Scholar in Sea Forest

"The Pirate's Void Throne"

Rox and Jinbe, riding in a taxi, arrived at the Sea Forest in no time. Led by Jinbe, Rox quickly arrived in front of the historical monument in the Sea Forest.

Seeing the vast historical monument, Rox's innate Observation of Haki suddenly underwent some changes.

Looking at the strange characters on the monument, although he didn't recognize them, Rox suddenly realized that he seemed to understand their meaning.

"As expected..." Rox muttered softly, then stopped looking at the monument and turned to look at a merman male not far from the memorial.

Seeing Rox looking at him, the merman male showed a friendly smile.

"Hello there, human." Rox nodded at the merman male.

"I know you, and Tom Master mentioned you to me, Dan." Rox spoke to Dan, not far away.

"Oh? You know my brother, Tom! Hahaha, that's an old friend!" Dan floated to Rox's side with a cheerful smile and hugged him directly.

"Dan? I didn't expect to find you here, the famous shipwright and scholar on Fish-Man Island." Jinbe looked at Dan, somewhat surprised. Dan looked back at Jinpei with a smile.

"Ah, Sea Forest has many places worth researching. And this huge historical monument is worth dedicating a lifetime to studying."

Dan floated to the monument and gently touched the ancient characters engraved on it.

"Don't you think these characters are charming?" Rox looked at the ancient characters, and the meanings of these characters kept appearing in his mind.

"It's indeed interesting. But I didn't expect that such a huge monument is just for writing an apology letter."

"That guy named Joy Boy is an interesting character." Hearing Rox's quiet words, Dan grabbed Rox's shoulder excitedly.

"You, can you understand those ancient characters? Do you know what's written on them?!" Rox looked at Dan, who was excited before him, gently shook his head, then nodded.

"I know the meaning but can't read these ancient characters." Rox took his hands off his shoulders, walked to the monument, and touched its ancient characters.

Just as Rox's hands touched the monument, the scenery before Rox's eyes suddenly changed. He was no longer in the Sea Forest but on a massive warship.

A man was carving words on a massive monument with apologetic eyes. Tears of helplessness flowed constantly from his eyes.

"Your Highness, believe me, I will come to find you. Even if I can't fulfil my promise to you now, I still firmly believe that someone will come to the promise between us, no matter how many years have passed."

The man finished speaking, lifted the massive monument, and threw it on the ground. 

He walked down from the vast warship and was left alone, sailing on a small sailboat into the sea. After the man left, Rox also exited the illusion.

Thinking of the departing figure, Rox fell into thought. His hands gently touched each ancient character.

"Sea King, Poseidon, huh? Well, that's interesting."

"I never thought my Observation Haki, besides the mundane ability to hear many voices passively, would have this function."

"Just don't know if this ability is useful for all antiques or historical monuments."

Rox temporarily set aside his thoughts. 

"By the way, Dan, Tom said your shipbuilding skills are not inferior to his. How about it? Want to join my crew as my partner?" 

Suddenly hearing Rox's invitation, Dan was taken aback momentarily, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, even though I'd love to accept your invitation and explore the world with you on the sea, I'll pass."

"My interest lies in studying history in Sea Forest and taking on some coating jobs to make a living when bored."

"But still, thank you for inviting me to be your partner." Rox didn't insist on Dan's refusal. Everyone has their pursuits, and Rox wouldn't impose on others.

"I see. In that case, forget about it." Rox replied with a smile and turned to leave.

Rox's purpose in coming to the Sea Forest had been accomplished, and he didn't want to stay here any longer.

"Oh, by the way, Dan, could you please coat my two ships? I'll pay you the regular price for your work." Rox thought of something and turned to Dan.

"Sure, leave it to me. Once I'm done with my research here, I'll come over later. It's the two largest battleships at the harbour, right?" Dan accepted Rox's request heartily.

"Thanks for your help, Dan." After saying that, Rox directly beckoned Jinbe to leave with him.

"Jinpei, do you know Joy Boy?" On the way, Rox suddenly asked Jinbe.

"Joy Boy? I've heard that name. Eight hundred years ago, he seemed to have some agreement with our fish-man princess at that time, but in the end, he stood her up."

Jinbe directly recounted all the fish-man island legends and stories he knew to Rox.

Those stories still revolved around a dramatic love story.

Eight hundred years ago, a prince from a particular kingdom, though it wasn't confirmed whether he was an actual prince, fell into the sea in a shipwreck and was saved by the mermaid princess who happened to be playing in the shallows.

Afterwards, over a long but short time, the mermaid princess unconsciously fell in love with the man, who was brave, powerful, and charming.

And the man was Joy Boy. Joy Boy admired the mermaid princess's beauty, kindness, and gentle temperament. The two spent a period of happy time together.

However, happy times always have an end. After seeing a newspaper, Joy Boy bid farewell to the mermaid princess. 

Before leaving, Joy Boy promised that after he sorted out his matters, he would come with a massive warship to marry the mermaid princess. He also pledged to bring all the residents of Fish-Man Island to live on the sea's surface.

The mermaid princess, in her happiness, trusted Joy Boy completely. After a profoundly memorable farewell, one returned to Fish-Man Island to prepare for the wedding, while the other returned to the kingdom and participated in a massive war.

And this farewell unexpectedly turned out to be forever. Over a decade later, the war ended, and Joy Boy, mentally and physically exhausted, arrived at Fish-Man Island only to learn that the mermaid princess had passed away due to lovesickness ten years earlier.

This news made Joy Boy, who was already tired, even weary. He carved this historical monument on Fish-Man Island and spent his remaining life building a massive warship. Then, he disappeared entirely from everyone's sight.

And so, a poignant love story was preserved and passed down. After listening to Jinpei's narration, Rox looked at the sky above Fish-Man Island.

"A massive war over eight hundred years ago? Truly intriguing."