[POV: NICO ROBIN]
The Path to Knowledge
After the disturbing experience with SCP-181, two guards detached Arlong from his chair. He was still groggy, half-conscious.
"Take him back to his cell," Marc ordered in a neutral voice.
The guards dragged the fish-man out of the room. His feet scraped against the floor, unable to walk properly.
Robin watched them leave, then turned to Marc, who was observing her with an unreadable expression.
"Come," he said simply. "I want to show you something."
He started walking. A guard immediately positioned himself behind him. Robin stood up, feeling the weight of the seastone handcuffs on her wrists. A second guard moved in behind her.
Perfect military formation.Marc in front. One guard. Her in the center. One guard behind.
They walked through the white, sterile corridors she was beginning to recognize. But this time, Marc took a different route.
He stopped in front of a reinforced door. A biometric scanner.
LEVEL 5 ACCESS REQUIRED
Marc placed his hand on it. BEEP.The door opened with a hydraulic hiss.
Level 5. The highest clearance.He really has total control over this place.
They continued. Corridor after corridor. Door after door. Each one required Marc's authorization.
Robin counted mentally.One door. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Five security doors. Protecting what?
They climbed stairs. A lot of stairs. The architecture slowly began to change.
The cold white walls gave way to something more… welcoming.
Wood. Carpets. Wall decorations. Potted plants.
Staff quarters, Robin realized. This is where the people who work here live.If anyone actually lives here.
She had seen no researchers. No scientists.Only identical, silent guards.
Where are they?Or… do they not exist yet?
A sixth door. Marc opened it.
And Robin stopped dead in her tracks.
The Infinite Library
Her eyes widened.
Before her stretched a hall so vast that immense didn't do it justice.
Bookshelves. Everywhere. On every wall. Rising through multiple levels—four, five, maybe six. She couldn't even count them.
Thousands of books. Tens of thousands. Maybe hundreds of thousands.
Perfectly organized. By category. By era. By language.
Sliding ladders allowed access to the upper levels. Circular balconies surrounded the room on each floor. Soft lamps illuminated every section.
At the center, reading tables. Comfortable armchairs. Absolute silence, broken only by the faint hum of the lights.
Robin felt her legs tremble.
This… this is impossible… There are more books here than—
"Ohara," she whispered, her voice breaking.
Marc turned to her, a faint smile on his lips."I told you. As many. If not more."
Tears welled in Robin's eyes. She didn't cry—she never did—but her eyes shone with an emotion she hadn't felt in years.
Awe. Joy. Nostalgia.
Ohara… my home… destroyed by the World Government…
She had believed all that knowledge was gone. Burned. Lost forever.
But here…
"How… how is this possible?" she murmured.
"The Foundation has centuries of history," Marc replied as he walked through the library."We collect knowledge just as much as anomalies. Every forbidden book. Every censored text. Every lost piece of knowledge."
They crossed the massive hall. Robin looked everywhere, unable to focus on a single thing. It was too much. Too many books. Too much knowledge.
Ancient history. Dead languages. Advanced sciences. Forbidden philosophies.
Entire sections were marked RESTRICTED ACCESS. Others LEVEL 3 MINIMUM. A few LEVEL 5 ONLY.
They reached a door at the far end of the library. Smaller. More discreet.
Marc opened it.
A modest room. Ten meters by ten. Empty except for a desk.And on that desk—
A computer.
The First Choice
Marc turned back to Robin, resuming his professional tone.
"This computer will give you access to the books you're authorized to consult with your Class-D security level."
Robin approached slowly, her eyes fixed on the dark screen.
"Find a book you like. A guard will retrieve it from the library and bring it to you here."
He paused.
"For now, you're limited to one hour. Enjoy yourself."
Without another word, Marc left, followed by one of the two guards.
The second stayed. Motionless. Silent. Like a statue in the corner of the room.
Robin sat in front of the computer. Her cuffed hands moved awkwardly toward the mouse.
The screen lit up.
The Foundation logo appeared. Three arrows inside a circle.
Then a menu.
