One day after the Art Pirates resumed their voyage. The sea surrounding the devastated island had finally grown quiet once more. The smoke that had blanketed the sky the previous day had mostly dispersed. Only the charred remains of buildings, collapsed walls, and blackened earth remained as silent witnesses to the battle that had taken place.
A massive Marine battleship slowly approached the harbor. Red shirt with justice mantle figure standing at its bow silently gazed toward the ruined village.
Admiral Akainu, Sakazuki.
Without saying a word, he stepped onto the shore. His magma-colored coat fluttered in the sea breeze as countless Marines followed behind him. Several Vice Admirals accompanied the expedition, along with dozens of elite officers. The island had already been secured. The surviving civilians had been evacuated. Only the battlefield remained.
Akainu walked through the shattered streets in silence. His eyes slowly scanned every crater, every sword mark, every collapsed building. Nothing escaped his attention.
Vice Admiral: "This damage wasn't caused by White Fang Pirates alone." A Vice Admiral crouched beside a massive impact crater.
Marine Officer: "There are traces of multiple Devil Fruit abilities." Another officer nodded.
Akainu remained expressionless, He simply continued walking. A few minutes later, One of the reconnaissance Marines sprinted toward the group.
MARINE: "Report, Admiral!" Sakazuki stopped and turned slightly.
MARINE: "We've discovered something unusual. There's a massive sinkhole along the road leading to the inland village." Akainu's eyes narrowed. Without another word He changed direction.
...
Several minutes later, The group arrived before an enormous crater. It was far too perfectly shaped to be natural. The surrounding ground had clearly collapsed recently. Sakazuki stepped to the edge. The darkness below seemed endless.
Vice Admiral: "It looks like an underground structure."
Sakazuki: "We're going down." Akainu spoke calmly.
Vice Admiral: "Yes, Sir."
Both of them jumped down, without waiting ropes. Once the ropes were secured, the Marines descended into the darkness, one after another.
Several minutes later, The underground ruins gradually revealed themselves. Ancient stone corridors stretched beneath the island. Collapsed pillars lay scattered across the floor. Dust still floated through the air. Some areas had clearly collapsed only recently.
Vice Admiral: "An underground city..."
Marine Officer: "These ruins are extremely old." Another Marine officer carefully examined the walls.
Akainu remained silent. His footsteps echoed through the forgotten passageways until...
He stopped. Everyone behind him froze. Before them stood an enormous stone block. Its surface was covered with strange ancient characters unlike any modern language. Even without understanding its meaning, tts overwhelming presence alone was enough to silence the entire underground chamber.
Vice Admiral: "...A Poneglyph." The Vice Admiral's eyes widened.
The surrounding Marines immediately became tense. Everyone understood the importance of those stones. Akainu slowly approached, He placed one hand against the ancient surface. His expression did not change but the atmosphere around him became noticeably heavier. After several seconds...
Sakazuki: "Record everything." He turned toward his adjutant.
Vice Admiral: "Yes, Admiral."
Sakazuki: "Send every detail we found on this island...to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Vice Admiral: "Understood." The Vice Admiral immediately saluted.
Several Marines quickly began sketching the chamber while others documented every surrounding structure. No one attempted to move the stone. They all knew... the great taboo of World's Goverment
...
Far away, the Athena continued sailing at full speed across the New World. The sea breeze was calm. For the first time in several days, The senior members of the Art Pirates were simply relaxing inside the navigation room. Robin quietly read another ancient manuscript. Hancock rested beside Arthur while enjoying a cup of tea. Monet reviewed intelligence reports gathered during the previous islands. Baby-5 standing behind Arthur, waiting his orders.
Everything felt peaceful. Arthur quietly reached into his coat, he took out the black compass. Ever since obtaining the Paper-Paper Fruit... He had checked it countless times.
The needle remained completely still.
But today... Arthur noticed something different. The needle trembled very slightly. Almost imperceptibly make Arthur narrowed his eyes.
Robin: "Arthur?" Robin noticed immediately.
Arthur: "...It's nothing." He put the compass back to his pocket but His expression became more serious than before.
Robin: "You've already decided, haven't you?" Robin understood why.
Arthur: "There are only two Devil Fruits remaining in my plan. The first is the Acid-Acid Fruit. It will become Koala's second Devil Fruit. She's already one of the strongest close-range junior fighters aboard this ship. The Acid-Acid Fruit will greatly enhance her Fish-Man Karate."
Robin: "What about us?" she asked, knowing that many crew members still didn't have all three of their Devil Fruits.
Arthur: "I already have plans for your Devil Fruits, but they're still in the hands of other users. So you'll have to wait a little longer."
Hancock: "Then who will get the second Devil Fruit?" Hancock crossed her arms as she waited for Arthur's answer.
Arthur: "The final Devil Fruit...will be mine."
No one spoke. Everyone understood what those words meant. Arthur already possessed two Devil Fruits. The third one would be his greatest part of the plan.
Robin: "You're worried." Robin closed her book.
Arthur: "A little." Arthur smiled honestly.
Hancock: "You'll succeed." Hancock gently placed her hand over Arthur's.
Arthur: "I have to." Arthur looked at her before smiling.
The remaining Devil Fruits intended for the others still have owners. Which meant, There was no reason to hunt them yet and he know where to find them. Arthur would never kill an innocent Devil Fruit user simply to steal their power. Those fruits would wait until fate placed them within his reach.
His priority remained unchanged, the last two compass fruits. Arthur slowly watched the compass again. Its movement became increasingly obvious, not spinning wildly and not pointing beneath the ship. But gradually correcting itself toward a single direction.
Robin: "This means..." Arthur's eyes widened slightly.
Arthur: "When a Devil Fruit has already been eaten, the compass loses its target. It spins randomly because the fruit no longer exists." Arthur pointed toward the needle.
Arthur: "But when the target still exists...the needle always stabilizes."
The needle moved another few degrees, slow but surely its continue moving. Finally It completely stopped, Pointing directly ahead. Arthur immediately stood make everyone looked at him.
Arthur: "Someone found it, or something move it. But... Full speed."
Hancock: "Changing course! Active the engine."
Bepo runing open the door and immediately adjusted the wheel. The engines beneath the Athena roared louder than ever before. The ship accelerated, its sails fold uneed. The Athena sliced through the New World at maximum speed. Hours passed, then An entire day. The compass never changed direction. Arthur remained on the deck almost the entire journey. Watching, qaiting, until finally... Late the following afternoon, A gigantic silhouette slowly appeared beyond the horizon.
At first, everyone thought it was another island. But as they drew closer, their expressions gradually changed. Countless towering golden buildings reflected the sunlight. Massive entertainment complexes floated upon the sea. Golden bridges connected enormous towers. Music could already be heard across the water.
Sugar: "That's..." Sugar stared blankly.
Robin: "So we've arrived..." Robin slowly closed her book.
Arthur: "Gran Tesoro." Arthur quietly lowered his compass and faint smile appeared across his face.
The needle remained perfectly still, pointing directly toward the Golden City. Arthur looked toward the magnificent floating metropolis. One of the final two Devil Fruits awaited somewhere within the world's greatest city of entertainment. His instincts told him there would be trouble—big trouble.