On the streets of Kurau City, the dog-headed figure over five meters tall, clad in a Western-style helmet and armor with a longsword hanging at his waist, slowly walked up to Liam and Robin.
"Your Grace?" Captain Vegeta of the Heroic Traveler Group quickly said, "Why have you come personally? I was just about to escort these two to your Musketeer Squad. These two are, "
"Pirate Giorno Giovanna, bounty: 400 million Beli. Pirate Jolyne Cujoh, bounty: 330 million Beli."
Reflected in the lenses of Inuarashi's sunglasses were Liam and Robin's faces.
"I just read the news about you two this morning," he said in a deep voice. "So you were heading toward Zou…"
The reflection in his glasses shifted to the stone fragment in Liam's hand.
"Don't misunderstand," said the owner of that hand, clarifying, "It's not that we were specifically heading here. The New World's climate is just way too insane. We randomly ran into an elephant wandering around in the sea and just came up here to take a look."
"You're actually explaining this after admitting your navigation skills are that terrible?!" Vegeta exclaimed in shock from the side.
Robin looked up at Inuarashi, pointing at the stone fragment in Liam's palm.
"Have you seen the writing on it before? Or perhaps seen similar stones?"
"…" Inuarashi was silent for a moment.
"This is Ancient Script. I have indeed seen it before…" he said at last. "And you, Jolyne Cujoh, can you really decipher this kind of writing?"
Robin neither confirmed nor denied it.
'So she deliberately didn't answer the second half of that question…' Liam thought.
Vegeta grew annoyed.
"Hey! Aren't you two being a little too disrespectful to His Grace?"
"Wegeta, go rest in Whale Forest for now. Daytime matters should be handled by the Musketeer Squad." Inuarashi waved a hand gently. "There are very few people in this world who can recognize this script. To encounter guests like these is rare indeed. I'm quite pleased…"
Since Duke Inuarashi had already spoken, Vegeta had no grounds to insist further. Fighting off his drowsiness, he nodded, bid farewell, and headed directly toward Whale Forest.
"…" Only after Vegeta had gone far enough away did Robin glance at Liam.
Liam gave a slight shrug. "You're the captain. Your call."
Robin smiled faintly, finally raising her head to look at Inuarashi's canine face.
"Can I trust you?"
"...!!"
A trace of surprise entered Inuarashi's silence.
His long tongue hung between his interlocking fangs as he remained quiet for a moment before speaking in a low voice:
"It seems… You understand what it means to study this language."
Anyone who attempted to decipher these "dangerous words" would be purged by the World Government.
For this female pirate to ask such a question clearly meant she understood the danger she would face if exposed.
Inuarashi slowly said, "Come with me. We'll speak in my palace."
As expected, still not mentioning the Red Poneglyph so easily… Liam thought as he and Robin followed.
…
Entering the palace at the elevated center of Kurau City, Inuarashi led them into a room and instructed the Musketeer Squad commander, Sicilian, to guard the door and prevent anyone else from entering.
"That lion looked pretty hostile when he was staring at us!"
Before entering the room, Liam glanced back at Sicilian standing guard outside.
He was a lion mink with wild mane-like fur.
When the door was being closed, Sicilian's gaze toward Liam and Robin was indeed rather unfriendly.
Inuarashi laughed.
"Sicilian's creed is to give his all in everything. If any subordinate dares mention naive, soft words such as tenderness, romance, children, sugar, or honey in front of him, he'll mercilessly push them into a thousand-foot abyss for training… Heh, seeing a couple like you two probably rubbed him the wrong way."
Robin's attention was entirely on the Ancient Script and the possibility of a Poneglyph.
Hearing this, she looked both puzzled and amused.
"Well then, let me answer your earlier question."
With a flick of his cloak, Inuarashi removed his Western helmet, sat down on a large sofa, and pointed at Robin.
"As for that stone fragment with Ancient Script on it… on this island, I have never seen such a fragment before."
Robin placed the stone fragment, which she had replicated through the squirrel using her Hana Jizai ability, onto the table.
He specifically emphasized "stone fragment," while once again avoiding mention of the Red Poneglyph… Liam noted inwardly, nodding slightly as he looked at the fragment on the table.
Some of the Ancient Script carved into its surface was already worn away.
He said, "Since it's a fragment, then obviously it must once have been part of some larger stone body."
"'Hatred,' 'resentment'…" Inuarashi slowly repeated. "Jolyne Cujoh, you said just now that the Ancient Script on this fragment carries words with meanings like these?"
