After the brutal clash with S-Wolf, Ryo wandered through Labophase with his hands in his pockets and his tail swaying lazily behind him.
Sparks still popped faintly across his shoulders — remnants of the fight he hadn't bothered shaking off yet.
Ryo: that fight was kinda boring, I also felt like that thing was holding back on me, like it could've done something else, but it chose not to for some reason
He clicked his tongue as he walked, the futuristic corridors reflecting in his lone red eye.
Everywhere he looked, bizarre technology hummed or moved on its own — floating screens, self-assembling bots, glass tubes pumping glowing liquids, machines that didn't look like they belonged in the same century as anything he'd ever seen.
Some were sleek and beautiful.
Others were ugly, raw metal and bolts, but all of them worked with purpose.
Ryo (thinking): even if vegapunk was a genius, everything is so specifically created for either quality of life or enjoyment or both... he's trying to make the world better.
He paused at a window showing the entire upper island — domes, reactors, lasers, moving walkways, anti-gravity lifts.
Ryo (thinking): but the Seraphim feel different... like they're an original creation. Everything else is incredible... but the stuff up here feels... right. Like it should exist.
A voice cut into his thoughts.
Lilith: You're right on the money, king of beasts
Ryo blinked and turned.
Ryo: where'd you come from?
Lilith shrugged with her usual chaotic grin, floating slightly as her jet boots hissed.
Lilith: who knows. All I do know is that you're exactly right about what you were saying. As Shaka is undoubtedly telling your friends right now... this island is not the future... it's the past
Ryo froze.
His expression — normally relaxed or cocky — sharpened.
Ryo: wait... are you talking about the void century
Lilith nodded with a mischievous spark in her eyes, but her smile softened at the edges — as if this part, even for her, carried weight.
Lilith: the void century, the blank century, the 100-year void... it goes by many names depending on who says it. But it's a century from 900 to 800 years ago where there is no recorded history.
Ryo's ears slowly angled forward, listening with absolute focus.
Ryo: Tell me more please
Lilith let her arms drop to her sides. Her grin vanished. Her tone became deadly serious.
Lilith: once I've told you, it can't go back. It's an incredibly serious crime to even know this information, let alone talk about it.
Ryo didn't even flinch.
Ryo: Do you think either of us care about that
Lilith smirked.
Lilith: you've got a point. I knew I found you interesting
Ryo: alright hit me
Lilith looked up toward the massive structure of Punk Records, drifting slowly in the sky above them like a sleeping titan.
Lilith: It's only a theory, but there was a man who risked his life for archaeology. He brought up a supposed ancient kingdom. We found an advanced machine with a manufacturing date that seems to align with the reign of that kingdom. One guess when it was
Ryo: during the void century
Lilith snapped her fingers.
Lilith: bingo, you get 100 points. Since one of your crewmates is the demon child Nico Robin, I assume you know about the destruction of Ohara
Ryo's eye widened — unguarded shock crossing his face as the memory struck him.
Robin's trembling voice.
The books burning.
The island drowning in fire.
Ryo: 22 years ago... the navy called a buster call on Ohara and destroyed it completely, leaving Robin as the only survivor
Lilith nodded solemnly.
Lilith: exactly. I don't know as much as Shaka, but I believe the buster call only happened because the scholars learned of the existence of that kingdom, which was lost to history. The century of time was then removed.
In this time a war was waged between an advanced civilisation and an alliance of 20 kingdoms.
The 20 kingdoms won the war.
Then together, 19 of those 20 kingdoms formed the World Government, which has existed for the last 800 years.
And every time someone tries to research that ancient kingdom...
Her eyes darkened.
Lilith: They erased every last trace of it from history
Electricity flickered between Ryo's fingers — not in attack, but in exhilaration.
Ryo (grinning): that's incredible! 100 years of history completely erased! And everyone who learns about it dies! That's awesome! It must have been the greatest war ever! So many strong opponents!
Lilith burst out laughing.
Lilith: you're a strange one, that's for sure. Most people would freak out after learning information they could get killed for knowing
Ryo smirked.
Ryo: Hey, I've killed a celestial dragon and I'm the son of Portgas D. Akuma, one of the most wanted criminals to ever sail the seas. The government has wanted my head since the day I was born. What's one more thing to kill me for
Lilith: of course you'd say that. But the best part about this — if Ohara was destroyed because of this theory, wouldn't that mean the government has admitted that it's true?
Ryo tilted his head.
Ryo: so I assume by you saying that you aren't sure that it's true
Lilith nodded.
Lilith: that's correct. Even considering our position, we still weren't told a single thing to imply if it was true or not. The rule still stands. Even if I was affiliated with the World Government I would still be killed for saying it
Ryo: so how did you find out about the kingdom..
Lilith's smirk faded completely.
Her eyes softened — not with sadness, but with respect.
Lilith: I assume you know about Professor Clover
Ryo: Yes. He was the most famous archaeologist in the world. He traveled the seas researching the void century. He was arrested and imprisoned by the navy ten times, yet they could never hold him. Then other scholars flocked to him and when he grew old, he settled on Ohara. That place became the holy land of archaeology
Lilith: correct. He was a friend of mine. And I went to pay my respects.
When I say he was my friend, I do mean the Stella — the original Vegapunk.
I walked deeper into the destroyed Ohara and found something that stunned me.
A vast number of books on every subject were submerged in a lake at the center of Ohara.
The brave scholars must have fought to the end to protect their legacy as the buster call rained down.
Her voice lowered to a whisper.
Lilith: I may be the personification of evil, but that buster call was something even I'd never do. The scholars gave their lives to give a gift to the future.
Although Ohara had burned... it had come out victorious, because it still lives in the only way that matters.
Ryo's reaction was immediate — his shoulders twitched and he let out an unexpected laugh, sharp and bright.
Ryo: those scholars, they really were awesome
Lilith smiled.
Lilith: Yeah, badass until the very end. Anyways, I gotta get back to what I was doing
Ryo: yeah see ya later
They fist-bumped — lightning against steel — and went their separate ways.
As Ryo walked, hands shoved in his pockets again, his eye softened.
Ryo (thinking): Robin... I hope you heard all of that too.
And that's a wrap
Of course Ryo and Lilith became friends
