Doflamingo was, of course, very familiar with ancient writing!
Although the red Road Poneglyph had long since been crumpled into an unrecognizable shape by his powers, when he first obtained that stone, he had carefully chipped off pieces to make his armor. He saw the writing on the stone almost every day. Even though he still couldn't understand it, it didn't prevent Doflamingo from simply feeling familiar with the characters. He could, of course, recognize at a glance that the characters carved into the wall were identical to the ancient writing on the Poneglyphs.
Dylan was also startled. "Boss, is this also a Poneglyph?" But this was completely different from the Poneglyphs they had seen before. Could Poneglyphs really be carved into ordinary walls?
"The characters are indeed ancient, but they have nothing to do with Poneglyphs," Roa casually replied, while meticulously examining the slightly blurred characters, worn by the passage of countless years. Sure enough, this was the place. In the game, Redfield had to use the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Bake-danuki's transformation leaves to create a replica of Nico Robin, and then have that imposter, who inherited the real Robin's memories, help him decipher the ruins' secrets before he finally found the fruit. And a secret that only Robin could decipher, of course, involved ancient writing. So, it was indeed here.
What good luck! I was only intending to go to Fish-Man Island, and I just happened to pass through Trans Island ? Speaking of which, Trans Island should be in the first half of the New World. After all, in the game, when the Straw Hat crew encountered Red Count, Luffy hadn't even used Gear Fourth. Fate, my dear brother, you truly spoil me.
Roa mused, Since I'm already here, why not bring over the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Bake-danuki as well? That fruit's power is even more monstrous. While thinking about various things, Roa deciphered the ancient writing on the wall. Although he had learned this knowledge from Kozuki Sukiyaki long ago, this was his first practical application, and Roa inevitably stumbled a bit. Fortunately, there weren't many characters on the wall, and the grammar wasn't particularly difficult. Soon, Roa nodded, wearing an expression that implied he understood everything.
"Boss, what exactly is written on it?" Dylan knew that Roa had the ability to decipher ancient writing, so after realizing that Boss had finished reading, he considerately asked.
"Hmph," Roa chuckled softly. "When the light of the full moon shines, the intersection of the idol's shadows is where the devil's power resides."
"Huh?" Doflamingo blinked blankly. "Does that mean there's some treasure buried here?"
Wait! How did Roa know this? He knew there were ruins here, but how did he also know there was something inside?
"But, an idol?" Bege looked at the heaps of broken stones, vaguely resembling parts of a statue, that had collapsed along the walls of the temple. "Where is there an idol? Hasn't it all already collapsed?"
"In that case," Dylan frowned, "how are we supposed to find it?"
"It's simple, isn't it?" Roa smiled. "Doffy, use your ability to search the entire ground for me." No matter how Redfield found that fruit in the original story, Roa thought this was actually a very simple matter.
"Oh! I understand!" Doflamingo instantly nodded in comprehension. "No matter where it's buried, it must be somewhere nearby!" The difficult part wasn't digging out the buried treasure, but knowing that there was treasure here! Once he knew, it was easy. So, Doflamingo immediately activated his power. Purple light instantly spread from his feet, extending in all directions. The Gasha Gasha no Mi (Clank-Clank Fruit) could combine all non-living things. It was perfectly suited for treasure hunting at this moment. Doflamingo didn't even need to combine the ground covered by his ability; he could easily detect the secrets beneath the surface. He simply continued to use his ability, walking around the temple, letting the purple light continuously permeate the ground beneath his feet.
Soon.
"Found it!" Doflamingo suddenly stopped. "There really is something underneath!" The power of the Gasha Gasha no Mi (Clank-Clank Fruit) activated further, and the ground began to twist and deform. A small treasure chest slowly emerged from the purple substance.
"Is this it, Boss?" Doflamingo chuckled, but his hands honestly passed the treasure chest to Roa.
"Excellent," Roa praised with satisfaction. He hadn't disappointed him after all. Taking the treasure chest, Roa slowly opened it, revealing a purple fruit covered in spiral patterns, its overall shape resembling an apple.
