Far off in distant stretches of paradise. It was said that there was a library much like that of the Tree of Knowledge, Alexandria, in Tovara. But with books, tomes, scrolls, tablets, notes, and the live said to be the largest Archive in the world.
It was known as Banipal, once operates by the grand archivist Wangshi Tang.
But this library was no myth. It existed. And currently one Azalea Raven was deep beneath the ground.
Banipal was a Library nearly 2,000 years old, and began as a simple settlement for humans. Say on a near surface level tectonic plate, the people whose names were forgotten to most people, were named the Akash.
Something strange happened.
Books began to wash up from the sea and fall from the sky itself. Then people began to hand off their writings and literature to them because they had no where else to keep them. More and more this happened.
And over many lifetimes the Library was built. It encompasses nearly a million square meters. And rose up to kilometers in the sky and kilometers down to the points the pressure of the atmosphere made the depths very hot but prime for archiving solid materials.
One day, an earthquake that shook the world occured. Some say it fundamentally changed the planet permanently. But for the library, it caused the plate it sat upon to sink! The entire thing sinking into the plate and causing only the peak where once the astrological section sat. Over the centuries, it was deemed lost to history. But there were those few brave tomb raiders that spelunked deep for ancient texts and writing to sell to the higgest bidder. But after so long, it was all trapped and locked away by the special gates and archives. Catalogues damaged and lost. Slowly a community began to form that tried to unearth as much as possible
And Raven, whod been there for a month. Was apart of it. She was one of the premier leaders for the archival team and translations. Seqrching scrolls, books tomes as small as 3inches to feet tall filled with diagrams and information.
Currently she was parsing a tome that spoke on ancient agricultural practices from a civilization in the north blue named Outzy, discrediting the modern idea that a thousand uyears ago humanity came about. But the skeletal and mumified remains found that was attached to this reserch showed not onky hunting, but gathering and agrarian society including even tattoos used as a form of pain relief. Just one of the thousands of hidden and niche examples of the fact we have always been how we are today. Filled with kindness and a want to help. But other humans has twisted it now into what the world os today over centuries of positive and negative advancements
Raven stopped and out her head in her hands. Tears welling up in her violet and green eyes. She breathed lightly. Trying to focus herself. "Trust leroy…remember what he did. For all of us…" She held back her tears. Four years. But not on the run but with the goal of reuniting, stronger, better, smarter.
And it came upon her just ss the rest to do her best. Leroy had said he wanted to hear what the world tries to burry. Wanted to spread its knowledge especially if it lead to places like the one piece, but it wasnt a fact they were needed. But he was going to learn and discover the truth of the world. Raven was the key to it.
"Ms Violet!" A voice spoke, snapping her attention up. She had been using her previous code name under Hornigold to hide herself now. The voice came from Toumb, a old man with thinning hair that seemed to slightly spike in what he attempted to be fashionable, his body was covered in wraps and cloth robes to stay light in such an environment. On his head was dozens of lenses on a complex goggle pair that truly gave him the look of a researcher.
"Yes, Toumb?" Raven questioned as she stood to her feet wiping her eyes casually as if from dust rather than grief.
"We found something big! Like-Big big!" He said waving his fingerless gloved wrapped hand to hasten her along
The two came to a stop shortly after. Behind a massive iron door over two feet thick, there was a group of Archivist searcing what seemed to be a cache! Thered been rumors of something like this all over but they usually werent filled with anything useful, having been raided prior. What was known was Caches almost always served for cataloging and organization.
"This one. The script is strange. And we cant wuite decipher it. Maybe you can give it a crack?" It wasn't necessary a book as it was a checklist and manifest of specifically high importance materials. All of the archivst surrounded Raven as they began to truly understand what it could possibly hold. Raven, ever the scholar and archeologist pulled her notes on the script and began to translate.
Her eyes scoured up and down the list with intensity and mounted more and more moment by moment.
"No way…" She said staring at the piece of aged papyrus. She went character by character, piece by piece, again and again but each time it came out the same.
"What? What is it, Raven?" A man behind her, younger than the rest asked inquisitively. "Is it that Map we heard about?"
"Or maybe that original draft of legal code for the Island?"
"Or a first edition if the Dragon Scripture?"
A supposed map of the world, or as much as was known hundreds of years ago. A document of the most important document of this old civilization, or a first edition of the most read book on the planet
But none of them were even close
"The Massive Scripture Stones. 11 of those in that dark blue and purple. And one in that Ochre color…"
The entire room was left speechless as she spoke. They all knew what it meant. They'd heard similar descriptions. Colors. Shapes. Besides that Ochre one…but that meant they were left with even more intrigue
"Poneglyphs…" Toumb whispered. Barely audible from worry of people overhearing. Never knew when a raider was going to get any ideas. Information on poneglyphs ran up in excess of over a billion berry.
