Chapter 811: The Letter D
After jumping down, even Ian was startled.
Because below was an enormous underground cavern! It had a vast space, and at the top of this huge cavern were countless stalactites, some of which had grown so long that they connected with the stalagmites on the ground, forming stone pillars that seemed to support the entire underground cavern.
The humid air made the cavern feel very cold and damp. The originally silent space was now broken by the voices of people. The pirates who had fallen through the dug-out ground were groaning and cursing, their voices echoing endlessly through the cavern.
"This... it really does look like a place where treasure is buried!" Ace said, looking at the cavern.
As for Buggy, he was already ecstatic. Given the enormous size of the cavern, it seemed that the entire underground of this island was hollow. Looking at the island from above, one would never have guessed this. Such a secretive location greatly increased the probability of real treasure being here. For a moment, even Buggy couldn't help but laugh triumphantly.
Damn it, it hasn't been easy. After digging in so many places, I, Buggy-sama, have finally found a treasure spot...
Only Ian, smelling the moisture in the air, felt a bit puzzled. He wondered if the cavern beneath the island was connected to the sea outside. Otherwise, how could it be so damp?
At that moment, Boa Hancock and the women of the Kuja Pirates also jumped down from above. The area around the entrance quickly gathered several hundred people.
"Spread out! Find the treasure for me!" Buggy laughed proudly, directing his Buggy Pirates to get moving.
Boa Hancock glanced at Ian and, seeing him nod, waved her hand, signaling the Kuja Pirates' warriors to spread out and explore the huge cavern as well.
Seeing this, Buggy got anxious. He grabbed Ian and said angrily, "You bastard Ian, this treasure is mine! Mine! Even if your people find it first, it's still mine!"
Ian pressed down on Buggy's red nose and pushed him away, saying, "Don't worry. If it really is treasure, no one will take it from you!"
"You'd better keep your word!" Buggy said, feeling a bit relieved.
He knew that Ian wasn't known for going back on his word, and now that Ian was a Yonko, he couldn't afford to break his promise in front of so many people. That was the guarantee that came with status and reputation.
So, the group began to explore the cavern in all directions.
"This cavern must be below sea level, right?" Ace asked. "If there really is treasure here, the person who hid it must be incredible!"
Ian nodded and asked Buggy, "Where did you get that treasure map?"
"Hmph, why should I tell you?" Buggy turned his head away.
But as soon as he said that, Ian kicked him, sending him tumbling. Ian looked at him with a half-smile and said, "You're itching for a beating, aren't you?"
"You... you!!" Buggy was furious. He roared, "You hit me again!?"
Ian grabbed his red nose and said, "So what if I hit you? Don't forget, back in the East Blue, who was it that caught you and handed you over to the Marines?"
Hearing this, Buggy immediately wilted. He quickly freed himself from Ian's grip and said, "Alright, I'll tell you, but don't spread it around..."
Then Buggy looked around, leaned close to Ian's ear, and whispered, "It was actually found by one of my subordinates, a pirate who came to join me. He looted it from a corpse on a merchant ship. His original pirate crew had killed everyone on that ship. At first, they didn't think much of the map, but somehow, they ended up being fiercely pursued by the Marines. The entire crew was wiped out, and only this pirate escaped with the map to join me. According to his recollection, the corpse they took the map from might have been someone from the World Government... because that guy showed some impressive martial arts while resisting, like the Six Powers..."
"You mean... it could have been a CP agent?" Ian's mind stirred as he asked.
"I don't know, it's just a suspicion," Buggy shook his head and whispered. "If it was a CP agent disguised as a civilian, they wouldn't carry anything to identify themselves."
"And what about the pirate who gave you the map?" Ian pressed.
"Dead!" Buggy said grimly. "Died of food poisoning! How ridiculous. Everyone else who ate with him was fine, but he died..."
Damn! Ian couldn't help but glance at the Buggy Pirates members scattered around and asked quietly, "You mean, among your people, there might be a CP infiltrator?"
