Aboard the Sunny.
"Nami, are you sure this is the place?"
Defeating Kaido had been a joint effort with the Whitebeard Pirates, but taking down Blackbeard had been the Straw Hat Crew's own achievement. Even though the Marines credited the victory to "White Dove" Roman, the Admiral candidate, the rest of the world saw things differently. The birth of a true Pirate King was far more exciting than the Marines taking credit for an easy win.
"If the coordinates are correct…"
Nami carefully compared the four navigation charts in her hands multiple times, staring at the plain, unremarkable island before them.
"Then this is Laugh Tale!"
"Yohoho~ But it just looks like an ordinary island."
"And I don't sense any strong presence here, either."
Hearing Brook and Sanji's doubts, Roman opened his eyes and shook his head.
"There's not even a hint of a strong presence here. The animals on this island... are as normal as they can be."
Normal rabbits, normal wild boars, normal insects and snakes... Even the so-called "rulers" of the island were just a few ordinary crocodiles—the kind that any member of the Straw Hat Crew could have taken down alone back in their East Blue days.
"Huh? This is just too..."
After hearing Roman's explanation, the Straw Hat Crew was stunned.
They had expected the final stop—Laugh Tale—to be a deadly place filled with terrifying dangers. But in the end, it turned out to be... just an unbelievably ordinary island?
"This is totally unexpected~~"
"Hahaha, well, this isn't so bad. Finally, we don't have to fight."
"Yeah, yeah! Come to think of it, we've already been through more than enough battles on this journey!"
Usopp and Chopper were thrilled. In their minds, sailing the seas was supposed to be about adventure and fun. But reality had been cruel—either they were fighting, or they were on their way to a fight.
"Maybe this so-called Laugh Tale is actually just a giant bomb? The moment we step foot on it... boom!"
"Don't even joke about that!" x2
Robin always had a way of making the scariest predictions sound completely casual.
"No matter what, we've finally made it."
Standing at the bow of the ship, Roman gazed at the plain-looking island ahead. Thinking back to when they first entered the Grand Line—what were everyone's dreams again?
Becoming the Pirate King? The world's greatest swordsman? Drawing a map of the entire world? Becoming a brave warrior of the sea? Finding the legendary "All Blue" full of every ingredient? Uncovering the true Poneglyph? Discovering a cure for all diseases? Having a ship that could sail anywhere? Keeping a promise to Laboon? Achieving peace between fish-men and humans?
And witnessing it all himself...
"Well, once we find the Poneglyph here on Laugh Tale, most of our dreams will be within reach!"
As for the rest, with the strength the Straw Hat Crew had now, nothing would stand in their way.
With a splash, the ship dropped anchor. Luffy was the first to leap onto the island, spreading his arms wide:
"Pirate King!!!!"
"I've finally become the Pirate King—waaahhh!!"
...?
"Luffy, are you crying?"
As Roman stepped off the Sunny onto a paper bridge, Luffy wiped his face.
"Yeah, I'm so happy I started crying!"
He turned to look at his crewmates as they stepped onto the island one by one. Pressing down on his straw hat, he said:
"Thank you."
...?
"That's not like you at all, Luffy."
"Crying and saying thanks? That's not how a captain should act."
Looking at the friends who had stood by him through thick and thin, never leaving his side—Luffy couldn't help but smile through his tears.
"Hehehe, it's just... everyone fought so hard because of my selfish dream. If I didn't say something, I'd feel like..."
"Alright, alright~~"
The "mood killer" Roman waved his hand.
"Let's find that Poneglyph that holds the secrets of the world. Honestly, I'm really curious about what's written on it."
Whatever it was, it had been enough to make Roger and his crew burst into laughter through their tears. What could it possibly be?
"Yeah, I can't wait to see it."
Even Robin, usually so composed, looked excited. The true history was right in front of her. Once she saw the Poneglyph on Laugh Tale, her dream would be realized—at the same time as Luffy's.
"Hehehe, let's go! Our final adventure~~"
Luffy turned and strode toward the forest, but the rest of the Straw Hat Crew remained still.
"Luffy, are you sure you'll find the Poneglyph in that direction?"
"...This way. I already spotted the stone tablet through my white doves."
With Roman leading the way, the dense jungle ahead unfolded like sheets of white paper, revealing a straight path toward a part of the island.
"Everything, from the plants to the animals..."
Walking on the pure white path Roman had created, Chopper observed the surroundings in amazement.
"It's all so normal, it's unbelievable!"
After all, with Luffy around, the Straw Hat Crew never took the usual route, and the islands they encountered were always strange in one way or another. Now that they had finally arrived at an ordinary place, it actually felt a little unsettling.
"Hehehe, maybe it's because this island is so ordinary that no one ever paid attention to it?"
Hearing Luffy's casual remark, Roman stroked his chin.
"That makes sense. It looks like a completely untouched island, and it's not on any known sea route. So even if someone stumbled upon it, they'd probably just assume it was a normal deserted island."
"An adventure without a fight... That doesn't seem like something we'd ever experience."
As the group continued chatting, someone suddenly pointed ahead.
"Hey, there's a building here?"
"Uh... Calling this a 'building' is a bit of a stretch. It looks more like a straw hut."
