Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta.

Outside the capital, a massive sea of black tents belonging to the rebel army stretched across the landscape.

It was clear.

Alubarna had been besieged by hundreds of thousands of rebel soldiers, all waiting for the final breach.

"Captain, although Crocodile has been searching for the Poneglyph's location, he never found anything. The only one who might know is likely King Cobra."

In the night sky, Zane beat his Thunder Wings while holding Nico Robin in his arms, looking down at the rebel army and the besieged city of Alubarna.

Nico Robin glanced at Alubarna below before pulling back her gaze and turning to Zane.

During her time with Baroque Works, she had also conducted a thorough search for the Poneglyph's whereabouts.

However, despite clues suggesting the Alabasta royal family did indeed possess a Poneglyph, its exact location had eluded her.

"Don't worry, I've already found it!"

Zane gave Robin a reassuring look and then flew directly toward the royal palace in the heart of Alubarna.

From such a high altitude, the people below couldn't possibly detect their arrival.

They reached the airspace above the palace with ease.

Zane opened his God's Eye and looked down.

Shifting his gaze, he quickly located his destination.

"Open door!"

A circular space door appeared beneath them; Zane dispelled his Thunder Wings and plummeted into it while holding Robin.

As they fell through, the circular space door immediately snapped shut.

*Flash!*

Deep beneath the royal tomb of the Nefertari family.

In the dim underground space, a circular space door appeared abruptly. Zane emerged from it holding Robin, landing steadily on the ground.

"Where are we?" The dim, even eerie environment didn't frighten Nico Robin; instead, she looked around with curiosity.

Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a massive stone block ahead.

In the center of this underground chamber within the royal tomb sat a perfectly square monolith.

Mysterious characters were carved onto the stone's surface.

"A Poneglyph?" Nico Robin's eyes widened. She quickly scrambled out of Zane's arms and ran toward it.

"No need to rush. Take your time."

Seeing her eagerness to examine the Poneglyph, Zane chuckled, stuffed his free hands into his pockets, and walked over.

"Yes, I understand!"

Robin nodded without looking back, her eyes fixed hungrily on the ancient script as she began to decipher it.

Standing to the side, Zane idly scanned the characters as well.

His God's Eye, still active, gazed upon the ancient text.

Though he had never studied the language, the Three-Eye Tribe's ability to see through the essence of all things allowed him to comprehend every ancient character with perfect clarity.

He scanned it once.

It was just as described in the original story.

This Poneglyph primarily contained information regarding the Ancient Weapon, Pluton.

'Hm? What are those two doing here?'

Just as he finished reading, his Observation Haki picked up an unexpected development.

Zane turned and stared toward the tomb's entrance.

*Click—*

The sound of a mechanism activating echoed.

Under Zane's gaze, the main entrance was opened from the outside, letting in a stream of moonlight.

Bathed in the moonlight, an older man and a young woman descended the stairs into the subterranean chamber.

"Someone's here?"

Cobra, who had just entered the chamber with his daughter and was about to explain the situation, looked in shock at the two figures standing before the Poneglyph.

"You!!"

Beside Cobra, Vivi's mouth dropped open as she pointed in shock at Zane, who was looking their way.

"Yo. Long time no see, Miss Ornamental Vase." Zane showed no embarrassment at being caught; instead, he waved calmly with a smirk.

As for Nico Robin, she only glanced back once.

Seeing it was Cobra and Vivi, she returned to her deciphering.

With Zane there, people like Cobra and Vivi were of no concern.

"Mr. Zane... what are you doing here?" Vivi asked, her brow furrowed as she regained her composure.

This was the royal tomb.

How could this man be here?

Had it not been for the fact that he had essentially saved her before—and the sheer power gap between them—she would have already called for guards.

Wait, his strength...

Suddenly, Vivi's eyes lit up, her gaze toward Zane turning hopeful.

"Well, I came for this." Zane made no attempt to hide his intentions, jerking his thumb back at the Poneglyph behind him.

"Wait! Regardless of who you are, leave this place at once. This is the royal tomb of the Nefertari family. Outsiders are strictly forbidden."

Cobra also snapped out of his shock. Seeing Nico Robin still engrossed in the Poneglyph, he shouted in alarm, almost lunging forward to drive them away.

He had brought his daughter here for a final entrustment.

With the rebel army's overwhelming power, the fall of the capital was only a matter of time. He intended to sacrifice himself in hopes of appeasing their wrath.

But before that sacrifice, he needed to pass on the family's legacy to Vivi.

And that included the Poneglyph.

"Wait!" Vivi acted quickly, grabbing her father.

Was he joking?

The man standing before them was the terrifying entity who had defeated Crocodile and carried a bounty of ten billion.

If her father provoked him, no matter what secrets their family guarded here, they likely wouldn't leave alive.

"Vivi—"

"Listen to me..."

A stunned Cobra looked at his daughter, but before he could pull away, Vivi began whispering urgently.

The once-naive princess had clearly matured through the trials of Baroque Works and the ongoing struggle against the rebels.

Regarding Zane...

Vivi could be said to know quite a bit.

Ever since she had been unexpectedly released by him...

Curiosity had driven her to follow his movements closely in the days that followed.

Though most of her info came from newspapers, it was enough to form a clear picture of him.

He was a man who was immensely powerful and decisive in his actions.

Under normal circumstances, Vivi would have kept as much distance from such a person as possible.

But now...

Zane's unexpected appearance offered a glimmer of hope.

Vivi quickly explained Zane's identity to her father.

Naturally, this left Cobra deeply shaken.

After all, the ten-billion bounty alone was soul-crushing.

But she wasn't done.

Because Vivi soon proposed a daring idea.

'She's got quite the nerve, actually thinking of hiring me.'

Watching Vivi and Cobra whispering together, their hushed tones were useless against Zane's Observation Haki.

Initially, he didn't care much.

They posed no threat to him, after all.

But as Vivi's plan unfolded, he looked at her with a hint of amusement.

[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!

Want 40+ chapters ahead right now? patre0n.c0m/Royal_ink ]