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The heavy stone door creaked as it slid open, revealing a vast chamber bathed in a soft blue glow. The walls were lined with ancient carvings—glyphs older than anything Vivi had seen in Alabasta. The chamber stretched out like a throne room swallowed by time, with broken pillars and a collapsed ceiling in the far back. In the center stood a massive circular altar, humming with dormant energy.
Rael stepped forward first, his senses flaring. The air was thick, not just with dust and age, but with something else—an ancient, humming force that made the hair on his neck rise.
Kaya followed, pistol drawn, eyes scanning every shadow. Vivi trailed just behind, her breath shallow as she stared in awe at the temple's interior.
"This place is older than Alabasta itself," she whispered.
"It's built on something dangerous," Rael muttered. "I can feel it."
They stepped closer to the altar. Symbols etched into its base pulsed faintly with light. Rael reached out, brushing a finger across them. A spark jumped from the stone and licked across his skin.
"Careful," Kaya said, placing a hand on his arm.
Before Rael could respond, a voice echoed from the shadows.
"You're too late."
They spun around. From behind one of the pillars, a figure stepped into the light.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Wearing the signature coat of a Baroque Works commander, trimmed with golden patterns. His eyes glowed with a cruel amusement.
"You must be the man who's been causing so much trouble," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Rael, was it?"
Rael didn't answer.
The man laughed. "I suppose introductions don't matter. I was told to stop you. That's all I need."
More figures emerged behind him—elite agents, armed and ready. At least ten of them.
Kaya took aim. "We don't have time for this."
Rael stepped in front of the girls. "No. We finish this fast."
The commander charged.
Rael met him head-on, their clash shaking the floor. Fist against fist, steel against will. The commander was strong—far above the average pirate. Fast, too. But Rael's movements were sharper, forged from a lifetime of war.
Their blows echoed through the temple, smashing stone and sending waves of energy rippling across the walls.
Vivi ducked behind a column as two agents closed in. She struck one low with her staff and tripped the other into a crumbled pedestal. Kaya picked them off one by one with precise shots, ducking between cover and moving with fierce control.
Rael finally landed a decisive blow—a spinning kick that launched the commander into the wall. The impact shattered part of the stone.
The remaining agents froze.
Rael's golden eyes glowed faintly. "Leave. Or stay and be broken."
The agents fled.
The commander groaned, barely conscious. Kaya walked over and kicked his weapon away.
"What were they protecting?" she asked, turning to the altar.
Vivi approached slowly. The runes on the altar pulsed brighter now, reacting to the presence of someone with royal blood.
"It's a seal," she said quietly. "Maybe even a key."
Rael frowned. "To what?"
Before anyone could answer, a deep rumble echoed beneath the chamber.
A piece of the wall slid open behind the altar, revealing a hidden passage.
Rael looked at the others. "Let's find out."
They descended into the passage, torches flickering along the walls. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the air became.
At the end of the tunnel lay a circular vault. In the center was a pedestal holding a single scroll, sealed in glass.
Vivi stepped forward. "That's Alabasta's lost record... the history we thought was destroyed."
Rael broke the seal and opened the scroll.
What he saw made his jaw tighten.
It was a schematic.
Of a weapon.
Pluton.
"So it is real," Kaya said softly.
Rael closed the scroll. "And Crocodile's after it. We can't let him find the rest."
Suddenly, a tremor shook the temple.
Rael turned. "We need to go. Now."
The temple began collapsing as they raced back up the corridor. Dust and stone rained from above. They burst out of the ruins just as the entire entrance caved in behind them.
Coughing and bruised, the three of them stood in the fading light of the canyon, their mission incomplete but their resolve stronger than ever.
Rael looked at the horizon.
Crocodile was ahead of them.
But not for long.
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