Morning.
The plaza of the Mokomo Dukedom still bore the scars of the previous night's battle. Charred flagstones lay torn up in wide patches. Broken pillars sprawled across the rubble. The massive crater at the center had not yet been filled in.
Mink warriors had been clearing the square since dawn.
But every time they passed that scorched battlefield, their steps grew quieter.
The full-moon battle was already carved into the memory of every Mink.
Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi had entered their Sulong forms. The ultimate power of the Mink Tribe.
And still they lost.
Not to Ace. To Sabo and Enel of the Eclipse.
That shook the Minks deeper than a simple defeat by the Fifth Emperor ever could. It meant the Eclipse was not a ship with a single monster. That black vessel carried a crew of titans, each one capable of tearing the New World's order apart.
Before the royal palace, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had fully recovered.
The near-fatal wounds from the night before had vanished without a trace. Even the chronic injuries accumulated over decades felt scrubbed away.
Nekomamushi stared at his own paws and rolled his shoulders.
"Ridiculous fire."
He looked up at Ace, standing not far off.
"Beat this old cat half to death, then heal it with a wave of your hand. You're more of a monster than Captain Roger ever was."
Ace sat on a broken wall, holding a slab of roasted meat the Minks had brought. He took a bite. His tone was casual.
"Don't compare me to him. Roger is Roger. I am me."
Inuarashi stood nearby. He fell silent at those words.
His gaze drifted to the Supreme Grade blade at Ace's hip, a flicker of something complicated passing through his eyes. Before last night, he had mostly seen Roger's shadow in Ace. That had changed. The young man did carry Roger's blood, and he possessed Roger's reality-defying presence. But he was not walking Roger's path.
Roger had chased freedom and adventure, and he reached the end. Ace intended to plant his boot on the entire sea.
Nekomamushi bit down on his pipe and snorted.
"Fine. We fought. We lost. This old cat's got no face left to run his mouth."
He looked at Inuarashi.
"Take them to the Whale Forest."
Inuarashi nodded.
"You may take a rubbing of the red Poneglyph."
His eyes met Ace's.
"But the stone itself remains under Zou's protection."
Ace hopped down from the broken wall.
"Of course. Keep guarding it if you want."
He dusted off his hands, his expression calm.
"If someone comes for it and you can't hold them off, call me."
Nekomamushi's brow twitched.
"Big words."
Ace glanced at him.
"You saw last night."
The corner of Nekomamushi's mouth spasmed. Inuarashi cleared his throat and turned toward the Whale Forest.
"Come."
The Whale Forest was quieter than the rest of the Mokomo Dukedom. Massive trees wove together overhead. Sunlight fell through the gaps in the leaves, scattering across the damp earth like chips of gold.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi led the way. The Eclipse Pirates followed.
It felt less like retrieving a rubbing and more like the entire crew had decided to stroll through Zou's most sacred ground.
Buggy swiveled his head in every direction.
"This is where they keep the red Poneglyph? I never made it in here back then."
Sabo glanced at him.
"Weren't you an apprentice on Roger's ship?"
Buggy's face went distant with memory.
"I was busy competing with Shanks to see who could eat more. Never went with the captain."
Bepo walked beside the Heart Pirates, quieter than he had been in days. Pedro had already told him about Zepo. The answer, years overdue, had not brought instant peace. But at least he finally knew where his brother had gone.
Pedro walked nearby, saying nothing, glancing at Bepo now and then.
When the entrance inside the Whale Tree was opened, a wave of ancient air washed over them.
Ace stepped into the stone chamber. His gaze found the massive red monolith at the far end.
A Road Poneglyph.
The red stone stood in silence. Heavy. Immovable. As if time itself could not wear down its edges.
Chopper stared up at it, eyes wide.
"This is… the key to the final island?"
Inuarashi nodded.
"It is."
Nekomamushi bit his pipe, his voice lower than usual.
"This stone. Zou has guarded it for many years."
Ace did not speak right away. He walked up to the red Poneglyph and looked up at the dense rows of ancient script.
He could not read it.
But he knew exactly what it meant.
Roger had used these stones to reach the end. The World Government feared them. The Four Emperors fought over them. Anyone who truly meant to reach the sea's end could not avoid them.