LIBRARY – CLASS-D ACCESSSELECT A CATEGORY
Robin scrolled through the list.
Ancient History.Natural Sciences.Advanced Mathematics.Philosophy.Classical Literature.Dead Languages.Astronomy.Marine Biology.Archaeology.Art and Architecture.Theoretical Music.World Geography.Comparative Mythologies.Traditional Medicine.Experimental Chemistry.
More than a hundred categories.
Robin felt her heart race.
She clicked on Ancient History.
A list of subcategories appeared.
Lost Civilizations.Forgotten Wars.Lost Kingdoms.Void Century (RESTRICTED).Poneglyphs (RESTRICTED).
She clicked Lost Civilizations.
A list of books appeared. Most were markedACCESS DENIED – INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE.
Only two were available.
"The Sunken Cities of West Blue""Chronicles of the Kingdom of Shandora"
Two books. Out of hundreds.
She tried another category. Natural Sciences.
Again, hundreds of books. Dozens marked ACCESS DENIED.
Three books available.
Philosophy. One book.Mathematics. Two books.Literature. Four books.
In total, across all categories, she counted approximately… fifty accessible books.
Fifty books out of hundreds of thousands.
This is torture, she thought. Showing me all of this… and letting me access almost nothing.
But fifty books…
That was already more than she had read in years.
Fifty books the World Government had never censored—because they didn't even know they existed.
A smile curved her lips.
Even in prison… I have access to more knowledge than I ever did outside.
She scrolled slowly, reading every title, every description.
Then she stopped.
"Theories on the Links Between Sky Islands and Ancient Civilizations"
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Sky islands. Like Skypiea. Connected to ancient civilizations?
She clicked.
BOOK REQUEST REGISTEREDA GUARD WILL DELIVER THE BOOK SHORTLYTIME REMAINING: 58 MINUTES
Robin leaned back in her chair, a strange feeling washing over her.
For the first time since her imprisonment…
She was happy.
[POV: MARC] Physical Tests
I walked through the corridors with a squad of six guards at my side. Our footsteps echoed in perfect unison.
We stopped in front of the fish-men's cells.
Arlong. Kuroobi. Chew. Hatchan.
I knocked on Arlong's cell bars. He raised his head, murderous glare fixed on me.
"Gentlemen," I said neutrally."Before beginning the real experiments, we need baseline data on your physical and psychological capabilities. For your safety."
"Our safety?" Arlong spat. "You're messing with us."
"No. If I don't know your limits, I might accidentally kill you. And you're far too valuable for that."
The doors opened automatically.
CLASS-D: EXIT AUTHORIZEDDESTINATION: PHYSICAL TRAINING ROOM
The guards escorted them through the corridors. Arlong growled. Kuroobi remained silent. Chew couldn't speak due to his muzzle. Hatchan trembled slightly.
We arrived in a massive room. Twenty meters by twenty. Padded floor. Sports equipment everywhere.
Dumbbells. Treadmills. Pull-up bars. Weight machines.
And at the back…
A pool. Ten meters long. Five wide. Three deep.
The fish-men's eyes lit up.
"Water…" Kuroobi whispered.
"We'll start with land-based tests," I announced."Then you'll get the pool."
TEST 1: LIFTING STRENGTH
Arlong was positioned in front of a barbell.
"Lift as much as you can."
He spat on the floor and grabbed the bar.100 kg. Easy.200 kg. Still easy.300 kg. He grimaced.400 kg. His arms shook.500 kg. He dropped it.
RESULT: ARLONG – MAX STRENGTH 450 KG
Kuroobi: 380 kg.Chew: 320 kg.Hatchan: 280 kg.
CONCLUSION: FISH-MEN POSSESS 8–10× THE STRENGTH OF AN AVERAGE HUMAN
TEST 2: LAND SPEED
Variable-speed treadmill.
Arlong ran.20 km/h.30 km/h.40 km/h.He stumbled at 45 km/h.
RESULT: MAX LAND SPEED – 40 KM/H
The others showed similar results.
