Author: Xiao Yifeng
Translator: PapaSmurf0700
Aboard the Golden Merry, the atmosphere was a blend of curiosity and apprehension. Chopper, hugging Nami's calf, peeked out with wide eyes, mostly exposing himself behind her. "Robin is so scary!" he whispered, both fascinated and frightened by her actions.
Nami, momentarily distracted from the puzzling behavior of the Log Pose, turned her attention to Robin, "Robin, what are you doing?" she asked, perplexed. Robin was deeply engrossed in examining the skull from the wreckage, carefully fitting together broken bone fragments. To Nami and Chopper, the sight was unsettling.
However, not everyone shared their trepidation. Sanji, always enamored with Robin, leaned close beside her, his eyes turning into hearts. 'The combination of a skeleton and a beautiful woman has a special flavor... Robin-san!!!' he exclaimed, much to the bemusement of Bai Ye, who internally remarked, 'What a butt-licker!'.
Zoro, cutting through the tension and oblivious to Sanji's antics, addressed Robin directly, "Did you find anything?" Robin, after a moment of careful examination, took a satisfied breath and nodded. "The repair is complete," she announced. She then pointed to a peculiar hole in the skull, drawing everyone's attention. "This hole seems to be man-made," she noted.
Sanji, snapping back to the matter at hand, chimed in with a question, "Huh? Then, did this guy get stabbed in the head and die?" Robin, however, disagreed with a shake of her head, "No, this is a scar from an operation, it seems to be called..." She paused, her expression reflecting deep thought.
In the midst of the group's curiosity and confusion, Chopper's quiet voice broke through, "Head piercing technique." Everyone turned towards him as he approached Robin, adding, "It's what people used to do when treating brain tumors." Despite his usual timidity, Chopper spoke with confidence when it came to his field of expertise. "However, this medical technique is very ancient," he noted, looking up at Robin with his innocent, wide eyes.
Robin acknowledged Chopper's input with a pat on his head, "That's right," she agreed, "That's because this person has been dead for about 200 years." Holding up the skull, she pointed out the well-preserved teeth, "See, his teeth are better preserved than the other bones, likely tarred. This was a custom in the South Blue."
As the discussion unfolded, Robin produced a book from her collection and began flipping through it. "According to this book, this ship could have been an expedition vessel or something similar," she speculated. After a moment of searching, she triumphantly announced, "Found it! The Kingdom of Briss in the South Blue once built a ship named St. Briss." She showed a picture from the book to the crew, comparing it to the wreck they had encountered. "This ship looks identical to the one that fell."
Robin then delivered the most startling revelation, "And the sailing time of the St. Briss is..." She paused, looking around at her audience before continuing, "208 years ago!"
The revelation left the crew in a prolonged silence, each member absorbing the enormity of what Robin had shared. Usopp finally broke the silence, his voice tinged with awe, "So the ship has been adrift in the sky for over 200 years?" Nami, impressed by Robin's expertise, chimed in, "You can deduce so much just from a skull; you really are an amazing archaeologist, Robin."
Robin acknowledged their comments with a modest smile and continued to theorize, "Since this ship fell from the sky, it's likely that they once journeyed to a sky island. If we could find something like the ship's logbook or a crew diary, we might uncover even more details."
Zoro, upon hearing this, instinctively looked towards the sea, only to notice the wreckage sinking and Luffy flailing in the water, apparently in trouble. "Idiot!!" Zoro exclaimed, diving into the sea to rescue Luffy. A short while later, Luffy, now safe but beaten by an angry Zoro, apologized, "I am very sorry!"
Despite the mishap, Luffy's escapade hadn't been entirely fruitless. Usopp examined an old paper Luffy had brought back, and to his surprise, he announced, "That's a... Map of Sky Island!"
The map retrieved by Luffy sparked curiosity and excitement among the crew, with the concept of Sky Island now seeming more plausible to them. However, Nami, ever the skeptic and seasoned navigator, raised a valid point, "Maybe it's fake? There are a lot of fake maps these days, right?" Her extensive experience in navigation made her wary of accepting such extraordinary claims against her understanding of the seas.
Her skepticism, while unique among the more adventurous crew, was not unfounded. Yet, the very nature of their journey on the Grand Line often defied conventional wisdom, allowing the others to embrace the possibility more readily. It's like the shifting paradigms of known planets; what's accepted as fact can change, challenging established beliefs.
Robin, with her own wealth of experience and wisdom, gently reminded Nami, "On the Grand Line, the first principle is to never doubt the Log Pose, Miss Nami. If you want to doubt, you can only doubt the so-called common sense in your mind." Her words nudged Nami towards reconsideration. With a mix of reluctance and curiosity, Nami acknowledged the slim possibility, "It's just a map, and the information is still too little," indicating her partial, yet not complete, acceptance of the idea.
As the discussion continued, Sanji shifted focus to the immediate and practical task at hand, "The next thing to do is to dive into the sea to salvage the information inside the wreckage."
