"Where is this?"
The first island they saw after arriving in the New World was unusual, as it resembled a deserted island polluted with a strange, poisonous gas.
"...is this Punk Hazard?" Robin subconsciously said as she looked at the records that they had collected.
While it was their first time in the New World, it didn't mean that they were unfamiliar with this place. After all, while the weather, geography, and other things were so weird and ruthless that it would cause those who were unfamiliar with this sea to sink into the deep ocean, it didn't mean that the New World was an uncharted sea.
Many people lived in the New World, and naturally, many of them made records about this sea, whether it was the locations of the islands, the weather, or various phenomena that occurred in this place.
Except for the Laugh Tale, the location of One Piece, and most of the locations of the islands had been recorded.
While many might say that it was weird, 800 years had passed since the World Government ruled over this world, and while the New World was an exception, it was because it was an exception that the people of this ocean tried their best to make money by sailing in the uncharted area that had never been hoping to become rich, so it was perfectly normal for them to have the records of the New World, the geography and even maps.
Yes, Shinra might not possess the super-ultra navigation talents of Nami, but even so, all of that could be compensated for by knowledge, technology, and money.
Then again, the navigation wasn't that hard for him, so even without Nami, the super-talented navigator, it didn't really matter.
"Punk Hazard?" Carina looked at the two and asked, "Isn't that the abandoned island by the World Government? It should be used as a secret experiment facility by the World Government, right? " She might appear lazy, but she didn't hate to learn, especially when it was related to money.
If it was before, her thought would be limited to steal, rob, and that's it, but as she was with Shinra, her mind also started to become smarter and instead of stealing or robbing, which wouldn't make much of a money, it was better to invest and do business, thinking what kind of resources that could be developed and make money from an island.
Yet, as she looked at the island that was covered in the poisonous gas, was there a value that one could get from it?
"Yes."
After receiving a confirmation from Shinra, Carina asked, "So, do you want to move on to the next island or enter?"
"Let's enter. This island might be abandoned, but as the facility is left behind by the World Government, we might be able to find something interesting there."
"Such as?"
"Technology?" Shinra suddenly thought of the smartest man in the whole world. "As this is an experimental facility built by the World Government, it must be led by the best scientist, and who is the best scientist? It is Vegapunk, and because of that, I can tell that we might find something interesting here."
"Vegapunk..." 2x
When they thought of this name, their expressions quickly changed since, while Vegapunk might not be the strongest, he was the smartest man in the world.
As this experimental facility was led by Vegapunk, they should be able to find something worthy of attention.
"Okay, let's go!"
Carina was all excited, but Robin was calm as she asked, "Do you think there is a Poneglyph here?"
"It shouldn't be."
"Why can you be so sure?"
"I don't know, but strangely enough, the Poneglyph has always been located in the place where the World Government doesn't have much of an influence."
"When you say it that way..."
Eight hundred years have passed, yet instead of collecting the Poneglyphs all over the world, so that no one would be able to read the past that should have been erased, the World Government allowed this record of the past to exist in the world.
Shinra wasn't sure whether the World Government was too lazy, or the Poneglyph could somehow hide away from the World Government, but frankly, he felt that it was the plot hole of the story.
Yes, the Poneglyph might be said to be indestructible, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't be moved, right?
If the World Government moved all the Poneglyphs, hid them, or even threw them to the bottom of the sea, then would anyone be able to read the past history?
Yet, somehow, even though the World Government had ruled for so long, it just let the Poneglyphs exist as if it didn't care about the past history, whether it was known or not, before making a decision to destroy an island just because the scholars on that island wanted to learn the past.
It was quite peculiar, but Shinra also understood that it was impossible to comprehend what was on the minds of the World Government, as they were either too arrogant or simply foolish.
"By the way, how are we going to enter this place?"
As Robin had accepted Shinra's explanation, she wondered how they could pass the island, which was covered in poison gas.
"Let's look around the island first."
"Okay."
The island wasn't that big anyway, and they could look around first, searching for a chance to enter. Moreover, with the Iro Iro no Mi, which made them able to appear invisible, no one would notice them.
"Shinra, look! There are people!"
As their ship sailed around the island, they noticed a group of people who wore a hazmat suit-like outfit, seemingly coming in and out of the island.
At that moment, the three looked at each other and knew that a certain secret existed on the island.
"Let's go."
Shinra didn't hesitate and approached the ship, using his hypnosis, and took away the suits before he entered the island with Robin and Carina after they had disguised themselves.
"The suit is too ugly..."
"Be patient. Let's see what's inside first. We might find a lot of treasures here."
And Shinra was correct, he discovered many treasures inside this place, especially a certain Devil Fruit that made him stronger than ever.
Meanwhile, the people inside didn't seem to realise the danger that was about to come to their world.
"Hmm... what is a Crocodile doing on the Saobody Archipelago?"
A certain man looked at the newspaper, and reading the news about the disaster of the Saobody Archipelago that destroyed his auction house, which made him annoyed and angry, yet as he saw it was all sand, he decided to shut his mouth, wondering whether Crocodile had become stronger.
Suna Suna no Mi.
No matter how he looked down on Crocodile, the power of the Logia type of Devil Fruit couldn't be underestimated.
"Did he seek a treasure?"
"Young Master, we found the trace of that young man from before!"
"Huh? Where is he?"
"It seems he appeared on the Saobody Archipelago before."
"Saobody Archipelago?" The man frowned, confused, but then he smiled arrogantly. "It seems that we don't have to move as he will come to us, and when he arrives, let's welcome him with the grandest party!"
His words might seem light and kind, yet the voice that came from his mouth was cold and filled with a killing intent.
Yet, what he didn't know was that before he made a move, Shinra had already made his move.