The Royal Tomb of Alabasta Kingdom shimmered as a spatial portal tore open. Sephiroth stepped through, butcher knife glinting, with Nico Robin close behind. Their boots echoed across the sacrificial plaza's stone floor. Without hesitation, Sephiroth slashed the air, creating another portal, and gestured for Robin to follow him downward.
The descent ended in a cavernous underground palace. A massive stone door barred their path. Sephiroth ignited the ancient illumination mechanisms flanking the entrance with a casual wave. The flickering torchlight revealed intricate carvings as he pushed the door open with surprising ease.
Robin's breath caught. The blue cubic monument dominated the chamber, its surface crawling with mysterious script. She rushed forward, fingers trembling as they traced the ancient letters. This was it—the poneglyph she'd spent her life searching for. The key to unraveling the Void Century's secrets, to fulfilling Ohara's lost dream.
Her excitement withered as she deciphered the text. The smile slipped from her face like melting ice. Sephiroth slid his knife back into its sheath with a metallic whisper. "This says Pluton's hidden in Wano Country, correct?"
Robin whirled around, eyes wide. "You can read the ancient texts?"
Sephiroth shook his head. "I don't understand them. I just happen to know what this particular stone says."
Robin leaned against the cold monument, her voice hollow. "I see. That makes sense." Her fingers dug into the engraved symbols. "You brought me here after all. Even if you already knew its contents..." She trailed off, then straightened abruptly. "If you know Pluton's location, why haven't you claimed it? Wano Country—"
"Of course I'm interested!" Sephiroth interrupted. "I searched Wano thoroughly. Came up empty-handed."
Robin's lips twisted wryly. "Not surprising. It's Kaido's territory now. The Beast Pirates control every inch of that place."
"True enough." Sephiroth's mouth curved. "But I obtained Pluton's blueprints through other means. The Umbrella Corporation's already building it."
Robin staggered back as if struck. "You... you possess one of the ancient weapons?"
"Two, actually." He examined his nails. "Poseidon's also mine, though the timing isn't right to deploy her yet."
"Two!?" Robin's voice cracked. The legends claimed whoever controlled even one such weapon could rule the world. This man casually admitted to holding two.
Sephiroth chuckled. "Three, if we're being precise. There's another called God's Breath. Though I can't say how it compares to Uranus yet."
The chamber fell silent. Robin's knees threatened to buckle. Minutes crawled by before she managed to speak again, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Sephiroth, you were actually joking with me just now, right?"
He blinked. "Every word's true. I can prove it if you'd like."
Sephiroth reached for the butcher knife tucked into his waistband. He opened his spatial pocket, rummaged through its contents, and finally pulled out five large photographs, each thirty inches long. Nico Robin watched him with a suspicious expression. She reached out, took the photos, and began examining them. The first image showed a poneglyph monument bearing Joy Boy's apology letter.
The second photograph captured a poneglyph embedded at the base of the Golden Bell, declaring Poseidon's presence on Fish-Man Island. Her gaze shifted to the third image. As her eyes fell upon the text inscribed on the golden base in the photo, she read aloud:
"I have come to this place and will guide this text to the final destination... Pirate, Gol D. Roger!!!" Her voice caught. "This is...!?"
Nico Robin's eyes widened. She turned to Sephiroth with disbelief etched across her face. "Is this truly the text left by the Pirate King Roger?"
"Yes," Sephiroth confirmed. "Long ago, Roger reached Sky Island and inscribed those words on the Golden Bell of Shandora."
Nico Robin studied the photograph again. Her fingers pinched her chin as she sank into deep thought, murmuring to herself:
"The final destination... So Pirate King Roger took the content of this text to Laugh Tale? Wait—Roger circumnavigated the world, and he knew how to inscribe ancient texts. It's highly probable he collected numerous poneglyphs and transported them all to Laugh Tale.
Could the One Piece Roger spoke of actually be the truth of the Void Century's history...?" The realization sent her heart racing. Her earlier despair at failing to uncover the truth of the Void Century vanished, replaced by a renewed sense of hope. "But...
Roger's been dead for years. Aside from his crew, I've never heard of anyone who's actually reached Laugh Tale. How can I get there?"
"Gather the four red Road Poneglyphs," Sephiroth explained. "Connect their landmark locations and find the intersection point. That's Laugh Tale. Of the five photos you hold, the last two depict red Road Poneglyphs.
The remaining two are located on Zunesha's back in Zou, within the Mokomo Dukedom. The final one is said to be in the possession of a burn-scarred man who remains aboard a black ship year-round. However, this information remains unverified for now..."
As Sephiroth spoke, Nico Robin quickly flipped through the remaining two photos, absorbing their contents. After a moment, she looked up at him.
"I didn't expect you to have gathered so much information about poneglyphs! Are you also researching the Void Century's history?"
"No," Sephiroth shook his head. "I'm not interested in the Void Century. I don't understand any of it. What would I even research?"
"Then why go through the trouble of collecting all this information about poneglyphs?" Nico Robin asked, her expression tinged with surprise. She knew better than anyone how scattered poneglyphs were across the world and how much time and effort it took to locate them.
Sephiroth scratched his head, his tone uncertain:
"Uh... What if I told you I just stumbled upon them and collected them along the way? Would you believe me?"
"Hehe. Is that so? I see..." A gentle smile spread across Nico Robin's face as she understood.
In her opinion, perhaps this was a gift that Sephiroth had spent many years preparing for their future reunion, a grand surprise meant for her. He didn't want her to feel guilty or apologetic about it, nor did he wish to deny the matter entirely, which explained his clumsy excuse of "happening to encounter" them.
Tears welled in Nico Robin's eyes as the thought overwhelmed her. Years of suppressed feelings surged through her chest—not just gratitude for Sephiroth's kindness, but something deeper she'd locked away. Before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around him, pressing her face against his chest. "Thank you," she whispered, voice cracking. "Thank you so much... for everything."
Sephiroth stiffened, scratching his head with uncharacteristic awkwardness. What exactly was going through her mind? That fragile embrace—if he so much as nudged her, she might collapse right there. He exhaled through his nose. Fine. Let her have this moment, whatever she'd imagined between them.
Sephiroth muttered in his heart while wrapping his arms around Nico Robin's soft body.