At that moment, Elior had been standing silently before the two Poneglyphs for over ten minutes. Reiju, Neptune, and the others watched in puzzlement but didn't dare interrupt.

Could Elior really be deciphering the Poneglyphs?

It was possible — but still too shocking to believe. After all, who in this era could even read the ancient script? The World Government had long forbidden the study of the ancient language, and after centuries of suppression, no one dared even attempt to learn it. If not for the Poneglyphs being indestructible, the World Government would've pulverized them into dust long ago.

Meanwhile, Elior's attention had shifted to the Road Poneglyph, and through the Voice of All Things, he could hear the stone speak.

Soon, Elior learned the contents of this Road Poneglyph.

It recorded the location of an island — but not Laugh Tale, rather an island called Valley of a Thousand, situated in the Whirlpool Sea Zone.

This information left Elior even more puzzled. Why would it mention two separate locations? What was the connection?

"I'll have to find the other three Road Poneglyphs to make sense of this"

Though the Poneglyph had revealed two places, the answers remained murky. Still, it was a good start — once he gathered all four Road Poneglyphs, the location of Laugh Tale would finally be revealed.

Additionally, now that Elior possessed the Voice of All Things, he no longer needed scholars like Robin to read the Poneglyphs. Robin, after all, was fully aligned with the Straw Hat Pirates. But with this power, Elior could rely solely on himself.

Though Robin was believed to be the only person capable of reading the Poneglyphs, Elior speculated that Imu, if truly someone who had lived for 800 years, might also understand the ancient script—and effortlessly at that. The World Government, having ruled for centuries, surely had hidden knowledge and capabilities.

Of course, Elior had never underestimated the World Government — or the Celestial Dragons. While some were nothing but useless parasites, there were surely formidable individuals among them, perhaps even beings beyond imagination.

Ancient history was forbidden to the world, but the World Government undoubtedly knew the truth. Perhaps their very claim to rule the world was born from shameful deeds. Perhaps...

So much of the unknown remained shrouded in mystery. But after deciphering the two Poneglyphs, Elior's desire to explore further only grew.

"I'm taking the red Poneglyph with me."

Deactivating his power, Elior turned to Neptune.

"This…"

Neptune hadn't expected Elior to claim the Poneglyph outright. Of course, Neptune knew the value of the Road Poneglyph — many forces coveted it, even the World Government. Yet the presence of two Poneglyphs on Fish-Man Island was a well-kept secret. Only Roger had once obtained the information and visited this place. Even Whitebeard, though aware of the Poneglyphs, never claimed them, having no interest in the Pirate King's throne or Laugh Tale.

Normally, the Sea Forest was heavily guarded, and outsiders were strictly prohibited. Thus, few even knew the Poneglyphs were here.

"Were you… deciphering the Poneglyph just now, sir?" Neptune finally asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Observation Haki" That was all Elior said.

Neptune's mind was instantly blown. Observation Haki? That meant Elior had used it to interpret the Poneglyph — specifically, the Voice of All Things, the highest form of Observation Haki.

Roger himself had once used the Voice of All Things to interpret the Poneglyphs right here.

The Voice of All Things! Neptune was utterly shaken.

The others only saw Neptune's stunned expression, having no idea why Elior's brief answer had rattled him so deeply. But no one dared ask.

"That red Poneglyph is useless sitting here. I'll be taking it, alright?"

"Understood. You may take it… but sir, many out there are eager to seize something like this."

Elior smirked. "Let them try. They won't be able to read it anyway."

Besides, who would dare touch something belonging to one of the Yonko?

Even the World Government would have to think twice.

"True enough" Neptune admitted. Fish-Man Island was powerless to stop Elior from taking anything, and to them, the Poneglyph served no purpose.

Soon after, Elior had Weevil haul the massive Poneglyph onto their ship. For Weevil, the stone's weight was trivial.

But not long after leaving the Sea Forest, a flying dagger zipped past the group. Neptune and his court paled instantly when they saw it, rushing forward in panic — but they were too slow to intercept.

A flash of lightning struck down — the dagger was blasted to the ground. Elior had intervened.

He instantly remembered — this must be the work of Vander Decken IX, the lunatic who had been terrorizing Shirahoshi in hopes of claiming the power of Poseidon.

"Weevil, did you see where that dagger came from?"

"Yeah, boss! I saw it!" Weevil was excited. He knew what was coming—another fight.

"Then go. Bring me his head."

"Heh heh! You got it, boss!"

Neptune and the others watched in stunned silence as Weevil charged off at lightning speed.

So... Elior had decided to eliminate that menace.

Despite his simple mind, Weevil was an absolute monster in battle. Born with immense strength and talent, he also possessed highly advanced Observation and Armament Haki.

Tracking the trajectory of the dagger, Weevil homed in on his target, enhancing his senses with Observation Haki.

Elsewhere, Deckenrealized his dagger had been intercepted, and was slightly surprised.

"Huh, they finally managed to block one of my daggers? Heh, took them long enough!"

As the wielder of the Mark-Mark Fruit, Decken could lock onto any target he touched, sending projectiles flying their way endlessly — his primary method of tormenting Shirahoshi to coerce her into marriage.

"Good thing I've got plenty more daggers!"

He laughed to himself, not sensing the danger approaching.

"Seems like some new people have arrived on Fish-Man Island today" remarked a nearby voice.It was Hody Jones, standing beside him.

The two had formed an uneasy alliance based on their respective goals.

"What, more humans hunting mermaids?"

"No, looks like some of Big Mom's people… but others too. Still, no need to bother." Yet Hody couldn't shake a growing sense of unease.

Just then, as Decken prepared to throw another dagger, a massive shadow loomed over them.

It was Weevil — nearly seven meters tall, his enormous upper body making him look like a giant compared to Decken and Hody.

"Found you! Boss wants your head!"

Before they could react, Weevil swung his massive blade straight at Decken.

The sheer force behind the slash terrified Decken — he tried to block with his dagger, but it was sliced clean in two. The blade didn't stop — it continued through his arm and shoulder, severing both in an instant.

"Aaaagh!" Decken screamed, collapsing as blood gushed from the wound, the pain almost knocking him unconscious.

"You bastard!" Hody's face contorted in rage. Weevil's speed and ferocity had caught him completely off guard.

Hody lunged forward, thrusting his trident at Weevil — but before it could even land, Weevil smashed the weapon to pieces, and with another swing, crushed Hody's skull like a watermelon.

Hody collapsed, his body convulsing for nearly twenty seconds, twitching like a decapitated chicken, before falling still and silent.

For the record, Hody managed to last five minutes against Weevil.

"No! Don't come closer…!"

"Don't kill me, I'm begging you!"

"Aaaaaagh!"

Seeing Hody Jones brutally decapitated, Decken lost control of his bladder on the spot. The fear was so overwhelming that he momentarily forgot the agony of his severed arm.

Moments later, his head was cleanly chopped off by Weevil, who grabbed him by the hair and hoisted the head up.

"This should be the guy" Weevil muttered, glancing at the throwing knife on the ground to confirm he'd got the right target.

"What a letdown. I thought he'd be tougher" he added, scratching his head, visibly disappointed—as if a balloon had deflated.

As for the two corpses, no one knew exactly when they'd be discovered. The spot where Hody Jones and Decken had hidden was remote and desolate — few ever ventured there.