Among Captain John's treasure, anything of real value, beyond the typical gold and jewels,had been sent straight to the Marine Secret Science Laboratory's classified vault.
Wright stood alone in that vault, gazing solemnly at two red Poneglyphs displayed side by side.
One belonged to Big Mom.
The other had just been recovered from Captain John's treasure.
"With this... the Navy now holds three-quarters of the keys to Laugh Tale."
Wright's expression was complicated.
The final Road Poneglyph, the one on Zou, even Kaido had no idea of its location.
But thanks to Law, Wright possessed a rubbing of that very stone.
Now, only Kaido's Poneglyph remained. With it, the map to Laugh Tale would be complete.
However, one crucial element was still missing... someone who could read them.
He shook his head, setting that thought aside. If it really came to it, Nico Robin wouldn't refuse his request to decipher the Poneglyphs.
After all, the World Government would never permit the information inscribed on these stones to be unearthed.
According to Drake's intelligence, Kaido was already eyeing the Straw Hats.
Big Mom was dead. Whether the Half-Blood Three-Eyed Charlotte Pudding could "awaken" and activate the mystical Three-Eyed Tribe's ability to read Poneglyphs remained unknown.
Moreover, Pudding and Katakuri were now part of a group under a Warlord of the Sea, technically aligned with the World Government.
So if Kaido wanted the Road Poneglyph rubbing that may have ended up in the hands of the Straw Hats, and if he sought the only person alive capable of reading it, Nico Robin, he'd have no choice but to capture them.
To that end, he had even dispatched the strongest of the "Three Calamities"—King the Wildfire.
But Kaido didn't truly understand the Straw Hats' strength. Wright, however, knew all too well.
Letting Luffy take on King alone? That wouldn't cut it.
But if the entire crew fought together…
Even someone as powerful as the top Calamity would be completely overwhelmed.
If King thought he could snatch Nico Robin away, he was dead wrong.
Putting the Straw Hats out of his mind, Wright pulled out a large Tone Dial.
This Sky Island specialty shell could store and replay sound, carrying voices across time.
Among Captain John's hoard, this was one of the most valuable discoveries.
Crocodile had once dismissed it as a mere trinket. He'd never played it, otherwise, he would've learned far more than what he'd jotted down about "Pluton" in that notebook.
Crocodile had never been to Sky Island, so he hadn't recognized it. But Smoker had, he'd visited Watcher's Island, after all.
That's how Wright came to hear Captain John's final message.
Click.
The Tone Dial activated with a low, greedy-sounding chuckle.
"Hehehe…"
"Lucky bastard. If you're hearing this, that means you've been to Sky Island…"
"Or maybe... you know that idiot Shiki?"
"That fool actually got himself thrown into Impel Down! No surprise, seeing as that helm to the head probably scrambled his brains... Hahaha!"
"Old bastard sure could ramble… no wonder you died before Shiki!"
Wright frowned slightly as Captain John's voice continued:
"This Tone Dial? It used to belong to Shiki. Dumbass always flaunted it around after reaching Sky Island, like I couldn't take it from him if I wanted to?"
"Hey! Can you believe it? Roger, that guy who actually beat Captain Rocks. Sure, he needed help from that damned Navy hero, but still, he won!"
"Rocks' era is over. Roger's the Pirate King now… and what did that get him? A public execution by the Marines! How ridiculous is that?!"
"And back at God Valley, that bastard actually protected the Celestial Dragons! Now look, got what was coming to him, huh? Hahaha!"
"That guy was one of the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons… one of the Five Elders, no less. Don't tell me he couldn't save Roger with a single word if he wanted to!"
"So don't trust the Celestial Dragons. Don't trust the World Government. They all deserve to die."
"If Roger hadn't stopped Captain Rocks back then… If they'd captured that guy from the Guardian Tribe and sacrificed him, there wouldn't even be a Mary Geoise now!"
"And that idiot Guardian… he destroyed the device with his own hands. What a disgrace. Entrusting the world's hope to a baby? Shameless."
"He should've used his life to change the world."
"Unlike those muscle-headed fools, I saw that the truth about the Celestial Dragons and the Guardians wasn't so simple…"
"I'm the only one who learned the truth, thanks to the Swamp-Swamp Fruit. My stealth made it possible, even Roger and Garp didn't know!"
"That Guardian's son… he was on Roger's ship! Roger even gave him his straw hat. Might as well have been his own kid!"
"Roger's dead now. So maybe only that kid and I know who he really is."
"No… maybe the Gorosei from back then knows too."
Captain John's voice grew darker, his sneer practically audible.
"But the whole Guardian mess? That ain't my business. I'm a pirate, I only care about treasure."
"I already got Captain Rocks' treasure! But it's not enough… I want more!"
"Roger said all his treasure's on that final island, Laugh Tale? Good."
"Then I'll take it all. Every last piece of the Pirate King's treasure!"
"This Road Poneglyph from Fish-Man Island… it's just the first step."
"Hehehehe…"
"No one even knows where this Road Poneglyph is. Without it, no one can find Laugh Tale."
"But I'll get the other three, one by one… That hag Linlin might be dumb enough to be tricked…"
"And that brat Kaido? They say he's after one too. What, is he screwing Linlin? Why else would she hand over such a rare Devil Fruit?"
"That power came from that Guardian idiot… That gluttonous hag sure got lucky!"
"No, maybe she just wanted a snack? Who brings candy to a war, seriously?!"
"Forget it. Not my problem…"
"As for the last Road Poneglyph, its whereabouts are unknown. But I've got time…"
"That geezer Newgate? Still a pauper! What a letdown… With his strength, he should've hoarded treasure to rival even Rocks."
"Then again… he was never the greedy type."
"This Road Poneglyph… is it the greatest treasure on his turf? Hahahaha!"
After a burst of manic laughter, Captain John's tone turned grim.
"But lately… I've had a bad feeling."
"Could something be coming? But who could possibly threaten me, the infamous Captain John, with a fleet of the world's deadliest men?!"
"Newgate? Coming after me for that red stone? He's got no proof! Thanks to my Devil Fruit, I swallowed that thing clean, no trace left!"
"But just in case…"
"As a professional treasure master…"
"I'm leaving this message."
"If something does happen…"
A pause, then a roar of wild laughter.
"Hahaha! At least the world will still remember my name!"
"I am the one and only, Captain John, seeker of treasure alone!"
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