichiseiken, which, sensing his disrespectful thought, immediately began trembling with ghostly energy, as if protesting the comparison.
"Hey! There's a book here!" Kira called out excitedly from across the cavern. She was holding up a worn volume she'd found near what barely resembled a coffin anymore. "It's not rotted at all!"
Robin's head snapped up. She quickly made her way over to her. Kira handed the book over.
Holding her torch close, Robin opened the ancient volume and began scanning the pages.
"What is it?" the others gathered around.
She closed the book. Its cover was cracked and decayed with age, but faint letters could still be made out on the worn leather.
"This is the logbook of Mont Blanc Noland."
"Noland's logbook?!" Nami's eyes went wide. "Are you serious?!"
Everyone immediately turned curious eyes toward Robin and the book in her hands. Marcus was intrigued too. This was clearly something that hadn't been in the original story, and saying he wasn't curious would be a complete lie.
"Come on, tell us. Does it have notes about hidden treasures?"
Robin smiled and opened to the first page. But as her eyes scanned the opening lines, her expression shifted. "This is... um..."
She hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. The opening words were unexpectedly casual and, well, vulgar, making it awkward for her to read them out loud.
Marcus leaned over her shoulder to see what had her flustered.
"That damn fool of a king actually made me, a botanist, the captain of a sea expedition? Is he out of his mind? That brain of his isn't even the size of a walnut. Does he get a hard-on from ruining people's lives? I swear I'd love to kick his royal ass. He can suck my dick!"
With that one sentence, Noland instantly dropped from "heroic figure" to "ordinary guy with a temper."
Everyone's expressions turned complicated. This wasn't exactly the noble adventurer they'd been expecting.
After a moment of consideration, Robin simply handed the book to Marcus. "Perhaps you should read this one."
Marcus accepted the worn journal and began reading aloud.
"Damn it all! I told him we'd need tons of funding for this voyage, the sea's vast and dangerous. And you know what that asshole did? He gave me MORE money! Guess he's got a good eye for talent after all! Problem is, I've got zero experience sailing. Aren't there any proper sailors in this whole kingdom? Oh, would you look at that, the tavern's crawling with them."
"Update: They're con artists! Nearly got me killed feeding the Sea Kings! Can't trust anyone but myself. How hard can sailing be anyway?"
"Second update: Turns out professional stuff really should be left to professionals..."
Marcus couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth as he read. Was this really Noland's personality? He'd always imagined Noland as this upright, trustworthy man, at least that's how he was portrayed in the anime. But thinking about it, it made sense. It was like people online, once they put on the mask of anonymity, all pretenses dropped. Writing a diary was the same thing. You let down your guard and showed your real thoughts, unfiltered and raw.
That's why he had never kept one himself. After all, what kind of serious person writes a diary, right?
He flipped through a few pages and continued:
"June 21, Year 1120: I finally found a navigator I'm satisfied with! Damn, that took forever. This stupid kingdom can kiss my ass, I'm out of here! Time to set sail for the ocean! They say there are plants that can survive extreme cold way up in the far north of the North Sea. I wonder what they look like? Guess I'll go see for myself. That asshole doesn't seem to care what I do anyway."
"The sea's so boring. Another lazy day..."
"Wait, no! Noland, you can't waste your day like this! What about your dreams?!"
"Dreams? Screw dreams. Eating, drinking, and having fun. that's what really matters."
"Damn it! My head's killing me from last night's drinking. I hereby declare, if I ever drink again, I'm a motherfucker!"
"But this new island's wine is so good... sweet, barely even tastes like alcohol..."
Marcus rubbed his temples as the handwriting after that entry became nearly illegible, clearly written while drunk off his ass.
"This guy's got some serious internal conflicts," Sanji muttered.
As Marcus continued reading, Noland's experiences and personality came vividly to life. He was from the Kingdom of Lvneel, blessed with natural strength and a powerful build, yet deeply passionate about studying plants instead of fighting. His research had actually advanced the kingdom's medical science considerably.
But he was also a complete goofball who constantly contradicted himself. Swore off drinking one day, threw a drunken party the next. Promised to focus on serious research, then got distracted chasing after pretty women in every port.
His adventures were impressive though, wrestling with giant polar bears in the frozen north, fighting massive pythons deep in jungle ruins, surviving storms that would've killed lesser men.
"In just two years, I've explored nearly all of the North Sea," Marcus read. "Maybe it's time I head for that place called the Grand Line. I wonder what kind of plants grow there?"
He turned the page.
"January, Year 1122: We're setting sail! Damn, nearly capsized going up Reverse Mountain! Still, climbing a mountain in a ship feels pretty awesome. I wish I could do it again, but the crew's refusing. Too bad, what a rush!"
"The whiskey at Whiskey Peak really hits the spot."
"I can't believe there's an island with dinosaurs! The meat tastes pretty good, surprisingly. The plants here are incredible too, but I don't have time to study them properly, half my crew's fallen ill. I hope they recover soon."
"We held a funeral for three crewmates today... damn this sickness! I need to find a better doctor. I heard there's a country nearby with decent medical care. What was it called again?"
"The girl from Arabasta smells amazing and she's really enthusiastic! Shame that brainless kings exist everywhere. What stupid laws, why the hell do I have to pay taxes on scientific research?!"
Luffy's eyes widened as he listened. "Wait! So Noland traveled the same route as us?! That's so cool!"
Everyone else had rather mixed expressions.
Sanji sighed. "Ever consider the possibility that the reason we can even see his journal... is because we chose this route?"
"Huh?" Luffy stared at him blankly.
Nami pinched the bridge of her nose. "Luffy, didn't you listen to anything at Twin Cape?"
"Listen to what?"
"There are seven routes through the Grand Line," she explained patiently. "Depending on which starting island you pick at the beginning, you experience completely different islands along the way. Since we chose this specific route, the history we find naturally belongs to this path. The other six routes have their own separate histories we'll never see."
"Ohhh, I get it! That's amazing!" Luffy grinned like he'd just learned something incredible.
Nami opened her mouth to continue but eventually gave up. If he thought it was amazing, then fine. Let it be amazing.
Marcus flipped ahead in the journal.
"May 21, Year 1122: The Grand Line's insane weather strikes again. Our sails are torn to shreds. Lucky for us, the next island isn't too far away. Huh? What's that sound..."
"Tree fever outbreak on Jaya, damn this disease! Good thing we had the cure ready. We lost two more crew though."
"Ignorance! Pure ignorance! What a barbaric tribe!"
"Haha, not bad though, plenty of booze, plenty of beautiful women. These tribal women don't even wear underwear. Interesting cultural practices..."
"The City of Gold! It actually exists! So that great warrior Kalgara really did have such an important mission. The Poneglyphs and the sound of that golden bell echoing through the sky... absolutely magnificent."
"Too bad I can't read the Poneglyphs. I can't carry their tribe's destiny forward. Come to think of it, didn't the World Government forbid searching for these things? Whatever, not my problem."
"Misunderstood again. I didn't take any gold, though it's a pity. Still, our friendship with Kalgara remains strong. I hope I can come back here someday in a few years."
Marcus paused. "That's it? He just glossed over the whole Jaya experience that easily?"
There were still many pages left in the journal, but judging from the route descriptions, it was clear, Noland had followed almost the exact same path as Luffy's crew through the first half of the Grand Line. After all, when he eventually reached the New World, he'd even saved the Tontatta Tribe in Dressrosa. Which meant he'd made it all the way through Paradise and into the second half. In a sense, Noland had completed a full journey across the Grand Line long before Gol D. Roger ever did.