I, Kizaru, only came to the chat group after I became invincible

Chapter 459 Your Dinner

“But they see us as enemies.” Zoro’s hand was already on the hilt of his sword.

“That’s precisely why we must exercise restraint,” Borsalino continued. “We come seeking knowledge and friendship, not to invade. If we act rashly from the start, we will truly become invaders.”

“Uncle Kizaru is right,” Robin agreed. “We must show goodwill.”

"But..." Luffy hesitated.

“Luffy, trust me,” Borsalino said, looking at him. “If they really turn against us, we can retaliate at any time. But right now, we need to prove we're not the enemy.”

Luffy was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay. Let's land."

“A wise choice.” Franky steered the boat and began a slow descent.

Guided by the aircraft, the Thousand Sunny landed on a platform at the edge of the island. The platform appeared to be specifically designed for parking aircraft, and many similar birds were perched around it.

As soon as the ship landed safely, a large number of armed soldiers rushed up and surrounded the Wanli Yangguang.

"Everyone off the ship! Hands up!" commanded a soldier who looked like the captain.

The Straw Hat Pirates disembarked one by one, raising their hands as instructed. At least fifty warriors surrounded them, each fully armed, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Search their ship!" the captain ordered.

Several soldiers boarded the Thousand Sunny and began a thorough search.

"Hey! Don't touch my things!" Chopper shouted when he saw someone rummaging through his medical kit.

“Shut up!” a soldier pointed his spear at him. “You are suspects now!”

"Damn it." Zoro frowned, but managed to restrain himself.

The search lasted about ten minutes, with the soldiers seemingly looking for weapons or some dangerous items.

"Report, Captain!" a soldier jumped off the ship. "A large quantity of weapons has been discovered! Swords, firearms, and many unidentified devices!"

"They really are invaders!" the captain sneered. "Take them away!"

“Wait!” Robin tried to explain. “Those weapons are for self-defense! We’re really not here to invade!”

“Save those words for the elders,” the captain said coldly. “Lock them up! Await trial!”

The warriors stepped forward and bound the hands of the Straw Hat Pirates members with specially made ropes. These ropes appeared to be made of some special material and were extremely strong.

"Damn it. I've been captured like this," Luffy said resentfully.

“Be patient,” Borsalino whispered. “We need to see their leader and explain things.”

Under the escort of the warriors, the Straw Hat Pirates were taken away from the docking platform and into the interior of the island.

Along the way, they observed the true face of Sky Lavara up close for the first time. The buildings on the island were all constructed of black pumice, neat and beautiful. The streets were paved with smooth flagstones, and strange plants grew on both sides, blooming with colorful flowers.

But the most striking feature is the island's inhabitants. They look much like ordinary humans, but are generally taller and stronger, with a healthy bronze complexion. Both men and women wear traditional clothing, the styles of which are very similar to those of the figures in the murals of the underwater temple.

“These people are descendants of Lavara,” Robin said softly. “After 800 years of isolation, they have preserved their ancient traditions.”

“But they weren’t looking at us very kindly,” Usopp noticed the gazes of the surrounding residents.

Indeed, many residents had gathered on both sides of the street, looking at the group of strangers with wary and hostile eyes.

"Intruders!" someone shouted.

"Drive them away!" another voice rang out.

"We must not allow outsiders to defile our sacred land!"

Various hostile voices arose one after another, putting a lot of pressure on the members of the Straw Hat Pirates.

“They seem to be very hostile towards outsiders,” Nami said in a low voice.

“Eight hundred years of isolation instilled in them a deep distrust of the outside world,” Borsalino analyzed. “That’s understandable.”

They were led to a massive building in the center of the city. This building was taller and more imposing than all the surrounding buildings, and was clearly some important institution.

“This is the council chamber,” the captain said. “The elders will judge you here.”

