Ace crouched behind a jagged rock formation a short distance away.
He could clearly sense a distinct natural element saturating the area. As someone who had begun integrating elemental awareness with Observation Haki, the first person that came to Ace's mind was Crocodile.
"As expected of the former first Warlord of the Sea…"
A smirk curled at the corner of Ace's lips. For someone like Crocodile, whose methods were mostly self-taught, having guidance from both Wright and Issho, as well as frequent spars with Enel, gave Ace a clear edge in technique and control.
So it was no surprise that he detected Crocodile's wariness first, without revealing his own presence.
And given that Crocodile had clearly developed similar techniques, it was likely that even Smoker, despite his finer sensory control, wouldn't be able to glean much more from his end.
Ace wasn't at all surprised that Luffy had decided to let Moria go. As he watched the group pinpoint their destination using the treasure map, Crocodile created an opening in the ground, revealing a hidden staircase beneath.
"Just about time…"
Turning back the way he came, Ace walked only a short distance before Smoker approached from the opposite direction.
"That damn Crocodile is such a nuisance."
Smoker frowned, recalling the battle against Patrick Redfield and the replicated sand crocodiles the man had conjured.
"Once this is over, I'm throwing him back into Impel Down."
"Haha… Smoker-ossan, they've already gone underground. Let's head in too."
Ace stretched and cracked his neck, energy surging back into him.
"The fact that they're working together means the treasure inside either requires both of them to unlock it, or it only works that way."
"I don't know why Crocodile's here, but Luffy definitely followed that treasure map, I saw them use it to find the exact spot."
"Now I'm really curious what's down there!"
"Treasure map?"
Smoker raised an eyebrow. Normally, news of something like that would've drawn nothing but a scoff from him.
Treasure maps on the Grand Line, nine out of ten are fake. The other half a map? Usually already looted.
Valuable treasures did exist, but they rarely stayed in one place. One gets dug up, another gets buried elsewhere.
Especially here, where the territories of three Yonko intersect. Normally, this area would be teeming with activity. If a treasure was really hidden here, would it have remained undiscovered until now?
But logic told him otherwise: if the Straw Hat Pirates, Crocodile, and even Moria were all here… then maybe this treasure was the real deal.
"Let's follow them in. They're still pirates, working together might be necessary to find the treasure, but once they lay eyes on it, a fight is almost guaranteed."
Smoker walked forward. Ace fell in step beside him.
"Come to think of it, if they decide to team up against us, we might be in trouble."
"How about this, Smoker-ossan, you take on Luffy and the gang, and I'll deal with the sand croc?"
Ace grinned mischievously.
"That way, we might settle things faster."
"…"
"You little punk. Are you mocking my combat skills again?!"
"No, no~ Just saying, you're not exactly at an advantage against Crocodile…"
"THAT'S THE SAME THING!!"
"Ah? Hahaha…"
Deep underground, the Straw Hat crew and Crocodile were navigating a twisting labyrinth.
"This place is massive… How the hell did Captain John carve out something this big?!"
Nami gawked at the scale of the maze, scanning the enlarged, redrawn version of the treasure map in her hands.
"Captain John? Who's that? Is he famous?"
Luffy tilted his head, looking confused, then pouted.
"Aren't we there yet? I'm starving…"
"This is a treasure hunt! Not a buffet!"
Nami turned and snapped at him.
"Besides, didn't you just eat before we left the ship?!"
"I had to fight Moria just now, remember…"
Luffy pouted. Sanji, cigarette between his lips, sighed.
"There aren't even any animals on this island. Whatever treasure's down here, I doubt it includes food. We'll probably have to get back to the ship before we can cook anything."
"… Treasure, huh? If only it were a giant hunk of meat…"
"Oi! Who the hell buries meat for decades and draws a treasure map for it?!"
Usopp slapped the back of Luffy's head.
"Get serious! The sooner we wrap this up, the sooner we get out of here!"
"Yeah, good point. If the Marines show up now, we'll be in real trouble."
Robin added calmly, analyzing the situation.
"If even one battleship arrives, and they've got one of those strange support technologies… we might get blown full of holes."
Chopper trembled, eyes wide with horror as tears welled up.
"Waaah! Robin, that's so scary!!"
"…"
Walking slightly ahead, Crocodile twitched, a vein popping on his forehead. He bit down on the butt of his cigar, silently regretting his decision, for what felt like the hundredth time.
"This is the place… I came here more than twenty years ago."
Crocodile came to a halt. The others looked up, finding themselves in front of a massive sealed door.
"If no one's been here since then…"
He stepped forward and paused for a moment.
"There might still be a lot left…"
He pushed open the door, and the Straw Hat Pirates froze, speechless at the sight before them.
"So much… so much treasure!!"
Nami's eyes lit up like twin suns. Even those who weren't especially money-minded stood dumbstruck, jaws nearly unhinged.
"This… this is what's left after a lot was supposedly taken?!"
A vast treasure vault stretched before them—mountains of gold, silver, gemstones, scepters, crowns, and untold valuables piled high like miniature hills.
Though it was clear a large section of the chamber was empty, what remained was enough to leave even seasoned pirates stunned.
"Captain John's treasure… incredible!"
"So who was Captain John, anyway?" Usopp asked, blinking.
"I mean, for this much treasure to be real, he couldn't have been just any pirate crew. At the very least…"
He hesitated.
"Was he on a Yonko-level crew?!"
"Hmph… You're chasing after his treasure and don't even know who he was?"
Crocodile gave Robin a side glance.
"Nico Robin, you should know, shouldn't you?"
"…"
Robin fell silent for a moment, her expression growing serious. Then she nodded.
"Captain John once sailed alongside legends like the Golden Lion, Whitebeard, even Big Mom and Kaido, they were all on the same ship."
"Details about that pirate crew have largely been lost to time, but after it disbanded… every one of them went on to become infamous across the seas."
"Whaaa?!"
Everyone reeled in shock.
"So even if it's not quite Yonko-level treasure… it's damn close?!"
—————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanPiece [remove the parentheses ( )]
Note: This fanfic has been completely translated and is available on my Patreon.