After returning to the ship with Buggy, Fang Yi didn't bother asking whether he was alright—he simply threw Buggy onto the deck, then set down the freshly obtained rubbing of the Road Poneglyph, and picked up his Solar Bow.
"Charged Shot – Ice Arrow!"
FWIP!
A chilling arrow imbued with icy energy shot straight at Charlotte Linlin (BIG MOM).
CLANG!
Though the arrow was incredibly fast, Charlotte Linlin still managed to block it. Yet even with a successful block, she felt as though she had been hit.
"You again, brat?" she growled.
That strange pain on her body, and the frost spreading along her blade—it brought back a memory. Back in God Valley, she had felt this same strange technique from Fang Yi: even when she blocked his arrows, it still felt like getting hit, and it was frighteningly real.
"Heh… Beautiful Linlin! You don't look quite as pretty as before. Ate too much dessert, maybe?" Fang Yi shouted from the ship's bow, laughing provocatively.
The insult enraged the entire BIG MOM Pirates, most of whom were her own family.
"Rapid Fire – Flame Arrows!" Without waiting, Fang Yi activated his multi-shot mode, launching a barrage of flaming arrows to buy time and space for the crew's return.
"Let's go!" With Fang Yi providing cover and Roger's crew's superior strength, they quickly regrouped aboard the Oro Jackson.
"Linlin, do you still want to fight?" Roger grinned, standing at the bow as he addressed her.
"Roger…" Charlotte Linlin was fuming. She didn't want to just let them go, but fighting further seemed pointless. Still, her pride burned.
"Hand over that brat with the bow and that red-nosed brat. Do that, and I'll let the rest of you leave!"
"Hahahaha! No chance! If you want to fight—bring it on!" Roger roared back without a hint of fear.
Just then, the giant comical face at the front of the BIG MOM Pirates' ship suddenly screamed in terror:
"Mama! Someone's attacking me from underwater!"
"What?!" Linlin's face darkened instantly. She realized that Roger's crew had dived beneath her ship to sabotage it.
Before she could give any orders, several of her children, adept in underwater combat, had already jumped into the sea.
Meanwhile, the Oro Jackson began moving, using the distraction to sail away.
"You're not going anywhere!" Linlin roared and charged, brandishing her massive blade.
"Slash!" But before she could reach them, Roger struck with a powerful swing aimed right at the airborne Linlin.
"Aghhh!" Charlotte Linlin tried to defend herself midair, but Roger's slash was too powerful, and with no footing to brace herself, she was sent flying and crashed into the sea.
"Mama!" her children screamed and rushed to the spot where she had fallen. Being a Devil Fruit user, she couldn't swim.
Once the two crews disengaged, Rayleigh and Roger approached Fang Yi.
"Is it done?" Rayleigh asked.
Without a word, Fang Yi unfurled the rubbing of the Road Poneglyph he had copied.
"Excellent! What a pity we can't read it, though. If we could decipher it, it might be a huge help," Roger said, gazing at the red-text stone rubbing. "Still, we'll have to find the Whitebeard Pirates next. We need to ask the samurai from Wano if he can read ancient script."
"Captain! You've got to see this!" Shanks suddenly shouted.
Everyone turned toward him. Shanks was grinning from ear to ear, holding a small treasure chest. Inside was a strange-looking fruit and what looked like a letter.
"Huh? Where did this come from?" Roger asked, surprised.
He hadn't known that Buggy had stolen treasure from the BIG MOM Pirates.
"Buggy got it!" Shanks said, laughing as he explained what had happened, then handed Roger the letter.
Roger opened it and read carefully.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! So that's it! I knew it—we've been on the right track this whole time! We've got to thank Charlotte Linlin for this gift!"
Everyone else was confused. What exactly was written in that letter?
Rayleigh, always sharp, immediately took the letter and read it too. He also broke into a smile.
"I see… This letter was written by a member of the BIG MOM Pirates to Charlotte Linlin. They found one of the red Poneglyphs on an ancient island and figured out what it's for."
"Oh? So they already learned what the red Poneglyphs do?" Fang Yi asked, surprised.
