He... why would a figure like him appear here, and why... why did he knock me out?
Olvia was startled and hurriedly checked her clothes. When she saw there were no signs of damage, she finally let out a breath of relief.
Ares crouched down and smiled.
"So you people really are researching the Poneglyphs. I didn't expect Roger to leave you some rubbings."
Thump.
Olvia's heart instantly dropped to the bottom.
"H-How does he know we're researching the Poneglyphs? Did Roger tell him?"
"Don't be afraid. How about we make a deal?" Ares took out a Poneglyph rubbing and unfolded one corner of it.
He continued, "Aren't you all researching this thing? As it happens, I know someone who can read the ancient script, and I can take you to meet him."
The moment she saw the rubbing, Olvia almost forgot her fear.
"You're a pirate with a bounty of 3.5 billion berries. What could you possibly want from me?"
"Work for me!"
???
Olvia was stunned.
A mighty pirate worth 3.5 billion wanted an archaeologist like her to work for him? What kind of business could pirates possibly have for her?
She truly could not understand it.
But looking at the Poneglyph rubbing in Ares's hand, even if only one corner was showing, and hearing him repeatedly say that he knew someone who could read the ancient language...
Olvia steeled herself and asked, "A-Ares, what exactly do you want me to do for you?"
"Administrative work. Clerical work. Planning and development... things like that. In short, something like a secretary. You'd basically be working your life away for me. Of course, in exchange, I know quite a lot about the Poneglyphs, and I can tell you what I know. If you want to learn the ancient language, I can arrange that too."
"And..."
Ares's sharply defined face was brimming with dominance and confidence as he smiled.
"Do you really think your search for the Poneglyphs can stay hidden from the World Government?"
"Their intelligence agencies, Cipher Pol, are not made up of fools."
"If you come with me, then you might actually have a chance to uncover the truth of this world. Otherwise, with only Ohara's strength, going up against the World Government would be no different from committing suicide."
Olvia fell silent and began thinking seriously.
The Poneglyphs had existed for centuries, yet no one had successfully deciphered and gathered them all.
It was not only because of the World Government. It was also because the Poneglyphs were scattered all over the world. Some had likely already fallen into the Government's hands.
And the others were probably not so easy to find either. Even the Roger Pirates, despite their great fame, had not managed to collect them all...
The key issue was that researching the Poneglyphs was a crime forbidden by the World Government. The moment it was discovered, destruction and erasure would surely follow.
And Ares was the most talked-about pirate on the sea, the one currently overshadowing all others, with even the momentum to surpass Rocks.
There was no need to question his strength. If she followed him, her chances of coming into contact with other Poneglyphs would indeed be much higher.
And right now...
He already had one in his hand.
He even knew who could read the ancient language written on it.
For someone seeking the truth of history, this was an offer she, as an archaeologist, simply could not refuse.
Nothing...
Could stop an archaeologist from researching history.
After a moment of thought, Olvia immediately agreed.
"I can agree to that. But if you're lying to me, then I have the right to leave."
"No problem." Ares smiled and slowly stood up. "I'll give you one day to say your goodbyes. One day from now, I'll take you away."
"Alright."
Olvia rose to her feet. The fear she had felt toward Ares was now completely gone. Instead, she asked,
"Ares, can you let me see the Poneglyph rubbing now?"
"Here."
Ares handed it to her.
"This is one of the four Road Poneglyphs. Only by finding the other three can the full map be pieced together..."
"Road Poneglyph?" Olvia looked up from the rubbing in surprise.
After Ares explained, she came to understand a little more. There were quite a number of Poneglyphs in the world, but only around a dozen of them were truly crucial.
Among them were four Road Poneglyphs and nine informational Poneglyphs.
The informational ones contained information on the three Ancient Weapons, which shocked her deeply.
"No wonder the World Government forbids research into the Poneglyphs. They even contain information on the Ancient Weapons..."
As an archaeologist, Olvia knew exactly what those were. They were three so-called divine weapons from the distant past, each possessing power great enough to destroy the world.
"One day from now, meet me here." Ares took the rubbing back from her and warned sternly, "You are not to show this to Clover or the others. Not even the parts you've memorized. This kind of thing would only bring disaster to them."
Then he crushed the rubbing in his hand.
Olvia panicked at once.
"Y-You, how could you...?!"
"Relax. The actual Poneglyph this rubbing came from is with me," Ares said. Then, without another word, he resumed his usual training.
Watching the way he trained left Olvia speechless.
She thought to herself, So this is how War God Ares, with a 3.5 billion berry bounty, trains... just looking at it makes my heart pound.
That night, after she returned home, Olvia could not sleep at all.
The next day, her spirits were terrible.
Dr. Clover looked at her curiously and asked, "Olvia, did you stay up too late researching again?"
"N-No..." Olvia forced herself to stay alert, hesitating over whether or not to tell him about Ares.
But after struggling with herself for a while, she gave up on the idea.
In the end, she quietly slipped a farewell note between the books, saying that she was going to search for the truth of the world.
The next day, carrying a backpack, she found Ares.
"Ares, let's go. I can't wait to uncover the truth of the world."
She looked around the sea curiously, then asked in confusion, "Um... where's our ship?"
The waves rolled and sparkled in the light, but there was no ship in sight anywhere on the sea.
Ares grinned.
"Of course I have my own way of traveling."
He raised a hand, and a cluster of Flame Clouds appeared in his palm.
He jumped onto it first, then said to Olvia, "Come on up. I'll take you to find the first Poneglyph."
"This is... a cloud?"
Olvia walked closer curiously and gave the Flame Cloud a little squeeze, only to discover that it was astonishingly solid.
Then she climbed onto it and sat down. It felt as soft as a sofa, and the novelty of it amazed her.
"This is a Devil Fruit ability, isn't it?"
The Flame Cloud began to rise into the sky.
Ares sat down cross-legged as well and resumed hammering and tempering his body.
"That's right."
Listening to the thunderous bang bang bang beside her, Olvia asked curiously, "Do you always train like this?"
"More or less."
"Where are we going?"
"Skypiea!"
Olvia's eyes widened.
"Skypiea? The legendary island said to exist over ten thousand meters in the sky? That place that's always been treated like a myth? There really is a sky island?"
"There is."
Thump. Thump.
Olvia's heart pounded with excitement.
"A legendary sky island, and a Poneglyph too... I'm incredibly interested!"
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