<h4>Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Robin—On a Whim, I Stole the Poneglyph</h4>


    After spending several days on Fish-Man Ind, udius and his party sessfully concluded their mission for the World Government. Whitebeard''s g could no longer be raised, and Neptune and the others understood the stakes.


    If the Fish-Man Ind royals dared to defy this arrangement, the consequences would be catastrophic. Not only would the Five Elders lose their patience, but udius himself would not tolerate being made a fool of.


    If such a situation arose again, udius jokingly thought to himself that he might destroy the entire Fish-Man Ind in retaliation. He could even uproot Eve itself to use its wood for shipbuilding.


    Of course, this was just an exaggerated thought. Neptune and Princess Otohime were certainly not foolish enough to push things that far.


    During their stay, udius finally saw Shirahoshi. Though she was just a newborn, her immense size was astonishing. Shirahoshi was absolutely adorable, to the point of being overwhelmingly charming.


    In the future, two individuals would be widely regarded as the most beautiful women in the world. One of them was Boa Hancock, whose beauty captivated countless hearts. However, despite her fame, Hancock''s beauty would only be acknowledged unofficially, revered among pirates and civilians alike but never formally recognized.


    The other was Shirahoshi, who was considered the world''s most beautiful woman with official recognition.


    Whenparing the two, udius leaned toward Hancock. While Shirahoshi was indeed stunning, her appeal leaned more toward innocence and cuteness, with her status as the Mermaid Princess adding significant weight to her reputation.


    Hancock, on the other hand, relied solely on her extraordinary looks tomand attention. If beauty alone could determine rank, Hancock''s presence was on par with that of a Marine Fleet Admiral.


    As the Prometheus descended from Fish-Man Ind back to the sea''s surface, udius found himself marveling at the beauty of the deep-seandscape. Unlike the trip down, which had been upied with conversations with Sengoku, this time udius took the opportunity to appreciate the underwater world.


    Both Lenny and Mero remained behind on Fish-Man Ind. udius ensured they were well-funded, leaving behind significant resources to support their new life. He even spoke with Neptune, requesting the king to look after the two women.


    For Neptune, this was an opportunity to gather more insight into udius. Were the rumors of his goodwill genuine? Was this Celestial Dragon someone they could trust? With these questions in mind, Neptune readily agreed to udius''s request.


    On Sengoku''s side, ns were already underway. Upon his return to Marineford, he would begin preparations to station Marines on Fish-Man Ind, further cementing the new arrangement.


    As the Prometheus moved through the depths, Hancock leaned against the railing, her eyes wide with excitement as she spotted a massive, glowing anglerfish in the distance. "What is that? It''s so big!" she eximed.


    udius smiled at her enthusiasm. "That''s antern fish. They''re huge, and I''ve heard they even prey on Sea Kings. But... well, they are pretty ugly, aren''t they?"


    Hancock nodded quickly. "Yes, it''s so ugly! It looks like it''s from some horror story!"


    Robin, standing quietly nearby,mented in a calm tone, "I think it''s kind of... charming."


    udius turned toward her, amused. Over time, he''d realized that Robin''s unusual aesthetic preferences weren''t born from trauma or hardship but were simply an intrinsic part of her personality.


    It was the same Robin who had adopted Saul''s odd "chuck-he-he"ugh back when she was a child. Even as udius reflected on her quirks, he couldn''t help but wonder about Saul. The giant Vice Admiral with such a promising future—wasn''t he locked away in Impel Down?


    Shaking the thought from his mind, udius asked Robin, "Did you find anything interesting on Fish-Man Ind? Something that caught your attention?"


    Robin turned to him, her gaze thoughtful. "Yes, I found it fascinating. The culture there is so distinct from the surface world. I also bought a lot of books."


    Hearing this, udius smiled warmly. "Books, huh? That sounds like you, Robin. Did you spend a fortune?"


    Robin hesitated for a moment before admitting, "I might have gone a little overboard... It cost quite a bit."


    udius chuckled. "How much could books possibly cost? Don''t worry about it. How much did you spend?"


    Robin hesitated again before sheepishly responding, "About... a billion berries."


    udius froze, nearly falling over the railing. "What?! A billion berries? You spent that much on books? Did you buy a library or something? Or was it... was it the Poneglyph?!"


    Robin flinched at his outburst, her face filled with embarrassment. "Many of the books were original manuscripts, some of them centuries old. Others were rare editions thought to have been lost to time. Knowledge is priceless, isn''t it? You always say that, Your Highness. Books are thedder of human progress, and knowledge is the most valuable treasure."


    Hearing her justification, udiusughed, shaking his head. "Alright, fine. I suppose I did say that."


    Robin sighed in relief, her tension easing as she smiled. "I''ve already ced them in the ship''s library, but it still feels so empty. Your library is too big."


    udius nodded, a spark of pride lighting his eyes. "One day, Robin, we''ll fill that library together. Every book will represent a journey, an adventure. The Prometheus will truly live up to its name—the ship of wisdom."


    Robin didn''t reply right away. Instead, she gazed at him for a moment before asking, "The ship of wisdom?"


    "Yes," udius replied confidently. "The Prometheus isn''t just a ship; it''s a vessel of knowledge, discovery, and understanding."


    Robin hesitated, then added, "While we were on Fish-Man Ind... I visited the Sea Forest."


    udius raised an eyebrow. "The Sea Forest? That''s the ce with the Poneglyph, isn''t it?"


    Robin nodded, her expression suddenly uncertain. "I had someone move the Poneglyph to the ship''s library."


    "What?!" udius nearly choked on his words. "You moved the Poneglyph?! The Fish-Men didn''t try to stop you?"


    Robin frowned thoughtfully before replying, "No, I don''t think they saw it as anything important. It was just lying there in the Sea Forest, like an abandoned relic. No one seemed to care."


    udius groaned and rubbed his forehead, but he couldn''t find it in himself to be angry. Ultimately, it was a Poneglyph, a priceless artifact that couldn''t be read by just anyone. Its presence aboard the Prometheus was both a risk and an opportunity.


    "Well, what''s done is done," udius said with a shrug. "No one can read it anyway, so I doubt it''ll cause much trouble."


    Robin nced at him, conflicted. She had considered revealing her ability to read the Poneglyphs but decided against it. "Not yet," she thought to herself. "I''ll tell him when the time is right."


    ***


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