The Origin Factory can be traced back 900 years; it is a legacy left by the Giant Kingdom.
Taro searched every corner of this factory, trying to find some clues.
Finally, he really did discover something!
In a corner of the Origin Factory, there was a compartment. On the walls of the compartment were many pieces of equipment with unknown functions.
In the center of the compartment's floor, several thick cable-like wire ends were exposed, which had once been connected to some equipment.
However, that equipment was now missing, and it had been violently dismantled.
A fissure was left on the ground!
Within the fissure, a broken pillar could still be seen, with some charred marks on it.
It had been fused and severed!
Zhou Chen had no professional knowledge in this area and couldn't judge how long ago it had been fused.
Everything in this factory looked very new, including this fusion point.
Among the equipment against the wall, there was only one device with something like a display screen; Taro could roughly guess what it was.
He had seen such a thing at Vegapunk's place; it was used to record experimental data.
Taro couldn't help but reach out and touch it, and the entire compartment suddenly brightened.
"Buzz!"
With a buzzing sound, the device seemed to be activated.
"Welcome to the Implantation Central Control Room!"
"Error: Core functional module missing. Staff maintenance required!"
The display screen lit up, seemingly trying to start, but after the error report, it dimmed again.
However, it didn't shut down but entered a state similar to a "screensaver"!
And a dynamic screensaver at that!
Taro stared dumbfounded at this "screensaver." Rather than a screensaver, it was more like an advertisement!
The quality of the advertisement was somewhat perfunctory, with a few strokes outlining three little figures trying to carve a path through a mountain peak.
Then, a tall man with a much more refined art style appeared, holding a piece of paper and promoting something to them.
One of the three little figures seemed to be persuaded and followed the man away.
When he returned, the little figure seemed unchanged.
However, with a casual touch on the mountain peak, he changed the mountain's structure.
The excavation work was able to progress rapidly.
The little figures began to laugh happily!
The advertisement could only be described as crude, but it confirmed that the man had indeed bestowed "Devil Fruit Ability" upon the little figure.
This factory was used for the Implantation of Devil Fruit abilities.
The fused pillar in the middle was connected to the "Origin Matrix"!
Taro also noticed that the tall person did not have wings on his back.
He wasn't a Moon Person?
Just as Taro was wondering, after the display screen dimmed, another image surfaced.
Like an advertisement that would credit the producer at the end.
The image was still of the tall man, showing a big, bright smile.
His right hand was holding the... straw hat on his head!
Joy Boy!
Taro felt his heart stop beating. Although the image was black and white,
However, Taro was certain that it was the same style of hat as Luffy's!
This person was Joy Boy!
This factory, this control center—its former leader was indeed Joy Boy!
The screen went black again and then brightened once more.
This time, it was a passage of text.
A passage written in the script found on the poneglyphs!
Zhou Chen stared intently at the passage, etching every detail into his mind, for fear of missing even a tiny bit.
After the Payback War, he needed to find Dragon as soon as possible to ask clearly what Dragon had actually seen back then.
He also needed to ask Robin to decipher what this passage actually meant!
"Restart failed. Automatically entering protection program. Please wait to try again..."
Zhou Chen didn't know how long this wait would take; in short, after several hours, the startup still hadn't succeeded!
Unknowingly, he had already stayed in the Origin Factory for a long time. Taro found no more new clues and decided to leave.
"Access ended. Welcome back again!"
The factory's intelligent voice announced the farewell, and then the factory's large "door" opened again. Taro stepped back into the corridor.
Outside the Origin Factory, Aokiji was gazing at the towering mountain peak, staring blankly at the name "Narikude."
He also discovered that this "holy" mountain peak's style was completely inconsistent with the rest of the island.
However, when he tried to contact the mountain peak, it didn't trigger any abnormalities like it did for Taro.
He didn't even hear a prompt!
In his eyes, the mountain peak was still massive!
On the outskirts of the island, the war between the Blackbeard Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates Remnants had already lasted for half a day.
Since the early morning of October 3rd, the two sides had been engaged in a fierce battle in the nearby waters.
The subordinate pirates fought at sea, while the executives gradually moved the battlefield onto the island.
On the shore, earth-shaking roars and dazzling energy beams flashed continuously.
Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit ability was like a tiger with wings on this island filled with a massive amount of lightning power.
The natural power he absorbed and devoured, once released, was incredibly powerful!
Perhaps worried about destroying the mountain peak on the island, Blackbeard appeared very careful when using his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability.
Because of this, the Whitebeard Pirates Remnants were able to hold on for the time being.
However, Aokiji understood that the Whitebeard Pirates Remnants were already at the end of their rope.
After dispatching four division commanders to monitor him, their strength was further weakened.
Aokiji glanced at Haruta, Atmos, Speed Jiru, and Fossa, who were trailing in the distance, and saw the anxiety in their eyes.
Clearly, the situation was unfavorable, and these four commanders were well aware of it.
Looking up again at the top of the mountain peak that soared into the clouds, Aokiji's legs turned into ice, and he leaped up.
He stepped on the mountain peak, condensing ice as a fulcrum, and quickly leaped toward the summit.
Halfway up the mountain, as Aokiji just stepped on it, the layer of ice beneath his feet suddenly shattered, causing him to stumble.
"Ice Age!"
Aokiji dodged in the air, waved his large hand, and ice shot out from his palm, freezing onto the mountain peak to stabilize himself.
Then, his gaze went blank!
Taro, looking at Aokiji suspended in mid-air by an ice pillar, was also stunned.
After a while, Taro frowned.
"Kuzan, what are you doing looking like that?"
"Taro, why are you here?"
Almost simultaneously, Aokiji also asked, his tone filled with surprise!
In Taro's perspective, the outside was level ground; Aokiji standing there for no reason with an ice pillar attached to him seemed like he was just messing around.
Then, he took a step out, completely walking out of the large "door."
"Holy crap!"
As he stepped out, his whole body tumbled down. He cursed, then his Internal Energy surged, and he moved like a shadow to stabilize himself.
Aokiji also saw at this moment that Taro had come out from inside the "mountain peak."
"You've been inside? What's in there?"
Aokiji's tone was urgent.
Taro frowned deeply, stared at Aokiji for a while, and said indifferently,
"Tell me first, what are you doing here?"
Aokiji didn't expect Taro's attitude to be somewhat cold. He thought for a moment.
"Someone told me some things—things I wanted to'see'!"
Taro's gaze turned cold now.
"Blackbeard?"
Aokiji shook his head. "No!"
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