Chapter 102: The Leader of The Zodiac, His Name is 'Star Lord'!
In the center of the ruins of the ancient city of Shandora.
"It's amazing. The entire city is in ruins, yet the Poneglyph was perfectly preserved..."
Nico Robin held her notebook, staring excitedly at the massive stone block.
The sadness from seeing the destroyed ancient altars around her seemed to vanish. For her, being able to read a Poneglyph was the most important thing.
However...
"..."
Amidst her excitement, Robin glanced curiously at Yuji behind her. Ever since he suddenly flew into the sky earlier, his mood seemed low.
And it was true.
"The Golden Bell, the belfry, even the base—everything is gone. Only the Poneglyph remains... The target was incredibly specific."
Under the Bird Mask, Roy's expression was grim.
He knew the Poneglyph existed, so that wasn't surprising.
The problem was—originally, a massive Golden Bell, the symbol of Shandora, should have been above this Poneglyph.
But clearly, the Golden Bell was gone.
And now, Roy knew the source of all this.
Davy · D · Xebec.
Or perhaps a more familiar name—'King of the World' Rocks · D · Xebec.
Yes, Roy was certain now.
The person who took Skypiea's gold, used powerful slashes to carve the entire island as a canvas, and left that cryptic message was none other than the strongest man who ruled an era before Pirate King Roger.
If nothing unexpected happened, he was likely the source of the massive changes in the Skypiea plot.
But what Roy didn't understand was—when exactly did he come here? And who was that message for?
"Is it the butterfly effect? But that's not right... I wasn't even in the One Piece world during Rocks' era!"
"And with this, my plan for Devil Fruit freedom is ruined again?"
Roy muttered internally.
Although he had vaguely realized the situation on Skypiea might differ greatly from his knowledge, confirming it with his own eyes still left him with regret.
Just as he was feeling melancholy...
"There's another text here... it seems to have been carved later by someone else."
He heard Robin's surprised voice again.
Only then did Yuji notice—on a stone beneath the Poneglyph, hidden by vegetation, another message was carved in the ancient script.
If it were just that, Yuji wouldn't be too surprised—he could guess who carved it.
But the key was...
In the next moment, he heard the word Robin whispered in confusion as she deciphered the text.
"[Star Lord]..."
As she uttered the word, Robin felt it.
VMMM!
The familiar Conqueror's Haki erupted from Yuji beside her.
The sheer pressure flattened the surrounding grass instantly, and Robin once again felt like fainting.
But in the next second, the intense pressure vanished.
Then, Robin heard Yuji's question.
"What did you just say?"
His voice carried unprecedented gravity.
"..."
After a brief pause, Robin didn't hesitate. "It seems like a complaint left by a latecomer like us—when he arrived, the city was already destroyed."
"...And?"
Yuji nodded, unsurprised.
This matched his guess.
He could even confirm who left the message—'Pirate King' Gol · D · Roger.
In the original story, Roger visited Skypiea on his final voyage and asked Kozuki Oden, a member of the stonemason clan, to leave a message by the base of the Golden Bell.
But now, the situation was different.
Yuji was almost certain Rocks took the gold.
So, when Roger arrived here... the scene he saw was likely similar to what Yuji saw today.
Thus, Roger's message, originally meant for the Golden Bell's base, was carved beside the Poneglyph instead.
But the key was...
"What did he write?"
That was the crucial question.
According to Yuji's knowledge, Roger originally left a cryptic message: "I have come here and will lead this passage to the farthest ends of the world."
But now...
"He mentioned two people. He seemed to be lamenting."
Robin said without hesitation.
She pointed at the text and read it aloud to Yuji.
[I didn't expect anyone could actually make that guy make such a choice.]
[Star Lord, what kind of existence are you? Truly intriguing.]
[Unfortunately, I probably won't have the chance to meet you, will I?]
After reciting the text, she looked at Yuji eagerly.
"Lord Yuji, do you know who carved this? And who are 'that guy' and 'Star Lord'?"
She was genuinely curious. Although the exact time couldn't be determined, she was certain this text was carved less than forty years ago.
This meant both the carver and the people mentioned... might still be alive!
For Robin, someone who could write in the ancient script was of immense interest.
But...
"..."
Yuji glanced at Robin.
After a moment of silence, he spoke softly. "The person who carved this text is Gol · D · Roger."
"The 'that guy' he mentioned is Rocks · D · Xebec."
Just these two names were enough to shake the entire sea.
But Yuji's final answer made Robin doubt her ears.
"As for 'Star Lord'."
Yuji's voice wavered slightly. "As the name suggests—Star Lord, the Master of The Zodiac."
"It is... our Leader's codename."
Thud!
Robin's notebook fell to the ground.
"Lea... Lea..."
Overwhelmed by shock, her thoughts slowed to a crawl.
It took her a long while to realize the incredible information she had just heard.
For the first time on this sea—a top executive of The Zodiac personally revealed the codename of their Leader.
His name was... Star Lord.
But Robin didn't know.
Yuji's shock was no less than hers.
Under the mask, Roy knew best—'Star Lord' was indeed the codename for The Zodiac's Leader.
But he had only decided on this codename two days ago.
And now...
This message from Roger, existing for at least twenty years, mentioned this codename!
"Wait... could it be..."
After a brief hesitation, Roy realized the impossible possibility.
He looked at the screen in his mind's eye, at a specific fruit in the Encyclopedia.
[Return-Return Fruit]
[Fruit Awakening · Unique · Chrono Field: Revert the time of everything within the field, including the user. Reversion lasts 5 hours. Requires 30 Billion Berries for Unlock.]
[Note: This ability is single-use only. Cannot be blocked by any means. The time reverted is completely random and uncontrollable.]
That was the only possibility he could think of.
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