Room of Authority, Mary Geoise
"Clang!" The sound of the teacup shattering resonated throughout the room as Elder Warcury huffed and puffed, having just gotten off the transponder snail. The faces of the other Elders darkened, knowing that whatever news had enraged Warcury was not good.
"Compose yourself, Topman. Tell us what happened," Elder Saturn, the eldest among them, commanded, tapping his staff on the ground with a resounding thud to quell the unsightly behavior of his colleague.
"It's gone! It's not there anymore!" Elder Warcury took a deep breath and replied as he sat back down, his face flushed with frustration and anger.
"What's gone? What's not there anymore?" Elder Nusjuro questioned, his expression turning gloomy as he braced for the worst.
"Pheeeew, the Poneglyphs. The ones at Fish-Man Island—they seem to have vanished into thin air," Elder Warcury explained, his voice tinged with disbelief.
The entire room froze, the temperature dropping noticeably. All the remaining elders, except for Elder Saturn, shot up in shock at Warcury's words. Even Jaygarcia tightened his grip on his staff, causing it to creak under the pressure as his knuckles turned white. He responded with a single, growled question, his voice barely containing his fury.
"How? How is this possible?" His haki manifested unconsciously, soaring out and sending cracks spider-webbed across the marbled floor.
The tension in the room was palpable, a heavy silence settling over the elders as they processed the gravity of the situation. The poneglyphs were invaluable, ancient artifacts that held the key to the world's most profound secrets, their secrets. Their disappearance was nothing short of catastrophic.
Warcury, still catching his breath, elaborated, "Reports came in just now. The agents that I had sent in ahead to Fish-Man Island found the sea bed where the Poneglyph earlier was completely empty. No signs of forced retreival; no traces left behind. It's as if they vanished into thin air."
Elder Mars's face was contorted with a mix of anger and fear. "This cannot be! The Poneglyphs are vital to our control over the world's knowledge. Without them, the balance of power shifts!"
Elder Ju Peter, despite his outward calm, radiated a controlled fury. "We must ascertain who is responsible for this. If the Poneglyphs have fallen into the wrong hands..."
He left the implication hanging in the air, the dire consequences understood by all present. The possibility of the poneglyphs being used to uncover forbidden knowledge or to challenge the World Government's supremacy was a threat they could not afford to ignore.
Elder Warcury, regaining some composure, added, "I've already ordered an immediate investigation. Our best agents are on it, but we need to mobilize our resources. This incident cannot be allowed to escalate."
Elder Mars nodded, his mind already strategizing. "Indeed. We must act swiftly and decisively. Inform CP0 and ensure that all intelligence networks are alerted. We need to retrieve the Poneglyphs at any cost."
"No, we cannot rely on others regarding this matter. It has already escalated into something we can no longer ignore," Elder Saturn commented, his voice carrying the weight of authority as he made a decisive decision. He turned to Topman, Elder Warcury, with a stern gaze.
"It was your duty to retrieve the red poneglyph. Now, you will personally sort out this mess. Leave for Fish-Man Island immediately. Sink the island if you must, but find the whereabouts of the Red Poneglyph. It was the only one on this side of the New World, and we cannot afford to lose track of it," Elder Saturn commanded, assigning the duty directly to Warcury.
After Roger's conquest of the Grand Line, the Elders implemented various measures to ensure that such a situation did not repeat itself. They had set their sights on the Red Poneglyph at Fish-Man Island. After careful consideration, they had found a way to secure that particular red poneglyph. However, before they could execute their plan, the red poneglyph seemed to have vanished.
Perhaps they had made a mistake by not continuously monitoring the Red Poneglyph. However, it was not a feasible idea, considering it was located on Fish-Man Island—a completely hostile territory, despite what they liked to believe.
Warcury nodded solemnly, accepting the weight of the task assigned to him. "Understood, I will leave at once and ensure that the Red Poneglyph is retrieved, no matter the cost."
As Warcury prepared to depart, the urgency of the situation weighed heavily on everyone's mind. The disappearance of the Red Poneglyph was a dire threat to the World Government's control over the world's secrets.
If it fell into the wrong hands, the consequences could be catastrophic. With determination in his heart, Warcury set out on his mission. Who knows what kind of storm this would cause, because when was the last time one of the Elder Planets personally took action?