As the crew deliberated over how to proceed with the salvage operation, Bai Ye's voice interjected, offering an unexpected solution, "No need to do anything, just leave the salvage work to professionals." The crew turned to find a new, rather unusual figure standing among them - a person resembling a large monkey.
This unexpected arrival was none other than the captain of the Masira Pirates, known as the "Salvage King" Masira, who had a bounty of 23 million Bellys on his head. The crew exchanged surprised and curious glances, wondering, "Who is this guy!!"
Masira, reveling in the attention, struck a confident pose and introduced himself, "I am the captain of the Pirate Ship, I'm Salvage King Masira! My mission here is to salvage the sunken ship." He shifted into another dramatic pose, asserting, "Leave it to my team, we are professionals."
The crew observed the enthusiastic orangutan-like pirate, who seemed poised to strike yet another pose, and then turned to Bai Ye with puzzled expressions. They silently questioned, 'Where did you find this guy?' Bai Ye, sensing the confusion and skepticism from his crewmates, decided it was best to clarify the situation promptly.
He explained that during the chaos of Zoro's dive into the sea, he had encountered the pirate ship of Masira. After boarding and conversing with them, he discovered they were a professional salvage team. Recognizing the potential benefit of their expertise, Bai Ye had taken the initiative to bring Captain Masira to the Golden Merry to assist with their current predicament.
-----
The orangutan, known as Masira, was visibly taken aback when he heard the crew's audacious plan. "You guys, are you going to Sky Island?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. Luffy, with unwavering determination, affirmed their goal, "Yes, we're going there." Something about Luffy's steadfast gaze stirred a sense of familiarity in Masira, reminding him of the resolute spirit his brother possessed.
In a spirit of camaraderie, Masira eagerly provided the crew with the Eternal Pose to Jaya Island, mentioning that his elder brother might have some useful information. Grateful for this lead, the Straw Hats adjusted their course and set their sights on Jaya Island.
The journey was filled with curious encounters. The crew found amusement and wonder in a medium-sized sea creature resembling a turtle that persistently followed the Merry. They marveled at the sight of rare cumulus clouds painting the sky. Perhaps most startling was the vision of a huge, humanoid figure looming high above them, which frightened away the turtle and sent a chill down the spine of every crew member.
Bai Ye, observing the giant silhouette and the crew's reaction, casually leaned against the ship's side and suggested, "Perhaps, it might be someone from Sky Island."
The crew's reaction to Bai Ye's suggestion was one of collective astonishment. "What?!" they echoed, unable to hide their surprise at the thought. "Are the people on Sky Island actually that big?!!" they pondered, the possibility seeming as fantastical as it was terrifying.
Amidst the shock, Luffy's excitement shone through, undeterred by the potential danger. "It's so interesting, could it be a race bigger than Dorry and the other giants?" he speculated, thrilled at the prospect of encountering such colossal beings.
Robin, however, wasn't as easily startled. With a calm demeanor, she clarified, "That's probably not what Bai Ye meant." She turned to Bai Ye, who elaborated with a smile, "It could be refraction. Because the person is much closer to the sky than we are, strong sunlight might refract a person's shadow into the thick clouds, making them appear like a huge giant."
Robin, upon hearing Bai Ye's explanation, couldn't help but slightly smile. 'Your words seem to be of a legend that has not been widely spread, Deputy Captain,' she remarked. Bai Ye, meeting Robin's smile, felt a twitch at the corners of his mouth. Since Robin's arrival, his joy of impressing the crew with his knowledge had disappeared.
-----
After serving drinks to Robin and Nami, Sanji couldn't resist calling out to Zoro, who was perched on the observation deck. "Hey, mosshead, haven't you seen the island yet?" he asked, a hint of irritation in his voice. Zoro, unamused and unfazed, put down his telescope and retorted, "Huh? You perverted cook, are you questioning me? I've said it many times, I haven't seen it yet. If you don't believe me, come up and look for yourself."
The tense exchange was interrupted when three seagulls abruptly landed on the deck of the Golden Merry. Concerned, Chopper rushed over to examine them, providing his medical expertise. Luffy, ever practical in his own way, entertained the idea of roasting the seagulls. However, Chopper's attention was soon captured by something more troubling. After extracting a bullet, he looked up in shock, "They... were hit by bullets?!"
Usopp, intrigued by the mystery, scanned the surrounding sea, pondering the source of the shots. "No gunshots were heard, and judging by the direction, it must have been shot from directly opposite us," he deduced, hinting at the presence of a formidable sniper in their path.
Meanwhile, far away on the west coast of Jaya Island, a man named Van Augur, also known as The Supersonic, a member of the Blackbeard Pirates, stood poised with a powerful sniper rifle. His appearance was distinctive: tall and slender, with light brown hair, black glasses with an unconventional crosshair lens, a large black hat, and a long black cape over a pale lavender shirt and black pants. He gazed in the direction of his recent shot, a mix of satisfaction and indifference in his expression. "It must be very painful. Only on that one, I didn't hit the vital point. But, that's also the choice of fate!" he mused.