"But where?" Asked another
"Where do you think? The one place that was said to be able to contain something like this and ward off even the most ballsy of theives…" Toumb concluded. Raven nodding in agreement…
"The Bottom Archive. But there's that fracture near the 900th floor thats made in almost impossible right? Thats what you said Toumb" Raven rubbed her head
"That i did…but its not impossible. Weve just never made it to the bottom. The bottom of the library sits dozens of meters away from only splunkers or those with skill or power fit for a place like that could hope to connect the two" His brow sweat and he pinched his brow tight. Breathing heavy.
"I could do it." She said confidently. Raising her arm and allowing her bloom bloom fruit to grow a multitude of arms that stretched and bent. Demonstrating just how she'd do it clear as day.
The group walked through rows and rows of massive book shelves, display cases, desks, tables, oil and wick lamps, papers and books spread everywhere. Massive filling cabinets filled and lined the walls like nothing ever seen before. There were books constantly being added, constantly being taken. A constant flow of information and history and literature. Death Certificates, Birth Certificates, Licenses, Warrants from Marines, drafts for independent kingdoms and government. Ancient bounty posters.
Some had bounties that were marked for as Low as only one million, 750 years ago, that was worth over 422,000,000 today. The price and rate of berry increased by 25% each year. With one berry four years ago worth nearly two and a half today.
Give or take. 250 years ago, a bounty today of 1.5 billion would've only been worth 200,000,000 back then.
Bounties were such a weird thing. In a world where animals could go for 10 times the price of a Yonko's head. Bounty's were rarely ever seen as something expected to be brought in if over 500,000,000. They were only meant to evaluate danger, threat, power, influence, notoriety, and the like. But bounties alone were never enough to truly gauge someones threat level. After all, Leroy who had a lesser bounty than raven as a child, was certainly a larger threat, with fists capable of leveling miles and miles of land with ease.
"So…Toumb. Whats the rarest things you've found in this place?" Raven asked. It was another two days after they had began their journey to the bottom of the library. Around them were more and more strange and out their books and literature. From journals of peoples lives to recipe books from when people thought grass was a suitable ingredient in dishes.
Around them were shelves in both far more disarray and looks of utterly untouched and frozen in time and stasis. She looked through the books. Noting what was what. And flipping through everything.
"Hmm…." Tomb thought for a second as he tucked away transcribed leaflets or when possible and reliable. Tucked them away with protective coverings and cases. "Probably a Devil Fruit encyclopedia. Can't exactly use their proper academic title because its gone through so many names over the years. And are usually seen as pieces of fringe research or literature…"
"Really?" Raven cocked a brow. Her hair done up into a bow.
"Yes indeed. It had a variety of Fruits. And even rumored ones as well. Trying to document accounts from first hand experience or consumers. Or finding the very rare ones in the wild, and based on look, feel, taste and the like you'd be able to reasonably guess what the power was."
"Lick?" Raven questioned.
"Yes! Devil Fruits must be eaten to gain their power. Even a sliver. But licking? That is not consuming. It is but a taste. And all Devil Fruits have these aspects. A Taste, A Look, a Feel in the hand, and properties to its physical body that represents the power it holds." He mimicked with his hand licking and feeling a fruit in his palm.
"You have one right? What did it feel like to you?" Toumb inquired.
Raven stopped and thought for a moment. Her brow pursing. "It was…Light to the touch. Looked like a pomegranate. But had dozens of layers of skin. It had the texture of smooth skin or a flowers petal. And it tasted…Gross…Like rose water and grass mixed with sweat and that dull taste of skin when you lick your chapped lips…."
"And all of that seems to confirm the ability you have now. Much like how you can tell a Smith apple from a crisp apple. You can always tell what a Fruit is, with in some margin of certainty. Zoan feel alive…Paramecia have strange textures and properties like warmth or the like. Logias have this strange…Give to them. Your fingers allowed to sink into the flesh."
But Ravens mind began to be drawn away as she saw a strange book. It was large, leather bound, with a buckle and intricate calligraphy across the front. The words that it held were simple. But very familiar to her. 'Hadaki-dokan' there were diagrams. Charts. Poses. Exercises. All depicted in beautiful water color and brush strokes….It wasnt the same extent as Zeke's training…But it was a formalized manuel to be learned from….