Chapter 78

The main reason I felt that Issho was best suited to venture on this task was mainly because of his gravity fruit powers. These poneglyphs are indestructible and must be close to impossible to move. If not, with the World Government's power, they must have at least secured these poneglyphs instead of letting them lie around the world. In my opinion, only people with specialized devil fruit powers like Shiki's float fruit, Issho's gravity fruit, and a few other devil fruits could achieve this feat. And if these Poneglyphs were immune to devil fruit powers, Issho could simply manipulate the seabed on which the Road Poneglyph rested to whisk it away.

Issho contemplated my words. Now that he was part of the Donquixote family, he would have to do such things in the future. After a few minutes of contemplation, he nodded.

"Fine, in that case, I will carry out the task. But the question is, where will I move the so-called Poneglyph? We will need a secure place to hide it."

Doffy, who was contemplating our upcoming plan, finally revealed a smirk as he realized that there was a perfect place to hide the stolen Poneglyph. Then we quickly started ironing out the details. Issho would venture alone into Fishman Island, hide the Poneglyph in the designated place, and return. It would take him anywhere close to two months at the minimum to finish this mission, while myself, Doffy, and the rest would stay on the island and start training in earnest to prepare for the upcoming Great Pirate Age.

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Ohara, West Blue

Little Robin was flipping through an ancient looking book with relish while Lily, by her side, worked on some old, tattered parchment. Since Lily had introduced Robin to the world of books, the young girl had forgotten about her past perils.

Nowadays, most of her life is spent in the library, and as for her family, they do not care for the little girl's fate. Ever since Lily had saved Robin from hunger and peril that fateful night, they had grown as close as siblings. Apart from being the librarian, Lily was also the youngest scholar in Ohara at the age of fifteen.

"Little Robin, are you done with the book? You already skipped breakfast. I am not letting you skip lunch, and that goes for you too, Lily," a voice echoed through the entrance as an old man walked in with some scrolls in hand. This old man was none other than Professor Clover, the director of Ohara Library. Since Robin was brought in by Lily, she has become the sweetheart of all the people in Ohara Library. The little girl was an absolute genius, and many believed that soon she would break Lily's record of becoming the youngest scholar.

Robin, immersed in the book, was distracted by the old voice and looked up. She suddenly realized she had skipped breakfast because she was too engrossed in the book. Meanwhile, Lily quickly arranged the tattered parchment, sealing it inside a glass case. Even though she was an adult compared to Robin, Lily had also forgotten about food, and she flushed in embarrassment.

"Sigh, both of you girls. I have no idea how to straighten you both up. Keep this up, and surely someday I am going to ban both of you from the library for skipping meals," the old man chuckled, while Robin had already moved next to him and started hugging his leg.

"Grandpa Clover, you promised me you would take me to see the secret project that all the scholars are working on. It has been a month; I want to see it now." Little Robin, mustering all her innocence, hung onto the old man, leaving him helpless.

Professor Clover, now with a headache because of Robin's request, turned to Lily, who was giving him a sheepish smile. Originally, the project of the Poneglyphs was supposed to be top-secret, and they were risking their lives while working on it.

However, Lily had let slip a few details about the Poneglyphs, and as smart as the little girl was, she quickly discerned the nature of the project and started pestering the old man to take her to see the Poneglyphs that recorded the true history of the world. He suddenly even thought about Olivia, who also held the same drive as his daughter. The main reason he permitted Robin to stay in the library was that he came to know that Robin was Nico Olivia's daughter.

"Little Robin, you shouldn't twist my words. I remember promising to take you to see the project once you become a scholar, but you have yet to become one. The project is only for scholars." Professor Clover tried to wiggle out, not knowing how else to console the little one. He had set Robin a target of becoming a scholar as a criteria.

"But Grandpa Clover, aren't you the director? I am sure you can make an exception. I just want to take a peek. I will not disturb anyone, I swear." Robin used her puppy-dog eyes to try and coax the old man into bending to her will.

