One Piece: Starting with Sharingan, First Mate Uchiha

"They don't know the right route."

"You can't walk fast."

Upon hearing this, Haildin immediately gripped his greatsword tightly.

"Then let's chase after them!"

He was about to step into the left passage when Loki remained standing at the fork in the road, not moving.

Nami frowned and urged:

"Didn't they say they hadn't gone far?"

"If we delay any longer, we really won't be able to catch up."

Loki lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

"It's precisely because they didn't go far that they didn't leave such obvious traces."

Haildin paused in his steps.

Lafitte's ability to represent Blackbeard in recruiting Loki clearly indicates he's not a careless individual.

But almost all the clues in front of us point to the left.

As if afraid the pursuers wouldn't know they had passed through there.

Usopp gasped.

"So... he knew we would come after us?"

"At least those who know Elbaf will pursue him."

Robin looked toward the deep passage to his left.

"He prepared a misleading route in advance."

Haildin asked in a deep voice:

"Where does the left lead?"

"Old Sacrifice Road."

Loki answered very decisively.

"That area did indeed lead to the area where heroes were worshipped."

"But decades ago, a large-scale collapse occurred in the underground rock strata, and the road ahead has long been blocked."

"Moreover, a group of giant serpents from the underworld also live beneath the collapsed area."

"Even ordinary giants would find it difficult to escape unscathed if they were alerted."

Usopp's face turned pale.

"So, if we follow the clues, not only will we not find the person, but we'll also fall into a snake pit?"

Loki glanced down at him.

"almost."

Zoro looked at Loki.

How can you be sure they didn't go to the left?

Loki lifted his foot and slammed it heavily onto the ground.

Boom!

A muffled echo spread from below the ancient road.

Everyone waited quietly for a moment.

Apart from the fading echoes, there was no other sound.

"The giant snake has not woken up."

Loki said calmly:

"If anyone had passed by the old sacrificial path, the whole road should be shaking now."

"Those guys know that the left side is related to the ritual."

"So leave the traces there, and let the pursuers feed them the snakes."

Haildin's face was grim.

"Where is the real road?"

Luffy asked.

Loki turned and walked to a completely sealed stone wall on the right.

No matter how you look at it, it's just a thick rock wall connected to the underground mountain.

Loki lifted his foot and kicked a piece of gravel away.

Beneath the dust, half of a worn royal insignia was revealed.

"The entrance to the Royal Ancient Road has never been fixed."

"The roots of the World Tree grow and move every so often."

"The old doors may have been completely sealed off by tree roots, and new cracks may appear in other places as the root system moves."

"Only by understanding the markings left by the royal family can we determine which section is still passable."

He raised his hands, which were bound by sea stone, and pointed to the top of the wall.

"Break the third stone."

Luffy looked up and counted.

"one two three."

He clenched his fist and threw a punch.

boom!

The rock collapsed inward.

After a large amount of rubble rolled down, a narrow passage surrounded by huge tree roots indeed appeared behind the wall.

The term "narrow" is only relative to "giant".

It was big enough for Halding and Loki to stoop and pass by.

Nami couldn't help but ask:

"If you knew so many secret routes, why were you still caught in the first place?"

Loki replied calmly:

"Because the people who arrested me also knew."

Luffy was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

"Hahahaha!"

All eyes in the valley were on him.

Luffy's laughter gradually subsided, and he silently raised his hand to cover his mouth.

.......

The group entered the hidden passage.

Loki walked at the front, showing an astonishing familiarity with the surroundings.

"Don't touch the flowering tree root on the left."

"The pollen it releases can put giants into a deep sleep for three days."

Usopp immediately held his breath and ran far away.

After walking a distance, Loki suddenly kicked a stone on the side of the road.

The stone struck an ancient statue.

Click.

The stone axe in the statue's hand suddenly fell, crashing into the middle of the road.

Chopper broke out in a cold sweat.

"There are traps everywhere here!"

Loki, however, almost always manages to detect danger in advance.

Haildin finally couldn't help but ask:

Why are you so familiar with this place?

Loki paused for a moment.

"My father led me through it."

Haildin's expression changed slightly.

"Father?"

"Before I'm locked up in the underworld."

Loki did not turn around.

"He personally taught me to recognize the path under the World Tree and the markings left by royalty."

Haildin fell silent.

In his memory, King Harald rarely mentioned these royal secrets to him.

Loki, however, had clearly received the most complete education as a successor.

At least before that patricide incident, his father truly raised Loki to be the future King of Elbaf.

The passage continues forward.

