The next morning, Sakazuki brought Carlo with him into town.
This time, they weren't wandering aimlessly. Instead, they tried asking around, subtly questioning the older residents in hopes of learning more about the island's past or uncovering any unusual traits it might possess.
But after half a day of searching, they still came up empty-handed.
Too much time had passed. So much, in fact, that the flow of time had erased nearly all records, leaving behind only a single phrase that had been passed down through generations:
"Birka is the light of the beginning. It is the origin of all things. The source of everything."
As Sakazuki walked through the town, he started to feel a headache coming on. There were no real clues at all.
He had swept the area repeatedly with his Observation Haki, searching for ruins, hidden rooms, or secret chambers. But there was nothing. Not even the faintest trace.
"Hmm?" Suddenly, both he and Carlo sensed a small scuffle happening behind the town.
Among the children involved was the one from yesterday—Enel.
Without a word, they headed over.
...
Behind the peaceful town of Birka, in a small open area, a group of kids had surrounded Enel.
He stood there, breathing heavily, eyes cautious as the circle of children slowly closed in.
He had let his guard down.
Earlier that day, he'd pulled another prank on the same dumb kid who always bullied him. But this time, he hadn't expected to run into the boy's older brother on his way out.
Even though he'd taken off the moment he saw the older boy, it wasn't enough. The difference between a three-year-old and a twelve-year-old was just too great.
The group of punks finally cornered him.
With his older brother standing behind him, the five-year-old boy pushed Enel hard, knocking him to the ground. He looked down at the three-year-old with a smug grin.
"Hmph. Not so fast now, huh Enel? Go on. Try running. Let's see you run today. Why so quiet? Scared? You dared steal my apple. Just wait and see what I do to you."
Enel stayed silent. He knew there was no escaping this beating.
His eyes fell to his new clothes, and a flicker of pain flashed across his face. 'Damn it. This is the first time I've ever worn something new…'
The five-year-old who acted like the boss waved his hand proudly and shouted to the surrounding three- and four-year-olds.
"Get him!"
He pulled back his fist, ready to throw the first punch—when a cold, emotionless voice rang out.
"Kid. You got a death wish or something?"
A huge shadow loomed over the group of children.
The five-year-old turned his head and stiffened. Towering above him stood a man with broad shoulders, solid muscles, and a terrifyingly cold expression.
His eyes were sharp and intense. The kid was instantly paralyzed by fear.
"I... I..."
The older brother of the child quickly pulled him back and tried to act calm in front of Sakazuki and Carlo.
"Who are you people?!"
Sakazuki gave the oldest boy a cold look but said nothing. His presence alone was enough to make the air around them feel icy. The boy's forced calm cracked, and he looked down at Enel.
"We'll let you off this time!"
He grabbed his younger brother and ran, dragging the others with him, not daring to look back.
Carlo helped Enel up, flashing a warm smile before turning to Sakazuki.
"Won't those kids end up with a trauma or two, Vice Admiral?"
Sakazuki raised an eyebrow and pondered on what he'd just said. 'That was just to scare them. I even used a calm tone.'
Why had those kids looked like they'd seen a ghost? He let the thought go and turned to Enel.
"How'd you get caught?"
Enel looked away, unwilling to admit it.
"Tch. He was just bigger than me, that's all. Otherwise, those idiots wouldn't have stood a chance."
Sakazuki exchanged a glance with Carlo and asked, "What's with the apple theft just now? There should've been Extol in your pockets. Didn't you notice it?"
Enel lowered his head and scraped the ground with his foot.
"I noticed. I hid it. The apple thing happened before that."
Sakazuki gave a slight nod, and Carlo took Enel's hand as they started walking toward the edge of town.
Enel blinked, a bit surprised, then hurriedly asked, "Where are we going?"
Sakazuki's calm voice came from ahead.
"Home. Time to eat."
Enel's mind went blank for a moment. He was still being pulled along when the words finally sank in.
'Home...'
...
Back on the warship, it was mealtime again.
In the kitchen, the head chef was working hard in a frenzy of heat and clanging utensils.
Outside in the dining area, Enel sat among a group of marines. They kept handing him snacks and little gifts, treating him like a three-year-old.
That made Enel, whose mind was far more mature than others his age, feel a little embarrassed. But even more than that… it felt really nice.
Inside the office, Sakazuki and his second-in-command were chatting casually.
"So, what exactly are you looking for, Vice Admiral?" Carlo was still curious.
Sakazuki answered simply, "A ruin. There's a blueprint hidden inside."
Carlo looked thoughtful. "A blueprint, huh..."