Clover didn't know what to do, but then he finally succumbed to the overwhelming pressure from the little one. "Fine, fine. I will take you to see the poneglyph, but first, let's go fill our bellies with food." The old man gestured for the two girls to follow him. Robin happily took the old man's arm as she was going to see the poneglyph for the first time in her life.

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[Sea Calendar Year: 1500]

Time flew by like the tide; nearly four months passed since the Donquixote brothers and their entire family vanished from the world's sight. Despite the World Government's exhaustive efforts to locate them, no trace or news of their whereabouts emerged. Ishho had successfully retrieved the Road poneglyph and had just returned to the island after safely hiding away the Road poneglyph in the designated place picked by Doffy. However, he had returned with additional baggage—a little mermaid.

I was completely caught off guard when Issho brought Shirley back with him. From Ishho's explanation, it seemed the little mermaid had clung to the blind swordsman after divining the changes in this world and its future, since she was waiting near the area where the Road poneglyph was. According to her divination, following Issho wherever he went became her road to salvation. Despite her young age and the risks involved, she decided to take a leap of faith and follow Issho.

Issho, being the kind man he was, couldn't abandon an innocent child who stuck to him like a leech. Originally, he had wished to leave the little girl behind after securing the poneglyph according to the plan. However, as Shirley kept following him and eventually fell into the hands of slavers, Issho finally chose to intervene and save the little girl. It seemed like she was fated to join the family.

Currently in the center of the island, teeming with perilous lifeforms, a central clearing served as the arena for two poised fighters. One, a blind man adorned in a faded purple yukata, faced off against a teen enveloped in dancing blue flames. They were none other than Issho and Doffy. During these four months, Doffy had dedicated himself wholly to training, pushing himself to inhuman levels under my guidance.

With diligence, he honed both his haki prowess and devil fruit powers. But currently, he has challenged Issho to a fight to decide the fate of the little mermaid who had clung to Ishho all the way from Fishman Island to this secluded island on the Calm Belt. This was more like Doffy finding an excuse to let loose and see how much he had grown, as he had no issues with letting the mermaid join the family, especially after knowing her special powers of divination, as she would be a valuable asset to the family.

Originally unaware of the true potential of his flame-flame fruit, Doffy's flames had evolved significantly from my knowledge of past lives. From a standard orange hue, his flames now gleamed a vibrant blue, their temperature exceeding 4000 degrees. The most intriguing aspect was their potential for further enhancement; at his peak exertion, Doffy's flames displayed a faint purple tinge, suggesting even greater heat levels. Presently, his flames could effortlessly melt through steel.

In terms of haki, Doffy had already grasped the basics of emission and was progressing toward mastery. His observation Haki, had also seen significant improvement. Likewise, Issho had made remarkable strides in swordsmanship and observation haki, nearing the threshold of admiral level. All he required were battles to push him beyond his limits.

Gladius and Lucci, too, showed promising development. While Gladius's talent was decent but unremarkable, Lucci displayed exceptional potential. Hailed as the greatest genius in eight centuries, Lucci possessed an innate aptitude for greatness, proving himself to be a formidable force in the making.

"Roaring Tiger!" Issho unleashed a massive surge of gravity with a horizontal slash, but Doffy was prepared, surrounding himself with swirling blue flames. "Hell Blaze!" he countered, releasing a torrent of blue flames. The two forces clashed, gravity-infused sword slashes against haki-infused blue flames, vying for dominance. Shockwaves rippled through the clearing, tearing at the trees that surrounded us.

I sat atop a boulder a few hundred meters away, watching the battle unfold with attention. Beside me were Lucci, Gladius, little Shirley, and Giolla, all observing the clash with keen interest.