"A Devil Fruit?" Dylan, standing beside Roa, immediately recognized the fruit inside the box. "Does the 'devil's power' refer to the power of a Devil Fruit?"
"To be hidden away by ancient people with such effort, it must be an extraordinary fruit, right?" King said.
Roa picked up the fruit, gently weighing it. "Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Vampire model, I suppose it counts as quite extraordinary, wouldn't you say?"
"Mythical Zoan?" Everyone's expressions changed slightly. Even unsophisticated newcomers like Bege (son) and Moria, fresh from the countryside to the New World, knew what a Mythical Zoan meant. It was a type of Devil Fruit even rarer than Logias, best suited for true masters.
"What a pity," Roa shook his head. "Everyone is already a Devil Fruit user. This fruit can't find its owner." Among his cadres, only one wasn't a Devil Fruit user, and that was Judge. But giving this fruit to Judge would be too much of a waste, wouldn't it? This Vampire Fruit truly possessed the power to grant eternal life. By consuming the blood of others, one could steal their youth, thereby turning back time and reverting to a younger state! Of course, Roa wasn't interested in that; he wouldn't age anyway.
"Let's keep it for now," Roa said. "We'll see when we can find someone suitable for it."
Who? Who is the most suitable person for this Devil Fruit?
His subordinates naturally had no objections to Roa's decision. In fact, they were still astonished, wondering why Boss had recognized the fruit's name at first glance. It should have been out of circulation for at least a few hundred years.
"Let's go, back to the ship, and continue on to Fish-Man Island." With the fruit in hand, there was no longer any reason to stay on this island. Soon, the giant snails were once again heading out to sea, regrouping with the snail fleet waiting offshore. The grand fleet assembled and once again turned towards the Red Line without looking back.
The residents of Trans Island were still bewildered, not understanding what had happened. Had that great pirate, who should only exist in legends to them, simply wanted to visit the ruins on this island? But fortunately, fortunately, only a few houses were damaged.
Shortly after leaving Trans Island, a red "Wall of Sighs" appeared, stretching across the front of the snail grand fleet.
"Hoho! Is this the Red Line?" Roa exclaimed. "It's truly magnificent!" The towering red wall before them extended directly into the clouds above and stretched to the ends of the sea on both sides. Its edges were invisible, as was its peak. The Red Line, the bloody snake of giant legends that divided the world, was now before them!
"How many years has it been since I last saw it?" Dylan couldn't help but sigh. Like Roa, he was born in the Grand Line, but unlike Roa, he was born in the first half. He had seen the Red Line once when he came to the New World years ago. However, the one who dealt with the Red Line the most had to be Judge. As a mercenary for many years, he frequently traveled between the Four Seas, and his giant snails had crossed the Red Line countless times. Oh, and Doflamingo too.
"So, Doffy, do you still remember the sights above it?" Roa asked with interest. Doflamingo's eyes instantly became a little hazy. Above was the area where Mary Geoise was located, where he had lived before he was eight years old. To say he didn't miss it would be a lie. Who would want to be Roa's dog here when they could be a Celestial Dragon? But. The moment he saw the smile on Roa's face, Doflamingo suddenly shivered.
"That kind of thing," he quickly said nonchalantly, "I've long since forgotten completely!" Bege (son) and Moria, the two newcomers, were a bit surprised. According to Roa, had Doflamingo actually lived on the Red Line? Bege (son) asked curiously.
And then.
"Ah? A Celestial Dragon!!" Both of them looked utterly incredulous. Was this guy actually a Celestial Dragon? Roa's subordinate was a Celestial Dragon!! At the same time, Roa looked at King, whose expression was also somewhat complex. "Your ancestors also lived up there, didn't they?" The Lunarian race was once known as a divine race, living on the Red Line.
"That was a very, very long time ago, Boss," King said with a sigh. "So long that no one remembers what happened back then." No, Imu must remember. Roa patted his shoulder, drawing a picture for him: "When we deal with the World Government later, we'll let the Lunarian race flourish on the Red Line again."
"With your words, you will surely succeed!" King's tone was firm. Because Boss was the Joy Boy that their Lunarian tribe had been waiting for all this time! Who else could it be but Boss?