Entering the building, the interior was decorated in a simple yet solemn style. The walls were adorned with exquisite bas-reliefs depicting the history of Lavara. Robin's eyes gleamed with excitement as he saw the carvings, but now was not the time for study.

They were led to a huge hall. In the center of the hall was a circular platform surrounded by tiered seating. The seats were already filled with elderly men in long robes, who stared sternly at the intruders.

"Kneel down!" A guard roughly pressed down on Luffy's shoulder.

"I won't kneel!" Luffy said stubbornly.

"Insolence!" The guard raised his spear.

“Wait.” An aged voice came from the seat. “Let them stand. We Lavara people don’t need to display our authority in this way.”

The speaker was an elderly man with white hair, who sat in the highest seat, clearly indicating a high status. Although his eyes were stern, they revealed wisdom and impartiality.

"Thank you," Robin said politely.

“No need to thank me,” the old man said. “I am Alva, the First Elder of Lavala. This is the Second Elder, Cassius, and the Third Elder, Elena.”

He introduced the dozen or so elders present in turn. Each elder was quite old, but vigorous and had sharp eyes.

"Now, tell me who you are and why you have come to Lavala," Elder Alva asked in a deep voice.

Luffy was about to speak, but Borsalino stopped him with a look. In this situation, someone more persuasive was needed to explain.

“Respected elders,” Robin stepped forward, her attitude respectful but not obsequious. “My name is Nico Robin, and I am an archaeologist. My companions come from different places, and we have formed an expedition team.”

"An expedition team?" Second Elder Cassius sneered. "Sounds more like a pirate crew."

“We are indeed pirates,” Robin frankly admitted. “But we are not the kind of pirates who burn, kill, and plunder. Our goal is to explore the world and find the truth of history.”

"Pirates are pirates!" a young elder exclaimed angrily. "Eight hundred years ago, it was pirates who invaded our ancestral lands, causing Lavala to split!"

“Please let me finish,” Robin raised his voice. “We’re here because we’ve discovered the other half of Lavara on the seabed.”

The entire hall fell silent upon hearing this. All the elders stared at Robin in shock.

“What did you say?” Elder Alva stood up. “The underwater Lavara? You’ve seen it?” “Yes,” Robin nodded. “About 200 meters below this area, we discovered the ruins of the sunken Lavara. There’s a magnificent temple there, containing records of Lavara’s history.”

“This is impossible,” an elder murmured. “The Lavara of the deep sea has long since vanished into history.”

“But it does exist,” Robin continued. “The murals and inscriptions in the temple record the day Lavara split. An attack from the sky cleaved the island in two; one half sank to the bottom of the sea, and the other half soared into the sky.”

The elders began to whisper among themselves; clearly, Robin's words had struck a chord with them.

"Can you prove that what you're saying is true?" Elder Alva asked seriously.

“I can recite the text from the temple,” Robin said. “It was written in ancient Lavara script, which only your ancestors and you could understand.”

“Then tell me,” Elder Cassius challenged.

Robin took a deep breath and then began to repeat the temple's inscription in the ancient Lavara language. Her pronunciation was somewhat halting, but clear enough.

As Robin recounted the story, the elders' expressions gradually shifted from doubt to shock, and finally to deep emotion.

“These words are the records of our ancestors,” an elderly female elder, Elena, said, tears streaming down her face. “You really went to Lavara at the bottom of the sea.”

“Not only that.” Robin pulled a small stone from his pocket. “This is a fragment of pumice we brought back from the underwater temple.”

A guard stepped forward, took the stone, and presented it to the elders. Elder Alva took the pumice and examined it carefully.

“This is indeed pumice from Lavara.” His voice trembled slightly. “And it’s the purest quality. This kind of pumice can only be found in the temples of the ancestral lands.”

"So you believe us now?" Nami asked.

“We believe you have indeed been to Lavara at the bottom of the sea,” Elder Alva said. “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t a threat.”

“We truly mean no harm,” Sanji said. “If we wanted to invade, we would have done so already.”

