stared quietly at the Paper-Paper Fruit now resting in his hand. A faint smile remained on his face. Two of the four Devil Fruits he had been searching for had finally been found.
But his journey was far from over.
Arthur carefully placed the fruit inside a small wooden chest stored in his bag before taking out the black compass that never left his side.
This time... He was no longer thinking about Devil Fruits.
He was thinking about... The Poneglyph. The compass needle immediately began spinning.
Faster... And faster. Much faster than ever before make Arthur frowned. Normally, the needle would settle within only a few seconds.
But this time... It continued spinning endlessly. Arthur took a few steps to the side. The result remained the same. He turned his body in another direction. The needle still refused to stop.
Arthur: "Strange... I've never seen this happen before." Arthur slowly closed his eyes.
If there truly wasn't a Poneglyph on this island, the compass should have pointed toward another island.
Instead... It refused to choose any direction at all. Arthur lowered his gaze toward the ground beneath his feet.
Then... His eyes slowly widened.
Arthur: "...Could it be..." He knelt down, placing one hand against the ash-covered ground littered with broken stones. The compass wasn't searching for a direction. It was Pointing straight downward.
Arthur: "I see now... The Poneglyph... is directly beneath my feet." A faint smile appeared on Arthur's face.
Most likely, the burned ruins covering the village were only the surface. Beneath them... The original city... Or perhaps even an ancient kingdom... Still slept deep underground. Arthur immediately took out his Den Den Mushi and contacted Robin.
Arthur: "Robin." Only a few seconds later, Robin's voice came through.
Robin: "Arthur?"
Arthur: "I found something." He glanced at the compass once again.
Robin: "Another Devil Fruit?" She immediately closed the book she had been reading.
Arthur: "No." He shook his head, even though Robin couldn't see him.
Arthur: "A Poneglyph." His eyes remained fixed on the ground below.
Silence filled the line. Then... Robin spoke much faster than usual.
Robin: "Are you sure?"
Arthur: "The compass keeps spinning because what I'm searching for is directly beneath my feet." A faint smile crossed Arthur's lips.
Robin: "Don't move." Only a few seconds later, she answered without hesitation.
Arthur: "Alright." Arthur chuckled quietly.
"Gacha..."
The call ended. Almost simultaneously... The air beside Arthur suddenly rippled.
WHOOSH...
Monet, who had been standing beside Baby-5 only moments earlier, suddenly vanished.
An instant later... She reappeared beside Arthur.
Standing next to her... Was Robin.
Thanks to the power of the Swap-Swap Fruit, Monet could instantly exchange positions with any location she had previously marked.
The moment Robin saw Arthur's compass pointing directly downward... Her eyes lit up. Without wasting another second, she knelt beside him and gently brushed away the dust covering the ground.
Robin: "If there's truly a Poneglyph beneath this place...then this island has a history far greater than we ever imagined."
Monet: "Perhaps this village was built directly on top of the ruins of an ancient kingdom." Monet unfolded the island map.
Arthur: "I'll leave the investigation to the three of you." Arthur nodded slowly.
Robin: "You're leaving?" Robin immediately looked up.
Arthur: "If I arrive too late...I'll miss watching the six of them fight." Arthur smiled.
Robin: "Go." Robin laughed softly.
Monet simply shook her head with a faint smile. Robin, who had only just arrived moments ago, folded her arms across her chest. The next second... Arthur vanished.
...
Explosions continued to shake another part of the island. The village had become a battlefield. Cracks spread across the ground. One building after another collapsed beneath the relentless shockwaves.
BOOOOM!!
A gigantic white tiger charged forward with a deafening roar. The captain of the White Fang Pirates... Garon.
Law immediately expanded his [ROOM].
SABOOOM!!
Dozens of enormous boulders rose into the air. Yet Garon smashed straight through every single one using nothing but overwhelming physical strength. Law instantly activated Shambles. In the blink of an eye, Sabo appeared directly behind Garon. Lightning exploded around the iron staff in his hands.
CRAAACK!!
The power of the Spark-Spark Fruit erupted together with his full-powered swing. But... Garon blocked the attack using Armament Haki.
BOOOOM!!
The impact shattered the village street beneath them.
Sabo: "He's unbelievably tough..." Sabo jumped backward.
Law: "His Haki is much stronger than ours." Law wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Law's body slowly transformed. A pure white horn emerged from his forehead. His hair became longer. A gentle yet sacred aura surrounded his body. Mythical Zoan... Horse-Horse Fruit, Model: Unicorn. His physical strength and speed increased dramatically.
At the same time...
Sabo transformed as well. Golden fur spread across his body. His eyes became sharper. A long tail swayed behind him. His iron staff crackled continuously with electricity. Mythical Zoan... Monkey-Monkey Fruit, Model: Monkey King.
Garon: "Two Mythical Zoan users? Impressive... How rare... But your Haki...is still far too weak!" Garon burst into laughter.
BOOOOM!!
Law: "ROOM!! SHAMBLES!!" The massive white tiger charged again. Law and Sabo moved at exactly the same moment.
CRAAACK!!
Lightning. Teleportation. A staff strike. Spatial surgery. Everything happened almost simultaneously. Although they remained on the defensive... The two of them gradually found their rhythm. They realized something. As long as they continued combining their abilities... Victory was still within reach.
...
Not far away...
CLANG!! CLANG!! CLANG!!
Sparks filled the air. Kuina continuously deflected Drax's twin razor-sharp blades. The vice captain's movements were almost impossible to follow. Both of his arms had transformed into enormous mantis scythes. His speed was extraordinary.
Yet... Kuina matched him blow for blow. Every swing of Dojigiri intercepted the enemy's blades an instant before they could reach her.
Meanwhile... Koala never stopped moving. She circled the battlefield in her hybrid Hippogriff form. Her enormous wings allowed her to dart through the air with incredible speed. The instant Drax exposed even the smallest opening... She struck.
Koala: "Fish-Man Karate!!"
BOOOOM!!
A powerful shockwave slammed into Drax's side. But he immediately spun around. Both scythes slashed toward Koala again.
CLAAANG!!
Koala: "He's starting to lose his rhythm." Kuina blocked them before they could connect make
Koala smiled faintly.
Kuina: "Keep forcing him to move." Kuina nodded.
Drax finally realized the truth. He wasn't fighting two separate opponents. He was fighting one perfectly synchronized team. Kuina was the sword. Koala was the hand that created every opening.
...
Elsewhere on the island... Hundreds of pirates surrounded two lone figures.
Bepo rolled his shoulders. Electricity began racing across his white fur. Electro.
Sugar calmly raised her sniper rifle. Beneath her military cap... Her expression never changed. She could now clearly feel three different powers coexisting within her body. The Mythical Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Gryphon. The Paramecia More-More Fruit. And finally The Logia Metal-Metal Fruit.
Sugar slowly took a deep breath. Every piece of metal lying across the battlefield suddenly began to tremble. Swords. Axes. Cannons. Spears. Every metal weapon carried by the pirates slowly floated into the air.
Pirate: "W-What's happening?!" Everyone's eyes widened in horror make Sugar smiled faintly.
Sugar: "From this moment onward...every piece of metal on this battlefield belongs to me."
Hundreds of weapons instantly turned toward their own owners. At the same time, Bepo had already charged straight into the middle of the crowd. Brilliant flashes of Electro erupted throughout the battlefield. One scream after another echoed across the island.
For the very first time, every young member of the Art Pirates was fighting using the results of their six months of relentless training.
Meanwhile, Their captain, Arthur... Still had yet to lift a single finger.