It had been nearly a month since the Roger Pirates landed in Wano.
During this time, Roger's crew and the scholars had been scouring the country for ancient ruins, information, clues, intelligence—and of course, Poneglyphs.
The facts proved that although Wano's ruling class had been mostly wiped out, they hadn't been completely eradicated.
Over the course of this month, Roger and the others continued eliminating scattered resistance forces. Eventually, what followed was "submission."
Led by the despicable Kurozumi Orochi, a group of Wano's remaining ruling class, after seeing all resistance crushed, immediately switched sides and pledged allegiance to the Roger Pirates.
Roger and the others looked down on such spineless people, but Valthior believed they still had their uses at this stage, so he accepted them.
Considering that these people could also improve their efficiency in searching for Poneglyphs and other clues, Roger didn't object.
...
Flower Capital, Shogun's Palace.
It had now been requisitioned by the Roger Pirates, with the scholar team also residing there.
Deep underground, within an ancient ruin with a long history, Valthior, Roger, Gaban, Rayleigh, Professor Clover, and Olvia stood before two Poneglyphs.
"With this, we've obtained five Poneglyphs in the New World alone… things are going unbelievably smoothly," Professor Clover said, gazing at them.
"That only sounds impressive because you're counting Fish-Man Island as part of the New World," Valthior shot back irritably.
When they had discussed this earlier, Clover claimed they had found three Poneglyphs, which had gotten Valthior quite excited.
If that were true, then with the one they just found in Wano, the Roger Pirates would have collected all 26 non-Road Poneglyphs in one go!
But after comparing notes—turns out two of Clover's "three" were the apology letter and the Road Poneglyph from Fish-Man Island, both of which Roger's crew had already seen and frankly despised.
In the end, Clover had only provided one truly new Poneglyph rubbing.
At present, aside from the Road Poneglyphs, there were still two Poneglyphs left unfound.
"Go on, translate it, Valthior," Roger said, circling the stone with curiosity.
Valthior glanced at Olvia beside him. "Go ahead—let me see the skills of the assistant the professor is so proud of."
"By that logic, wouldn't you technically be my senior?" Olvia raised a brow and teased.
After nearly a month of interaction, Valthior had grown familiar with the scholars and learned that Olvia was Professor Clover's true disciple, personally trained by him.
In that sense, Valthior could indeed be considered her fellow disciple—making her remark not entirely wrong.
Without hesitation, Olvia stepped forward and began reading the Poneglyph:
"Wano Country is our ally. Izan and his retainers, the Kozuki clan, provided immense support in that war. Unfortunately, Izan fell ill and passed away before witnessing the final victory. Or perhaps that was a blessing—he was spared the tragedy of subjugation, departing with honor intact.
"I have learned that the Izan family will soon relocate to Mary Geoise. The Kozuki clan will assume rulership of Wano, just as the Donquixote family selected the Riku family elsewhere.
"I must inform the Kozuki clan of the truth behind it all—the conspiracy that underlies everything!
"At the very least, Wano must not become another tragedy under Imu's control.
"I succeeded. And from the Kozuki clan, I learned why they are called the 'Stone Mason Clan.' Wano produces an indestructible stone, a companion mineral to the already incredibly durable Seastone. This material resists even the powers of Devil Fruits—it cannot be destroyed, even by those with special abilities.
"Yet the Kozuki possess an ancient technique that allows them to carve into this stone, inscribing words upon it. We have decided to record everything upon these stones. We name them 'Poneglyphs,' in the hope that they will endure through time.
"Upon this Poneglyph, I record that from this day forward, the seas will swallow everything for centuries to come. Wano will close its borders, erect high walls, and isolate itself to escape the influence of Mary Geoise.
"Fortunately, the young head of the Izan family knows nothing of the Kozuki's secret—he is but an infant. Otherwise, this act of carving history would surely bring disaster upon the Kozuki.
"I leave behind the horn that can summon Zunesha in the care of the Kozuki clan. As agreed, they will call upon Zunesha and form a brotherhood with the Mink Tribe. Perhaps one day, someone will arise to reconnect us all, gather this scattered strength, overturn this tragedy, and reclaim the stolen fruits of victory."
...
After Olvia finished translating, an awkward silence fell over the group.
Until now, aside from Valthior, none of them knew the true origin of the Poneglyphs.
And now… it was clear—they were created by the Kozuki clan.
They had seen mentions of the Kozuki before on other Poneglyphs, described as a trustworthy ally. Roger had even brought it up before arriving in Wano.
So what did that mean?
The Kozuki clan hadn't been wiped out by the World Government…
Instead, Roger—a bearer of the Will of D—had led a crew of ruthless pirates and exterminated them?
"…Well," Roger suddenly spoke up, his mind working fast, "history changes over centuries. Enemies become allies, allies become enemies—that's normal, right?"
He gestured toward Valthior. "Look at him. He's a Celestial Dragon—by all rights, our greatest enemy. But here he is, helping us uncover the truth all this time.
"The Kozuki clan, on the other hand, stagnated. They shut themselves off, rejected all outside change, and went from guardians of history to obstacles in our path. So we removed them. Nothing to feel guilty about. Don't let it get to you!"
Valthior immediately backed him up. "Exactly. It's all the Kozuki clan's fault. This generation of theirs? Not a single decent one among them."
The others exchanged glances. The awkwardness eased slightly as they forced a few smiles.
What else could they do? Everyone was already dead.
Setting aside the facts… could you really say the Kozuki were completely blameless?
"Ahem… well, at least these records have now been uncovered by us. You could say the Kozuki fulfilled their historical mission," Professor Clover added awkwardly.
They quickly moved past the topic and returned to discussing the contents.
Valthior had long been curious—if Wano had contributed to the allied forces back then, why had it never joined the World Government afterward?
Now he understood.
The Kozuki clan had not originally ruled Wano. The ruling family had been the Izan clan, with the Kozuki serving as their retainers.
After whatever upheaval Joy Boy caused, Wano became what it is now.
As for the Izan clan—they still existed today, under the name "Ethanbaron," active in Mary Geoise since the founding of the World Government.
One of the Five Elders—the Warrior God of Finance, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro—came from that very lineage.
Tracing it back, his origins were clearly tied to Wano.
No wonder his attire carried such a strong Wano aesthetic—and why he wielded the Shodai Kitetsu.
Even though he had never shown it openly, Valthior had disliked the man ever since seeing him in Mary Geoise.
If the opportunity ever came…
He'd carve him up nice and fine.