Chapter 12: The Red Poneglyph, The Big Mom Pirates

"What's wrong, giving up so soon? Developing a Devil Fruit ability isn't something you can master in just a few days. You have to believe in yourself—you can do it."

Seeing Buggy looking a bit down, Drew walked over to comfort him. Such a good Devil Fruit shouldn't be wasted like this.

"I know… it's just, I didn't realize the gap between me and Shanks was so huge before," Buggy forced a bitter smile, shook his head, and walked toward the resting quarters of the pirate ship.

He wanted to be alone for a while.

"Buggy!"

Seeing Buggy looking so upset, Shanks wanted to say something, but Drew stopped him.

"Don't worry, Shanks. Buggy will come around. That guy isn't someone who gives up so easily."

"Yeah, I understand, Drew," Shanks stopped in his tracks and looked at Drew seriously.

Shanks knew very well that it was Drew who had been helping Buggy train with his Devil Fruit these past few days. And during the recent battle, Shanks had clearly felt Buggy's progress—his overall strength was now equivalent to what three Buggys used to be.

As for the current Shanks, he was roughly equivalent to the strength of fifty Buggys.

Buggy: Thanks a lot, Shanks! You're using me as a unit of measurement now?!

"Alright, everyone, get your spirits up—we've got a big job today!"

Just as Shanks was wondering whether to have a sparring match with Drew, Roger appeared on the deck of the Oro Jackson, speaking with a serious tone.

"We've received intel on the second Red Poneglyph. It's in the hands of Charlotte Linlin. So, I've decided—we're going to steal it."

"Is the intel reliable, Roger? Charlotte Linlin isn't someone easy to deal with. Don't forget, she used to be a captain in the Rocks Pirates," Rayleigh asked with a slight frown.

"It's accurate."

"In that case, Captain Roger, just give the order."

"Hahaha! Alright, everyone—set sail! Our target: the Poneglyph!"

Seeing Rayleigh and the rest of the crew agree with him, Roger laughed heartily, raised his arm, and the Oro Jackson turned its bow toward Big Mom's territory.

While sailing, Drew took the opportunity to ask Rayleigh some of the questions he had in mind. Although he knew much of the key historical events, he still wanted to learn more—especially about the darker side of the world and what the Roger Pirates knew about the Void Century.

However, since the crew hadn't yet reached the final island, Raftel, there wasn't much useful information Rayleigh could share.

Still, there was one piece of intel that caught Drew by surprise.

…

Three days later, near an unnamed island within Big Mom's territory, the Oro Jackson slowly emerged onto the scene. Using a telescope, they saw hundreds—if not thousands—of pirate crew members gathered on the island. Roger frowned slightly. After thinking for a bit, he decided to go with a direct assault. After all, no matter the situation, Roger never backed down.

Big Mom might be strong—but Roger was stronger!

"Captain, I think to ensure nothing goes wrong, we should also send someone to secretly infiltrate the island and make a copy of the inscriptions on the Red Poneglyph. That'd be a safer strategy than just charging in head-on," Drew said, looking at the fired-up Roger and his crew. He couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth helplessly. Though Drew also liked using force to defeat enemies, if there was a smarter way to achieve their goal, he felt it was worth using his brain first.

"Mm, I think Drew makes a good point. Roger, in a direct confrontation, we just don't have the manpower," Rayleigh said, stroking his chin thoughtfully, then nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, ┐(′-｀)┌, in that case, the one infiltrating will be you, Drew," Roger said as he scanned the group before finally locking eyes with Drew.

Young, powerful, calm and composed—undoubtedly the best candidate to infiltrate the enemy's ship.

"Me? ⊙ω⊙ Alright then, Captain. I won't let you down."

With the operation plan set, Drew set off alone in a small wooden boat from the opposite side of the island, preparing to sneak in. At the same time, the Jackson boldly sailed straight toward the island.

The fearsome pirate flag fluttered freely over the sea. The Roger Pirates made no effort to hide their presence, so they were quickly spotted by members of the Big Mom Pirates.

"Th-The Roger Pirates?!"

"This is bad! Mama! The Roger Pirates are here!"

"What?! The Roger Pirates? You mean that monster crew who went toe-to-toe with Golden Lion and Whitebeard?!"

"Quick! Get the officers from the castle—we need them to respond! I'll report this to Mama right away!"

"This is terrible! We're talking about a pirate with a 3 billion beri bounty!"

...

The sudden appearance of the Roger Pirates threw the once peaceful island into chaos, like a boiling pot ready to spill over.

At the central castle of the island, Big Mom was busy devouring a mountain of food with great enthusiasm.

At this time, Big Mom was still far from the broad-shouldered, obese figure she'd become two decades later. From afar, she still looked like a beautiful woman.

"Mama! Mama! Something's wrong—Roger's crew is approaching the island for some unknown reason!"

Perospero, Big Mom's eldest son and just in his early twenties, came rushing in and reported to her in a panic.

"What? The Roger Pirates?!"

The moment Big Mom heard Roger's name, she surprisingly stopped eating. Her expression turned serious. Outsiders might not know what really happened during the God Valley Incident, but she, having witnessed it, knew full well that Rocks D. Xebec's defeat had been due to the combined force of the Marine hero Garp and Roger.

As much as she hated to admit it, Big Mom knew she wasn't a match for Roger. If it came down to a real fight to the death, she'd most likely lose.

"Mama, mama... Roger, what the hell are you up to now?"

Big Mom's eyes narrowed slightly, flashing with danger. Compared to the 20–30 people in the Roger Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates now had over 3,000 members. So even if a war broke out, she didn't feel intimidated.

Soon, Big Mom arrived at the island's coast and stared at Roger, who was casually exuding Conqueror's Haki.

She frowned. The battle hadn't even begun, yet already hundreds of her subordinates had been wiped out.

"Hahahaha, sorry about that, Linlin! Just a bit of intimidation as we landed!" Roger laughed as he looked at the scowling Big Mom.