「Alright, let's take one of these pillars. Tesoro, do your thing.」
「Are you sure about this, Boss? This looks incredibly ancient,」 Tesoro replied, eyeing the intricate craftsmanship.
「It can't be helped. We didn't find the gold in the ruins, so we have to secure our 'budget' elsewhere. I'll make an offering to balance the scales.」
Krieg pulled out several bottles of fine Blue Sea sake and a stack of high-quality preserved rations from his backpack. He set them down respectfully before the Great Bell.
「The Light of Shandora... truly a magnificent belfry. Forgive me for taking some gold for my 'objectives,' but I'll leave these as a trade,」 Krieg muttered. He pressed his hands together, bowed his head, and then lined the offerings up in front of the central stone.
「Hoh... so this is the 'Poneglyph'? First time seeing the real deal,」 Tesoro said, stepping closer.
The massive, indestructible block of dark stone sat there, a silent sentinel of the Void Century.
「First time? Well, you wouldn't exactly see these in the morning paper.」
「So what does it actually say?」
「I'm no scholar, but... if I recall, it's supposed to have info on the 'Ancient Weapons' or something equally cheerful.」
「Whoa, talk about dangerous,」 Tesoro remarked, taking a half-step back.
「Krieg, can you read these weird squiggly characters-less?」 Cotton asked, tilting her head.
「Do I look like I can? If I could read this, the Navy wouldn't let me walk around freely. They'd probably do this to me,」 Krieg said, making a sharp chopping motion across his own neck.
「That's terrifying-less...」 Cotton whispered, looking at Krieg with wide eyes.
「The outside world isn't all sunshine and rainbows, Cotton. You'll have to learn that eventually,」 Krieg said, gently poking the Tontatta's tiny head.
「Wait... Krieg, look at this. These characters over here look just like the ones on the Poneglyph, don't they?」 Tesoro pointed to the gold casing beside the stone.
「Ah, you're right. It looks like an addendum.」
Krieg stared at the ancient script carved into the gold. He knew exactly what it was—the message left by the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
What was it again? 'I have come here and will lead this passage to the farthest ends of the world'? Something like that.
「I'll take some photos with the Kameko. Tesoro, hurry up and finish with the pillar.」
「Got it. Though I still feel like I'm stripping a masterpiece,」 Tesoro said, approaching the support columns. Since Krieg knew one of these was destined to be broken or taken anyway in the original timeline, he didn't feel too guilty. He snapped photos of the bell, the Poneglyph, and the Pirate King's message from every angle.
「Krieg! I found a shell-less!!」
As Krieg was watching Tesoro use his powers to "liquefy" and reshape the gold pillar into a portable ingot, Cotton came flying back on Kafu's back, holding a small shell in her tiny hands.
「Oh! Another Dial?」 Krieg crouched down to inspect it.
「I don't know what kind it is-less, but it was stuck in a crevice nearby!」
The shell was pristine. 「Doesn't look damaged. I'll have Pagaya-san take a look at it later. Since this land came from below 800 years ago, it might be an extinct species. Nice find, Cotton.」
「All done over here!」 Tesoro shouted, returning with a massive, refined block of gold that he'd shaped for easy carrying.
Krieg stood up and looked at the Great Bell one last time. 「...You know, it'd be pretty funny if we rang it right now.」
「Are you an idiot!?」 Tesoro barked. 「Do you want the entire Sky Island to come down on our heads!?」
「Boss, please don't... the locals don't even know this is here, right? We'd be starting a war,」 Gin added, looking worried.
「I'm just saying, it's the 'Song of the Heavens.' I bet it sounds beautiful,」 Krieg sighed. He pulled a tube of paint from his pack and walked over to the gold casing, just below Roger's message.
With a few quick strokes, he wrote: "DON KRIEG WAS HERE!!" in bold, bright Blue Sea letters.
「What are you doing-less!?」 Cotton cried out. She pulled a cloth from her dress and started scrubbing furiously. 「It won't come off-less! What kind of ink is this-less!?」
「Bwahaha! That's special-grade Naval reconnaissance paint! You need a specific chemical solvent to remove it. It's meant for marking trails in the wilderness!」
「Hey, isn't that... kind of a bad idea?」 Tesoro groaned.
「Psh, there's already graffiti on it from the Pirate King. One more name won't hurt. Besides, it's a tribute! Now let's move—we still have a 'God' to visit on the way down.」
Krieg grabbed the collar of Tesoro's suit—while Tesoro was still muttering about "already graffiti?"—and leaped into the air, leading the group back toward the Giant Jack.
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