Everyone exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.
They had sailed around the world for so many years, enduring countless hardships and dangers, all to find the final island and complete the great feat of circumnavigating the globe.
Now they were being told that the goal they thought they had achieved was actually never accomplished?
Rayleigh was the first to regain his composure.
He walked over to Roger and asked in a low voice:
"If we don't follow the Log Pose, how do we find the real final island?"
Roger shook his head.
"I don't know, but my intuition tells me the clues to the final island must be in the Poneglyphs we've collected during our voyage."
Only then did everyone remember that over the years they had indeed discovered many Poneglyph stones in various places and made rubbings of their contents.
No one could understand those peculiar characters.
Roger turned and went into the cabin, emerging moments later with a large roll of rubbings.
He spread the rubbings out on the deck: "These are all the copies we've collected over the years."
Everyone gathered in a circle, looking down at the dense ancient script.
"What... what kind of writing is this?" Buggy leaned in closer, looking completely bewildered.
Shanks said impatiently nearby: "Obviously, these are rubbings from the Poneglyphs, so of course it's ancient writing!"
Buggy's face instantly turned red: "Bastard Shanks! Are you looking for a fight again?!"
"Looks like you're the one who wants to fight!"
The two started wrestling as they argued, rolling around on the deck.
Everyone was already accustomed to these two troublemakers and simply ignored them, continuing to study the rubbings.
Rayleigh crouched down, carefully examining the writing with a furrowed brow.
"Roger, you say the clues to the final island are in these Poneglyphs.
But the problem is, we can't understand a single word of this. What should we do next?"
Roger grinned.
"You can think of these Poneglyphs as a huge treasure map.
What we need to do now is decipher it."
His eyes sparkled with excitement:
"Once we decipher it, we'll be able to find the real final island! Who knows, there might really be countless treasures there!"
At the mention of treasure, everyone's eyes lit up.
"That makes sense!"
"The boss is right!"
"Let's do it!"
Roger nodded with satisfaction and continued:
"So our top priority now is to find someone who can read these ancient texts."
As he finished speaking, Rayleigh had a sudden inspiration.
"West Blue!"
He stood up abruptly:
"Ohara in West Blue! There's a Library of the Tree of Omniscience there, said to gather the world's top archaeologists and historians.
If there's anyone in this world who can read these ancient texts, it must be them!"
Roger's eyes lit up.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
He waved his hand grandly:
"Set course for West Blue, let's go!"
"Woo--!!!"
The crew cheered in unison.
Shanks and Buggy stopped their fighting and joined in the cheers.
The Oro Jackson raised its sails, turned its bow, and cut through the waves toward West Blue.
Meanwhile, in the New World, the Fengtian Empire.
At the center of the imperial capital, the Sky Palace stood majestically.
The twelve-story main hall towered into the clouds, its glazed tiles refracting a rainbow halo under the sunlight.
On the sixth floor was the Hall of Nurturing the Heart.
This was one of Raiver's favorite palaces, specifically used for leisure and entertainment.
Pushing open the palace doors, the sight before one's eyes was enough to astonish anyone.
Luxury, the pinnacle of luxury.
The hall was carpeted with Floating Cloud Carpets imported from the Sky Islands, soft as cotton underfoot.
The dome was inlaid with thousands of luminous pearls, illuminating the hall as brightly as day even at night.
At this moment, the hall was filled with song and dance.
In the center, a group of stunning dancers in sheer gauze swayed gracefully to the music.
Their figures were enchanting, their steps light, each twirl carrying a fragrant breeze.
To the right, singers skilled in music were playing various instruments.
Pipa, guzheng, flute, harp… the sounds of different instruments intertwined, blending into a beautiful and melodious tune.
To the left was a massive transparent floor-to-ceiling glass wall.
On the other side of the glass was an aquarium comparable to a small lake.
In the azure seawater, beautiful mermaid maidens swam gracefully, singing the Mermaid Song with their heavenly voices.
On the raised platform was a massive throne resembling a bed.
The throne was entirely carved from a single piece of Deep Sea Warm Jade, its surface adorned with various gemstones, and soft velvet spread over it for ultimate comfort.
Raiver lay sideways on the throne, one hand propping up his head, his posture relaxed.
On the low table before him were arranged all kinds of exquisite fruits and delicate desserts from Fish-Man Island.
Xingmian knelt to his left, her delicate jade-like hands holding a crystal wine glass to his lips.
Xingwan knelt to his right, using a silver fork to pick up a piece of dessert, gently blowing on it before also offering it to his lips.
Raiver opened his mouth, first drinking the wine, then eating the dessert, all in one smooth motion.
Behind him, four maids knelt, each pair with a clear division of labor—two massaged his shoulders, while the other two kneaded his legs.
Raiver watched the scene of song and dance before him, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
This was the life an emperor should have.
Fine clothes, exquisite food, and every aspect of daily life attended to by others.
Occasionally, when the mood struck, he could even play small games with the maids to spice up his life.
Twelve full years had passed since the earth-shattering battle at God Valley.
Twelve years was enough for an infant to grow into a youth, and for a Pirate Crew to rise from obscurity to fame across the world.
But for Raiver, twelve years was but a fleeting moment.
His appearance had not changed at all.
He still looked like a young man in his early twenties, with hair as black as ink and eyes as red as blood.
This was thanks to the hundredfold enhancement of the cells within his body.
First was the cells' ability to divide and regenerate.
This allowed him to recover quickly even from severe injuries.
Even if a limb was severed or an organ destroyed, his powerful cells could divide and regenerate in a short time, growing entirely new limbs and organs.
Second was the cells' self-repair ability.
This ability was even more extraordinary—it could precisely repair cells damaged by daily wear and aging, while automatically eliminating unhealthy cells.
The combined effect of these two abilities was that Raiver possessed a body that would never age and would always remain healthy.
In other words—he had achieved eternal youth and immortality.
Beyond this, Raiver had made another astonishing discovery.
Every maiden who has served him in bed undergoes a subtle transformation.
Not only does their skin become smoother and more delicate, their features grow more beautiful, and their overall health improves remarkably.
The first group of maidens who attended him—twelve years ago—show no signs of aging to this day.
They look exactly as they did twelve years ago, still youthful and radiant.
Moreover, any accidental injuries they sustain in daily life heal at an astonishing speed, recovering in an incredibly short time.