Vane returned, and this time he brought back a piece of Poneglyph—the very same one he had taken from Whole Cake Island.
Even Kaido was stunned. It had been a long time since he'd last seen Big Mom, and his hatred for Charlotte Linlin still lingered despite the fact that she had once shown him kindness.
"I didn't expect you to get the Poneglyph from that old hag. I'm actually surprised," Kaido rumbled.
When Kaido spoke to Vane now, he no longer referred to himself with arrogance alone. Toward Vane he showed respect, almost instinctively.
"Borrowing it for a month is just enough. This kind of stone doesn't mean much to me," Vane said casually. Though outwardly indifferent, he was curious. What exactly was the mechanism behind Raftel's secret? Why did it take four Road Poneglyphs to reveal its location?
"Can you even read it?" Kaido asked, tilting his head.
"I have a survivor from O'Hara who can decipher this writing," Vane replied.
That survivor was Nico Robin.
"O'Hara? So the person is from the place that got wiped out," Kaido sneered. To him, O'Hara had brought its destruction upon itself. "Weaklings like that shouldn't mess with things beyond their reach. The World Government isn't wrong to erase them. That's the price of prying into forbidden history."
Vane wasn't concerned by Kaido's words. His current strength was enough to ignore such warnings. Unlike others, he could tread where even the Yonko hesitated.
Once back, Vane handed the Poneglyph over to Robin. Alongside the stone he'd secured from Big Mom, he now also carried one Kaido had casually given him. For Kaido, it hardly mattered—when the time came to sail for Raftel, he intended to follow Vane anyway.
Robin's eyes widened the moment she saw the Poneglyph. She had never expected to hold something so crucial in her hands.
The Poneglyphs were indestructible. No weapon could shatter them—not even the World Government could erase their existence. Forged by the greatest craftsmen of the Void Century, the stones carried knowledge that had survived through countless ages. To carve text into them was a feat of craftsmanship and technology now long lost.
And yet, the Poneglyph Vane retrieved was no ordinary stone pointing to Raftel. It contained other information, mysteries etched into its surface that made Robin's heart burn with curiosity.
"Thank you, Vane-sama! I'll do everything I can to decipher it," Robin said with rare excitement.
Now, under Vane's protection, she had nothing to fear from the World Government. No taboo, no secret was beyond her reach anymore.
"Try your best. I don't know what's written on it anyway," Vane said with a shrug.
For him, the content was meaningless. What mattered was how it would serve his greater purpose.
He also knew Kaido possessed another Poneglyph, and though he had looked at it before, he left the matter alone for now. The remaining two could wait. The New World was vast, and Vane wasn't interested in running all over it just yet.
Meanwhile, the rebuilding of Wano was steadily progressing. Its future was being reshaped, step by step.
The nation was slowly being transformed to resemble thriving hubs like Water 7 and the Sabaody Archipelago. Even Dressrosa had its charm, but Sabaody stood apart—an island of wonder, blessed by the massive mangrove trees that gave it life. Compared to that, Wano still had a long road ahead.
Under Kaido's reign, Wano's people had suffered greatly. For decades, the lower and middle classes barely survived, often unable to find enough food to live. That nightmare had lasted nearly twenty years. But with Vane's takeover, everything changed.
The people of Wano rallied behind him.
The idea of Yonko offering "protection" to nations wasn't new. Big Mom demanded fragments of souls in exchange for safety. Whitebeard collected contributions from allied islands. Such arrangements were not robbery but survival. After all, sustaining a massive crew required resources. Even the Celestial Dragons' Heavenly Tribute was essentially the same thing—a tax, though one far more oppressive and often unbearable.
Vane's rule, however, was different. He ensured Wano's people had food, shelter, and stability. Under his shadow, they no longer lived in fear or despair.
When night came, no one knew where Vane had gone or what he had done. But when he returned, his presence drew subtle reactions from those around him.
Gion and the others noticed immediately. There was no lingering scent on him—nothing to suggest an encounter with Kozuki Hiyori or any other woman.
Still, Hiyori was dangerous. Every glance, every gesture carried a charm capable of stirring even the most disciplined hearts. She wasn't ordinary—she was a woman with sharp instincts and cunning hidden behind her elegance.
And that made her all the more unpredictable.
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