Above the storm-ravaged sea, a merchant ship sailed smoothly through the turbulence.
Though the surrounding waves were towering and fierce, they dissipated with an invisible force whenever they approached the vessel.
"Is this... your ability?"
Olvia sat down beside Sakura and raised her coat to shield the girl from the rain.
"Nope, this is a Ninja's Jutsu~"
The exquisitely cute girl flashed a playful smile, her hands maintaining the Tiger hand seal while steadily outputting Chakra.
Several months had passed since Sakura boarded the ship. After revealing her identity as a former crew member of the Pirate King, the scholars on board had become much less wary of her.
Over time, she had taken advantage of the harsh weather during their voyage across the West Blue to train in the Nature Transformation of her Chakra.
Her Chakra Natures were largely the same as in the original work, Water, Earth, Yin, and Yang.
Among these, the training for Water Chakra Nature Transformation, which corresponds to the fluid characteristics of water, was particularly suited to the One Piece World, as it was by ocean.
"Your identity is quite strange, child… one moment a pirate, the next a Ninja. Do you have any other identities?"
Olvia gazed at the girl's face and couldn't help but ask.
"Probably not... right?"
Sakura hesitated for a moment, answering somewhat uncertainly.
As the two chatted, a scholar from the cabin brought out freshly cooked food.
"Hey, lunch is ready! Come and eat!"
Hearing the call, Sakura's eyes lit up, but her concentration on maintaining Chakra output wavered.
This caused the protective barrier around the ship to banish, and a massive wave crashed into the vessel, causing it to rock violently.
"Ah!"
Watching the prepared food get swept away by the wave, the light in Sakura's emerald-green eyes dimmed.
"I'm sorry."
"Hahaha, it's alright, it's alright..."
The scholar laughed and ruffled Sakura's hair, while the other scholars also came over to comfort her.
"See, Sakura-chan is much more reliable than Sutton~"
"Hey, do you want to fight?"
"Tsk, such savages. Are you really scholars?"
"Shut up, effeminate Ref! You're the disgrace of scholars! Today, I'll personally rid Ohara of its shame!"
The large group of scholars roughhoused noisily on the deck. Though trapped in a desperate situation amidst terrifying waves and storms, everyone's laughter was genuinely heartfelt.
Having touched upon forbidden knowledge, they had long since disregarded life and death. Those gathered on this ship were people filled with ideals, striving to reclaim the ancient memories that had been distorted, diluted, and rewritten.
-For the future of their children and those faint whispers that had not yet been completely erased.
"What a nice ship!"
Watching the boisterous scholars, Sakura found herself unwittingly moved by them.
As men of the sea and knowledgeable scholars, their 'exchange' lasted well into the night.
Everyone was utterly exhausted, collapsing haphazardly across the ship's deck.
Sakura, full and content, also leaned inside the cabin, wrapped in the blanket Olvia had given her, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day.
"Dr. Nico, look at that!"
A voice from outside the cabin woke Sakura. The girl opened her hazy eyes to the sound of waves lapping against the hull and the cries of seagulls.
Stretching, she pushed open the cabin door and saw an island so vast its ends were beyond sight.
On the island, colossal objects abandoned in the wilds of beasts, giant forests concealing unyielding souls, and sheer massive structures formed a breathtaking temple, writing the traces of gigantic beings that had once existed here.
"This is... a creation of the Giants!"
Such an exaggerated scale, even in the One Piece World where bizarre races are as common as hairs on a bull, could only be used and constructed by a race known as the Giants.
"Yes, this is exactly what we set out to sea to find."
Olvia's gaze was somewhat distant as she stretched her hands toward the colossal structure before her.
For the sake of her husband's dying wish, she had thrown herself into the sea, leaving behind her two-year-old daughter, all to uncover the truth of history.
Now, with both the interpreter and the text right before her eyes, how could she not be stirred to the depths of her soul?
"Wait, weren't you searching for the Void Century? What does that have to do with the Giants?"
Sakura also recalled the ancient ruins where she had obtained her Devil Fruit and the words of apology inscribed there.
"According to Ohara's research, we discovered that after a certain war ended, an Ancient Giant group known as the [Galleila Band] was commissioned to build a massive ship."
"Our voyage this time is to trace their footsteps, to fill in the gaps in our research on the Void Century from their perspective."
As Olvia explained this to Sakura, the aged merchant ship gradually approached the island.
After Sutton dropped the anchor, the scholars on board couldn't wait to rush off the ship and sprint toward the distant temple.
"A place like this actually exists hidden in the West Blue? Has the World Government not moved to erase it?"
Walking through the jungle alongside Olvia, Sakura extended her Observation Haki, touching upon various areas.
"Rather than destroying ruins hidden all over the world, isn't dealing with people directly the most efficient method?"
Olvia's brows furrowed deeply, her face filled with disdain.
'It seemed the scholars of Ohara had not been spared the World Government's ruthless tactics in their daily lives.'
Suddenly, a red light flashed across Sakura's pupils… her Observation Haki had detected a large number of life forms approaching.
"Hey, stop! Something's coming!"
Sakura's roar brought the group of scholars to a halt, and they quickly drew their weapons, preparing for danger.
Boom!
A giant claw tore through the forest, sharp teeth crushed giant trees… the 'masters' who had guarded this ancient temple for years were now gazing down at these tiny humans with bestial eyes.
"M-monsters!" A scholar cried out incoherently.
Giant ape, mammoth, black wolf, massive snake, polar bear... The enormous bodies of these colossal beasts made it impossible for them to muster any will to resist.
"Sakura, run... run now!"
Olvia, with her pupils constricted and sweat beading on her forehead, reached out to grab Sakura beside her.
However, the girl who should have been standing obediently by her side was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, really? So you were left here to stand guard?"
Sakura's voice rang out in the distance. The scholars, fleeing in panic, turned to look.
Only then did they realize that the petite girl had somehow already resolved the crisis.
The giant ape held up its hands, with Sakura standing calmly on its palm.
The black wolf sat obediently, extending its snout for her to pet.
The polar bear stretched out its paw, offering honey to share with her.
Even the huge mammoth and giant snake stood beside her, shaking their heads as if telling Sakura something.
"Eh???"
A crowd of scholars stood with their mouths agape, eyes bulging out of their sockets.
A short while later, at the entrance of the giant temple.
"Bye-bye!"
Sakura waved her hand, bidding farewell to the retreating giant beasts.
"You really are a child full of surprises, aren't you!"
Olvia said with a mix of exasperation and amusement, cupping Sakura's face and lifting her up.
"Mmph, is that the point? Shouldn't exploring the temple be more important right now!"
Sakura mumbled through her pinched cheeks, her dangling feet kicking helplessly.
"Yes, it's time to listen carefully to the voices in these silent places."
With that, Olvia released Sakura.
Striding forward, she stepped into the darkness of the temple.