CONCLUSION: ON LAND, FISH-MEN ARE FAST BUT NOT EXCEPTIONAL
TEST 3: AQUATIC SPEED
"Now, the pool."
Arlong's eyes gleamed. "Finally."
They dove in one by one.
And I watched them transform.
On land, they were strong. Fast. Limited.
In water?
They were MISSILES.
Arlong crossed the pool in under two seconds. Again. And again. His movements were fluid, perfect, natural.
RESULT: ESTIMATED AQUATIC SPEED – 80–100 KM/H
CONCLUSION: IN WATER, THEY ARE APEX PREDATORS
TEST 4: STRIKING FORCE
A test dummy with pressure sensors.
"Hit it as hard as you can."
Arlong roared and struck.
WHAM!
The dummy flew across the room.
RESULT: 2400 NEWTONS – EQUIVALENT TO A HUMAN PROFESSIONAL BOXER
But in water?
4800 NEWTONS – DOUBLE
CONCLUSION: IN WATER, THEIR STRENGTH IS DOUBLED
TEST 5: BLOOD SAMPLES
After the physical tests, I had them sit down.
"We're taking blood samples. Blood type and disease screening."
Arlong growled but extended his arm. The needle pierced his skin. Dark red blood filled the syringe.
ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS…BLOOD TYPE: O NEGATIVE (COMPATIBLE WITH HUMANS)DISEASES DETECTED: NONEPARASITES: NONETOXINS: NONE
The others showed similar results.
"Interesting," I murmured. "Your blood is compatible with humans. Transfusions would be possible."
"Why would you want that?" Kuroobi asked warily.
"Scientific curiosity."
Despite Arlong's constant yelling—"YOU'RE WITNESSING THE POWER OF THE FISH-MEN, YOU WEAKLINGS!"—I noticed something.
They were… happy.
Not openly. But their expressions showed mental relief.
Exercise. Water. Movement after days of confinement.
It was therapeutic.
Maybe I can use that as motivation, I thought.Good cooperation = more pool time.
After the full test battery, I had them returned to their cells.
"Rest. Tomorrow, we begin the real experiments."
Arlong glared at me. "We're not your lab rats."
"Yes. You are. But if you cooperate, you'll get more free time. More exercise. More water."
Kuroobi hesitated. "You… you're serious?"
"Always."
The doors closed.
I left the Foundation, the data firmly recorded in my mind.
Arrival at Little Garden
When I returned to the deck of the Going Merry, the fresh air hit me like a revitalizing slap.
"MARC!" Luffy yelled, jumping on me. "WHERE WERE YOU?!"
"Busy. Why?"
"LOOK!" He pointed ahead, stars in his eyes. "WE'VE ARRIVED!"
I looked up.
Before us rose a… prehistoric island.
Gigantic trees piercing the clouds. Volcanic mountains spewing smoke. The cries of ancient creatures echoing through the air.
Little Garden.
The island of giants and dinosaurs.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
[ALERT: ANOMALIES DETECTED][COUNT: 2][DISTANCE: 3 KILOMETERS][LOCATION: ISLAND CENTER][CLASS: UNKNOWN]
I smiled.
"Two SCPs. On this island."
Luffy screamed with joy."WE'RE EATING DINOSAUR MEAT! ADVENTURE!"
He jumped off the ship before we even docked.
SPLASH!
"LUFFY, WAIT!" Nami shouted.
I stared at the island with anticipation.
Somewhere out there, two anomalies were waiting for me.
The hunt continued.
[END OF CHAPTER 25]
[ROBIN: LIBRARY ACCESS GRANTED (LIMITED)][MENTAL STATE: SATISFIED – COOPERATION LIKELY][FISH-MEN: PHYSICAL TESTS COMPLETED][DATA COLLECTED: STRENGTH, SPEED, BIOLOGY][MOTIVATION IDENTIFIED: ACCESS TO WATER][LOCATION: LITTLE GARDEN][ANOMALIES DETECTED: 2][NEXT STEP: EXPLORATION AND CAPTURE]