On the surface of the tree roots on both sides, a large number of ancient murals gradually appeared.

Robin immediately slowed down.

In the first mural, countless giants raise their cups and dance around a sun-shaped totem.

They smiled and held their weapons high, as if celebrating a great victory.

In the second mural, a warrior with limbs outstretched in an exaggerated pose stands among giants.

His body seemed to have elasticity.

The sky above was snow-white, while behind it appeared an enormous sun.

Chopper looked up and stared at it for a long time.

"Hey! This person's movements are just like Luffy's."

Luffy also imitated the pose in the mural, twisting his arms.

"is that so?"

Nami punched him on the head.

"Don't block Robin!"

In the third mural, the sea is separated by a high wall that runs through the world.

The people on either side of the wall gaze at each other across the sea, yet they can never meet.

The fourth picture is already severely damaged.

All that could be seen were a large number of giants wielding weapons and cracks appearing on the high red wall.

Robin quickly memorized all the patterns.

"These murals may date back to a period far earlier than the tombs surrounding the Heroes' Tomb."

"Perhaps it's a myth about giants."

"It may also record the history that actually happened."

But at least one thing can be confirmed.

The belief in the sun god has existed in Elbaf since extremely ancient times.

The solar warrior with flexible limbs was clearly an extremely important figure in the faith.

As Loki advanced, he said:

"This ancient road used to connect the four most important places in Elbaf."

"The Hero's Tomb where warriors are buried."

"The roots of the World Tree where the royal family holds ceremonies."

"An ancient library that preserves history."

"And the upper castle where the royal family resides."

In ancient times, after the death of a giant hero, he would be transported from the royal city along the royal road to the hero's tomb.

The priests would record their names, weapons, achievements, and life experiences, which would eventually be preserved in the ancient library.

Robin suddenly realized.

"The hero's remains remain in the cemetery."

"Their names and stories are preserved in the library."

Loki glanced at her.

"The people of Elbaf believe."

"As long as there are people in the world who remember, a warrior is not truly dead."

After continuing forward, the group came to another fork in the road.

Viktor suddenly stopped.

"There are footprints here."

The dust on the ground revealed the traces of three or four people.

After Loki checked the route, his expression showed obvious surprise for the first time.

"They did not go to the altar."

Nami frowned.

"Where does this road lead?"

Loki looked up at the top of the ancient road.

"Ancient Library".

"That is, the middle layer of the World Tree."

Everyone's expression changed simultaneously.

Nami whispered:

"Aren't they looking for an ancient altar that can control the King of Mountains?"

Robin looked at the footprints on the ground.

"Blackbeard has arrived in Elbaf."

"Perhaps there has never been just one goal."

The voice just fell.

Suddenly, black flames erupted from the intertwined roots of the World Tree ahead.

The black flames spread rapidly along the surface of the tree roots.

Several thick tree roots seemed to come alive, twisting and blocking the entire road.

At the same time, the soul fire drilled into the ancient giant statues on both sides of the passage.

Black flames ignited in pairs of stone-like eyes.

The statue slowly raised the weapon in its hand.

Loki immediately reminded him:

"Don't use attacks with too large a coverage area."

"The middle layer of the World Tree lies above this passage."

"Once the roots are severely damaged, the village above will collapse completely!"

Luffy could only retract his swollen fist.

"This is such a hassle!"

Zoro and Sanji charged toward the two stone statues on either side.

Robin summoned numerous arms to firmly bind the constantly twisting black fire tree roots.

Viktor activated his Rinnegan and used Yin Release to extract the soul fire from the tree roots and the stone statue.

The battle ended quickly.

But just as the last stone statue fell, the top of the passage suddenly cracked open.

A black fire tree root that had been hidden in the shadows suddenly crashed down.

Hajrudin was standing in front of several young giants guarding them and did not notice them immediately.

Loki was the first to look up.

His hands were still bound by the sea stone, making it impossible for him to grasp the tree root.

He could only turn sharply to the side and bump into Halding with his shoulder.

boom!

Haildin was knocked and staggered a few steps to the side.

The massive root of the World Tree slammed heavily into Loki's back.

boom!

Loki knelt on the ground.

There was a clear wound torn open on his shoulder and back, and blood was slowly flowing down his skin.

Hajrudin turned around and looked at Loki, who was blocking his original spot, and his expression changed noticeably.

Loki slowly stood up and casually stretched his shoulders.

Don't misunderstand.

"If you die, no one will be there to explain to those idiots outside for me."