As Issho and Doffy clashed, the air crackled with tension, each of their moves calculated and precise. Issho, the blind swordsman, wielded his sword with mastery honed through years of practice and battle. With each swing, he infused his blade with the invisible force of armament haki, enhancing its cutting power and precision.

Doffy, on the other hand, danced amidst swirling blue flames, his mastery over his devil fruit powers evident in every movement. With each step, he manipulated the flames around him, weaving them into intricate patterns of destruction. His haki-enhanced punches and kicks added another layer of ferocity to his attacks.

"Hunting Tiger!" Issho lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air with a swift and deadly arc. Doffy countered with a wall of blazing flames: "Flame Emperor!" The heat and intensity of his attack forced Issho to backpedal. But Issho was relentless, his gravity powers amplifying the force of his strikes as he pressed the offensive.

Doffy's eyes narrowed as he focused his armament haki, his flames intensifying in response. "Blue Heaven!" With a roar, he surged forward, meeting Issho's blade with his own haki-infused fists. The clash sent shockwaves rippling through the clearing, shaking the very ground beneath their feet.

As the battle raged on, both combatants pushed themselves to their limits, their determination unwavering. Each blow exchanged was met with equal force and skill, the clash of their powers creating a spectacle that captivated all who witnessed it.

As the battle raged on for more than an hour, both combatants pushed themselves to their limits, their determination unwavering. Each blow exchanged was met with equal force and skill, the clash of their powers creating a spectacle that captivated all who witnessed it.

In the end, it was impossible to determine a clear victor. The fight ended in a stalemate, with Issho standing poised, still brimming with energy, while opposite him, Doffy stood battered and bruised but unbowed.

However, with my trained eyes, I could clearly see that Issho held a clear advantage over my brother for now, as he was holding back. I attributed it to the age difference between the two fighters, as Issho had a decade of extra time to hone his skills, and his talent was also top-notch.

Just then, I flickered and appeared in between the two, who were preparing to go at each other once again. "That's enough for today. I don't think anyone has any issues with little Shirley joining us. The world will soon plunge into chaos, and we will ride the chaotic tide to carve out our own place in the New World," I remarked, knowing from my estimate that Roger would soon surrender and the great pirate age would begin.

"So it's time we get back to the world soon, is it, little brother?" Doffy questioned. He had already been vexed by staying on this island for months now. Although he didn't complain about the training, I could feel his frustration with hiding away from the world.

But he knew that he was truly weak as of now. Coming face-to-face with the true powers of Mary Geoise had made him realize how wide the chasm was. In order to achieve our goal, he needed more than just the strength he had now. He needed power, authority, and wealth; we needed all of those and more if we truly wanted to challenge the true rulers of this world.

"Say, Doffy, what are our upcoming plans? Are we going back to North Blue?" I couldn't help but ask. There were quite a few things they needed to do once they returned to the world: re-establish the Donquixote family and, most importantly, find out what happened to Senor and the rest, whose fates were still not confirmed.

"No, little brother, we will not start with the North Blue anymore. We will directly establish our power base in the New World. Our first goal is to establish ourselves as the overlords of the New World in the coming years," Doffy remarked. With his ambitious words, I could guess how things were going to progress.

Soon enough, the New World seas would come under the influence of the Emperors of the Sea: Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and, in the future, Shanks. But now, with me and my family in the mix, the sea was going to become even more chaotic.

"Ross, remember what I have told you before. Kaido is mine to kill. Once I am strong enough, I will personally tear him up. So don't you dare touch him before then," Doffy commented, his voice dangerous.

He still vividly remembered the day the whole family fell because of Kaido's betrayal, so Doffy personally marked Kaido as his target to kill. Maybe it will take years or decades for him to reach Kaido's level, but I could see the resolve in Doffy's eyes that he was dead set on fulfilling his words. He wanted to serve vengeance with his own two hands.

I acknowledged my brother's words and turned to the rest of the family, beginning to explain our upcoming plans. There were too many things that we needed to do before the seas descended into chaos.