Chapter 393: Chapter 393: The Straw Hat Pirates Learn the Role of the Road Poneglyph
But now was clearly not the time to learn Haki.
After all, one of the main reasons the Straw Hat Pirates came here was for that mysterious Poneglyph. Right now, they needed to get a rubbing of it first.
The cat and dog also knew what mattered most. Led by Boss Nekomamushi, the Straw Hat Pirates entered the Whale Forest.
In the very center of the Whale Forest, they finally saw the mysterious Poneglyph.
"What’s so special about this thing that they went so far as to ask us to find it for them?" Zoro stared at the Poneglyph in front of him and suddenly asked.
For a moment, everyone in the Straw Hat crew froze like they had been struck by lightning, simply because none of them had thought about that question before.
After all, the Red-Haired Pirates had saved them from the Beasts Pirates. They felt they owed them and wanted to pay them back quickly.
So when the Red-Haired Pirates asked for help, they agreed without thinking twice.
But now that Zoro had brought it up, they realized something was strange. The Red-Haired Pirates could have easily come here and gotten the Poneglyph themselves.
"You don’t know?" Boss Nekomamushi looked at the Straw Hats in surprise.
"Boss Nekomamushi, what secret does this Poneglyph hide? Why does Shanks want a rubbing of it?" Kuro asked eagerly.
"So you really don’t know anything. Well, it’s simple—this is a Road Poneglyph." Boss Nekomamushi spoke without holding back.
"Road Poneglyph?" Sanji’s curled eyebrow lifted high as his confusion grew.
The others looked just as curious, like little birds waiting to be fed, wanting to hear more.
Seeing this, Boss Nekomamushi went on:
"In this vast ocean, everyone knows the One Piece is in Laugh Tale, but no one knows where Laugh Tale actually is. The Road Poneglyph is the key clue to finding the route there!"
"What?!" The moment Boss Nekomamushi said this, it was like thunder exploding in the Straw Hats’ ears.
This thing was actually connected to finding the mysterious Laugh Tale!
Now, the Straw Hats could no longer stay calm. Their eyes were locked onto the Road Poneglyph, shining with excitement.
"Hey!"
"Boss Nekomamushi, are you saying that if we get this Road Poneglyph, we can find the way to Laugh Tale?"
In a flash, Luffy shot up to Boss Nekomamushi, grabbing his collar tightly like a pair of iron clamps, his face full of urgency.
"Calm down, calm down, Straw Hat boy!" Boss Nekomamushi didn’t expect such a strong reaction from him.
He quickly explained:
"You’re not completely right. Getting one Road Poneglyph does help you find the route to Laugh Tale, but there are four of them in total. Only by gathering all four can you truly find the way!"
"That’s great!" Franky’s joy erupted like a volcano.
The rest of the crew felt the same.
They could finally relax, because their goal was to help Luffy become the Pirate King. If just one Road Poneglyph could lead to Laugh Tale, they’d be panicking right now.
After all, they had promised to give this Road Poneglyph to the Red-Haired Pirates.
But now that they knew all four Road Poneglyphs were needed to reach Laugh Tale, they felt relieved. At least they didn’t have to worry about the Red-Haired Pirates beating them there just yet.
"I think you’re happy too soon. Look—the writing on this thing is in the legendary ancient script!" Kuro suddenly pointed out.
It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over them.
Kuro was right.
They couldn’t read the writing, let alone use it to find the way to Laugh Tale.
"Uh... Boss Nekomamushi, since you know so much about the Road Poneglyph, you must know how to read it, right?" Usopp suddenly thought of this and asked right away.
The others instantly looked at Boss Nekomamushi with hopeful eyes.
"Meow~"
"You give me too much credit. I can’t read the writing... but..."
"But what?" Luffy asked quickly.
"But I know someone who can read the ancient script!" Boss Nekomamushi said with a touch of pride.
"Really?"
"Who is it, really?"
"Who is it? I’ll go find them right now!"
...
All at once, the Straw Hat crew started asking Nekomamushi, eager to know who had this ability.
"Meow~"
"That would be the scholars of Ohara. Their Tree of Knowledge had the most complete collection of knowledge in the world, and ancient writings were one of the things they studied."
"But Ohara was destroyed by the Marines’ Buster Call twenty years ago. Out of all the scholars, only Nico Robin survived. She’s now part of the Dream Exploration Team," Nekomamushi revealed the first person who could read the ancient script.
"Nico Robin?"
"That might be tricky. Ryuen and his group are fierce. If we go looking for them, we’ll definitely get beaten up!" Usopp shuddered at the thought of Ryuen.
And it wasn’t just him.
Kuro, Sanji, Zoro, and even Luffy shrank their necks.
"Then... old man, besides Nico Robin, there must be someone else who can read the ancient script, right?" Franky pressed on.
"Meow~"
"You’re right, there are others. One is the legendary Three-Eye Tribe, but they’re extremely rare and hard to find."
"The other is the Kozuki Clan. Back then, even Pirate King Roger only learned the contents of the Road Poneglyph with their help. That’s how he reached Laugh Tale." Nekomamushi spoke with pride at this point.
After all, he was once a retainer of the Kozuki Clan.
"The Kozuki Clan?"
"That old man from Wano Country!" The Straw Hat crew instantly thought of Kozuki Sukiyaki from Wano.
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat