"The Land of Ice? Why are you asking about that?" Professor Clover looked at Valthior curiously. "Could it be that some hidden piece of history is buried there as well?"
"Something like that. It's not just the Void Century that's been covered up. There are rumors that the Land of Ice was once a very powerful nation hundreds of years ago. So how did it just… fade into obscurity?" Valthior asked.
"By 'obscurity,' are you referring to the legend of Continent Puller Oars and his giant crew? It's said that Oars died in the Land of Ice," Clover replied.
"Wait, 'Continent Puller' was a team effort? I thought Oars did it alone," Valthior raised a brow.
"Are you kidding? Even if Oars was an ancient giant—much larger than modern giants—he still wouldn't be capable of moving an entire island by himself. Unless he had eaten the Float-Float Fruit!" Clover rolled his eyes.
Thinking about it, that made sense. Oars was enormous, beyond ordinary comprehension, but at the end of the day, he was still just an ancient giant. Moving an island alone? Even something as small as Dressrosa would be a struggle.
"That was likely a lost technology," Clover continued. "In ancient times, the giants' massive size made seafaring extremely difficult. It was nearly impossible to build ships large enough to carry entire giant crews. So in that era, there are accounts suggesting they used islands themselves as 'ships.'
"Oars' so-called 'Continent Pulling' was probably a form of island-ship conversion technology. He and his crew would modify islands into massive vessels capable of carrying large numbers of giants and ancient giants, then sail them across the sea. That's how the legend of 'pulling continents' came about."
Hearing this, Valthior froze for a moment—then immediately thought of Gecko Moria.
Speaking of Moria… there was a good chance he was currently in Wano.
In a cover story from the original timeline, it was mentioned that Moria was born in the West Blue but grew up in Wano's Ringo region during his childhood.
He called himself Gecko Moria, yet the gravestone erected for him in Wano bore the name "Kozuki Moria." Completely absurd.
Most likely, he had drifted into Wano from the West Blue at some point, lived there for a while, then left. Later, his clash with Kaido might very well have been his attempt to drive the Beasts Pirates out of Wano.
Judging by his appearance, Moria was almost certainly not of Kozuki blood. More likely, his "heroic deed" earned him the honorary surname.
As for the details, Valthior hadn't looked into it much and wasn't particularly interested—it was just speculation.
Moria's background aside, one thing was certain: he had found Oars' corpse.
And based on Clover's explanation, Oars' "Continent Pulling" was likely tied to an ancient, now-lost technology capable of transforming islands into massive ships—large enough to carry giants.
Wasn't that exactly what Moria later created—the Thriller Bark, the so-called largest pirate ship in the world?
If Valthior remembered correctly, that ship was literally made by modifying an island.
Combining that with the fact that Moria found Oars' corpse, it was highly likely that Moria had obtained this technology from Oars—and used it to construct Thriller Bark.
Just like that, the mystery of "Continent Pulling" was solved.
"I see…" Valthior murmured softly, acknowledging Clover's explanation.
At the same time, he thought to himself that this technology might have originated from the legendary Galleila Band—the group rumored to have been frozen somewhere.
Later, Oars may have acquired it and used it as the foundation for his legend. As for why he kept "pulling continents," perhaps he had been searching for traces of the Galleila Band.
Either to revive them… or to obtain even more of their technology.
And in the end, he somehow froze to death in the Land of Ice.
According to Chopper's later diagnosis… the guy simply didn't wear clothes in a freezing land and died of cold.
The more you thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded.
As for the truth, Valthior still hadn't uncovered any concrete clues.
"As for the Land of Ice," Clover continued, "there are rumors that it was destroyed hundreds of years ago. Some believe Oars himself destroyed it before his death. Others say that at some point, the sea's climate experienced a drastic anomaly, causing temperatures in that region to rise rapidly. Since the Land of Ice was built upon glaciers, it simply melted away.
"In any case, very little information about it survives today. It's also possible that the country still exists somewhere in the seas. Just like Wano—if it's located in a hard-to-reach region and remains closed off, disappearing from the world's view is entirely plausible."
"I already know all that," Valthior said flatly. "Don't you have anything I don't know?"
He had already investigated the Land of Ice himself and heard all these rumors before.
"I don't specialize in this area! Before this, I hadn't even paid attention to the Land of Ice. The fact that I can tell you this much already proves how knowledgeable I am!" Clover snapped irritably.
But soon, he hesitated, then added, "That said… there are occasional reports around the world of people claiming to be descendants of the Land of Ice. The frigid regions of the North Blue are especially known for such rumors. I don't follow pirate affairs closely, but I recall hearing that one of the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders—the 'Ice Witch,' Whitey Bay—might be of Land of Ice descent."
"Is that so?" Valthior's eyes lit up. "Then the next time I run into the Whitebeard Pirates, I'll have to ask about that…"
"Alright, I've told you quite a bit now," Clover said, steering the conversation back. "You still haven't told me—does the Land of Ice actually hide any ancient secrets? If so, I'd like to investigate as well. Who knows, I might uncover something unexpected."
Valthior smiled. "I can't say for certain. But there's definitely a possibility. If you have the time, it's worth looking into. We can exchange information along the way. As for why I'm interested… it might be connected to my ability."
Since Valthior had brought up his ability, Clover didn't press further. Digging deeper would've been impolite.
He nodded. "Alright. I'll investigate when I have time. If I find anything, I'll contact you."
As he spoke, he took out a Den Den Mushi. "Let's exchange contact info?"
Valthior didn't put on airs. He pulled out his own Den Den Mushi. "Sure. Let's stay in touch."
Not long after, Roger and the others returned, completely at ease.
"Valthior! I think I just cut down someone called the 'Shogun.' He seemed like the military leader here, right? Does that mean we've wiped out Wano's armed forces? What should we do next? Go meet their king?" Gaban called out as soon as he walked in.
Valthior paused, but before he could answer, Professor Clover spoke up in surprise, "Wano's system is different from most countries. There's no king here. If you had to compare, the Shogun is the ruler. Killing him is equivalent to killing their king!"
"Huh?" Gaban blinked, then after a moment said, "So… Wano's leaderless now?"
"More than that," Valthior chuckled. "Wano's nobility is essentially its samurai class. If the Shogun showed up personally, it likely means he brought nearly all of Wano's samurai with him. Even if not all, there can't be many left. In other words—the entire ruling order of Wano has collapsed."
"So what's the plan?" Roger asked.
"We proceed as usual—search for ancient clues and Poneglyphs," Valthior said calmly. "As for this country… I'm taking it."
"Taking it? We're not interested in claiming territory!" Roger waved his hands immediately. "I don't want that kind of burden."
"It'll be under the name of the Jaygarcia family. Don't worry—you'll be compensated," Valthior replied without hesitation.
"Now that's what I call generous, Lord Valthior!" Roger broke into a wide grin instantly.
...
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