Ace reached out. His fingertips touched the red stone's surface.
Cold. Hard.
A low, deep resonance hummed beneath his touch. Not words. Not answers. More like an echo the stone had gathered across the ages.
Sabo stood beside him, watching.
"Well?"
Ace pulled his hand back, expression unchanged.
"Can't read it."
Sabo blinked.
Ace showed no embarrassment. He simply turned to Carina and Jeno.
"Take the rubbing. Vegapunk should have surviving Ohara records. Have Xiao feed on the data and translate it."
Carina nodded.
"As long as the records are complete, character recognition and cross-referencing won't be difficult."
Jeno rubbed his chin, staring at the red stone with gleaming eyes.
"This material is seriously impressive. Similar to that blue Poneglyph I ate before, but the density and stability feel different…"
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi both fixed their eyes on him.
Jeno threw his hands up instantly.
"Gahahaha! Relax, relax! I'm not eating this one! A rubbing, just a rubbing!"
Nekomamushi glared at him.
"You'd better remember that."
Jeno clicked his tongue and summoned a few lunar mini-bots.
"Alright, little guys, get to work."
The small robots scurried to the red stone on stubby legs and carefully unfurled a specialized rubbing cloth. Jeno secured the imprinting device. Xiao connected remotely, syncing the rubbing process into the ship's database in real time.
Buggy craned his neck.
"That thing can really find the final island?"
Brook spun in a little circle nearby.
"Yohohoho, sounds like a secret that would keep a man awake at night."
Enel leaned against the wall, largely uninterested.
"This so-called final island had better not be boring."
Law stood beside the Heart Pirates, silent. He held no deep obsession with the final island. But he understood, with perfect clarity, that from this moment forward, the Eclipse had truly entered the deepest game on these seas.
The rubbing process was quick.
The specialized cloth was pressed flat against the red stone's surface. Every groove, every character, was imprinted in full.
The stone chamber was quiet. Only the faint sounds of the mini-bots shifting.
After a moment, Jeno snapped his fingers.
"Done."
The mini-bots gathered the rubbing cloth and sealed it inside a protective case. Carina inspected it carefully, then nodded.
"Lines are complete. No omissions."
She handed the sealed case to Ace.
Inuarashi spoke slowly.
"Captain Roger once stood before this stone as well."
Nekomamushi exhaled a plume of smoke.
"Lord Oden read it. Then they went to the final island."
Ace tucked the sealed case away.
"That was their voyage."
He turned to face Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
"I won't follow Roger's way. And I won't fulfill any of Oden's last wishes. I'll see the final island on my own terms."
Inuarashi was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Nekomamushi bared his teeth in a grin.
"Arrogant as hell."
Ace smiled back at him.
"You're just now noticing?"
Nekomamushi burst out laughing.
"Gahahaha! Fair enough."
Carina wrote the final line in her logbook.
First Road Poneglyph rubbing, acquired.
Zou's red stone remained where it had always stood. The Minks would continue to guard the secret their ancestors had sworn to protect. And the Eclipse would carry away the first key to the sea's end.
By the time they left the Whale Tree, the sun had climbed higher.
The Mink guards parted and lowered their heads. The way they looked at the Eclipse crew now was nothing like before. Not just fear. Something closer to a quiet, unspoken respect.
Buggy floated along with his arms crossed, muttering to himself.
"The final island, huh… If Captain Roger's great treasure is really there…"
His eyes instantly morphed into Beli signs.
Carina said flatly, "Don't get your hopes up. Even if we find it, it's not yours."
"Who says!" Buggy roared. "I was an apprentice on Roger's ship! I have natural inheritance rights!"
Macaw shrieked from Carina's shoulder.
"Caw! Dream on! Dream on!"
"Shut up, you stupid bird!"
Sabo watched the two bicker and couldn't hold back a laugh.
Ace walked at the front, not joining in. He simply handed the sealed case to Sabo.
"Keep it safe."
Sabo took it and nodded seriously.
"Understood."
The Eclipse crew left the Whale Forest behind.
Behind them, the red Poneglyph still stood silent in the depths of the Whale Tree.
