Shirahoshi is the Poseidon… but the Poseidon is not Shirahoshi.
In a world where gods truly exist, the statement was chillingly logical.
"There's a thousand-year-old stone monument inside Laugh Tale," Rowen said slowly, meeting everyone's stunned gazes. "It was originally a monument of glory forged by that ancient empire long ago… but later, it became the vessel that sealed her away."
"Orrick knew that he, that existence, was in a weakened state. But to be safe, and to hold our forces in check, he sent Shirahoshi there and swapped their souls."
"That's why Poseidon is completely beyond his control. Even as a Celestial Dragon, if Orrick saw her now, he'd have to run for his life."
"You've been to Laugh Tale?!" Akainu's eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed as he frowned. "No… You didn't have the time for that. So…"
Akainu's breath hitched. "I see. So that's the real reason why Vice Admiral Dante returned earlier than I!"
"Then doesn't that mean, Princess Shirahoshi might still be alive?!" Jinbe's voice trembled with desperate urgency.
He didn't care about the so-called One Piece. After Fish-Man Island's destruction, his only concern was the survival of his people's last royal bloodline.
"I don't know," Rowen admitted, shaking his head. "But according to Dante's observation, the body containing her soul was like a lifeless object, no spiritual presence at all. Perhaps only someone like Roger, who could hear the Voice of All Things, could tell whether Shirahoshi is still alive or not."
Jinbe's shoulders sank, despair clouding his face.
No one present questioned why Rowen would send people to Laugh Tale, the legendary island of "ONE PIECE." At this point, plotting to slay a god made chasing the world's greatest treasure seem like a trivial sideline.
"Still, the threat of the Poseidon must not be underestimated," Rowen continued, his voice grim. "She's a pure avenger, whether it's the World Government or anyone else, she views them all as enemies of vengeance."
"Especially Devil Fruit users, she refuses to accept them."
Rowen didn't explain the reason. If he did, that Devil Fruits were creations of Imu, it would crush everyone's morale. Except for Kong and Bald Zero, nearly everyone in the room was a Devil Fruit user. What, then, were they fighting for?
"The best outcome," Rowen said, "is if Shirahoshi is still alive. Then we can swap her and the Poseidon's souls back and resolve everything."
"But if Shirahoshi is already dead…"
Then they would have to fight, with steel and blood.
Kong frowned. "How did Orrick even manage the exchange? From your explanation, my lord, that seal shouldn't have been so easily broken."
"I don't know. Maybe it's connected to how weak he is right now. But the details…" Rowen trailed off, shaking his head. The details were known only to Orrick, and Orrick had unfortunately been mind-wiped by Im.
Kong: "…" What a damned mess.
"So," Rowen went on, "I've prepared two backup plans. The first one… is you, Jinbe."
He turned his gaze toward the Fish-Man. "Princess Shirahoshi was close to you. Perhaps you can sense her presence, maybe even awaken her."
It was the last sliver of hope. Jinbe bowed solemnly. "Understood."
"And the second plan," Rowen said, "is to find someone like Roger, someone who can hear the Voice of All Things."
He looked straight ahead. Akainu and Kong followed his gaze. Jinbe and Bald Zero also turned to see who he was looking at.
Dragon: "…" Wait… am I supposed to be that person? Since when?
"You mean… Luffy?!" Dragon blurted out.
"Monkey D. Luffy… that brat!" Akainu sneered. "I heard he's about to go to war with Red-Hair's pirate crew, isn't he? Always stirring up trouble, just like his old man!"
Dragon shot Akainu a look full of pure disdain. "You're one to talk… old bachelor."
Akainu: "…"
Kong: "…"
Bald Zero: "…"
Jinbe: "…"
Rowen: "…"
That was uncalled for.
"Cough, cough…" Rowen quickly brought the discussion back on track. "According to the soldiers who survived from Zou Island, I've confirmed that both Luffy and Kozuki Momonosuke possess this ability, they can communicate with Zunesha."
"However," he added, "I'm not sure whether Momonosuke's power comes from his Kozuki bloodline. That's why choosing Luffy is the safest bet."
Jinbe turned toward Dragon and bowed deeply. "Lord Dragon, please. I'm counting on you."
If Jinbe failed to awaken Shirahoshi, Luffy would be their final hope.
Dragon nodded. "I'll try to contact him. But I'm not sure he'll listen."
"No need to tell him everything," Rowen replied calmly. "Just make sure he knows about this before he reaches Laugh Tale. That's enough."
As he spoke, a faint, knowing smile curved Rowen's lips under everyone's puzzled gazes.
"Did you all really think the battle between Shanks and the Straw Hats is that simple?"
At those words, Bald Zero and Kong exchanged grim looks and nodded heavily. Seeing Akainu and the others' confused faces, they provided the terrifying history lesson.
"Even back then, Gol D. Roger didn't reach Laugh Tale by collecting all four Red Poneglyphs. In truth, he only found three."
"Then how did he…?" Akainu asked, genuinely surprised.
"The fourth Red Poneglyph," Bald Zero continued, his voice a low monotone, "has been kept inside the Room of Flowers for the last eight hundred years… personally guarded by that being."
Being one of the three elders who had served under multiple regimes, Bald Zero knew more than anyone else present.
"When Rocks defected from the Holy Land back then, he recorded the coordinates written on that stone. That's the only reason Roger was able to find Laugh Tale."
Rocks… defected from the Holy Land?! Akainu drew in a sharp breath. "You mean, he was?!"
"Yes," Bald Zero confirmed with a heavy nod. "That man was of Celestial Dragon descent, Nibelung Rocks, grandfather of Nibelung Orrick. His very existence was erased by Im's decree."
Nibelung?!
Akainu stood frozen, eyes wide, as everything finally clicked into place. So that's how it is! Everything makes sense now!
Even Rowen couldn't help but feel a strange awe. This family is outrageous. One, Rocks, whose name still echoes across history even after being erased. Another, Ferrick, one of the Five Elders. Then Vic, Imu's personal butler and accomplice who helped Rocks defect. And finally, Orrick, the man responsible for igniting this world-shattering war.
Compared to that lineage, the so-called "fallen noble house" of Donquixote looked utterly insignificant.
But that was precisely why Roger had left behind his own clues, because he knew that ordinary pirates chasing the dream of "One Piece" would never have the power to storm the Holy Land and seize the fourth Red Poneglyph. That was also why that old bastard had left his trail of hints behind, mapping the route to Laugh Tale.
Many knew Laugh Tale existed, even the Five Elders, but they had made quiet preparations so that Rowen would have something to rely on. Partly to stop Rowen from recklessly throwing away his life… and partly to give him the strength to defy the world itself, and win.
Perhaps… that was how elders showed their love.
"Just as you said," Rowen murmured softly, gazing out the window at the drifting clouds, "even in the end, yours was still a fist of love, the Iron Fist of Love." He suddenly remembered, Garp's death anniversary was approaching. As the "Hero who saved over a hundred thousand people in the Golden City," Garp's tomb rested in the Marine Headquarters Hero Cemetery.
"You've never visited him, have you?" Rowen asked quietly. "Not once, as his son."
Dragon's expression faltered. He lowered his head. "…No, I haven't."
"Then go," Rowen said gently. "But do it in secret. Don't draw attention."
With that, he turned to the others and gestured for them to leave.
"When the Poseidon threat is resolved, that will mark the day we go to war with him. May fortune favor you all in battle."
"Yes, sir!"
(End of Chapter)
This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395