Island of White Earth, Baldigo
After the incident in Ohara, the scholars from Ohara, following a long period of wandering, finally found stability here. Settled at last, the Ohara scholars resumed their research on the Poneglyphs.
Many might have given up after facing threats and a Buster Call from the World Government, but not the scholars of Ohara. Instead of losing heart, they were even more determined. Their mission was to uncover and reveal the history that the World Government had buried.
Standing by the window, Dragon gazed into the distance.
"Our power is still too weak. To overthrow the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, we lack sufficient high-level combat strength. And without the emergence of Poseidon, Pluton, or Uranus, we don't have a definitive advantage in basic military strength either..."
"Mr. Dragon, Mr. Dragon..."
Robin's soft voice interrupted Dragon's thoughts.
"Is something the matter, Robin?"
Dragon turned to Robin with a gentle smile.
Twisting her fingers, Robin shyly said, "About getting stronger, I... I wanted to hear your advice..."
"Advice on getting stronger?"
Dragon looked at Robin with some surprise. "If I remember correctly, your dream is to become a great archaeologist, right?"
"Yes, I do want to become an archaeologist, but more importantly, I want to protect everyone! And I won't give up my study of history while getting stronger."
Robin's determination was clear in her eyes. The events in Ohara had deeply affected her. Without strength, even a great scholar like Professor Clover, and the library of the Tree of Knowledge that carried the hopes of many, were helpless against the World Government's force.
Dragon observed Robin thoughtfully.
"If that's the case, you should focus on developing your Devil Fruit abilities and mastering Armament Haki."
"Armament Haki?"
Robin's eyes lit up as she began to ponder.
She was very intelligent, having become Ohara's youngest scholar at a tender age. During the journey to Baldigo, she realized her power was the Paramecia-type Hana Hana no Mi (Flower-Flower Fruit). With the power of a Devil Fruit, she was already ahead on the path to becoming stronger.
Dragon's suggestion to combine her fruit abilities with Armament Haki provided her with significant insight.
"Keep it up."
Seeing Robin lost in thought, Dragon smiled encouragingly. Each person's path to strength is unique; all he could do was offer some guidance.
"Mr. Dragon, Ms. Olvia and Dr. Clover have requested your presence."
At that moment, a member of the Revolutionary Army entered the room to report.
"Alright, I'll be there soon."
When Dragon arrived at the room the Revolutionary Army had allocated for the Ohara scholars, Olvia and Dr. Clover were standing in front of two Poneglyphs. One was brought from Ohara, and the other was discovered accidentally by the Revolutionary Army.
"Poneglyphs..."
Looking at the two people standing before the Poneglyphs and the anxious expressions of the scholars around them, a flash of understanding struck Dragon like lightning.
As the Revolutionary Army grew, they discovered that many kingdoms in the world seemed intricately linked to the Void Century.
Thus, the Revolutionary Army's leadership, including Dragon, placed great importance on the existence of the Poneglyphs.
What exactly happened during the Void Century? How did the Celestial Dragons manage to establish the World Government and rise above all other life forms? Who is the mysterious figure behind the Celestial Dragons?
The Revolutionary Army needed these answers.
The reason was straightforward: the World Government had an inexplicable fear of the truth of that period being revealed.
This alone gave the Revolutionary Army a compelling reason to pursue the truth.
For an organization that lacked both high-end and low-end combat power, deciphering the Poneglyphs could be a crucial step toward overthrowing the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.
"Dr. Clover."
"Ah, it's Mr. Dragon. Olvia, please share our findings with him."
Dr. Clover, who had been intently studying the Poneglyph, snapped out of his thoughts at Dragon's call.
Dragon had anticipated this reaction. Dr. Clover wouldn't have summoned him unless there was a significant breakthrough regarding the Poneglyph.
Meeting Dragon's gaze, Olvia quickly moved to the Poneglyph and gently placed her hand on its surface, her fingers tracing the ancient script that had been lost to the world.
To Olvia, who had spent decades studying this language, the ancient text was as simple as reading common script.
Robin, who had come with Dragon, looked at her mother with admiration and turned her serious gaze to the Poneglyph as well.
"This Poneglyph provides us with a critical piece of the puzzle regarding the Void Century. It tells a story of 'resistance.'"
Touching the Poneglyph, Olvia slightly raised her head, her eyes fixed on the ancient script above. Her voice was filled with excitement:
"It mentions information about an ancient, gigantic kingdom that disappeared 800 years ago and some details about the Celestial Dragons..."
Olvia then began to recount the information they had gleaned from the Poneglyph.
"From our research, we've found that in the Void Century, there existed a mighty ancient kingdom whose power far exceeded that of the current World Government. At that time, the kingdom ruled over all four seas and both halves of the Grand Line.
However, the kingdom suddenly vanished, and everything about it and the reasons for its disappearance are shrouded in the Void Century. Once the Void Century ended, the World Government was established."
"Although there have been many speculations about the World Government's actions to erase the history of the Void Century, there has never been a definitive conclusion."
"And this Poneglyph... it records some information about the fall of the ancient kingdom!"
Hearing Olvia's words, Dragon stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "History is written by the victors. However, if the World Government is already the victor, why would they need to erase the history of the Void Century? Could there be a hidden secret we don't know about?"
Dragon paused at this point.
"Is there any other information besides this?"
"The Poneglyph also mentions the will of 'D'... and 'D' seems to be related to the ancient kingdom."
"Oh? 'D'?"
Dragon pondered deeply. He knew that the Monkey family bore the 'D' in their name, as did Pirate King Roger, whose real name was Gol D. Roger. The World Government had even altered his name on the wanted posters to conceal this.
This naturally led to speculation.
"What are your thoughts on the will of 'D'?"
Dragon looked at Olvia and Dr. Clover.
"Besides the likelihood that 'D' is closely connected to the ancient kingdom and the Celestial Dragons, we don't have much information to analyze," Dr. Clover said, his glasses glinting in the light. "However, I have a bold hypothesis: 'D' might have been the 'Celestial Dragons' of the world from a hundred years before the Void Century!"