"You need to work hard too," Roa encouraged him again. To make the Lunarian race flourish, King indeed needed to work hard. Don't be like Sasuke next door, who talks about revitalizing the Uchiha clan but is rarely home, almost making his wife a 'shared wife' (homewrecker). If it weren't for the Raikage being a gentleman, then, tsk...
"Alright, enough with the lamentations," Roa turned. "Judge!"
"Coming, Boss!" Judge hurried over. "The ship is ready!" Roa felt his spirits lift just hearing Judge's words. You're not a mad scientist, are you? But thankfully, no Navy warships suddenly appeared to blast Roa with a few barrages. A specially designed ship slowly rounded the back of the snail and finally stopped in front of Roa and the others. It was an overall round, elongated ellipsoid structure, fully enclosed, equipped with portholes and gunports. The stern had propellers and a rudder. In short, its design was very similar to a submarine from Roa's previous life. It wasn't very large, with a total length of about fifty meters, appearing small and cute next to the giant snails.
"Time was limited, so this is the most I could do!" Judge, with dark circles under his eyes, said, "But the strength is definitely enough to dive ten thousand meters deep into the sea. Even the immense pressure at the deepest part of the seabed will absolutely not deform this ship's hull!" If he were in his previous life, Roa would exclaim at what kind of black technology this was, how the materials composing the hull were outrageously strong, and even more incredibly, this ship was handcrafted by Judge in just a few weeks. But this was the world of One Piece, and Roa merely commented calmly, "Hmm, not bad. Next time, work harder and make an even more amazing one." Although the giant snails could traverse the Four Seas and even the Red Line couldn't stop them, Fish-Man Island was the one place they couldn't reach. That's why this submarine was needed.
"Yes, Boss!" Roa's words weren't even much of a compliment, but Judge was unusually excited.
"Alright, let's depart. Our destination: Fish-Man Island." The group entered the small submarine, with Judge, the designer, personally at the helm. As for the snails, they only needed to climb to a middle height on the Red Line and hide; no one would be able to find them. Then, the submarine submerged. During the last battle at God Valley, Roa had also dived into the sea once. But that time was for escape, and Roa had no time to observe his surroundings. This time was different. As the submarine slowly descended, through the portholes, Roa clearly saw the scene beneath the surface. Sunlight pierced the sea, making the clear ocean appear transparent, and fish of all sizes seemed to be flying in the water. "All are like empty swimmers, with nothing to rely on," that's what it meant, right?
"Not bad," Roa nodded in affirmation. Such a sight made even someone like Bullet's eyes shift slightly, and King and Dylan's faces showed the same astonishment as Roa's. As for Doflamingo and Bege (son), the two youngsters, they were exclaiming repeatedly. However, the beautiful scenery didn't last too long. As the diving depth rapidly increased, the light gradually disappeared, and the submarine plunged into absolute darkness. Judge could only turn on the lights, illuminating the surrounding waters. This action immediately attracted monsters dwelling in the deep sea. Even with Seastone embedded in the hull, it didn't mean they could completely block the monsters' prying.
"Get lost, all of you!" Roa grumbled irritably. A surging aura instantly permeated the ship's hull, causing a turbulent undercurrent in the deep sea. And those monsters that had been drawn to the light instinctively fled in panic. Thus, the descent became very smooth. Soon, the submarine had submerged to the deepest part of the ocean, where the seabed was clearly visible in the light. And in front of the submarine, at the bottom of the Red Line, was an absurdly large, giant cavern. This was the underwater passage connecting the first and second halves of the Grand Line.
The submarine proceeded directly into the cavern. There was no need for a log pose; they only needed to follow this passage. The journey through the passage was a bit long, so long that Roa even started yawning. Then, in the pitch-black deep sea ahead, a point of light suddenly appeared. The further they went, the brighter the light became. Soon, an island enveloped in a giant bubble, bathed in light pouring from above, appeared before Roa and the others. Fish-Man Island, they had arrived.
What Roa didn't know was that shortly before them, another group of people had arrived at Fish-Man Island following the same route.
"Wahahahahaha! Neptune, long time no see!"
"Roger, what are you doing here again?"
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