“Your ship has a large quantity of weapons,” Elder Cassius pointed out. “How do you explain that?”

“Those are necessities for sailing at sea,” Sauron explained. “There are many dangers at sea, and we need the ability to defend ourselves.”

“And we’ve helped a lot of people along the way,” Chopper added. “We never hurt innocent people!”

The elders exchanged glances, seemingly discussing how to deal with the group of outsiders.

“Let’s discuss this,” Elder Alva said. “In the meantime, you will be temporarily detained in the guest room area. It’s not a prison, but you won’t be able to move around freely either.”

“Guest room area?” Brooke repeated.

“Yes,” Elder Elena explained. “While we suspect your motives, we acknowledge that you have brought important information. We will give you basic respect until we ascertain your true intentions.”

“That’s much better than a prison cell,” Usopp breathed a sigh of relief.

“However,” Elder Alva said sternly, “if any of you are found to have done anything that harms Lavala, you will be immediately executed.”

“We understand.” Borsalino nodded. “Thank you for your understanding, elders.”

Under guard's escort, the Straw Hat Pirates were taken to a building to the side of the council hall. It certainly looked like guest rooms, not a prison. The rooms were spacious and bright, with basic furniture and amenities.

“You’ll stay here for now,” the captain said. “There will be guards at the entrance. Food will be delivered regularly.”

“Thank you,” Robin said.

After the guards left, the Straw Hat Pirates could finally relax a bit.

"Phew, finally safe." Chopper slumped into his chair.

"Although I'm still under house arrest," Zoro said, leaning against the wall. "It's better than I expected."

"Robin, what you just said in the Lavara language was amazing!" Nami exclaimed.

“I studied at the underwater temple for a long time,” Robin said modestly. “Luckily, I memorized the writing, otherwise they wouldn’t have believed us.”

"The question now is, will they set us free?" Sanji lit a cigarette.

“That depends on the elders’ decision,” Borsalino said. “But at least we’ve shown sincerity, which is a good start.”

"Uncle Kizaru, why did you make us hold back just now?" Luffy asked curiously. "If we had fought back, those guards wouldn't have been a match for us."

“Because we’re not here to fight,” Borsalino explained patiently. “Luffy, you need to understand, strength isn’t the solution to all problems. If we go on a killing spree here, even if we win, we’ll become demons in the eyes of the people of Lavala.”

“Moreover,” Robin added, “these people are the inheritors of ancient civilizations, preserving invaluable history and knowledge. If we harm them because of our impulsiveness, it will be an irreparable loss.”

“I understand.” Luffy nodded seriously. “So we need to talk to them nicely.”

“That’s right.” Borsalino smiled with satisfaction. “With wisdom and sincerity, not fists.”

“So what do we do now?” Franky asked.

“Wait,” Borsalino said. “Wait for the elders’ decision. In the meantime, we can observe this place and learn more about Lavala.”

"There are no bars on the doors or windows," Sauron observed the room. "It seems they still have some trust in us."

“Or perhaps we’re confident we can’t escape,” Sanji added. “We’re a thousand meters in the sky here.”

“Let’s take a break, no matter what,” Nami suggested. “Everyone’s tired after flying all this way.”

Just as they were getting ready to rest, there was a knock on the door.

“Please come in,” Robin said.

The door opened, and a young girl walked in. She was dressed in traditional Lavala clothing and was carrying a tray with food and water on it.

“This is your dinner,” the girl said softly.

"Thank you." Robin smiled and took the tray.

The girl curiously observed the group of outsiders, especially their unusual clothing and equipment.

"Have you really been to Lavara at the bottom of the sea?" she asked cautiously.

“Yes,” Robin nodded. “There’s a beautiful temple there.”

"I really want to see it." The girl's eyes sparkled with longing. "Our elders always talk about our ancestral homeland, but our generation has never seen it."

(End of this chapter)