*********************
The underwater journey turned out to be quite different from what I had expected. It was a fascinating experience, unlike anything I had ever encountered before. Even my restless brother, Doffy, seemed unusually calm as he sat atop an empty barrel, mesmerized by the wonders of the deep sea.
However, our tranquil atmosphere was abruptly shattered by a shrill scream from one of the mermaids on board. "Ghost...ghost... there is a ghost on board!" she exclaimed, scurrying outside in a panic to escape from the cabin where the ghost supposedly lurked.
I couldn't help but chuckle as I used my observation haki to investigate the situation. It didn't take long for me to figure out the source of the commotion. It seemed we had forgotten all about little Smoker, the kid we had shackled in a sea stone and then stuffed into a barrel to prevent him from causing trouble.
We had been hauling him around from island to island without his consent, completely neglecting his presence. Honestly, I hadn't meant to treat the kid so carelessly—it's just that with everything that had happened since Water 7, he had slipped my mind entirely.
As Doffy and I exchanged sheepish glances, we realized our oversight and burst into laughter at the absurdity of the situation. Poor little Smoker, unwittingly playing the role of the "ghost" on our underwater voyage!
With a quick exchange of words, Doffy signaled to Iceburg to retrieve the kid from within the barrel. Iceburg, always the dutiful one, approached the barrel cautiously and lifted the lid.
But just as he did, little Smoker burst out with righteous fury, tackling Iceburg to the ground in a fit of rage. He didn't even bother to look at who he was attacking, his eyes ablaze with indignation.
Although confined within the barrel, Smoker had managed to maintain his strength with ample food and water. However, being shackled by sea stones had left him a bit pale, but his determination was as fiery as ever.
"You bastards! You forgot about me completely, didn't you? I'm going to freaking kill you both!" He roared, struggling to claw his way toward Doffy, who couldn't contain his laughter at the sight of Smoker's outburst.
"Don't you dare laugh!" Smoker bellowed, his face contorted with anger. "I gotta take a leak! Get lost, get lost, you fool!" With a swift kick, he sent poor Iceburg tumbling away, desperately searching for a latrine to relieve himself.
As Iceburg scrambled to his feet, his dignity somewhat bruised from the unexpected attack, Doffy continued to chuckle, thoroughly amused by the entire situation. Meanwhile, Little Smoker, still fuming, stormed off in search of a much-needed bathroom break, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake.
As Iceburg recovered from the unexpected tackle, he couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. "Well, that was certainly an entrance," he muttered to himself, rubbing his sore shoulder.
Doffy, still grinning like a mischievous child, sauntered over to where Iceburg stood, trying to suppress his laughter. "I must say, I didn't expect our little stowaway to pack such a punch," he remarked, flashing a teasing smirk in Iceburg's direction.
Iceburg shot him a wry look. "You seem to find this all rather amusing, don't you?" He retorted, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice too. Despite the chaos, there was something oddly entertaining about the whole situation.
Meanwhile, little Smoker, having finally located a suitable spot, let out a sigh of relief as he relieved himself. His anger had somewhat subsided, replaced now by a sense of satisfaction. But as he zipped up his pants and turned to head back, he caught sight of Doffy and Iceburg sharing a knowing look.
"Hey, what are you two whispering about over there?" he called out, his suspicion reignited. He stormed back over to them, his demeanor still bristling with indignation.
Doffy's grin widened, knowing full well he was about to stoke the flames once again. "Oh, nothing important," he replied casually, his tone dripping with mischief. "I'm just wondering if you'll ever forgive us for forgetting about you."
Smoker's eyes narrowed, and his little fists clenched in frustration. "Forgive you? Ha! Don't make me laugh," he scoffed, though there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Despite his tough exterior, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of hurt at having been left behind.
Just as Little Smoker was about to confront the source of all his problems—the teen who had abducted him—his eyes finally fell on me. With hurried strides, he made his way toward me but then stumbled over something. He turned around to see what had tripped him and found a tall man seated with his hands shackled with seastone, just like himself.
