"The Void Century?"
Everyone present was smart enough to understand what those words meant, but disbelief still filled their eyes.
There was actually a Poneglyph directly beneath the Golden Bell?
"You mean we might be able to find the missing hundred years of history, the true history?!" Jason was stunned. He understood what that history represented, which made the discovery all the more shocking to him.
Some of the others didn't fully understand the significance of the Void Century, but they fell silent and waited for an explanation.
"Anyone familiar with world history knows that the hundred-year period between nine hundred and eight hundred years ago is completely blank," Lordling took a deep breath before explaining in a solemn voice.
Her words left everyone stunned.
"What? Isn't history supposed to be recorded continuously? How can an entire hundred years just be missing?" Chaporos asked, confused.
No one answered the Celestial Dragon's question; everyone simply looked at Lordling.
She didn't respond right away. Instead, she kept walking past the ruined murals, carefully examining each one. Five full minutes passed before she finally spoke again.
"Eight hundred years ago, Shandora was at the peak of its glory. The sound of the Golden Bell echoed across the world, leaving everyone who heard it in awe." Lordling ran her fingers over the ancient murals, her eyes shining. "But then, overnight, the great Shandora disappeared. All that remained was a ruined city, wiped out by a powerful force."
The sequence of murals ended with a broken image of the ruins, surrounded by Shandians kneeling and weeping.
"What happened during that period, no one knows. That part of history was completely erased." Lordling looked toward the blank section of the mural, her voice turning heavy.
"The hundred missing years. The destruction of Ohara. What exactly is the World Government trying to hide?" Robin clenched her fists and spoke quietly. She remembered her homeland. Ohara had been destroyed overnight, and the fate of its scholars was undoubtedly connected to that same forbidden history.
"So the only clue we have right now is that black stone?" Crocodile exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Exactly. Maybe we can find the answer inside the Poneglyph!"
Everyone snapped out of it, excitement returning to their faces. There was no denying that uncovering such ancient history was thrilling.
Rojen, however, narrowed his eyes from the side. The others might not realize what kind of path they were stepping onto yet.
The World Government ruled the entire world and stood at the absolute pinnacle of power. They feared no challenge.
The mighty Whitebeard. Kaido the King of Beasts, undefeated through countless battles. Big Mom, building Totto Land. Red-Haired Shanks, advancing with unstoppable momentum.
The World Government didn't fear any of them.
But the Void Century was different. That was what they feared most.
Anyone who became interested in those missing hundred years and dared to investigate them would become an enemy of the World Government. Ohara had dared to decipher the ancient texts, and it had been destroyed. Roger had searched for the Poneglyphs and ultimately learned the truth. Yet for some reason, he never revealed what he had discovered. Instead, he eventually turned himself in and chose to ignite the Great Pirate Era from the execution platform.
Everything pointed to the World Government's ruthless determination to protect that secret. Without a doubt, the Void Century was their absolute bottom line. The moment anyone crossed that line, the World Government would stop at nothing to destroy them.
But would Rojen and his companions be afraid?
The answer was yes. They absolutely would.
Right then, Lordling suddenly cried out in excitement. "Found it! It's here!"
By comparing the positions of the buildings shown in murals from different periods, she had deduced their current location and, more importantly, the location of the immense Golden Bell.
"It's directly north of us. The Golden Bell should be up ahead!" Lordling turned and pointed forward.
Everyone looked up to see a flight of crumbling, leaning steps.
"Let's go. We should take a look at the legendary Poneglyph," Rojen spoke up as well. "What did the people of the past want to tell us? Maybe we'll be able to uncover something."
Meanwhile, Daz Bonez glanced at Chaporos and quietly leaned in. "Hey, aren't you a Celestial Dragon?"
"Yeah," Chaporos nodded.
"I have a feeling those missing hundred years were caused by your ancestors. You Celestial Dragons have ruled the world for eight hundred years, haven't you?"
"Hmm? Now that you mention it, Daz, I think that's possible!" Chaporos looked surprised.
"Exactly. But we're investigating the truth right now. If your ancestors really were responsible, this could be pretty bad for the Celestial Dragons." Daz Bonez's expression turned serious.
"Is that so?" Chaporos froze and thought about it carefully, frowning.
Five seconds later, a smile spread across his face. "Who cares? All I know is I like it here way more than living as a Celestial Dragon! For me, exploration and adventure are everything! And if the Celestial Dragons really caused that hundred-year gap in history, then I'm even more interested in finding out what happened!"
"Oh, right. And there's the goddess!"
With that, Chaporos caught up with the main group, a goofy grin plastered across his face.
Daz Bonez stared at his back for a moment before shaking his head with a laugh. "This kid... I really have to wonder if he's actually a Celestial Dragon."
About fifteen minutes later, Lordling led everyone to the high platform where the Golden Bell had once stood.
But the ruined platform was empty. The Golden Bell was gone, and so was the Poneglyph that was supposed to be beneath it.
"Nothing!"
Disappointment washed over everyone's faces.
"Hey! Guess what I found!"
Just then, the group gathered around the platform heard Chaporos shouting. He hadn't stayed with the main group, having excitedly wandered off to explore on his own. By now, he had reached the far northwestern corner of the area near a dense forest.
Lordling and the others turned around. Even from a distance, they could see the huge grin on Chaporos's face.
"I found this!"
With that, Chaporos plunged into the dense trees. Ten seconds later, accompanied by a loud rumble, he emerged carrying a massive black stone on his shoulder.
"What is that?!"
"A Poneglyph!"
The crew exchanged excited glances.
"Chaporos really is good at finding things!"
As they praised him, Chaporos burst into loud laughter. But then he noticed something strange, the expressions on everyone's faces had suddenly changed.
"You guys... what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
The crew approaching him looked anxious and frightened, as if they were looking at something terrifying. Chaporos couldn't understand why.
"Chaporos, look out!" Trens shouted.
"Hissssss!"
A sharp, terrifying hiss suddenly echoed behind him. A chill ran down Chaporos's spine, and goosebumps instantly covered his entire body.
In the next moment, an enormous shadow fell over him, blocking out the sunlight.
Danger had suddenly arrived.
(End Of This Chapter)
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