Summary:
As Shaka explains the story of how this technology connects to the kingdom during the Void Century, he tells Robin that the destruction of Ohara 22 years ago was due to them learning about this ancient kingdom whose existence the World Government was trying to erase from history. , in which anyone would be relegated for learning this information. Shaka then reveals that he visited Ohara after its destruction and met with the giants led by the bandaged giant to save what was left of Ohara’s books and the Dragon, who swore to form an army against the tyranny of the World Government. With Shaka confirming that he has the knowledge Ohara had when he traveled to Elbaf where the books were taken, Luffy’s group meets the real Dr. Vegapunk.
Franky is left in disbelief at Shaka’s claim that Egghead Island resembles an ancient city, but Shaka simply says it was a theory; evidence supported by the story of an archaeologist who risked his life to discover the Great Kingdom and one day found a machine that had the same manufacturing date as his theory. Concerned, Robin asks if the machine was built during the Void Century, to which Shaka questions how much she knows about it. In return, Nami asks Robin how much he knows, but Shaka speaks up, admitting that it might be painful for Robin to remember the story, as Shaka knows that Robin’s birthplace, Ohara, was destroyed 22 years ago by Buster’s call to the Marines. and they believe that the reason was that they knew of the existence of the Great Kingdom.
Shaka goes on to say that the Void Century is a period of war between a highly advanced civilization that once existed and 20 other kingdoms, with the 20 kingdoms winning and eventually becoming the world government. He also reveals that the World Government tried to erase any knowledge of the Ancient Kingdom because they intended for absolutely no one to carry its ideals.
Nami and Usopp are horrified by Shako’s story, though Franky finds it romantic. Sanji asks Shaka if the people who knew about the kingdom are all dead, which Shaka confirms. Usopp starts freaking out as Shaka tries to reassure him that it was just a theory. He turns to Robin and tells her that if the people of Ohara were killed because of this theory, then that means the World Government knows it’s true. Robin defends Shako’s claim, telling him that the people of Ohara simply made up a theory based on all the research they had done, and if he couldn’t simply learn the truth from the government itself with his influence.
Shaka replies to Robin that if he talks, he will die whether he’s affiliated with the World Government or not. Robin questions how Shaka can know this as she believes all the books Ohara had were destroyed. However, Shaka claims that this is not true. She notes the day Ohara was destroyed, with only her as the only survivor, as well as how the World Government branded humans as evil with a desire to take over the world. About a month later, however, he decided to visit what was left and revealed that he was actually a close friend of Clover, Robin’s mentor, much to her surprise.
Shaka tells Robin that Clover was once an adventurer and his interest in the Holiday Century made him travel the world collecting books, even if it meant getting captured by the Marines a few times. He eventually became the number one archaeologist in the world before gathering all the other scholars in Ohara, becoming a haven for them, which is why he believes his ultimate fate was so tragic. When he went to Ohara, he saw that all the scholars had laid down their lives to save the books, which they threw into the lake to save them from the fire. He believed that if the marines saw the books, they saw no value in them and abandoned them, which Shaka saw as a victory for the Ohara people, to the point that it brought him to tears.
Shaka’s story makes Robin remember the incident about the destruction of the island and how her mother, Olvia, told her that she believes history is a “benefit” to humanity, so they shouldn’t give up on the future she lives in. As her words were very similar to Shako’s about the importance of books, Robin begins to cry, which accidentally enrages the Straw Hats. Robin admits to Shak that Ohara tried to reveal the truth about the Great Kingdom as he predicted and asks what happened to all the books. He explains that he wanted to take them all to Punk Hazard at the time, but knew it would be too risky if his superiors found out. However, he eventually met “those guys”.
It turned out that when Dr. Vegapunk went to Ohara after it was destroyed, he saw some giants saving the books. As he begins to wonder if they know how important they are, he is noticed by Monkey D. Dragon, who was also an old friend of Clover’s. Vegapunk was surprised to learn this as Dragon told Vegapunk that he checked the giants and confirmed that they were not bandits and knew the value of the books. She also tells him that their captain is a strange man with bandages all over his body who said he “will not allow the property Ohara left behind to be erased from history”. Dragon concludes that he’s relieved that the World Government didn’t destroy the books, even though he said he included Vegapunk with them.
Vegapunk tries to fight back, but Dragon refuses to hear it, having previously invited him to join his freedom fighters, yet he chooses to side with the World Government. Vegapunk claims that as a genius he wouldn’t be able to help them, reasoning that even in the World Government there would be people who would listen to him so Dragon wouldn’t lose his goal. Dragon admits that this is true, but can’t help but rage that the World Government has killed thousands of innocent and helpless people over something as trivial as an “unreasonable opinion”. As a result, he declared that he would create an army that could fight her; he will not let Clover’s death and the Will of Ohara go to waste, even though he is a man who despises war. From that moment, the Revolutionary Army was formed, and Emporio Ivankov and Bartholomew Kuma helped him found it.
At the end of Shak’s story, Nami calls Dragon a passionate man, while Usopp is surprised to hear that the giants are from Elbaf. Robin also admits his surprise that Dragon knew Clover, and Franky asks Shaka why he remade Kumu and why he saved them that day. However, Shaka says that since the books did not fall into the hands of the World Government, he secretly visited Elbaf and read them, meaning that he himself knows everything about Ohara and the secrets of the world, which helps him advance his research. Robin begins to smile and asks if the captain’s name is Jaguar D. Saul, and though Shaka doesn’t say exactly that, just that he’s hiding and no one knows where, Robin thanks him profusely and asks him not to.