"Very likely!" Buggy said with a fierce expression. "It seems that even after becoming a Warlord, the World Government still doesn't trust me!"
"So..." Ian thought for a moment and asked, "You'll need to be careful after you dig up the treasure. If what you're saying is true, then this treasure might be incredibly valuable, which is why it caught the World Government's attention..."
"That's what I think too!" Buggy nodded. "I'm already investigating the traitor."
Hearing this, Ian decided not to say anything more. Buggy might seem foolish, but he had his own plans. If you thought Buggy got to the position of Warlord purely by luck, you'd be sorely mistaken.
Just then, a loud shout came from the distance ahead, followed by frantic yelling: "Hurry! Come over here!"
Everyone's attention was drawn, and they all ran toward the sound. Ian and the others were no exception. Buggy, being the most impatient, rushed ahead, with Ian and Ace close behind, wanting to see what had been discovered.
However, when they arrived, they found a group of people standing in a circle, staring in shock at a huge shadow ahead.
The lighting in the cavern wasn't great, but they could tell that they were now at a very peculiar underground lake. Within the cavern's space, there was a vast lake. The water surface was so still that it reflected a silvery, mirror-like glow. In the center of this underground lake, a massive shadow sat motionless on the water.
The shadow was so huge that it seemed like a small island had appeared in the middle of the lake. Although they couldn't make out what it was, it was certainly astonishing.
"Yangyan!" Without waiting for Ian's signal, Ace conjured a huge white fireball in his hand. The light from the fireball immediately illuminated the cavern's space.
And when they saw clearly what the huge shadow in the center of the lake was, everyone present couldn't help but gasp!
It... looked like a ship! An incredibly massive ship!
But it didn't seem like a conventional ship, as they couldn't see any masts or sails on it.
Under the light of Ace's Yangyan, the ship's hull occasionally reflected a golden light, but many parts were covered in black moss, making it look quite dim.
"G... Gold!!!"
Buggy got excited and couldn't help shouting, "A golden ship!?"
As he shouted, Buggy was about to rush over, but at that moment, a pulling force came from behind his collar, choking him and making his tongue stick out.
"What are you doing!?" Buggy turned around and yelled angrily at Ian.
"Wait!" Ian said with a serious expression. "Let me check it out first!"
With that, ignoring Buggy's protests, Ian spread his Flame Wings and flew toward the center of the lake.
Up close, the ship looked even more enormous. Ian, who was less than two meters tall, seemed like a matchstick compared to it. Ian flew around the hull and estimated that the ship was at least two to three kilometers long. Although it wasn't as big as Tesoro's Gran Tesoro, it was still massive for a ship.
Ian landed on the top of the ship. As he stepped down, he heard a metallic thud. He crouched, scraped away the moss on the surface, and examined it closely. He found that the ship didn't seem to be made of pure gold; it was more like it had a layer of gold plating on the outside. It looked like Buggy would be disappointed.
Drawing the two swords at his waist, Ian cleared a large area, gradually revealing the ship's body before his eyes.
The more he looked, the more suspicious he became. The entire top of the ship was sealed shut. How should he put it? Although it was floating on the water, it looked more like a submarine.
It seemed a bit strange, but the hull had a very streamlined shape and was made entirely of metal. At least Ian couldn't find any wood. As he cleared the area and explored, he tried to find an entrance to go inside the ship.
Then, when he cleared the left side of the ship's railing, he suddenly discovered a huge engraving on that side of the hull!
It was a massive letter "D"!
Ian was shocked. He quickly sped up, clearing the surrounding area, and finally saw all the letters engraved in that area.
[Dan]!
Dawn...
This ship was called the Dawn?
Ian was full of confusion. His gaze was completely drawn to the largest letter D at the beginning...
Then, suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Ian's mind. He couldn't help but blurt out loudly, "Damn!!! This is... this is Pluton!!??"