“Treasure lies dormant, looking from the hills to the south, the whale faces east, its tail… Ah, why is the treasure map not complete, who copied this thing?
Lying at the bow of the Thousand Arms, Yamato stared at the so-called treasure map, complaining about the person who copied it.
Pirate culture did not emerge only in Roger’s era; in the nearly 800 years since the establishment of the World Government, countless pirates had appeared, many of whom had buried their own treasures.
These pirates often shared a common problem: no heirs. So, they leave behind treasure maps for others to find. However, the maps are never explicitly clear, always leaving behind riddles.
Yamato disliked these riddles, especially when they weren’t copied completely.
“Perhaps the original version is like this? But it’s precisely these kinds of treasure maps that make it interesting. Maybe it’s some ancient ruin or something, Robin, what do you think?”
The bow of the Thousand Arms was Yamato’s exclusive seat, so Maria and Robin communicated with her from the ship’s side.
“No, ancient treasure maps wouldn’t use this type of font, especially this writing style, which has only appeared in recent years.”
Many things can illustrate their history, such as the words on a treasure map.
Words can be fabricated, but if it’s a genuine ancient treasure map, there would never be modern text on it.
“Is that so? I wonder what the treasure could be.”
“We’ll find out tomorrow. Anyway, we’re almost there. By the way, Yamato, do you want to go sightseeing in the nearby town? It seems like there’s a festival going on.”
Sailing through the East Blue is much easier than the Grand Line. As long as you follow the readily available sea charts, there shouldn’t be any problems. There’s no sudden appearance of Sea Kings, and you don’t have to worry about knives falling from the sky.
Navigators and Helmsman of the Beasts Pirates’ main ships were all skilled individuals capable of navigating the dangerous waters outside Wano Country. The probability of them capsizing here is about the same as a race car driver capsizing due to a bumper car.
The ship docked only to replenish supplies. However, Olga’s notebook had an additional slash; it was due to not enough vigilance as she gathered information about Woonan in the town.
The reason it was a slash and not a cross was because this time she at least knew to gather some information before jumping into action, a slight improvement.
“Isn’t this Woonan’s treasure map? He’s a legendary great pirate, they say a third of the world’s gold was in his hands. If you find it, you’ll strike it rich!”
In front of a small tempura shop, the owner shared rumors they had heard.
“But Woonan disappeared two or three years ago. Speaking of which, it’s quite nostalgic. At that time, I had just inherited this shop.”
The boss reminisced about the stories of their youth, but Yamato didn’t pay much attention. Although she enjoyed listening to stories, mundane family affairs weren’t her area of interest. For her, tempura is far more interesting than these anecdotes.
She almost single-handedly forced this shop to close. The supplies in the small town’s stores were already limited, and facing a big eater like her was too much for them.
“300 Berries in total.”
“300?!”
“Don’t you have money? Where’s your guardian?”
“No, I’ll give you the money, no need to give change.”
Saying so, Yamato handed over a 500 Berry coin. The cost of living here was so low that she couldn’t fathom it. Normally, she would have expected to spend at least 50,000 Berries this time.
However, she didn’t notice that a few people drinking at the nearby stall seemed to take an interest in this. After they left, those people also left the stall.
“Great Pirate Woonan, a third of the world’s gold, sounds really powerful.”
“It’s impossible. This sounds fake from the start. If a pirate could really collect so much gold, they would likely be as famous as Roger. But Mr. Arceus and Mr. Kaido hasn’t mentioned this name before.”
“Yeah, it’s probably just some East Blue pirate. Rumors tend to get more absurd as they spread.”
Yamato became interested in Woonan, but Maria and Robin didn’t believe such tales. Anyone capable of such feats couldn’t be a pirate; even Tesoro in the original timeline had to resolve his troubles by establishing connections with the World Government.
If someone capable of such feats hadn’t been eliminated, Woonan’s reputation would be no less than Rocks.
And the people on the Genesis ship also confirmed this. They hadn’t heard of such a person, causing Yamato’s enthusiasm to wane slightly. The treasure of legendary pirates only held meaning if it was true.
The reason Roger’s treasure had attracted so many seekers was because he had unprecedentedly become the Pirate King. Everyone believed the Pirate King’s treasure must have immense value.
The ship advanced towards the islands described in the treasure map. However, behind the Genesis ship, another vessel quietly followed.
“Lord Arceus, there’s a ship following us. Should we deal with it?”
“Any bounties on them?”
“No, our database doesn’t have information on these people. And their attire seems like that of ordinary treasure hunters. Should we drive them away?”
“Olga, go check them out. If they’re strong, take care of them. If they’re weak, leave them be.”
Treasure hunters and pirate hunters are similar in that, in the one piece world, all hunters are involved in use of force. Whether it is searching for treasures or hunting pirates, the use of force is very common.
Olga’s probing was to determine whether these individuals would be suitable as an interlude on Yamato’s treasure-seeking journey.
“Understood, Elizabeth, let’s go!”
Elizabeth seamlessly followed Olga, leaping off the ship’s side and swiftly disappearing from sight. Olga’s size hadn’t increased much, and she could still ride on Elizabeth’s back, which proved very convenient in their daily activities.
Although the East Blue was called the weakest sea, it also gave birth to many strong individuals. So, it never hurts to be vigilant.
Although the ship was following them from far behind, appearing as a mere speck with only its mast visible in the line of sight, Olga quickly reached them.
The testing method was simple. She created an illusion of a sea monster to lure them into attacking, then observed the effect of the attacks from the side. And she did this more than once.
After testing them via illusions several times, she concluded that these people were all weaklings.
People of this caliber wouldn’t pose a threat to Yamato, let alone qualify as sparring partners.
“So fast?”
“Don’t worry, Lord Arceus. I tested them multiple times; the crew is just ordinary people. I think even the ship’s cook could take on ten of them.”
“The captain is a Devil Fruit user, and it seems to be a sound-type devil fruit. He can create beams of sound by shouting, but it requires charging. Miss Yamato can handle him.”
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