Ace's small ship, resembling a flaming spark against the horizon, glided ahead of my small fleet of three ships. His speed was impressive, even though he declined my offer to transfer to one of my ships. "I'm used to my ship," he explained with a polite but firm smile, while not hiding his obvious reluctance to be among my puppets.
Each of my ships moved with effort. To keep up the pace, I had to recreate a projection of a Smoker and a Crocodile, and also use a Doflamingo. The sandy wind pushed our sails, the smoke swirled the air currents, and thin but strong threads pulled one of the ships like a plow. It was a bizarre and slightly absurd performance, but it worked.
Finally, after a week on the road, the silhouette of the legendary Moby Dick appeared on the horizon. Even from afar, the ship seemed massive and majestic, like a sea fortress. Ace contacted someone through Den Den Mushi, his voice calm and confident.
He turned to me.:
"Wait here." I'll come back for you.
I nodded and watched as his ship confidently headed towards the giant vessel.
Fifteen minutes later, he returned and said with his usual light smile:
— Belous invites you on board.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
When I climbed Moby Dick, I immediately felt the atmosphere of this place: warmth, comfort, the sounds of cheerful conversations and laughter, as if it were not a pirate ship, but a huge house floating on the seas. Whitebeard was sitting on the main deck, surrounded by his crew. His massive figure stood out even among dozens of people. He looked at me with interest, as if I were something unusual.
—So you caught Teach," he said, smiling. His voice was deep and powerful, but there was no threat in it. "Ace has told me a lot about you.
I bowed politely, keeping my hands behind my back.
"Edward Newgate, it's an honor to meet you. Ace did mention that you are known for your kindness and fairness.
He laughed, so loudly that the sound seemed to roll over the waves.
—Kindness, you say?" Not everyone would call me that. Well, tell me, why are you here? Just don't use those fancy words.
"Directness is something I appreciate,— I agreed. — My goal was to prevent a disaster that could befall you and your team. But that's not the only reason for my visit.
Whitebeard straightened up a little, his gaze became more attentive.
"What do you want?"
—Knowledge," I said simply. — I'm looking for fragments of history that have remained outside the chronicles. Something that only you know, Edward.
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.
— And what will this story give you?
"I have no claim to the throne of the Pirate King,— I assured him. — My goal is to restore what was lost. To do this, I need to know about the past. If you have information about Raftel or other key points, I ask you to share them.
He looked at me carefully, studying me as if trying to figure out what I was hiding. Finally, Whitebeard sighed heavily.
— You're obviously not an ordinary person. But the story you're talking about is not a toy. Knowing about the past is responsible.
—And I'm ready to accept it,— I replied calmly.
He thought about it, his fingers slowly tapping on the handle of his huge spear.
"Okay, I'll tell you something, but only because you got rid of Teach. He was a pain in the ass. But keep in mind: this knowledge can be both a blessing and a curse.
I tilted my head.
— I'm ready for the consequences.
"Do you want to know about Dee's Will?" About the Empty Century and Raftel? About a secret that many are eager to uncover? Hmm, listen, kid. It's not a story that can be told in one evening, but I'll tell you what I know. Remember, knowledge doesn't always bring relief, sometimes it cuts deeper than any sword.
Many centuries ago, long before the world became as we know it, there was a great and powerful Empire. Her name is lost in history, but people who know her true heritage call her the Great Ancient Empire. This Empire was the most advanced civilization of its time. They possessed technologies and knowledge that we cannot even imagine. But here's the funny thing: despite their genius, they invented... A global water purifier that accidentally flooded half the planet.
— Can you imagine? — They wanted to purify the water, but instead they raised the sea level so that many of their cities were under water. People started to panic. Someone said it was the punishment of the gods. Someone blamed the rulers. And someone else... I just decided it was time to overthrow this "ideal" Empire.
And so the war began. Twenty kingdoms that had previously been small and weak joined together to overthrow the Empire. But even here it was not without its absurdity. It turned out that their "rebellion" began because one of the kings had translated the message incorrectly. Instead of "let's unite for peace," he read "let's destroy all life." Well, here we go...
At the very center of this Empire was a man named Joy Boy. But here's what will definitely surprise you: he was... a clown. Yes, yes, an ordinary buffoon who raised the spirits of the Empire. But he had one thing in common: he could make people laugh even in the darkest of times. His laughter became a symbol of hope. When the Empire began to crumble, Joy Boy decided that the only way to save her legacy was to leave mysteries. And he did it the way he did it best: through jokes and laughter.
— "Di" is not just a letter, boy, — continued Belous. — It is a symbol of those who can laugh in the face of fate. These are the ones who see the absurdity of the world, but still keep moving forward. Joy Boy believed that laughter is the most powerful weapon. He left his legacy not in strength, but in the ability not to give up.
When the twenty kingdoms won, they created a World Government to hide their incompetence. They rewrote history so that no one would know the truth that the war started because of a translation error. But Joy Boy knew that someday the truth would come out. He left behind Glyphs and riddles so that people could find the Raftel Island, where the truth is hidden.
Do you know why Roger called the Raftel "funny island"? Because there are records of all these ridiculous events. All the wars, betrayals, mistakes — everything that brought the world to its current state. Roger was laughing because he realized that the whole world is a huge joke, put on pause. He knew that only a new Joy Boy could break this pause—someone who would understand the importance of laughing, even when everything was going wrong.
But listen carefully. History is not just the past. It's a weapon. The world Government is afraid of this truth because it could destroy their foundation. That's why they so fiercely persecute all those who seek the truth. They are afraid that the world will be free again.
Joy Boy knew that his time was running out, but he believed that his will would outlive him. He left not only the Glyphs, but also a promise. You've probably heard of the "Great Promised Joy," haven't you? This promise is to arrange the greatest joke in history to remind everyone that laughter is the force that connects people. And one day that promise will be fulfilled."
When he finished, he added,
"Now you know a little more than the others." But remember: not all roads should be opened.
"Thank you," I replied, sincerely. — This knowledge will not be wasted.
He waved his hand.
— Okay. Now you don't owe me. But keep in mind: if you show up with such a strange fleet again, our conversations may not be so friendly.
I grinned and nodded.
"I'll take that into consideration.
With that, I left Moby Dick, taking with me fragments of truth that could be the key to the future.