Haildin said coldly:

"I wasn't prepared to thank you."

Loki grinned.

"I wasn't prepared to accept it either."

Their relationship remained strained.

However, the giant guards standing behind Loki showed a subtle change in their gaze.

The royal ancient road gradually extends upwards.

Soon after, the long-awaited sunlight finally appeared at the end of the darkness.

The group passed through a huge tree hole and entered the middle layer of the World Tree.

The environment before us is completely different from the underworld, which is perpetually shrouded in darkness.

The enormous houses were built using branches of the world's trees.

The clear river flows through the branches and then transforms into a waterfall cascading down to a lower level.

Many giants are carrying supplies between roads and houses.

Usopp was just captivated by the spectacular sight before him when the nearby giants spotted Loki in the group.

The wooden barrel in the hands of an elderly giant fell directly to the ground.

"Loki?"

More and more giants are emerging from houses and roads.

When they discovered that Loki's chains had been removed, their initial surprise quickly turned into anger.

"Why was he released?"

"He killed King Harald!"

"Send the sinners back to the underworld!"

Some young giants took up arms.

Some people even picked up huge rocks and threw them directly at Loki.

Loki did not dodge.

Just as Luffy was about to make his move, he calmly said:

"They have the right to throw stones."

Suddenly, Haildin stepped forward and swung his greatsword, splitting the stone in two.

All the giants froze at the same time.

They couldn't understand.

The person who hated Loki the most in all of Elbaf actually stood in front of the sinner prince.

Haildin announced loudly:

"Releasing Loki was my decision!"

"Blackbeard has stolen the remains of Helmond, the Mountain King, and is searching for the royal forbidden grounds!"

"Only Loki knows the right path right now!"

"I will personally guard him until the crisis is over!"

A giant angrily questioned:

"What if he betrays us again?"

Haildin gripped the greatsword tightly in his hand.

"Then I will kill him with my own hands."

"I will take full responsibility!"

Loki stood behind Haildin, and for the first time, a subtle change appeared in his eyes.

He didn't thank him, but just said in a low voice:

"You talk like an older brother."

Haildin did not turn back.

"Shut up."

Some of the giants still cannot accept it.

Some people turned their anger towards the Straw Hat crew, believing that these foreign pirates forced Hajrudin to release Loki.

Usopp felt his legs go weak at the thought of facing a group of angry giants, but he still stepped forward.

"We do not believe he is completely innocent!"

"I wonder what the truth was back then!"

"But Blackbeard is blaspheming your heroes!"

"The most important thing right now is to stop those guys!"

The giants were speechless for a moment.

Haldin's guarantee, coupled with the threat posed by the Blackbeard, finally convinced them to temporarily lay down their weapons.

Loki did not stay in the village.

He led the group up the huge stone steps beside the tree trunk of the World Tree.

At the end of the road, a circular building embedded inside the World Tree gradually came into view.

The building looks like an owl with outstretched wings.

There were many huge stone tables placed in front of the gate for the giants to read on.

Haildin said in a deep voice:

"This is the ancient library."

"A place in Elbaf that preserves history and foreign books."

Robin quickened his pace involuntarily.

The heavy wooden door was already open.

The group entered the building.

The next moment, everyone looked up.

Rows of towering bookshelves, seemingly reaching into the clouds, extend into the interior of the World Tree.

The books come in various sizes.

There was a huge stone book for giants to read.

Robin recognized many of the familiar binding methods and classification numbers at a glance.

The knowledge that Ohara scholars risked their lives to protect 22 years ago has truly been preserved to this day.

Robin stood among the tall bookshelves, his eyes gradually welling up with tears.

Those familiar numbers seemed to bring her back to the Tree of Omniscience.

Dr. Clover.

mother.

And then there are the scholars who, even amidst flames and bombardment, refuse to give up on history.

Nami didn't say anything.

He simply took her hand gently.

Just then, the sound of pages turning came from deeper inside the library.

Splash!

Splash!

An extremely tall figure stood in front of the bookshelf.

Upon noticing someone entering, the figure slowly stopped moving.

Robin stared at his retreating figure, his body suddenly stiffening.

She could never forget.

Twenty-two years ago.

It was this man who sent her, as a young girl, onto the small boat to escape Ohara.

It was this person who told her—

The sea is vast.

One day, she will meet a partner who is willing to protect her.

Robin's lips trembled slightly.

But for a moment, he was unable to make a sound.

The giant slowly turned around.

The familiar smile from my memory still lingered on his face.

The tears in Robin's eyes finally fell.

"Sauro..."