Chapter 147

Chapter 147: Historical Text

Perhaps it was something unsavory that happened 800 years ago, something unfavorable to the World Government, and they artificially erased 100 years of history.

But there are still scattered stones around the world that record that history. There are about 30 of these stones, and it seems that no matter what method is used, they cannot be destroyed.

In their plan to cover up history, the World Government couldn't locate all of these stones or bury the ones they found deep underground. They also didn't create fake stones to confuse anyone.

After they established a law prohibiting the study of this history, they simply let the clues they wanted to conceal scatter around the world.

So, ten years ago, the scholars of Ohara, in the year Roger became the Pirate King, discovered the historical text. The World Government used their violation of the law as a reason and ordered the Navy to use cannon fire to destroy the entire island.

In the eyes of most people, the power to easily destroy an island like this was terrifying. Destroying Ohara in this manner might have been meant to intimidate the pirates.

Seeing this historical text casually placed in the Coral Forest, Adrian asked, "Is it okay to just leave this thing here like this?"

Queen Otohime was surprised, "Mr. Adrian, do you know what this is?"

"This is... um, maybe I shouldn't know?" Adrian felt like he might have misunderstood something.

Queen Otohime nodded seriously, "In fact, among the 5 million residents of Fish-Man Island, only a few, like Mr. Den and Mr. Jinbei, who are well-informed, and our royal family, know about this stone."

People like Adrian, a tavern owner, could immediately recognize that this was a historical text, which was obviously abnormal.

"Due to some coincidences, I happen to know a bit about this thing," Adrian thought to himself, "I even know that this is an apology letter from Joy Boy to the mermaid princess 800 years ago."

He didn't explain in detail, and Queen Otohime didn't press the matter further. It wasn't something that needed to be delved into. "Because studying and discussing it has been forbidden all this time, ordinary people have long forgotten what the historical text is. After all, they may never come into contact with it in their lifetime. That's why this stone has been openly placed here."

"I see, that makes sense. So, should we just pretend we didn't see it?" Adrian wondered if the Fish-Men had a duty to protect this historical text, similar to how the royal family of Alabasta had to protect the historical text containing the history of Pluton or how the Shandians had to protect the historical text about the Sea King.

"It's up to your discretion," Queen Otohime didn't mind this matter, as she knew the contents of the historical text weren't something that needed to be kept secret.

What would truly attract attention was the other red historical text that used to be displayed here.

The red historical text, also known as the "landmark historical text," consisted of four pieces, each recording a different location. Only by connecting these four locations could one find the final island's location.

Sixteen years ago, the Roger Pirates had once come to inscribe it, which was also the time when Shirahoshi's birth was predicted.

But ten years ago, on a certain day after Roger's death, the red historical text that used to be displayed here disappeared without a trace. Perhaps it was secretly taken away and protected by Roger's crew, Whitebeard, or someone else. Whoever did it didn't ask for Fish-Man Island's opinion.

Seeing Adrian's lack of interest in the historical text, Queen Otohime didn't mention this matter further. She had only brought them here for a simple visit.

Adrian didn't care much either. He didn't aspire to be the Pirate King, and the history of this world didn't hold much appeal to him. At most, he was curious about what the World Government wanted to conceal, but even if he didn't know, it didn't matter.

Seeing the historical text was just a small episode. The group had a great time in the Sea Forest and took many photos as souvenirs.

Tom found a Crocus-style hook from somewhere and a black pirate hat, which everyone found amusing and started cosplaying as pirate captains.

But Adrian resembled Captain Crocus the most because he had a line, "Are you ready kids?"

Everyone looked at him puzzled, and the one they had high hopes for, Rui Mengmeng, asked, "Boss, what are you playing at?"

"You're supposed to answer, 'Aye, aye, captain!'" Adrian sighed as he took off his hat. "Honestly, none of you had a childhood."

"What does that mean, Master Adrian?" Princess Shirahoshi asked curiously. She seemed accustomed to using honorifics when addressing people.

"Umm... it's the story of a little sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea," Adrian said, unable to resist Princess Shirahoshi's eager, expectant eyes.

Telling stories was something he used to do a lot when he lived with Uncle Goodman, entertaining Bellemere and her friends. He used to be quite confident in it. However, many things had faded from his memory, so he improvised quite a bit.

"...As the saying goes, 'too late for regrets.' Captain Plankton used a technique that turned the world upside down and leaped over Crab Captain's Golden Dragon Scissors, bringing him one step closer to obtaining the secret recipe for Crab Castle."

"Fortunately, SpongeBob used his Unbreakable Sponge Technique, a legendary skill that could only be used five times in a lifetime. This was his last chance to stop Captain Plankton's evil plan."

"...Captain Plankton unleashed 18 consecutive strikes, but SpongeBob's defense was impenetrable. However, SpongeBob was pushed back one step, not realizing that his retreat would set back the entire martial world of Bikini Castle by 20 years."

"Alright, we've arrived. To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode." Seeing that they had reached the Ryugu Palace, Adrian finally heaved a sigh of relief. If he had continued any longer, he might have run out of material.

"Huh? Why stop here?" Princess Shirahoshi looked a bit disappointed. Who stops a story halfway through? Did SpongeBob defeat Captain Plankton or not?

Tom also wanted to continue listening. He found himself enjoying this new genre of stories, which, unlike ghost stories, only made him feel excited and not scared.

Sharkler, Shachi and Rui Mengmeng were pondering what kind of childhood Adrian had to come up with such a chaotic story. As for Artoria, she was only concerned about whether Crab Castle was good to eat and where she could find it...

By the time they returned to the Ryugu Palace, it was already getting late. The farewell banquet was scheduled for noon tomorrow, so everyone went to rest after dinner.

At this moment, the three princes of the Ryugu Kingdom had just finished a day of strenuous training and were preparing to visit their sister. Their determination to become stronger to protect their sister was unwavering. At the same time, as good older brothers, they couldn't reduce their usual care for their sister.

Fukaboshi asked, "Shirahoshi, did you

have fun going out today?"

"Yeah! Today we went to the Sea Forest, it was really beautiful there. And I went treasure hunting and played hide and seek with Tom..." Shirahoshi happily listed the little games she played with Tom, smiling brightly.

Seeing their sister's happy smile, the three princes felt that their weary bodies and minds had been healed.

Prince Ryuboshi asked, "That's great. When we get a bit stronger, we can take you out to play more often."

"Yep!" Shirahoshi nodded enthusiastically. "I'm just a little tired now."

Prince Manboshi quickly suggested, "Then let's go to bed early. Do you still want to hear a bedtime story tonight?"

Shirahoshi suddenly became spirited, "I do! I want to hear the story of SpongeBob falling off a cliff and gaining the secret art of martial arts and becoming the top martial artist of Bikini Castle!"

The three princes were puzzled, "???"

The red historical text on Fish-Man Island is the missing piece of the puzzle for the Straw Hat Pirates. If Neptune had known about the clue, he should have told them earlier, but he didn't, so it's likely that someone secretly took it. It's possible that Blackbeard has it, or it could be in the Giant's homeland, Elbaf.