"Yes," Roger nodded, eyes gleaming. "Fang Yi, it's just as we suspected. The red Poneglyphs… they do contain information about the Final Island!"
"Seriously?" Fang Yi said in disbelief. "So what exactly do these red Poneglyphs do?"
Of course, Fang Yi already knew. But he wanted to verify it.
Roger explained with excitement:
"According to the letter, these red stones are called Road Poneglyphs, and there are four of them in total. Once all four are gathered, you can form a coordinate—and that coordinate points to the location of the Final Island!"
"So… we have a way to reach the Final Island?" Jaba looked stunned.
"I think so," Roger said after a pause. "It's unlikely the BIG MOM Pirates realized Buggy would steal a treasure chest—and inside it, they just happened to store this letter. So, I'd say this is credible."
"But, captain," Fang Yi interjected with a smile, "things aren't that simple. Even if Charlotte Linlin had all four Road Poneglyphs, she still wouldn't know where the Final Island is—because she can't read what's written on them."
"Exactly," Rayleigh agreed. "Right now, we face two major problems. First, we need to find all four Road Poneglyphs. Second, we need someone who can read the ancient text. Despite all our searching, we haven't found a single person who can read it. I doubt they have, either."
"And now that we know the truth," Renner added with a devious grin, "we can keep an eye on the BIG MOM Pirates. Whether they find more Poneglyphs or someone who can read them, we can intercept them at any time."
"In any case, let's focus on finding the Whitebeard Pirates first," Roger concluded. "If their samurai can read the ancient language, everything will get a lot easier."
They had been searching for so long. And finally, they had a path to the Final Island.
And surprisingly, Buggy had become the hero of the day.
That night, a celebration was held, and Buggy was the main guest of honor.
With dramatic flair, he recounted the tale of how he bravely infiltrated the BIG MOM Pirates' ship, stole treasure under their noses, escaped pursuit, and made a daring return to the Oro Jackson.
Of course, everyone listening had been there, so they knew the truth, but since Buggy had contributed something valuable, they let him have his moment.
"You all know what this is?" Buggy shouted dramatically, holding up the strange fruit.
"This is the real prize—something that was stored alongside that all-important clue! A miraculous treasure from the seas—a priceless gem—a Devil Fruit!"
"Whoa, whoa! Buggy, don't mess around!" Shanks interrupted quickly. "Devil Fruits aren't that simple. Sure, they grant power—but once you eat one, you become a landlubber who can't swim. That's career suicide for a pirate!"
Fang Yi had explained the pros and cons of Devil Fruits when Barrett joined the crew. Shanks took it very seriously.
"Hmph! Compared to you monsters, I need all the help I can get!" Buggy scoffed. "So right here, in front of all of you… I'm going to eat it!"
And with that, he took a bite of the fruit.
"Buggy! How do you feel? Anything happening?" Shanks asked nervously.
Buggy blinked, then shook his head. "Nothing. I don't feel a thing."
"Huh? Maybe… maybe that wasn't even a Devil Fruit? Just a normal one?" a crewmate speculated.
"What did it taste like?" Fang Yi asked, arriving just in time.
Buggy's eyes flickered with panic for a split second, but he quickly regained composure.
"Uhh… not bad. I mean, not great, but edible!"
"Then it was fake," Fang Yi said, smiling knowingly. "Barrett described the taste of a real Devil Fruit—it's unforgettable."
Barrett nodded grimly. "It's the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten. Worse than anything you can imagine."
"Ha! I heard they taste like poop!" someone laughed. "Buggy, count yourself lucky—it was just a regular fruit!"
"What?! Fake? Ugh, no way! That was my hard-earned prize!" Buggy sulked.
Fang Yi just chuckled silently.
He was now certain—Buggy had swapped the real Devil Fruit.
Sure, Rayleigh had promised that anything Buggy recovered would be his, but a real Devil Fruit was worth hundreds of millions of Berries. If Buggy didn't plan to eat it, he'd likely be expected to hand it over for someone else to use, maybe get a symbolic cut of the reward.
Instead, Buggy pretended to eat it, planning to sell it secretly later and keep all the money for himself.