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The guards, already on edge, were so startled by this sudden disturbance that their hearts nearly leapt out of their chests.
When the eerie door suddenly shattered for no clear reason, it exposed the scene inside the room, what they saw made every one of them freeze and gasp.
Across the floor, the four walls, even the ceiling… were filled with dense, chaotic scrawlings. Jagged, warped symbols and twisted lines covered every surface like a cursed artist's nightmare. The strange markings seemed to pull at their thoughts, creeping into their minds and slowly unraveling their focus…
One guard, as if entranced, took an unsteady step forward and crossed the threshold.
The moment his boot touched the edge of the first symbol, his eyes rolled back and he dropped to the floor like a sack of flour.
"Oi! What happened to you?!" The others cried out and hurried toward him.
Thud! Thud! Thud! One after another, they dropped like flies, collapsing into a heap and nearly sealing off the entrance with their bodies.
"This is wrong! Something's not right here!" The squad commander barked, unsheathing his long saber and falling into a defensive stance.
But just then, he felt a hand grip his shoulder firmly and yank him back from the doorway.
What?! Who?! His eyes snapped toward the source, but behind him were only his own men, none of whom had moved.
"Commander… Look…" One of them pointed, his voice tight with fear.
The commander turned back quickly, and saw the unconscious guards being pulled out of the pile, one by one… then tossed into the halls flanking the door.
But… who was doing the dragging?
Hiss…
The guards of the Kingdom felt chills crawl up their spines. There was no mistaking it, something was in that room. Something unseen. Like a ghost drifting through the air. The atmosphere had turned frigid, heavy with dread.
Was this the same force that had slaughtered those pirates?
While unease thickened, a shadow had already slipped inside the room, B.I.B.
There was no doubt, the strange doodles covering the room were some kind of medium. They carried hypnotic effects, like the sigils of a forbidden Devil Fruit or the whispering illusions of Haki-fueled hallucinations.
Its narrow eyes glowed a ghostly white as they scanned the twisted scrawlings across the floor. In an instant, B.I.B. discerned their layered nature. Though seemingly chaotic, the drawings had structure, concentric designs, tiered like rings. The outermost layer… was it meant to trigger "drowsiness"? Or perhaps a numbing sense of "fatigue"?
B.I.B. gave a subtle nod. The artist clearly took precautions, didn't want to knock themselves out by mistake.
But these markings had no effect on B.I.B.
As a stand-like projection, it lacked a tangible form. Without physical contact, the hypnotic patterns held no sway. It couldn't touch the doodles, and so the suggestion embedded in them meant nothing.
Floating just above the floor, B.I.B. glided silently over the cursed scrawlings, turned a tight corner, and paused.
In the dim corner of the cabin sat a small figure, curled up like a frightened animal.
A little girl… or more accurately, a very young girl, barely more than a child.
Her skin was pale and soft like fresh tofu. Two tiny braids framed her round face, and childish doodles were scribbled across her cheeks and brow. She wore a short-sleeved shirt, and her thin, exposed arms were also marked. Her bare feet fidgeted restlessly, tiny ankles covered in even more drawn symbols…
The little girl stared up with her big, glistening eyes, gazing in wonder at the hovering, shadowy black battle armor.
When she'd first met Luffy, she had been sixteen. Which meant that now… she looked no older than three or four years old.
B.I.B.'s long, narrow eyes flickered, shifting like storm clouds stirred by memory. From deep within its hidden databanks, no, not computers, but rather etched records from a Devil Fruit-born archive, it recalled the girl's face. Its voice echoed coldly, metallic, yet faintly otherworldly:
"What is the meaning of these markings?"
The little girl wasn't frightened in the slightest. When the strange armored entity spoke, she replied cheerfully, "Don't be sad…"
She pointed to the scribble on her left cheek.
Then, pointing to a similar but slightly different design on her right cheek, she said, "Don't be afraid."
She tapped her forehead. "Remember the ones who matter."
Then her left arm. "Be brave."
Her right arm. "Be clever."
Again her left arm, repeating with care, "Be calm."
Then she rolled up her left pant leg and pointed to her ankle. "Be patient."
Finally, she showed the doodle on her right ankle. "And look forward to tomorrow."
Hovering just above the swirling symbols etched into the floor, B.I.B. stared silently at the small, curled-up figure resting at the foot of the bed.
Outside the doorway, the guards exchanged panicked glances. They could hear the little girl's voice inside, but who was she speaking to?
It couldn't possibly be… that ghost, right?
One of them, acting on impulse, tried to rush in. But as soon as his boot hit the strange symbols at the threshold, he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. The others followed, toppling like dominoes, piling up once again in front of the cursed doorway.
BANG!
The commander smacked a palm over his face in helpless frustration.
Inside, B.I.B. glided forward and settled atop the small bed.
The mattress dipped slightly beneath invisible weight. Faint footprints slowly pressed toward the little girl at the footboard.
Marianne looked up, blinking curiously. "Are you… a robot? So cool!"
B.I.B. stared down at her silently, and then extended its hand.
"Wheee~ whoosh!"
Marianne giggled and climbed to her feet, tiptoeing, reaching out to grab the armored hand wrapped in strange flame-like patterns.
…
Whoosh… whoosh…
In the forest near the shore, the trees bore fresh sword marks. Young Prince Cavendish stood panting, sweat dripping down his elegant brow, his jeweled rapier trembling slightly in his grip.
"My strength's too low… and my stamina's worse," He admitted through gritted teeth.
Liam stood across from him, arms crossed casually. "Your swordsmanship's not bad. But with endurance like that, it's worthless."
"Practice? Do nobles like me even need to practice?" Cavendish huffed. "I've never trained a day in my life!"
Watching from a tree branch above, Robin raised an eyebrow. Cradling a sleepy Koala in her arms, she muttered to herself, This sounds oddly familiar… Ah, that's right, Liam had said something similar once, back when they'd discussed Devil Fruits.
"To spout such nonsense with so much pride…" Liam sighed. "No wonder your form's good, but your strength is pitiful."
"Tch! Enough talking!" Cavendish shouted, lifting his sword again, but his knees buckled. He fell face-first into the dirt, his blade slipping from his hand with a dull clatter.
A pair of feet stepped into his view.
Looking up, Cavendish saw Liam towering above him. "At this point, you're still going to keep him locked away?"
Cavendish's eyes widened. "How do you know about him?!"
At that same moment, B.I.B. stepped off the pirate ship with slow, deliberate grace, arms outstretched, carrying a small girl.
From her perch, Robin glanced toward the opposite side of the woods, where a towering, red-haired gorilla staggered into view. It was the same beast Liam had knocked unconscious earlier. Now, it looked only partially recovered, its breathing ragged, its bloodshot beast-eyes fixed warily on Liam and Cavendish.
B.I.B. halted beneath the tree where Robin and Koala sat. It exchanged a silent look with its main body, an understanding glance passed between them.
Marianne, still balanced atop B.I.B.'s arm, kicked her legs playfully.
No doubt remained, this little girl… was the future Miss Goldenweek.
(End Of Chapter)