Sakazuki pressed his fingers against his temples and gave them a slow rub, trying to ease the growing headache. He had kept his Observation Haki active almost the entire day. The mental drain was starting to show.
Knock, knock, knock.
A soft knock came at the door. Sakazuki lowered his hands. "Come in."
The door creaked open a little. Enel peeked his head in, glanced at the two men, then stepped inside with his arms full of snacks and toys.
Carlo chuckled at the sight. "Something up, Enel?"
The boy placed the snacks and toys onto the couch, then turned around with a slightly uncertain look on his face and said, "That ruin you guys were talking about earlier… I think I might know where it is."
Sakazuki was stunned for a second, then spoke, "Tell us."
Enel scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "When I was hungry before, I used to steal offerings from the altar in the center of town. I think the ground under it is hollow."
Both Sakazuki and Carlo frowned slightly.
That didn't make sense. The altar was something they had already checked thoroughly, sweeping it multiple times with Observation Haki. Nothing had shown up.
Seeing their expressions, Enel froze for a second, then remembered they had that ability to sense things. He quickly added, "You can't sense anything down there with that power. I only found it by accident once when I was hiding after stealing food. I fell and landed with a loud thud. It sounded hollow underneath.
"I've gone back a few times at night. There's definitely an empty space beneath the stone slab, but I couldn't lift it. It's really heavy."
The two men exchanged a sharp look. A space completely hidden from Haki... That was no ordinary technique.
Sakazuki finally asked, "Can you take us there?"
Enel nodded, "Sure, but it has to be at night. The altar's in the center of town. Too many people around during the day."
"It's fine. Come with me," Sakazuki said.
He gestured to Carlo, who scooped Enel up. With a few quick steps, the two of them leapt off the warship and disappeared from sight. They reappeared in a quiet corner of Birka, not far from the altar. No one was around.
Sakazuki lifted a layer of cloud covering the ground. He used his Devil Fruit and magma bubbled out, burning through the island cloud at an alarming speed.
In moments, a tunnel of molten rock had formed. As it cooled, it became a solid path leading directly to the altar.
Carlo, still holding a wide-eyed Enel, jumped in. Sakazuki followed, picking up the cloud layer and replacing it neatly over the opening before dropping down into the tunnel as well.
At the end, they came face to face with a solid stone wall. Both men wore serious expressions.
'So it really does block Observation Haki… This kind of technique...'
Sakazuki touched the wall with his hand. A faint feeling of weakness pulsed through him.
'Seastone. Just a trace of it.'
His Armament Haki flowed into his palm and surged into the stone.
Buzz—
A soft vibration spread out. The stone wall crumbled where he touched it, disintegrating into powder that fell in large chunks.
Not long after, a passage-sized hole opened, revealing the entrance to the underground ruin.
Carlo bent down and collected some of the powder. 'This must be a mix of special materials and seastone dust. No wonder it blocked Haki sensing. Might be worth studying later.'
They stepped into the ruin.
Sakazuki activated his Observation Haki and summoned a glowing magma orb in his palm for light. They followed the pull of his Haki deeper inside.
Carlo gently set Enel down, allowing him to walk alongside them.
Creeeak—
At the end of the hallway, Sakazuki pushed open a wooden door. The old hinges groaned, nearly collapsing from age. Inside, the room was empty, except for three enormous murals painted on the stone walls.
They seemed to depict fragments of a lost history.
The first mural showed a bustling city. Strange instruments lined the streets. People with various types of wings worked side by side, each with a different role.
The first group mined something from the earth, then sent what they gathered to the upper levels.
The second group used those materials to assemble small, humanoid figures.
The third group placed their hands on the heads of the small figures, as though giving them life.
The final group led these tiny beings to perform some kind of work.
The second mural depicted a silent, underground city. Rows of those same small figures stood atop a massive warship, waving goodbye to the winged people who ascended into the sky.
Their destination: a vast blue planet.
The third mural showed those winged beings arriving at the planet's atmosphere. Some with antennae and others with bigger wings remained in the skies above, while those wearing wolf-like helmets and large wings descended to the surface.
Together, the three murals painted a grand tale—the origin of the winged race and the advanced technology they once possessed.
A city powered by machines. Artificial life brought forth by mysterious means. A warship of impossible scale. It all spoke of a golden age now buried beneath the dust of history, both magnificent and terrifying.
Creeeak—
Sakazuki pushed open the door to a nearby chamber.
Inside was a massive bookshelf and a simple table surrounded by a few worn chairs.
He stepped up to the shelf and picked up a book. But before he could open it, the pages crumbled to dust in his hands.
Fragments of paper rained down to the floor, leaving behind only silence.
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