Nola watched Robin's complete emotional breakdown with confusion. The snake had lived for eight centuries, but human reactions to simple truths still baffled it.
"Was there something about what I said that was hard to accept?" Nola's head tilted slightly, vertical pupils studying the other crew members. "Is this news really that shocking? Why aren't the rest of you reacting like she is?"
The Straw Hats exchanged glances. Nobody really knew what to say. They'd never seen Robin like this, the normally composed archaeologist was barely holding herself together.
Finally, Vivi spoke up. "Robin is a historian. She's dedicated her entire life to searching for the truth about the Void Century. She's been trying to piece together what really happened by reading the Poneglyphs scattered across the world. But hearing that truth directly from someone who actually lived through it... maybe the reality was just too different from what she'd been expecting."
Nola seemed to process this information, then fixed her gaze on Robin. "You can read those old writings?"
Robin was silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded.
"I'm just a snake," Nola said. "I don't really understand human affairs that well. Your concepts of right and wrong, good and evil... to a creature like me, those things aren't exactly objective."
She was clearly trying to comfort her in her own way, but Robin shook her head.
"It's fine. I can accept it... really, I can."
But even as she said the words, everyone could tell her heart wasn't in them.
How were they supposed to comfort someone going through an existential crisis like this?
The Straw Hats were completely out of their depth. Luffy looked like he wanted to say something encouraging but had no idea where to start. Zoro stood with his arms crossed, frowning. Even Sanji, who usually had words ready for any lady in distress, seemed speechless.
Nola blinked her eyes. Even though she was a snake and didn't fully understand human emotions, she could sense the tension.
"Um... There happens to be another Poneglyph here on Skypiea. I can take you to it, if you want. Maybe what's written there is different from what I told you about the Void Century."
A faint spark of life returned to Robin's eyes at those words. The others visibly relaxed. At least she wasn't completely shutting down anymore.
"Isn't that Poneglyph supposed to be in the City of Gold?" Nami asked. "The place that's supposed to be filled with gold everywhere?!"
"Well..." Nola's tone became somewhat vague. "The Poneglyph used to be there, down in the ruins. But now, it's up in the sky."
Her gaze shifted meaningfully toward Marcus.
He had finally recovered from his own thoughts and caught the tail end of the conversation. He understood what she was implying, this was connected to the golden bell, the same bell that Noland had heard four hundred years ago.
"Let's go."
The Straw Hats all climbed onto Nola's massive head. The snake's scales were surprisingly warm and stable.
With the crew settled, Nola began moving forward through the clouds. Before long, they arrived at the colossal beanstalk that pierced through Upper Yard like a spear thrust from the earth itself. The vine was so massive that its true size was hard to comprehend, disappearing into the clouds above.
She coiled around it and began ascending in a slow spiral.
As they climbed higher, they passed through layers of clouds.
Soon enough, they reached Enel's former domain.
The god's servants were still scattered around the area, supposedly "searching" for their missing ruler. But the moment Nola's shadow fell across them, every single one froze.
She had lived on Upper Yard for centuries. Enel had considered dealing with the snake when he first claimed the title of god, but the creature had never posed any threat. She ignored the priests, avoided the servants, and mostly just wanted to be left alone in her domain.
Eventually, Enel had decided fighting such a being was pointless. No threat meant no need for conflict.
But that didn't stop the terror that Nola's presence inspired. The sheer size of the creature, the weight of its gaze... that was enough to make even the bravest servant's knees weak.
When that head swung toward them, they simply passed out from fear.
Nola ignored the unconscious bodies and continued forward. She had always avoided this area before, that loudmouthed thunder user had been annoying to deal with. But now he was gone.
She climbed higher and higher.
Finally, they reached the floating cloud platform that bore the Poneglyph. And there, rising above it, stood the massive golden bell.
Robin's eyes went straight to the stone beneath it, partially obscured by moss but still clearly visible.
The others, however, were stunned by the bell itself.
"That thing is huge!" Luffy's jaw dropped.
"Must be worth a fortune," Nami muttered, her eyes turning into berry symbols.
"This has to be what Noland was talking about, the song that echoed across the seas," Vivi said softly.
"Should we ring it? I bet it sounds amazing," Chopper spoke.
While the crew chattered excitedly about the golden bell, Robin approached the Poneglyph. Despite the moss coverage, many of the letters were still clearly legible.
She began reading.
Then her expression went completely blank.
The Poneglyph described an ancient weapon known as Poseidon.
In Arabasta, she'd found records of Pluton. Here, it was Poseidon. All of them... ancient weapons capable of destroying the world.
Was that really all the Poneglyphs were? Just instruction manuals for doomsday devices?
Her last shred of hope crumbled. She let out a long sigh, as if the years she'd lived, all her study and sacrifice, had been meaningless.
She was so tired.
When a person's dream shatters, their spirit follows close behind.
That's when Marcus noticed something carved into the gold beside the Poneglyph. He stepped closer, reading the words aloud as he remembered them from the anime.
"I made it here and I will guide this passage all the way to the farthest ends of the earth. The stormiest seas will not stop me. - Gol D. Roger."
Marcus recited the line, trying to match the phrasing he remembered.
Robin's attention snapped toward him immediately. She'd heard his quiet words, and her gaze followed to the golden surface where the same message was engraved.
She read it herself. In an instant, her eyes went wide.
"You can read it?" She stared at him in shock.
Marcus shook his head quickly. "I can't read the ancient language. But I recognize the person who left that message though. You've heard of him, right?"
Marcus offered a small smile.
Robin went still. If he knew who wrote that message, it meant someone on Roger's crew could read Poneglyphs. And not just read them, they could write in the ancient language too.
She focused again on the inscription, and suddenly something clicked in her mind. The Poneglyphs weren't just scattered randomly across the world. They were pieces of a larger puzzle.
Only by gathering all the Poneglyphs, by connecting every scattered piece of history, could she reveal the complete truth about the Void Century. This was just one fragment of a much bigger story.
But... Nola's words still echoed in her mind, clouding her thoughts.
What if uncovering the truth only led to more destruction?
Robin found herself caught in a spiral of doubt.
Marcus noticed how different her emotional state was compared to the original story. He needed to say something, but what? He'd never been good at comfort.
After a moment of thought, he remembered something he'd read online once.
"If that's really how it is, then as a historian, you can choose how to record it. You get to decide what story gets told."
Robin looked up at him.
"Whether the Void Century was right or wrong, you can only judge that after you know the complete truth. And even then, so what? Roger and his crew knew the truth, didn't they? But they never tried to revive those ancient weapons."
He gestured around at the Straw Hats watching them. "Look at them. Do any of these idiots seem like they'd use world-ending weapons for personal gain?"
Robin's gaze swept across her crewmates, Luffy with his simple dreams of adventure, Zoro who just wanted to be the best swordsman, Nami who wanted to map the world, Sanji who wanted to find a legendary sea. None of them wanted power to destroy. They just wanted to live freely.
The knot of anxiety in her chest slowly began to loosen.
Yes... knowing the truth didn't mean she had to use it for destruction. Knowledge itself wasn't evil, only what people chose to do with it mattered.
A smile returned to her face for the first time since Nola's revelations. She turned to Marcus.
"You said you couldn't read the ancient language. But I never mentioned that this Poneglyph was about an ancient weapon."
Marcus scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
Robin didn't press the issue further. Marcus had always been mysteriously knowledgeable about things he shouldn't know. If he didn't want to explain, that was fine. Everyone had their secrets.