Chapter 58: The Golden Poneglyph and the Age of Gods
A Navy warship with a dog's head carved into its bow cut through the waters of the New World at high speed, faster than any ordinary ship. On its deck stood a man wearing a dog hat.
His expression was dark. Around him, soldiers ran back and forth, bringing cannonballs for the man. He was none other than the Hero of the Marines, Monkey D. Garp.
"Damn it! Those bastards are having fun without me!" he cursed as he grabbed a cannonball and threw it with his bare hands at the pirate ship ahead.
"Take this! Fist Bone —Meteor Throw!"
BOOOOM!
Bogard looked at Garp and sighed. The man was angry because he hadn't been invited to any of the battles happening right now.
So, he was taking out his frustration on any unfortunate pirates they encountered. Bogard looked at Garp's back with a complicated expression.
Ever since that battle a few years ago, Garp had changed. Somehow, he felt distant. He was still the same Garp, yet not quite the same.
He still hunted pirates, chased after them like a madman, and saved civilians from pirates. Everyone else would find nothing wrong with his behavior. But Bogard was different. He knew Garp better than even Sengoku—or perhaps even Garp himself.
The slightest pause when civilians thanked them. The slightest hesitation when dealing with nobles, as if he wanted to throw a few punches but was holding himself back.
Something was definitely bothering Garp.
Garp grumbled as the pirate ship ahead sank after his bombardment. He stretched, sat down, and took out a pack of senbei from nowhere.
The soldiers, seeing that he had stopped, sighed and slumped to the floor with exhausted expressions.
"Oi! You brats call yourselves Marines? Get your asses out there and do some work!" Garp shouted, looking at the soldiers acting as if they were about to die.
"Y-Yes, sir!" The soldiers stood up and ran inside to do whatever work they had been assigned. Some helped in the kitchen, while others cleaned the ship.
Meanwhile, far away from them, atop the Red Line inside the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Gorosei walked with serious expressions. Their backs were covered in sweat.
Saint Topman stepped forward as he looked at the massive doors. This was the special storage room of Lord Imu. Even they did not have permission to come anywhere near it.
Yet Lord Imu had told them to go inside.
"The Treasury of the Great One, huh?" Marcus muttered as he looked at the massive black doors. Strange magic circles were carved into them, and there were no locks.
Saint Nusjuro's hand tightened around his sword as he took a deep breath.
"Let's go in."
The five of them raised their hands as the magic circle began to glow and spin. Click! Clack! With a strange sound, the magic circle disappeared, and the towering gates slowly opened.
A blast of cold air hit the Gorosei in the face. As they looked inside, they saw three doors. They walked in and turned toward the one on the right.
"So this is the treasury of the Great One," Saint Peter said.
"Whatever is inside must be unimaginably valuable. But why did Lord Imu want us to come here?" Saint Peter asked with a frown.
Saint Warcury looked at him.
"Don't ask unnecessary questions. Since the Great One sent us here, there must be a reason."
Saint Nusjuro nodded.
"The will of the Great One is unquestionable."
After saying that, the others nodded as well. They repeated the same process, and the magic circle disappeared. The door slowly began to open.
As the doors opened, a dazzling golden light shone from inside, blinding the Gorosei as they covered their eyes.
"What is it? Such an intense glow?"
"What kind of treasure emits that kind of li—"
The moment they opened their eyes, they froze. Their bodies began to tremble in shock. Cold sweat started forming on their foreheads, even in the freezing temperatures.
Their eyes stared at the object before them in pure disbelief.
"How?"
"Why?"
They trembled as they looked at it in disbelief. Before them was a shining golden Poneglyph. Unlike the other Poneglyphs, this one did not have anything written in the ancient language. Instead, it had a few drawings.
A giant with massive horns on his forehead, holding a flaming sword in his hand. Below it was written in the ancient language:
"Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Surtr — The End."
Next to it was an image of a monkey holding a staff, riding on clouds beneath his feet. Below him was written:
"Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun Wukong — Monkey King."
Similarly, multiple pictures were carved into the golden Poneglyph, with their names written below them. Yet they were written in the ancient script, so the Gorosei could not understand them.
Just as they stood there, confused, Imu's voice echoed in their heads.
["When the Giant of the End awakes again, the god's will return. The War of God's will once again begin, The sea will be engulfed in flames of war. Destruction will follow their every step."
"The sleeping Serpent will open its eyes. The world will shake in it's fury, reaching it's destined end. Then the Snake will swallow the gods, and the world shall meet its end."
"But what will happen when the Giant is no longer bound by fate? Will the absolute end still come?"
"What will happen if the Giant simply walks the path he chooses and does not meet his love, kindness, and freedom? Will he still be the same Giant who will bring forth Ragnarok, fighting the Serpent and destroying the world together?"]
The Gorosei were covered in sweat as they knelt, their eyes shrunk to pinpricks. The Great One never joked or said anything without a purpose.
As Imu's voice faded, the Gorosei stopped kneeling and slowly stood up.
"A giant and a Serpent bringing forth the end of the world?"
"A giant who no longer walks the path of destiny and fate, but chooses his own path?"
"Flames of war that will burn the sea?"
"The Age of Gods…"
"The Ragnarok...."
"We have greatly underestimated the seriousness of the situation. If such an era descends upon the world, we will be powerless to do anything."
"We must secure the Four Blues and Paradise as soon as possible."
"The Marines alone will not be enough. I suggest sending CP agents as well."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"She of the gods, huh? We must make sure the world stays safe and the World Government remains untouched."
Far away from them, on a massive island made of a single mountain that reached the clouds, many monkeys lived. They jumped from tree to tree. Some fought with wooden sticks, while others ran around, playing with one another.
Yet at the top of that mountain, there were no monkeys. Only an egg-like rock sat there.
It was nothing extraordinary. Just a rock.
But then, a crack appeared on its surface.
At that very moment, all the monkeys froze and turned upward, confused. The aura that had just appeared felt ancient, like an instinct carved into their bones, urging them to kneel and bow.
On the unknown island, Ron, who was fighting Kaido and Newgate, suddenly froze. His head turned in the same direction as the mountain island.
"What was that?" he muttered, confused.
But as he looked in that direction, a deep, uncontrollable urge to fight ignited in his heart.
"What's happening—"
"Gurararara! Spacing out at a time like this?"
BOOOOM!
Newgate's naginata slammed into Ron's side, sending him flying.
Kaido followed up with a booming shout.
"Blazing Thunder Bagua!"
His flame- and lightning-clad kanabo struck the flying Ron, smashing him into the ground.
KRAAAASH!
"Wororororo! You've got guts, huff, spacing out in the middle of a fight!" Kaido said, breathing hard.
"Cough! Cough!"
Ron spat out saliva and blood.
"Damn, I got distracted."
He stood up and charged at the two of them.
"But that's not enough to take me down!"
Flames surged over Surtr as Ron swung a flaming slash at them.