Poneglyph

Poneglyphs (歴史の本文（ポーネグリフ）) are mysterious stone blocks with history inscribed on it as strange letters and are scattered among the islands of the Grand Line. It is said the only person left in the world who can read them is Nico Robin.

About
I have come here and will lead this passage to the farthest ends of the world.

These blocks are inscribed with the script of an ancient language. Each one tells a piece of a history long forgotten. This history includes the mention of (at least) two weapons of mass destruction: Pluton and Poseidon. There are two types of poneglyphs: the ones which carry information about how to reach the other poneglyphs and the stones which carry the records of the "True History". Only when the stones are read as one, will they fill in the Void Century of the world.

The stones are left in the guardianship of the ancients' descendants, who guard them from people who seek to destroy them. Only when the stone has been read by someone willing to take the read passage to the ends of the Earth, are those guarding them allowed to be free of the burden. In order to prevent these historical facts from being lost forever, they had carved them into these poneglyphs, which are indestructible.

It is against the law of the World Government to research and decipher poneglyphs. Regardless, to reach and decipher the Rio Poneglyph is the ultimate goal of Nico Robin. Robin states that in order to progress forward, one must take with them the passages they have read from the poneglyphs they have encountered in their travels to Raftel. It has also been revealed that Gol D. Roger was able to follow the passage because he could hear "the voice of all things". He apparently managed to uncover the path. Roger's first mate, Silvers Rayleigh, mentions that he knows what the Void Century is and solved the mysteries of the poneglyphs. He admits that saying what it is would take away the impact or any further interpretations of the lost history. He tells Robin to search out the poneglyphs and draw her own conclusions, regarding the history.

Alabasta Poneglyph


There is one poneglyph in Alabasta, the one that is found in the underground passage of the temple in Alubarna. It is the first poneglyph seen in the series. Unlike its Shandoran counterpart that was guarded by its people to protect the information in contained, its clear that the hidden nature of the Alabasta poneglyph was to conceal its existence from the people, and not protect it, as Alabasta is a member of the World Government united against the creators of the poneglyph. This is also inferred by Nico Robin in her conversation with the King of Alabasta, Cobra, when she scoffs at and rebukes his statement about a hereditary charge of the monarchy to 'protect' the stone, although he himself is truthfully unaware of the deeper reasons or motives of its concealment decided long before his time.

The poneglyph supposedly tells the location of Pluton. Nico Robin never wanted to give Crocodile the ancient weapon so she lied by telling the history of the land which is not found in the poneglyph. Robin was looking for the True History, not Pluton, so she lost her will to continue on. However, she was saved by Luffy.

Shandora Poneglyph
Keep thy motives in heart, with closed mouth. We are those who will weave history with the ringing of the great belfry. The Poneglyph of Shandora is located in Skypiea. Robin discovered that each location of the poneglyphs held not one but two poneglyphs. The first poneglyph has a message for finding the second poneglyph, while the second poneglyph holds information about the lost century. Skypiea's first poneglyph was located in a set of ruins Robin found in Upper Yard.

The second poneglyph was part of the Shandorian Golden Belfry and it revealed to Robin another dark secret. This poneglyph spoke of how to locate the another weapon, Poseidon, which revealed it to be in Fishman Island as the Mermaid Princess. Gol D. Roger had also previously found this poneglyph and left a message encouraging anyone who could read the poneglyphs to continue searching for the lost history.

It was a fiercely guarded treasure of the Shandorian people and they felt a deep visceral connection to it, (namely the bell built around it) that was passed down up to the present era where the descendants of those who fought and died to protect it still put their lives on the line to reclaim it- along with their homeland; even though they had forgotten about the existance of the poneglyph itself. They still cherish what it represents a great deal, and the shaman of their people openly wept upon hearing they had fulfilled the wishes of their ancestors by passing its information on to Nico Robin, and freeing them from their centuries long burden.

Ohara Poneglyph


Located in Ohara, this poneglyph includes information about the Void Century. Among other things, it includes the name of the lost civilization, though it has yet to be said what the name is. The World Government considered the archaeologists studying it dangerous and used the Buster Call to destroy the island, Nico Robin being the sole survivor. It is unknown if the poneglyph survived the attack. However, given that Professor Clover stated the poneglyphs are inscribed on "indestructible" stone, it is likely still there.

Ryugu Poneglyph
This poneglyph is located in the back woods of the Sea Forest in the Ryugu Kingdom. Robin believes that it may hold vital information to understanding the Void Century. When Robin found it, she remarked that it was different than the other poneglyphs she had found. It read more like an apology letter than a primary historical text. The message was written by a man from the surface known as "Joy Boy". In the message, he is apologizing to the people of Fishman Island for breaking his part of a deal, which involved returning to Fishman Island to carry out Noah's purpose.

Unnamed Poneglyph


While she was on the run as a teenager, Robin found a poneglyph in a wooded area. Its precise location was not revealed, the poneglyph was not named and its contents are unknown.

Rio Poneglyph
According to Robin, the Rio Poneglyph (真の歴史の本文（リオ・ポーネグリフ）) is the message carried by all the poneglyphs along the Grand Line. It contains the true history of the One Piece world (including the "Void Century" that is forbidden to be researched). In order to find it, one must take all other passages from the other Poneglyphs with them on their travels, and it is only completed upon reaching the end of the world, in other words, the island Raftel. Gol D. Roger seemed to have accomplished this task, according to Rayleigh, though it is uncertain if the other members of the Roger Pirates (i.e. Shanks, Buggy) know the world's history.

Anime and Manga Differences
The first artifact to actually be recognized as a poneglyph was seen in Alabasta in Episode 123.

However another poneglyph was seen in Episode 102, this one also in Alabasta, when Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper were lost in the desert and fell through the top of an ancient ruin where a poneglyph was seen half buried in the sand. It bears no significance to the series since it was found in a filler episode.

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