Victor could indeed feel the object calling to him.
Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the middle of the divine staff. It felt warm to the touch, unlike something that had been stored in a stone box for a long time.
Victor intended to bring it closer for a better look.
But the moment the staff left the box, lightning erupted from thin air—striking him directly.
His face was now blackened, his hair stood on end, and smoke curled from his lips as he stared in utter confusion.
Then, a second bolt of lightning formed in the air. Victor quickly coated himself in Armament Haki, barely managing to block it.
Gion and Rebecca had already drawn their swords, glaring at the wealthy merchant and his butler with hostility.
They suspected this was a trap—that the two had lured Victor here to harm him.
After the second lightning strike, Victor swiftly returned the staff to the box.
The moment it was back inside, the lightning ceased.
Victor turned a dark glare toward the portly merchant.
---
"Ah, that strange beast at the rich man's place is roaring again!"
"Yeah, every time he brings strangers home, that thing in his courtyard lets out thunderous roars. I wonder what kind of creature it is?"
"Never heard of anything like it. Really makes you curious!"
Barnett and the others, who were selling meat and pelts in town, overheard the chatter and grew intrigued.
They had heard the thunder earlier, but the sky was clear—no conditions for a storm.
"Old man, what was that thunder just now?" Barnett asked a kind-faced elder browsing their stall.
"Oh, that's the strange beast the rich man brought back four years ago. Came on a big ship, locked in a huge iron cage covered with cloth. Never got to see it myself—what a shame!"
"According to the butler, the beast goes berserk if it sees strangers. Its roars sound like thunder. He warned us not to sneak into the villa—anyone who does ends up dead. And sure enough, some idiots tried to steal from the place… only to get slaughtered. You kids better not go poking around!"
The old man spoke out of concern, not wanting these youngsters to throw their lives away.
"Got it, old man. We won't go. Thanks for the warning—here, have this cut of meat on us."
Barnett handed over a prepared portion, but the elder insisted on paying. After some back-and-forth, he finally accepted.
"Such honest folks… Probably only found near Marine HQ. A 'beast' that sounds like thunder? Doubt it's that simple."
Barnett had never heard of a beast with a roar like thunder. The whole thing was suspicious, but it wasn't his problem. His only concern was getting all the recruits back to Marine HQ safely.
---
Back in the villa, the wealthy merchant wore a bitter smile. He was used to this reaction—but he wasn't unprepared.
He knew these people were Marines, and likely strong ones. He'd been aware of their warship's arrival. Surviving in the treacherous seas as a merchant for so long meant he was no ordinary man.
"Young man, I mean no harm. This truly is a divine artifact. I'm giving it to you because you're Marines—representatives of justice. If you don't believe me, check the inside of the box's lid. There's writing there."
Gion and the others remained wary, staying on guard. If things turned sour, they'd strike—with Gion taking down the fat merchant first.
Victor stayed silent. He'd already confirmed that as long as the staff stayed in the box, no lightning would strike.
He flipped open the stone lid. Sure enough, there was text inside—something he'd missed earlier, too focused on the staff itself.
But Victor didn't recognize a single character.
This wasn't due to illiteracy—he'd studied all modern scripts back on Lyep Island.
His mind raced.
Because the text in the box was Poneglyphs—the same blocky writing he'd seen in the original story.
Outwardly, Victor remained calm. Inwardly, he was stunned.
'Poneglyphs… meaning this thing is at least 800 years old.'
Even Ohara's scholars only had fragmentary knowledge of this language. Their research relied on piecing together context—they couldn't 'write' it.
"Never seen this script before. Do you understand it?" Victor asked casually, masking his thoughts.
The merchant nodded to his butler, who swiftly left the room. Moments later, he returned and signaled that all nearby servants had been dismissed.
Victor's Observation Haki had already sensed their departure. Whatever came next was clearly confidential.
"Here's the story. I obtained this item ten years ago in Water 7. Back then, I was there on business when I heard a rumor—about a fishing captain who dredged up a divine artifact from the nearby waters. But because he lacked reverence, the artifact struck him down with heavenly lightning."
The merchant's expression was solemn, almost reverent.
"Now, I… well, aside from business, I have a hobby. I'm fascinated by the mysterious. So I tracked down the deceased captain's family. His brother, also a fisherman, told me the details. The wreck they found was ancient—the wood so rotten it must've been centuries old."
"The stone box was found alongside a few peculiar seashells - nothing else of value remained, as everything else had completely decayed. They only took the box and shells with them. At first, the fishing captain didn't pay much attention to these items."
"But later he discovered the stone box was incredibly durable - blades couldn't leave even a scratch on it. Only then did the captain realize its importance and kept it securely stored until he could properly examine it after returning home to Water 7."
"His brother was present when the captain withdrew the divine staff from the box. Just like what happened to you moments ago, lightning suddenly struck from nowhere, killing him instantly. The staff fell back into the box. Neighbors who heard the thunder came to investigate and spread the story, claiming the captain had been divinely punished for disrespecting a sacred artifact. His family became too afraid to touch the box after that, which is how I eventually purchased it at a high price," the wealthy merchant recounted slowly.
Victor's expression darkened. "So you knew exactly what would happen... yet still let me get struck by lightning? What exactly were you planning?" His charred, frazzled appearance made his glare almost comical.
The merchant coughed awkwardly. "Ahem... I could tell you weren't ordinary. That lightning definitely wouldn't kill you - I've tested it before. I originally wanted to harness this power for myself, but after years of attempts I still couldn't control it."
"Then five years ago in West Blue, I happened upon a group who could actually read the script inside the box. They turned out to be archaeologists from Ohara - this was before that island earned its 'Demon Island' moniker. I only consulted them about the text, nothing more!"
The portly merchant watched Victor nervously. With Ohara now taboo as the "Island of Demons," he feared they might arrest him on the spot and quickly explained his reasoning.
Victor considered the timeline - it was late 1504 now. Ohara had been destroyed by Buster Call in 1500, when Nico Robin was just eight years old, left to wander the seas alone. The tragedy of Ohara represented one of the World Government's greatest crimes - exterminating an entire island to erase the history of the Void Century.
But that was five years ago. Victor had no personal stake in it, nor did he believe Ohara had done anything wrong. He glanced at Gion, who showed no particular reaction, then nodded at the merchant to indicate they wouldn't pursue the matter.
"The archaeologists spent half a month deciphering before finally producing results just as I was about to give up," the merchant continued. "The inscription reads: 'Await the chosen one's arrival, who shall wield it to restore clarity to the world.'"
Victor pondered the cryptic message, so characteristic of ancient texts. "'The chosen one'... Could this be the same prophesied figure the Sea Kings await? Might it be Luffy? Yet I feel drawn to this artifact... What should I do?" he wondered silently.
"After the Ohara incident the following year, I became even more cautious about revealing this. To keep the divine artifact secret, I fabricated the story about a mythical beast to explain the thunderous sounds from my villa," the merchant explained.
"Two more years of research yielded no progress - I still couldn't control it. Realizing I wasn't the prophesied one and that keeping it might bring disaster, I began inviting various extraordinary individuals to attempt wielding it. None succeeded... until your attempt today, which also failed," he concluded with a sigh.
---
If you can, support me on pa treon:
Pa treon. com/ RightTranslations (No spaces)
Up to 50 chapters ahead.
You can also support by leaving a review