"Roger… Pirate King Roger?"
Nami and the others couldn't hide their excitement. These were words left behind by the Pirate King himself.
Throughout his journey to the Final Island, Roger had left traces in countless key locations. Even some hidden Poneglyph sites carried his markings. Because of that, his handwriting was unmistakable.
"There's no doubt, this is Roger's writing," Nico Robin said, her voice filled with anticipation. "Now I'm even more curious about what's inside this notebook."
Ryūjin Uchiha shared that curiosity.
He casually set Roger's note aside and opened the notebook.
On the first page, a clear sentence was written:
The Final Island is a misunderstanding. If you came here seeking the Pirate King's treasure, searching for the legendary Great Treasure, then you came to the wrong place.
Ryūjin: "…"
Nami: "…"
Crocodile: "…"
Nico Robin: "…"
So there was really nothing here?
This entire journey… a misunderstanding?
Holding onto that doubt, Ryūjin continued flipping through the notebook.
But the Final Island is real. When you and your companions travel together, experiencing the wonders of the world, sharing laughter, tears, and battles, that is the Great Treasure you seek.
If you truly possess the spirit of adventure, then the moment you set sail, you have already reached the Final Island.
That interpretation was not entirely wrong.
For someone like Luffy, it made perfect sense.
At the Sabaody Archipelago, Silvers Rayleigh had once tried to reveal the truth of the Final Island to Luffy's crew, but Luffy refused outright.
To him, the destination never mattered. Whether One Piece existed or not was irrelevant. What mattered was the journey itself.
If the answer was handed to him, then the adventure would lose its meaning.
"Ryūjin-san… so this Final Island is just wordplay?" Nami said, clearly dissatisfied. "That's… way too disappointing."
She wanted treasure, not philosophy.
"Relax. There's more. Keep reading," Ryūjin replied.
The explanation on the second page wasn't entirely wrong, but it ignored something important.
Not everyone was an adventurer.
Not everyone was Luffy.
If Roger had reached the Final Island only to find an empty sky island, would he still claim the journey itself was One Piece? Would he still ignite the Great Pirate Era before his death?
That didn't add up.
Besides, this notebook was thick. They had only reached the second page.
Ryūjin continued turning the pages at an unhurried pace.
What follows is left for my companions… and for my future self.
That line carried weight.
The owner of the notebook had been here before, and knew he would return again.
Who was this person?
Aside from Roger, someone else had reached the Final Island?
Ryūjin kept reading.
Just as the writer stated, the following pages were filled with nonsense, strange symbols, and scribbled markings. It was clearly some kind of cipher.
Only the writer could understand it.
Ryūjin flipped through most of the notebook quickly. The final pages returned to normal writing.
I know you will see this. You must be curious about what I wrote earlier, but I cannot reveal it. It concerns the past and future of this world.
However, I can tell you this. Whoever you are, your arrival here was guided by me, because I am the one who left the Poneglyphs.
The Poneglyphs were supposedly carved by the Kozuki Clan during the Void Century.
So the notebook's owner could be connected to them.
Or perhaps he commissioned them.
Either way, his identity was extraordinary.
In the year 1542 of the Sea Calendar, the World Government will use Uranus and Pluton to reshape the world. That will bring destruction. All nations will be erased, leaving only One Piece under the rule of the Celestial Dragons.
Ironic, isn't it? The One Piece pirates chase is the very goal of the Celestial Dragons.
A pirate.
That much was clear now.
One Piece was not freedom or wealth. It was a catastrophe.
But how could someone predict events decades in advance?
If you're reading this, then none of it has happened yet, and my future self has not arrived here.
So I need your help. Send a signal to my future self, make sure I reach this island.
This is important. I left a door on this island. Only I can open it. That door is the only way to stop the World Government.
The notebook ended there.
It answered many questions.
What One Piece truly was.
Why Roger said he arrived too early.
Why he started the Great Pirate Era.
Roger likely never met the notebook's owner. Unable to find him, he used the era itself as a signal.
But new questions arose.
Who was the writer?
If he created the Poneglyphs, he should have lived eight hundred years ago. So why was he talking about his future self?
If he could stop the World Government, why didn't he act earlier?
Why rely on others to pass messages?
No one had answers.
Not Nami, not Robin, not Crocodile.
Then it clicked for Ryūjin.
The repeated mention of "future self" felt familiar.
Like something out of time travel.
What if that was exactly what it was?
If the writer could travel through time, everything made sense.
He knew the future because he came from it.
He left instructions because his present self knew nothing, perhaps had not even been born yet.
Roger's Great Pirate Era set everything in motion.
The writer would eventually set out, reach this island, read the notebook, and follow the path laid before him.
He would open the door, travel eight hundred years into the past, and attempt to stop the World Government.
But he failed.
That was why the notebook existed.
To guide himself again.
"To think it all lines up like this…" Ryūjin muttered, his eyes sharpening.
He even had a guess.
The writer was Luffy.
It wasn't a stretch. As the central figure, Luffy would inevitably reach this island.
"So that giant straw hat in front of Imu… could that be Luffy's?"
Ryūjin's eyes lit up.
Luffy's Devil Fruit allowed his body to stretch. His Gear Third already enlarged parts of his body.
If he developed it further, becoming a giant wasn't impossible.
If Luffy reached Laugh Tale, grew stronger, and mastered that ability, then traveled back in time…
That straw hat could have been left behind in that battle.
It wasn't impossible.
"Did I just figure out the truth of this world?"
Ryūjin felt a surge of excitement.
Of course, it was only speculation.
Still, it was enough.
"This is ridiculous! Liars! This is the Final Island? What a joke!" Nami shouted, furious.
She had imagined mountains of treasure, endless wealth.
Instead, she got a confusing story.
Not even a single Berry.
Ryūjin, Crocodile, and Robin, however, were satisfied.
Robin especially. The chance to uncover hidden history was worth everything.
Ryūjin expanded his Observation Haki once more, scanning the entire island.
He found something.
A location engraved with strange Divine Patterns.
That had to be it.
The door mentioned in the notebook.
Or the method to summon it.
He didn't investigate further.
"The Final Island is found. There's nothing left for me here," Ryūjin said.
He had already defeated everyone worth fighting. The only reason he stayed was to uncover secrets about Devil Fruits.
Now, that hope was gone.
"Nami, Robin, I'm leaving," he said directly.
"Ryūjin-san… where are you going?" Nami asked, unease creeping into her voice.
"Leaving this world. To be clear, leaving this planet."
"Why? Ryūjin, why now?" Nami's voice wavered.
"I was never meant to stay here," Ryūjin said, a faint smile on his face. "But you all made it worth remembering."
"Ryūjin… will you come back?" Robin asked quietly.
"Probably not," he answered honestly.
Their expressions fell.
Nami's eyes turned red, unable to hide it.
Without him, she would still be trapped under Arlong.
He had changed everything.
"Lord Ryūjin…" Crocodile started, but stopped himself.
"Crocodile, our deal ends here. Time to give you your freedom," Ryūjin said.
With a shift in his eyes, he released Crocodile from Kotoamatsukami.
Memories flooded back.
Shock, anger, confusion.
Then a single question remained.
"…You're leaving?"