Chapter 449: So Much Information
In truth, Ian’s thinking was pretty much the same as what the iron man Franky would later come to believe.
That is, to prevent the day when an ancient weapon might fall into the hands of some petty villain who would harm the world, there needed to be a weapon capable of stopping such atrocities and countering it.
Ian was a time traveler, so he understood clearly that so-called ancient weapons were essentially like nuclear bombs. If only one country possessed them, there would be absolutely no control. Only when many countries had nuclear bombs would war truly fail to break out.
Right now, Ian wasn’t the only one in the world searching for the Poneglyphs. Those seeking these stones likely included not just the Four Emperors like Kaido and Big Mom, but possibly even the Marines and the World Government. Although only Robin currently knew how to decipher the Poneglyphs, no one could guarantee that other similar individuals wouldn’t appear.
Because in Ian’s memory, understanding the Poneglyphs didn’t necessarily require knowledge of ancient script. People like Pirate King Roger, who could “hear the voice of all things,” could also read them!
It was hard to say whether Roger’s ability was a unique case. If another such person appeared and was found and controlled by someone with ulterior motives, using them to read the Poneglyphs…
So Ian explained to Robin, “When it comes to ancient weapons, it’s not about fearing their danger and thus avoiding them. That kind of avoidance feels to me just like the World Government’s excuse for banning the study of history out of fear that people might recreate ancient weapons…”
This analogy immediately struck a chord with Robin, reminding her of the scene at Ohara. Wasn’t the World Government’s destruction of Ohara based on that very excuse?
Under such strict and brutal suppression, a survivor like her from Ohara had still escaped. Who could guarantee that, as Ian said, there wouldn’t be others who truly intended to recreate ancient weapons and harm the world?
Thinking this, Robin let out a long sigh, straightened up, and faced Ian. Her beautiful black eyes stared seriously at him as she asked, “Ian… I’m not calling you Captain, but Ian. If I tell you the true content of the Poneglyphs, can you swear that if you ever obtain an ancient weapon, you will use it to protect this world?”
“I can swear!” Ian nodded at her very seriously. “You know I’ve never had grand ambitions. I just want to live well in this world. If the world is destroyed, how can I live well?”
“Alright, I believe you!” Robin closed her eyes slightly, then opened them again. “I will follow you and witness you fulfilling your oath. If you deceive me, I will use every means to drag you down to hell with me!”
“That day will never come!” Ian smiled faintly, reached out, and adjusted the cowboy hat on her head a little.
Perhaps this action eased the serious atmosphere between them. Robin relaxed a bit and then began to speak slowly.
“The rubbing you brought back from the Sky Island Gray Terminal does record content about the ancient weapon, Uranus. However, this inscription only describes Uranus without pointing out its location or whereabouts.”
“Oh!?” Ian raised an eyebrow. “What does it say?”
“It’s about a massive war!” Robin looked up at the sky, recalling what she had deciphered from the rubbing. “But the text doesn’t mention who the opposing sides were. It only writes: The sun is blocked by Uranus’s wings, the land shrouded in shadow trembles and sinks, Pluton is damaged, Poseidon is dead, no one can oppose Uranus’s steel body, waiting for its next descent is impossible, the end has come, we will perish, but our will will never fade. In the future, those who carry our hopes will once again pass our will down through the ages…”
“Ho… holy crap!” Ian listened to Robin recount the text and couldn’t help but jump in surprise, then quickly apologized, “Sorry for the outburst, but there’s so much information here!”
“What… what do you mean?” Robin asked, puzzled.
Ian pulled her to sit down at the round table on the deck. After choosing his words carefully, he said to Robin, “If I’m guessing right, this Poneglyph has more than just these words, right?”
“Yes!” Robin nodded. “There are also parts that read like verses, all describing the might of Uranus. What I just said is just my summary.”
Ian licked his lips. “Based on my estimate, this Poneglyph might be the last of all the Poneglyphs. And the fact that it was kept at the Sky Island Gray Terminal probably has significance, because ‘terminal’ also means ‘end’…”
Robin thought for a moment and nodded in agreement with Ian’s point.
“From the description, this seems to be the end of a massive war!” Ian said. “It even mentions the names of all three ancient weapons. It seems Pluton and Poseidon were on the same side, and their common enemy was the one holding Uranus. But clearly, they couldn’t defeat Uranus either.”
“And according to the description, Uranus has wings, suggesting it can fly. Could it be some kind of creature?” Ian rubbed his chin. “But what does ‘no one can oppose Uranus’s steel body’ mean? Is the creature’s skin very hard?”
“But if it’s called an ancient weapon, it should be controllable!” Robin said, puzzled. “If it’s a creature, how can it be controlled?”
Ian nodded in agreement. He tapped the table with his knuckles. “Or does ‘steel body’ mean it’s literally made of steel? A flying weapon crafted from metal?”
Robin didn’t dare to respond; she couldn’t guess either.
“Also, this Uranus seems to be able to land?” Ian muttered to himself. “It can’t stay flying forever, right? If Pluton, the most evil warship in history, is its opponent, then if Uranus stays in the air, how would Pluton attack it?”
There was indeed a lot of information, but with just this, Ian still couldn’t figure out what Uranus actually was.
However, the last part of the text made Ian think of something. The “will” mentioned in the Poneglyph—could it refer to the Will of D?
Connecting this with what Ian knew about the world’s secrets, he gradually formed some theories. The scholars of Ohara, through their study of the Poneglyphs, had discovered that during the Blank Century, there existed a great kingdom. But now, not a single word of that kingdom remained. So Ian felt that the Poneglyph he had found might record the war that destroyed that great kingdom.
As for the enemy that destroyed the kingdom, it was likely the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. If the Poneglyph’s content was correct, then the Celestial Dragons and the World Government were the ones who held Uranus.
Thinking this, Ian suddenly understood. The so-called national treasure of the Celestial Dragons was probably Uranus!
The identity chip Ian had taken from Mary Geoise was either the key to entering Uranus’s hiding place or the key item to activate or control Uranus. That’s why, after the identity chip was lost, the Celestial Dragons were so anxious, willing to spend ten billion Berries to get the key back from Ian.
Before, Ian had mostly been guessing. But now, with the content of this Poneglyph deciphered by Robin, he estimated that his guess was about seventy to eighty percent correct.
However, what Uranus actually was and where this ancient weapon was hidden remained unknown.