Robin nodded.
"That's right. If, as Giorno suggested, we can find more stones like this elsewhere on the island, perhaps we'll uncover more Ancient Script. Only then can I decipher additional information."
Inuarashi's expression turned grave.
"That is what makes this so strange… I do not believe this island, this nation, or even our Mink Tribe should have any connection to words like these."
Robin replied, "Which is exactly why we need to continue searching for more historical artifacts and conduct further investigation to understand why."
"…"
Inuarashi fell silent.
What he did not say aloud was this:
In his view, those capable of carving such Ancient Script upon this island… and possessing the knowledge to do so…
Only the Kozuki Clan of Wano Country.
And the Kozuki Clan and the Mink Tribe had been close allies for hundreds of years, their relationship as close as brothers.
So how could they possibly have left behind words like these on the island?
As for Liam, just as he himself had said, he had little interest in history or ancient matters. He preferred living in the present.
After listening to Robin chatting with the old dog-head for only a short while, his mind began to wander…
And as it wandered, his attention shifted toward his good buddy, his Stand.
Why had that guy suddenly run all the way to Zou's head?
Though, judging by his own personality, it would indeed be interested in a miraculous creature like Zou.
But the manga had already revealed it: the only ones capable of communicating with this giant beast were members of the Kozuki Clan!
And even if someone merely wanted to hear Zou speak, they would need the same innate special Observation Haki as Monkey D. Luffy or Gol D. Roger, the ability to hear the Voice of All Things.
Liam was certain he didn't have that.
He had already tried when boarding Zou.
He hadn't heard a damn thing.
Which meant…
Liam looked toward the elephant's head.
The Stand was currently flying back at high speed.
It must have discovered something and deliberately gone to Zou to verify it…
The black phantom silently passed straight through the palace wall and charged directly toward Liam.
Realizing what was about to happen, Liam hurriedly raised a hand and shouted:
"Hey! Wait a sec, Blacky, Little Black, Black, calm down!, Brother Black, Brother Black!!!"
His sudden yelling made Robin rub her forehead helplessly, while Inuarashi abruptly stopped speaking and stared in shock.
What on earth was going on?
"Ahhhhhh!!!!"
Liam let out an utterly unrestrained scream.
His skin flushed slightly red, his body temperature rose, and he trembled faintly.
"What happened?!"
The ever-all-out Musketeer commander Sicilian pushed the door open and rushed in.
The first thing he saw was Pirate Giorno crying out in pain, looking one step away from rolling on the floor and begging his female captain for a hug,
No, correction.
His female captain, Jolyne Cujoh, really was holding him with a gentle expression, even softly stroking his back!
Sicilian strode over and roared like a lion:
"How disgraceful! Giorno! Even if the sky itself collapsed, you should grit your teeth and not utter a single sound! Yet you're hiding in a woman's arms? This truly makes me, "
He reached out, intending to yank Liam out of the female pirate's embrace and then kick him out the palace window so he could properly reflect on what it meant to be a real man.
But the moment he stretched out his hand, his wild instincts suddenly sensed danger.
Then he saw Giorno's long hair suddenly condense into an enormous fist, as if alive, and punch him squarely.
Caught completely off guard, Sicilian was blasted straight out the window.
"Do you have zero situational awareness?" Liam let out a long, hot breath. "What a dumb lion…"
Fortunately, he hadn't let B.I.B. make a move back on the White Whale.
This time, retrieving his Stand had been easy enough to endure.
Robin covered her mouth lightly with a fist and chuckled.
Inuarashi couldn't help shaking his dog's head.
"In any case, continue searching the island for the source of this stone fragment," he said. "I'll have someone inform that monster cat tonight as well…"
Robin said apologetically, "Sorry for observing various parts of the island on my own earlier."
"But wasn't it fruitful?" Inuarashi looked at the stone fragment engraved with Ancient Script. "You discovered something even we ourselves didn't know existed…"
"However, if you intend to investigate Whale Forest, you'll need that monster cat's permission first."
"Understood." Robin nodded happily.
A thousand-year-old ancient nation visited by so few people,
What kind of history was still hidden here?
She was very much looking forward to finding out.
"Oh, right. You two might be interested in this."
Inuarashi took out a newspaper delivered that morning by a News Coo.
"It's the headline news about you."
Robin accepted it, glanced at it, and looked a little surprised.
(End Of This Chapter)
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