After many journeys, he has found it. Madara reached the island just before dawn, exactly five weeks after burning down Mariejois, and managed to infiltrate without being seen. He then had to decide on a henge-disguise. He decided to shorten his hair until it barely reached his shoulders, straightening it out while changing it's color to copper and pulling it in a ponytail. His armor was replaced by simple clothes, brown pants, a blue shirt and boots. His eyes turned a vivid amethyst, while his face widened a little more, losing it's aristocratic features, giving him more of a rugged good look. To top it off, a short beard covered his jaw, reaching above his lips. Nothing dramatic, just the look of someone who hadn't shaved in a few days, or rather chose not to shave. Altogether, he would probably turn a few heads, but less than if he walked in his real form, even in the unlikely case that news of his deeds in Mariejois hadn't spread yet. Still, he looked forward to what he could learn here.
He had entered the village, pretending to have arrived with a boat that had conveniently come by this morning to bring some supplies and books. Altogether, this was a peaceful town, nothing like his home, where every house was built with defense in mind, and battle was a common occurrence. The people were mostly friendly, giving short nods, which he answered alike. The biggest surprise was when he found a board showing wanted-posters, and found a picture of his real appearance.
'When was that taken?' He wondered, before whistling at the bounty. 'That's a lot. I'm almost tempted to turn myself in for that amount.' He mentally joked, before turning to the nearest passerby, a portly woman with curly reddish hair. For some reason, Madara instantly disliked her. "Excuse me, I am unfamiliar with your beautiful island, and since I am working on a problem, a friend suggested the Oharan library. Unfortunately he forgot to tell me what it looked like." He really had no idea, and if the stuff was as important as the book he'd read made it out to be, then it might be underground.
The woman frowned. "You want to go there, where those oddballs are? I mean, of course, the library of Ohara is famous around the world, so you've come to the right place. It's carved into the Tree of Knowledge, just follow that road, you can't miss it."
Madara nodded his head. "My gratitude."
With that, he left, heading towards knowledge. After all, if one doesn't know how it was built, he cannot truly fathom how and why it stands.
Meanwhile, in Marine-Headquarters, another discussion about the mysterious Madara had errupted.
Sengoku walked up and down his new office, looking at Tsuru. "It has been more than a month now, and we still don't have a single clue as to where this Madara could be! The Gorousei are already furious with the loss of Mariejois. Even if the new structure is twice as grand as the old one, the World Government has been humiliated. The Holy Land of Mariejois was the symbol of the World Government for over 800 years, and now it's gone. Not just the structure, but we can't even rebuild it, as the very ground it stood on is gone. And the culprit has up and vanished, so retribution is not an option. We have to bear the humiliation that a single man infiltrated Mariejois, killed numerous Tenryuubito, destroyed the Mariejois beyond any salvage, and vanished into the mist. The only good news is that the remaining Tenryuubito have not been attacked, though that may be because that bastard wants us to drop our guard."
Tsuru nodded. "Tiger Fisher's attack would have been enough of a scandal, but that man throws the world into chaos. Mariejois was not only a symbol, it was a meeting-place for kings, and residence for our most important, namely the Tenryuubito and the Gorousei, latter of which have stationed themselves here."
Sengoku dropped into his seat. "And worst of all, we have no idea what power this Madara has. The destruction of Mariejois would suggest a fire-based fruit, though the attack on vice-admiral Sakazuki would suggest a water-fruit, which would be impossible since water is the weakness of all devil-fruits, and it would be a paradox. Not to mention that witnesses reported that the Tenryuubito were killed by giant arrows that vanished a moment later. What fruit could grant such powers?"
Tsuru sighed. "We know nothing of him. We don't even know enough to give him a codename, as there is nothing precise to set him apart."
That was true. They had sought a name, and though many popped up, nothing that really fitted. The first suggestion had been Godslayer, since he murdered the Tenryuubito, who were divine by the definition of the World Government, but voices had risen that such a title would perhaps sound too grand. Hell's Archer had come up, but with a Kitetsu of the first Generation, assuming it didn't kill him, that would soon no longer fit, as only few would buy a cursed item. Someone had suggested antichrist, after a figure out of a religion that prospered in some countries, but the reference was too obscure. Tsuru had in frustration suggested enigma, just to end the meeting, and it actually was in the race. Still, they had more pressing worries than a title, considering the only title they really wanted Madara to have was 'Madara the corpse'.
"The Marine is currently on red alert. The Buster Call is still blocked, and I was told that that won't change until we're certain Madara is not after the Tenryuubito, which they will be only after at least two more months, and even then it will be limited to operations with the World Government."
Tsuru rubbed the bridge of her nose. "That man is just a giant complication given human form."
