Spandine clicked his tongue. "Tch. Boring. Hey! Give it to him. Let him speak."
Meanwhile, Clover leaned toward Robin and whispered, "Robin, leave this place now. If you hear what I'm about to say, you'll be considered a criminal too."
Robin froze, staring at him. "Professor…"
Seeing the urgency in his eyes, she bit her lip, turned, and ran.
* * *
The Den Den Mushi was handed to Clover, and a voice belonging to one of the Five Elders came through.
"You must be Professor Clover of Ohara, the authority in archaeology. You've made outstanding contributions to the world's cultural knowledge, but it's unfortunate that you've chosen the path of crime."
Clover shot back, "History belongs to all mankind. No one has the right to stop people from pursuing the truth out of curiosity. Stop pretending, Elders."
The Elder continued, "If those Poneglyphs are deciphered, the ancient weapons may be awakened. In the wrong hands, they could endanger the world."
Lowering his voice, Clover said, "No matter what history reveals, since it was created by human hands, we should face it entirely. If people can understand it without fear, then no matter what happens, there will always be a way forward."
The Elder scoffed. "Your thinking is too idealistic."
Clover replied calmly, "Is that so? Or is it because there are secrets in that history you want to keep buried?
"What we care about even more than the content of those Poneglyphs is why they exist. Why did the ancients carve words into indestructible stones and scatter them across the world? Surely, it was to avoid them being destroyed. That means there must have been enemies they feared.
"If they were wiped out by something, then their enemies must have survived in later history. And what a coincidence… that same time marked the rise of the World Government.
"So isn't it fair to assume the World Government is covering up an inconvenient past?
"After studying ancient documents and several Poneglyphs, we've uncovered traces of a once-great kingdom. It seemed to wield immense power, but was wiped away without a trace.
"Perhaps, when faced with the alliance that became the World Government, they knew they would lose. And to preserve their beliefs, they carved the truth into stones. Those unbreakable tablets we now call the Poneglyphs.
"It's not the ancient weapons that threaten you. It's the existence and ideals of that kingdom. We haven't discovered exactly what the threat is yet, but its name is—"
A cold voice from the other end cut in, "Kill him."
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the air. Then that same voice followed, emotionless.
"They know too much. Start the Buster Call, and target all of Ohara. Knowledge must not leave that island. Not a single person is to escape."
* * *
At sea, the Buster Call fleet.
Suddenly, alarms blared from all ten warships.
"Buster Call initiated!"
"All ships, take position!"
"Prepare to fire!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!...
Dozens of cannons on each ship opened fire without mercy, raining destruction onto the island ahead.
* * *
Aboard Sakazuki's warship.
Enel stood silently, watching the bombardment. He let out a quiet sigh.
"So brutal..."
Sakazuki muttered softly, "Brutal, indeed..."
* * *
On Kuzan's warship.
A lookout raised his binoculars. "Vice Admiral Kuzan!"
Kuzan groaned, "What now..."
The lookout swallowed hard. "No doubt about it, that's—!"
Veins bulged on Kuzan's forehead. "What is it?! Say it clearly, damn it!"
The lookout shouted, "It's... it's Vice Admiral Saul! The one who escaped!"
Kuzan snatched the binoculars immediately. "What?!"
* * *
Boom!
A cannonball exploded right on Saul's head.
On the warship, the person who fired stood frozen in disbelief.
"I... I hit him! I'm sorry!!!"
A fellow marine smacked him on the head and yelled, "Sorry for what?! He's a traitor now! Idiot!"
Still, like everyone else, he stared nervously at Saul.
Shaking his head, the giant looked down at Robin in his palm, and gently set her down. "Sorry, Robin. I didn't mean to scare you. Wait for me."
He turned and charged toward the warship by the shore. "So it was this one… firing without warning. What if Robin got hurt?"
When he grabbed the front of the vessel with both hands, the soldiers on board panicked.
"Stop!"
"Please, don't, Vice Admiral Saul!"
But Saul ignored their cries.
"I don't even know what true justice is anymore. I just want to protect my friends. Prepare to die! Anyone who dares stand against me is in for hell!"
With monstrous strength, he lifted the warship into the air as soldiers tumbled off in every direction.
Far in the distance, Sakazuki saw the scene unfolding and his arm instantly turned to magma.
"That bastard! What does he think he's doing?!"
"Hellhound!"
A huge magma hound head launched forward, stretching out at lightning speed toward Saul's head.
At the same time, holding the warship, the giant's nerves screamed with danger.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
Kuzan's voice abruptly echoed beside Saul's ear as a wave of freezing air struck his head. Ice formed along his left cheek, forcing his head to jerk sharply to the right.
Boom!
The magma hound slammed into him, searing off a chunk of ice and part of his cheek, then passed through.
Saul staggered but managed to stay upright. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he hurled the warship straight at another one nearby, smashing them together before running off.
Crack!
Lightning flashed, and Enel's figure appeared above the airborne ship. He dropped down hard, landing on its flipped hull.
Boom!!
The massive vessel was kicked upright, crashing back into the sea and sending up waves several meters high. Then he returned to Sakazuki's ship.
The crew looked grim, and even the normally calm Carlo wore a dark expression.
"What is he thinking? Don't the soldiers' lives matter? He split two warships in half. That wasn't just one or two deaths. Not even a thought about the consequences, and he dares shout about following his own justice? How's that any different from a pirate?"
Barely containing his rage, Sakazuki ordered, "Enel, go watch Kuzan, make sure he kills Saul with his own hands. And after that, fry Saul's body to ashes, right in front of him. Bullet, take a team and go rescue the survivors."
Enel nodded with a heavy tone. "Understood."
Crack!
He turned into a bolt of lightning and vanished. Bullet also answered and began organizing a rescue team to dive into the water.
Sakazuki stood at the bow, his face expressionless as he stared at the coastline.
"Damn D…"
'Foolishness is one thing, but to be rotten to the core while hiding it so well. Shouting about justice, yet mercilessly slaughtering marine soldiers. Judging right and wrong on his own terms. And worst of all, we've got idiots on our side helping him.'
Sakazuki finally understood what the author of that bloodstained journal from Skypiea meant when he wrote: that big, carefree smile... now it just makes me sick.
It truly made his blood boil.
One after another... all of them were tumors.
"Report! Vice Admiral Sakazuki! An evacuation ship spotted leaving the island ahead!"
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