Chapter 217: The Red Stone Rubbing
Morning.
The plaza of the Mokomo Dukedom still bore the scars of the previous night's battle. Charred flagstones lay torn up in wide patches. Broken pillars sprawled across the rubble. The massive crater at the center had not yet been filled in.
Mink warriors had been clearing the square since dawn.
But every time they passed that scorched battlefield, their steps grew quieter.
The full-moon battle was already carved into the memory of every Mink.
Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi had entered their Sulong forms. The ultimate power of the Mink Tribe.
And still they lost.
Not to Ace. To Sabo and Enel of the Eclipse.
That shook the Minks deeper than a simple defeat by the Fifth Emperor ever could. It meant the Eclipse was not a ship with a single monster. That black vessel carried a crew of titans, each one capable of tearing the New World's order apart.
Before the royal palace, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had fully recovered.
The near-fatal wounds from the night before had vanished without a trace. Even the chronic injuries accumulated over decades felt scrubbed away.
Nekomamushi stared at his own paws and rolled his shoulders.
"Ridiculous fire."
He looked up at Ace, standing not far off.
"Beat this old cat half to death, then heal it with a wave of your hand. You're more of a monster than Captain Roger ever was."
Ace sat on a broken wall, holding a slab of roasted meat the Minks had brought. He took a bite. His tone was casual.
"Don't compare me to him. Roger is Roger. I am me."
Inuarashi stood nearby. He fell silent at those words.
His gaze drifted to the Supreme Grade blade at Ace's hip, a flicker of something complicated passing through his eyes. Before last night, he had mostly seen Roger's shadow in Ace. That had changed. The young man did carry Roger's blood, and he possessed Roger's reality-defying presence. But he was not walking Roger's path.
Roger had chased freedom and adventure, and he reached the end. Ace intended to plant his boot on the entire sea.
Nekomamushi bit down on his pipe and snorted.
"Fine. We fought. We lost. This old cat's got no face left to run his mouth."
He looked at Inuarashi.
"Take them to the Whale Forest."
Inuarashi nodded.
"You may take a rubbing of the red Poneglyph."
His eyes met Ace's.
"But the stone itself remains under Zou's protection."
Ace hopped down from the broken wall.
"Of course. Keep guarding it if you want."
He dusted off his hands, his expression calm.
"If someone comes for it and you can't hold them off, call me."
Nekomamushi's brow twitched.
"Big words."
Ace glanced at him.
"You saw last night."
The corner of Nekomamushi's mouth spasmed. Inuarashi cleared his throat and turned toward the Whale Forest.
"Come."
The Whale Forest was quieter than the rest of the Mokomo Dukedom. Massive trees wove together overhead. Sunlight fell through the gaps in the leaves, scattering across the damp earth like chips of gold.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi led the way. The Eclipse Pirates followed.
It felt less like retrieving a rubbing and more like the entire crew had decided to stroll through Zou's most sacred ground.
Buggy swiveled his head in every direction.
"This is where they keep the red Poneglyph? I never made it in here back then."
Sabo glanced at him.
"Weren't you an apprentice on Roger's ship?"
Buggy's face went distant with memory.
"I was busy competing with Shanks to see who could eat more. Never went with the captain."
Bepo walked beside the Heart Pirates, quieter than he had been in days. Pedro had already told him about Zepo. The answer, years overdue, had not brought instant peace. But at least he finally knew where his brother had gone.
Pedro walked nearby, saying nothing, glancing at Bepo now and then.
When the entrance inside the Whale Tree was opened, a wave of ancient air washed over them.
Ace stepped into the stone chamber. His gaze found the massive red monolith at the far end.
A Road Poneglyph.
The red stone stood in silence. Heavy. Immovable. As if time itself could not wear down its edges.
Chopper stared up at it, eyes wide.
"This is… the key to the final island?"
Inuarashi nodded.
"It is."
Nekomamushi bit his pipe, his voice lower than usual.
"This stone. Zou has guarded it for many years."
Ace did not speak right away. He walked up to the red Poneglyph and looked up at the dense rows of ancient script.
He could not read it.
But he knew exactly what it meant.
Roger had used these stones to reach the end. The World Government feared them. The Four Emperors fought over them. Anyone who truly meant to reach the sea's end could not avoid them.
