INIIDF-Chapter 313 Indicator and Shipbuilding Part 1

You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395

At the very start of the Grand Line, at the base of Reverse Mountain's Twin Cape, seven distinct magnetic routes stretch forward.

These routes serve as the main arteries of the Grand Line. But beyond them, the vast sea is also dotted with scattered islands, unaligned with any set path.

These isolated islands form a complex web, intertwining like the twisting branches of a great tree, extending from the main magnetic routes...

Liam sat on the rocky shore of a small island, facing the open sea with his eyes closed. One hand gripped the Log Pose, while the other hovered in the air, fingers twitching as if plucking invisible strings of magnetic energy.

His eyes couldn't see across the vast ocean, but as the wielder of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, he could feel it, a network of shifting, unseen forces, stretching across the Grand Line like a teeming, restless crowd.

Within this vast web, countless points flickered, dense, swirling eddies of magnetic energy, each acting as a hub that connected different routes.

Liam knew what they were.

Each whirlpool of magnetic force represented an island, bound together by invisible currents, drawing in and repelling one another, forming the unseen tracks that guided the Grand Line's journey.

The Log Pose in his hand trembled faintly, its glass dome reflecting the sky as it slowly logged the weak magnetic force of this tiny island.

From a distance, Liam could only sense the presence of these scattered islands, faint and indistinct.

But sitting here, anchored in one place, he could now clearly "see" the path being drawn, the direction in which the island's magnetic pull was pointing.

Southwest.

Liam exhaled slowly, leaning back as if lazily dozing off. Yet in his mind, his consciousness followed the current of that magnetic pull, leaping across dozens of kilometers of open sea.

The Log Pose in his grasp suddenly trembled, its needle quivering violently.

His mind traveled along the magnetic route, past unpredictable weather fronts and erratic sea currents, until it reached a stronger, more defined magnetic vortex.

The next island.

Each island's magnetic field was different in strength.

This island, the one he was currently on, was weak.

Its position was remote, far removed from the seven main magnetic routes. It sat at the end of a fragile offshoot, an insignificant branch in the Grand Line's vast network.

And perhaps it was because of this island's weak magnetic pull that the Log Pose required an unusually long time to register it.

But if that was the case...

Liam's fingers twitched, and his palm hummed with a controlled pulse of magnetic energy. His touch was light, like a musician plucking at the strings of an instrument, as he carefully combed through the faint, scattered magnetic waves that radiated from the island.

His eyes opened.

Rising to his feet, Liam turned his gaze toward the endless horizon. Then, after a moment, he turned in the opposite direction, toward the Red Line.

He knew that as the journey continued, the seven magnetic routes would gradually converge. Their twisting paths would merge, funneling into a single destination, 

The place where all magnetic routes, no matter how distant or winding, ultimately led.

Laugh Tale.

The final island.

The resting place of the legendary treasure, ONE PIECE.

Liam's thoughts drifted. If I remember correctly, the manga said the magnetic field around the final island is completely chaotic...

Without the four Red Poneglyphs, it's impossible to reach Laugh Tale using a Log Pose alone. Even in the movie, the Eternal Pose for Laugh Tale was only completed after Roger's crew had already made it there...

His brow furrowed slightly. A curious thought crossed his mind.

If I reach Water 7 with the Magnet-Magnet Fruit...

Would I be able to sense the whirlpool of magnetic energy belonging to Laugh Tale, hidden within that chaotic magnetic storm?

However...

Liam exhaled, shaking off the thought.

To his own surprise, he wasn't all that interested in the so-called "Great Treasure."

The truth of history? The secrets of the world?

None of it really mattered to him.

This wasn't his world, after all.

Robin's obsession with the blank century and the lost history of the world… Before she met the Straw Hats, she hadn't uncovered many Poneglyphs that recorded major truths.

That's why Liam believed that, for now, there wasn't much difference between the Robin of the original timeline and the Robin standing beside him.

At worst, he could simply wait.

Fifteen years from now, the Thousand Sunny, carrying the chosen one, the new Joy Boy, the man who would shake the world with his ambition and power, would inevitably reach the final island, Laugh Tale. When that day came, it would likely trigger a war so great it could even drag the isolated Wano Country into the chaos.

By then, whatever the so-called "truth of history" was, it would surely be exposed, whether by the Straw Hat Pirates, the Revolutionary Army, or some other force.

So, Liam wasn't concerned about history. Nor did he feel guilty about delaying Robin's dream.

Now, treasure on the other hand…

Liam rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Speaking of treasure, who said it had to come from Laugh Tale?

The old warrior Chinjao from Kano Country, the guy who once had a drill-shaped head before Garp flattened it, had a legendary fortune, didn't he?

Liam was planning to visit Kano Country at some point anyway.

Chinjao's massive treasure hoard had been sealed beneath layers of solid ice, completely inaccessible ever since he lost the ability to break through it. But to Liam, that kind of physical obstacle meant nothing.

After all, B.I.B. wasn't going to be stopped by a little ice.

"When the time comes, I'll just have B.I.B. use the Shiro Shiro no Mi (Castle-Castle Fruit) and slip right into Chinjao's frozen vault. I'll grab a few nice souvenirs while I'm at it."

With that thought in mind, Liam turned back toward the woods.

The dark armor had been busy. Large trees had been felled, their trunks stripped and neatly stacked in the clearing. But cutting logs was the easy part, actually turning them into a proper boat would take a bit more planning.

Robin soon returned, leading the little girl by the hand. The child had clearly been crying, her eyes and nose were red, her small face blotchy with dried tears.

Robin asked, "How did it go?"

Liam gave her a quick rundown of what he had sensed using the Magnet-Magnet Fruit.

Robin raised an eyebrow. "So, with you around, does that mean we don't even need a Log Pose anymore?"

"Not exactly," Liam replied modestly. "If we need to reach a specific place, we'd still need an Eternal Pose. And for islands that are really far away, unless I develop my abilities even further… well, only a true Devil Fruit genius could manage something like that."

Robin smirked. "A genius of Devil Fruits… isn't that you?"

"Damn right it is!" Liam clapped his hands together, then hesitated. "But… even if I can act as a living Eternal Pose, keeping track of all those different islands would be impossible without a perfect memory."

Robin stood on her toes and flicked his nose. "Didn't you already say you have a photographic memory?"

"Oh yeah!" Liam laughed heartily. "Turns out I really am that amazing!"

(To Be Continued…)