"This is...."
Sakura and the others raised their torches, the faint starlight of human civilization illuminating ancient memories.
In that instant, what unfolded before all the scholars was a mural spanning the entire wall of the colossal temple.
Like a silent confession, the message left by the Ancient Giants eight hundred years ago slumbered here, sending forth a conviction that would be delivered even through destruction to a distant, unreachable future.
"The Hale Sacred Codex!"
Seeing the mural before her, Sakura unconsciously read aloud the four large characters at its center.
"What is that?"
The surrounding scholars anxiously crowded around Sakura, and Olvia voiced their confusion on their behalf.
But Sakura didn't answer them. Her gaze was distant and hazy.
In her daze, she saw survival, death, conflict, chaos, order, stars, continents, oceans...
And from the depths of ancient times, a great spear striving to carve out freedom for all living beings!
-The Spear of Elbaf!
The tumultuous will that had resounded eight hundred years ago unfolded before Sakura with astonishing clarity.
"Ugh!"
Facing the fierce light of the great spear, Sakura gasped and jolted awake.
"Sakura! Sakura?"
When she came to her senses, Sakura realized she was being held in Olvia's arms, the woman calling her name repeatedly.
"Sorry for worrying you."
Sakura steadied herself with Olvia's support.
"What did you see just now?!"
A curious scholar leaned in, while others around them pulled out paper and pens, ready to record Sakura's words at any moment.
"Will… a will that has endured for eight hundred years!"
"It seems the Ancient Giants had a technique for preserving their will within objects. Just now, it 'struck' me fiercely across time and space."
Sakura raised a hand to cover her eyes, then threw her head back and laughed heartily.
The scholars hurriedly noted down her words, and then Olvia stepped forward to press further.
"Anything else? How much do you know about this mural?"
"This is the Hale Sacred Codex, a story passed down through generations among the Giant Tribe. The ancient legend reveals… the world we live in has been destroyed twice before!"
Combining the story of the second civilization depicted on the mural, Sakura referenced some vague text and began translating for them.
Long ago, a vast kingdom emerged, possessing incredibly advanced technology and ideas far ahead of other regions.
A person from this great kingdom spread its ideology far and wide, inciting enslaved people across nations to rise up in rebellion. War erupted everywhere.
In the end, kings who feared this individual united under the influence of another ideology, forming a temporary coalition army. They defeated the great kingdom and shaped the world as it is today.
"Yes! This matches earlier fragmented texts, and it's even more comprehensive!"
A scholar who had finished cross-referencing exclaimed joyfully. The other scholars trembled with excitement, embracing each other in small groups to celebrate.
"Finally..."
Tears welled in Olvia's eyes. Her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed.
"Are you alright, Olvia?"
Sakura quickly stepped forward to support her, preventing her from falling.
"I'm fine. Thank you, truly... thank you!"
Olvia pulled Sakura into a tight embrace, her tears of emotion dripping onto the stone floor.
What followed was the scholars' work. They meticulously replicated the mural to scale and enlisted Sakura's help to translate and organize the materials.
Months flew by, and the exploration of the temple neared its end.
During her involvement in the research, Sakura not only learned the common written language of the One Piece World but also studied ancient texts alongside the scholars of Ohara.
"Hehe, now I'm your accomplice!"
The worn-out merchant ship set sail once more, and Sakura, seated at the bow, teased the scholars behind her with a grin.
"Welcome!"
"We're glad to have you!"
"Come back to Ohara with us!"
The scholars laughed, raising their cups high. Amid laughter and the clinking of wooden mugs, they drained their drinks.
Just as Sakura raised her own cup, a cannon blast shattered the festive atmosphere.
"Hmm!"
Sakura whipped around, her Water Attribute Chakra controlling the seawater and whipping it into a swirling vortex.
Boom-!
The cannonball struck the seawater, triggering a violent explosion.
Blazing flames and shockwaves swept across the sea, crashing heavily onto the merchant ship as fire began to spread across the deck.
"Tch, still not proficient enough." Sakura clicked her tongue in frustration.
"N-no... it's bad! It's the World Government's Marines!"
Sutton, wearing glasses, shouted in alarm. Some scholars scrambled to put out the fire, while others rushed into the cabin to salvage the precious documents.
On the battleship in the distance, upon realizing they had fired upon an ordinary vessel, Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul, the commanding officer aboard, reprimanded his soldiers.
"Cease fire! Couldn't we just capture them? They're not ruthless pirates!"
"Are you all so incompetent that you can't even apprehend a group of scholars?!"
The chastised Marines halted their bombardment, though some soldiers had a glint of disdain in their eyes.
Suddenly, the sound of someone using Geppo to thread through the air caught everyone's attention.
The Marines looked up to see a petite figure rapidly approaching them.
"Yo! Giant Marine!"
"You've got some nerve attacking our ship!"
Her domineering presence seized everyone's attention, dark lightning crackling with earth-shattering intensity.
An overwhelming aura centered around the girl in the sky, shaking the entire scene.
Marines lacking sufficient strength had no resistance against this terrifying presence… their eyes rolled back as they collapsed to the ground.
"Conqueror's Haki!!!"
Saul felt cold sweat drip down his forehead, his face etched with shock and disbelief.
But the current situation left no room for distraction, as the girl was charging toward him at high speed.
Her small fist gathered a rebellious will, even before making contact, the endless impact stirred up gusts of wind, stinging his face with pain.
"... Harald-sama?"
In Saul's eyes, the imposing aura radiating from the petite girl felt strangely familiar, 'The way she threw her punch resembled... the Great Spear of Elbaf!!??'
'But how is this possible? Even if she is really a Royalty, her size didn't match!'
Caught off guard, Saul didn't even have time to use Armament Haki before Sakura's fist shattered his defense and slammed into his head.
Boom-!
The power of the Giant Royalty roared triumphantly… the residual shockwaves of the impact reverberated through the giant's body, delivering searing pain.
Facing Sakura's fist without using Armament Haki was something even the top fighters of the Roger Pirates wouldn't dare attempt lightly, yet Saul had inadvertently achieved it.
It was only thanks to the Giants' rugged durability and tenacious vitality that Saul survived such a brutal blow.
However, the cost was far heavier than he had imagined.
"No good... this power..."
Dizziness overwhelmed Saul's mind, his vision beginning to spin and blur.
The giant's massive body lost consciousness, crashing heavily onto the deck.
"Ahahaha, I win!"
Sakura landed nimbly on the Marine battleship, laughing triumphantly… though not a single Marine remained standing to challenge her.
"Not a single one with any backbone, huh?"
Sakura glanced around with a look of disappointment on her face.
But when her eyes fell upon the unconscious Saul, they lit up with an idea.
She strode forward, exerted her immense strength to hoist Saul onto her shoulders, and then hurled him toward the distant merchant ship.
Immediately after, Sakura used Geppo to leap back onto her own ship.
"Sigh!"
The scholars on board had already grown accustomed to this girl's reckless behavior.
However, on the Marine Battleship, a soldier barely clinging to consciousness struggled to dial a help call.
"Re... report! The Vice Ad... Admiral… he's been captured by pirates!!!"