The tall man was none other than Katakuri, who had regained consciousness during the journey. Smoker looked at Katakuri with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, then asked, "Another stowaway? Are you guys running an orphanage or something?" He couldn't help but eye the strongest cadre of the Big Mom Pirates carefully.
Katakuri, despite his battered state, met Smoker's gaze with a calm intensity. "Do I look like a stowaway to you, kid?" He replied, his voice steady but laced with irritation.
Smoker blinked, taken aback by the sheer presence of the man before him. "Well, you're shackled and locked up; the only difference is that you aren't in a barrel just like I was," he pointed out, trying to regain his composure. "What else am I supposed to think?"
Doffy, still enjoying the scene from his perch atop the barrel, burst into laughter. "Oh, this just keeps getting better!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "First, we have a noisy brat as a stowaway, and now we have one of Big Mom's top dogs in the mix. This is turning into quite an entertaining voyage!"
I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. "Calm down, Smoker. Katakuri here is more like... a special guest," I said, my tone dripping with irony. "Let's just say he's taking an involuntary vacation."
Katakuri shot me a glare but remained silent, clearly weighing his options. Smoker, on the other hand, was less amused. "Special guest? Are you kidding me?" he scoffed. "This guy looks like he could break out of those chains any second and tear this ship apart!"
Doffy leaned forward, his grin widening. "That's the fun part, isn't it? Keeps things interesting. Besides, he knows better than to try anything funny with us around."
Smoker shook his head, clearly exasperated. "You guys are insane," he muttered, finally taking a seat on an empty crate. "Just when I think I've seen it all..."
As the ship continued its descent toward Fishman Island, the surreal reality of their journey settled over everyone. The mix of adversaries and allies, all confined together in the depths of the ocean, created a bizarre and tense atmosphere.
After two days of a peaceful journey, we finally approached Fish-Man Island. Normally, we should have been able to reach the island faster if we moved recklessly, but the Fishmen guided the ship through the safest currents. Many of the mermaids were not in a condition for a rough journey, and Doffy and I didn't mind the rare leisure we got.
Since leaving Logue Town, it has all been tiresome. Finally, the lights of the underwater city began to illuminate the dark waters, creating a beautiful and welcoming sight. It was a stark contrast to the destruction and chaos we left behind just a day prior. The crew, despite their exhaustion, couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and anticipation as they made it back home.
"Fish-Man Island," Doffy mused, gazing at the approaching lights. "It's been a while since I've been here. Isn't this your first time on this route, little brother?" he questioned me. When the Donquixote family had ventured into the New World, Doffy had traveled through Fish-Man Island a couple of times. But this was my first time traveling through Fish-Man Island, as during my time in the Marines, we traversed either through the Red Ports or the Calm Belt.
The ship gently docked, and as we prepared to disembark, I turned to Doffy. "We need to depart soon. We'll stock up, make sure the ship is re-coated properly, and leave for the New World. Don't go around causing problems, as they are going to be our future allies. The Marines won't give up on us easily, and neither will Big Mom after what we've done to her prized son." I narrowed my eyes at my brother, setting some ground rules even before we disembarked.
"Come on, little brother, you talk as if I'm the one always causing trouble. If one were to ask who the most innocent man in this world is, that would be me." Doffy chuckled, gesturing that he would keep my words in mind. He then jumped off the ship to experience what Fish-Man Island had to offer, leaving Little Smoker and the prisoner under my care. Iceburg chose to follow Doffy to explore Fish-Man Island, seeing this as a new opportunity to learn.
As I looked around, I saw the mermaids and fishmen beginning to disembark, their eyes wide with relief after all the ordeal they had to go through.
"Ross-kun, we will first take our family back home," the Fishman leader commented, his voice filled with gratitude and relief. "I will personally come find you once they have been settled." He bowed slightly and turned to lead the group of mermen and mermaids back to their homes. Originally, he had intended to leave someone behind to help us navigate Fish-Man Island, but I declined the offer.
As the Fishmen and mermaids departed, their forms gradually disappearing into the bustling streets, I felt a sense of calm wash over me.
Little Smoker, finally free from the shackles, glanced at the bustling scene with a mix of curiosity and defiance. Katakuri, though weakened, stood tall, his presence a constant reminder of the enemies we faced, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a mixture of wariness and curiosity.