Ace reached out. His fingertips touched the red stone's surface.
Cold. Hard.
A low, deep resonance hummed beneath his touch. Not words. Not answers. More like an echo the stone had gathered across the ages.
Sabo stood beside him, watching.
"Well?"
Ace pulled his hand back, expression unchanged.
"Can't read it."
Sabo blinked.
Ace showed no embarrassment. He simply turned to Carina and Jeno.
"Take the rubbing. Vegapunk should have surviving Ohara records. Have Xiao feed on the data and translate it."
Carina nodded.
"As long as the records are complete, character recognition and cross-referencing won't be difficult."
Jeno rubbed his chin, staring at the red stone with gleaming eyes.
"This material is seriously impressive. Similar to that blue Poneglyph I ate before, but the density and stability feel different…"
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi both fixed their eyes on him.
Jeno threw his hands up instantly.
"Gahahaha! Relax, relax! I'm not eating this one! A rubbing, just a rubbing!"
Nekomamushi glared at him.
"You'd better remember that."
Jeno clicked his tongue and summoned a few lunar mini-bots.
"Alright, little guys, get to work."
The small robots scurried to the red stone on stubby legs and carefully unfurled a specialized rubbing cloth. Jeno secured the imprinting device. Xiao connected remotely, syncing the rubbing process into the ship's database in real time.
Buggy craned his neck.
"That thing can really find the final island?"
Brook spun in a little circle nearby.
"Yohohoho, sounds like a secret that would keep a man awake at night."
Enel leaned against the wall, largely uninterested.
"This so-called final island had better not be boring."
Law stood beside the Heart Pirates, silent. He held no deep obsession with the final island. But he understood, with perfect clarity, that from this moment forward, the Eclipse had truly entered the deepest game on these seas.
The rubbing process was quick.
The specialized cloth was pressed flat against the red stone's surface. Every groove, every character, was imprinted in full.
The stone chamber was quiet. Only the faint sounds of the mini-bots shifting.
After a moment, Jeno snapped his fingers.
"Done."
The mini-bots gathered the rubbing cloth and sealed it inside a protective case. Carina inspected it carefully, then nodded.
"Lines are complete. No omissions."
She handed the sealed case to Ace.
Inuarashi spoke slowly.
"Captain Roger once stood before this stone as well."
Nekomamushi exhaled a plume of smoke.
"Lord Oden read it. Then they went to the final island."
Ace tucked the sealed case away.
"That was their voyage."
He turned to face Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
"I won't follow Roger's way. And I won't fulfill any of Oden's last wishes. I'll see the final island on my own terms."
Inuarashi was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Nekomamushi bared his teeth in a grin.
"Arrogant as hell."
Ace smiled back at him.
"You're just now noticing?"
Nekomamushi burst out laughing.
"Gahahaha! Fair enough."
Carina wrote the final line in her logbook.
First Road Poneglyph rubbing, acquired.
Zou's red stone remained where it had always stood. The Minks would continue to guard the secret their ancestors had sworn to protect. And the Eclipse would carry away the first key to the sea's end.
By the time they left the Whale Tree, the sun had climbed higher.
The Mink guards parted and lowered their heads. The way they looked at the Eclipse crew now was nothing like before. Not just fear. Something closer to a quiet, unspoken respect.
Buggy floated along with his arms crossed, muttering to himself.
"The final island, huh… If Captain Roger's great treasure is really there…"
His eyes instantly morphed into Beli signs.
Carina said flatly, "Don't get your hopes up. Even if we find it, it's not yours."
"Who says!" Buggy roared. "I was an apprentice on Roger's ship! I have natural inheritance rights!"
Macaw shrieked from Carina's shoulder.
"Caw! Dream on! Dream on!"
"Shut up, you stupid bird!"
Sabo watched the two bicker and couldn't hold back a laugh.
Ace walked at the front, not joining in. He simply handed the sealed case to Sabo.
"Keep it safe."
Sabo took it and nodded seriously.
"Understood."
The Eclipse crew left the Whale Forest behind.
Behind them, the red Poneglyph still stood silent in the depths of the Whale Tree.
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