Roman examined the structure in front of them. Honestly, if not for the signs of it being tied together, it could have been mistaken for an animal's nest. Even his airborne doves hadn't noticed it earlier.
"Who would build something like this here? And why is the craftsmanship so bad? Don't tell me this was left behind by Roger's crew..."
No, no way. Roger's ship was full of strong and skilled people—there's no way they would build something this sloppy.
For a brief moment, as Roman looked at this shack that resembled a doghouse, a strange sense of familiarity flashed through his mind. It was almost as if... this thing was something *he* had—
"Roman, what's wrong?"
Nami shook his arm, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"It's nothing. Let's keep moving."
Rustle—
As the overgrown grass in front of them turned into white paper and scattered away, the crew's eyes lit up.
A clearing appeared before them, and at its center stood a moss-covered stone tablet, silent and imposing.
There was no doubt about it—
"A Poneglyph?!"
"The ultimate treasure—"
"Hahaha! We finally did it! Luffy, you're the Pirate King now!!"
"Congrats, Pirate King! Let's celebrate!!"
"Hehehe, same to all of you~~"
...?
While the others were celebrating with Luffy, Roman stared at the stone tablet, feeling another strange sense of familiarity. Even the writing on it...
He slowly raised his hand, tracing the symbols in the air, stroke by stroke.
Just then, a light breeze swept past.
"These letters... were carved by hand?!"
Roman and Robin spoke at the same time, their voices overlapping.
Usopp, who had been feeling around the massive Poneglyph, immediately waved his hands in disbelief.
"That's impossible! Poneglyphs are supposed to be indestructible! Only the craftsmen from Wano Country can carve them using special techniques—"
"No."
Compared to Roman, who found it strangely familiar, Robin pointed seriously at the ancient text on the Poneglyph.
"Look, the beginning of each character is shaped like a half-circle. That's not how carvings usually look. It's more like… someone *dug* them out with their fingers."
"Really?"
Zoro frowned, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
*Clang!!*
With a flash of steel, sparks burst from the Poneglyph with a sharp, grating noise, making Chopper and Usopp jump in fright.
"Zoro, what are you doing?!"
"What if you break it…?"
"Calm down."
Zoro slowly sheathed his sword. The blade, covered in Armament Haki, had turned pitch black.
"That was a strike at *five* layers of strength, and I didn't even leave a scratch."
"I can't imagine anyone using their fingers to carve this…"
"Hmm."
Luffy tilted his head, thinking.
"I get the feeling that if I used *Gear Fifth*—"
"Guys."
Even the steady Jinbe couldn't take it anymore and stepped in to stop the conversation from going off track.
"We came here to find the Pirate King's 'great treasure,' didn't we?"
Not to figure out how to chop up a Poneglyph.
"So the most important thing right now is letting Robin read what's written on it."
"…Yeah, Robin—"
"Here we go, the great treasure is about to be revealed!"
"Hehehe, I hope it's an endless supply of meat…"
"What kind of nonsense is that? If you want unlimited food, you should've stayed on *Boin Archipelago!*"
While the three Straw Hat goofballs argued as usual, Robin took a deep breath.
Hands appeared out of thin air, brushing away the moss on the Poneglyph.
Then, she began reading the words carved into the massive stone:
"We… No, I lost."
"Why, Imu…? And the twenty kingdoms of this planet—why did you do this?"
"Wouldn't it have been better to build a world where everyone could laugh, where there was equality, order, and no war? For that dream, the three of us fought together, struggled together, grew stronger together… Was I really wrong?
Is the heart of man never satisfied? Is conflict the true nature of humanity… or rather, of all races?"
"This is the first passage. The writer is *Joy Boy.*"
Robin gently swept more moss off the stone and continued reading the second passage:
"You were all too naive. Did you really believe in equality? How foolish!
Ordinary people don't care *who* rules them. They don't care if their leader is called 'king,' 'emperor,' 'chief,' or 'mayor.'
All they want is for someone strong to give them a stable life."
"And yet, you expect those strong enough to rise above others—those who trained hard, built their wealth, and claimed power—to be treated the same as 'ordinary people'? That is declaring war against the entire world."
"So, from the very beginning, you two were doomed to fail!"
"I will become the *King of the World.* Under my rule, there will be no endless wars at sea!
I will achieve your so-called 'dream' *my* way. And the twenty kings who swear loyalty to me—I will grant them and their descendants wealth and power for generations to come.
I always keep my promises."
"This is the second passage. The writer is *Imu.*"
Robin, her hands trembling with excitement, wiped away the last layer of moss and read the third passage—
She suddenly trembled all over!
"What's wrong?"
"What does it say below?"
"Below..."
Cold sweat dripped down her face as Robin read aloud in a shaky voice:
"Ahem, don't panic."
"It was just a small accident. We haven't lost... Okay, fine, it was my mistake. I admit it, Im, you won this time. But this is far from over."
"I have already sent Joy Boy's soul into reincarnation. Eight hundred years from now, we will meet again. And by then, the key to defeating you will appear."
"Lastly, about your betrayal... I forgive you."
Robin's eyes lingered on the final line.
"Message left by: Tokovich Neo."
(End of Chapter)