Chapter 345: Fish-Man Island - Hidden Task Unlocked

These historical records inscribed on the Poneglyphs are not something that just anyone can understand.

It can be said that, currently, there are very few people in the world who can read these ancient texts.

Robin is one of them.

Due to the truth hidden within these historical records being unfavorable to the government, Robin, as the only survivor of the archaeological island of Ohara, was given a bounty of seventy-nine million berries at the tender age of eight.

Takumi already knew there was a Poneglyph in the Sea Forest, so he wasn't particularly surprised.

Moreover, there used to be a red stone Poneglyph here as well, but it was taken away at some point.

"Well, we can't read it anyway, so let's just smash it." With that, Enel's hands began to crackle with electricity.

It was a perfect opportunity for him to vent his frustrations on the stone.

However, just moments before Enel could strike, Takumi's system notification suddenly sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Hidden task detected. Collect thirty Poneglyphs to receive a hidden reward.]

[Ding! Task received successfully.]

Takumi didn't hesitate for long. Almost immediately, as Enel was about to make his move, Takumi punched him once again, sending him flying away.

He hadn't expected the system to issue a hidden task apart from the usual sign-in quests.

But since the task had already been given, and there was a Poneglyph right in front of him, why not take it?

So, after knocking Enel away, Takumi directly stored the Poneglyph into his system's inventory.

At the same time, the system's notification sounded again.

[Ding! Poneglyph +1. Current hidden task progress: 1/30.]

Without much thought, Takumi asked in his mind, "Will there be other hidden tasks besides this one in the future?"

[Ding! Until the current task is complete, the system cannot detect a second hidden task. Note: Hidden tasks have no time limit and are independent of sign-in tasks. You can complete them at your convenience.]

Goodness...

This system sure knew how to keep him busy.

Although there was no time constraint, when Takumi thought about it, he remembered that Alabasta had two Poneglyphs, and Skypiea had one as well. It seemed he would need to revisit those places in the future.

While Takumi was deep in thought, Enel came back, muttering complaints.

"Damn it, why'd you hit me again?" Enel asked angrily.

Takumi turned around, walking toward where Kaku and Den were. "Let's go."

Enel's mouth twitched as he hurried after him, shouting, "Hey, you're ignoring me again!"

As Enel glanced back, he noticed the Poneglyph that was supposed to be nearby had vanished. "Uh, where's that stone? Why did it disappear?"

"I punched it away," Takumi said calmly.

Enel gave him a confused look. "What kind of move is that? I'm starting to understand you less and less..."

Takumi didn't respond and continued forward.

As he and Enel approached the area near Queen Otohime's grave, Neptune and his three sons arrived at the Sea Forest with a large contingent of Fish-Man soldiers, all rushing in.

"Shirahoshi, my daughter, are you alright?" Neptune called out loudly, having spotted Shirahoshi from afar.

Shirahoshi, who had been praying, suddenly panicked upon hearing her father's voice. "Ah, Father is here... What should I do?"

"Shirahoshi, are you okay? Did those three humans take you away? Did they hurt you?"

"If they hurt you, just tell us, and your brothers will make sure they pay for it!"

"How dare they bring our sister to such a dangerous place! Luckily that creepy stalker didn't follow. Seriously, these humans have guts!"

The three princes quickly jumped off their fish mounts.

Shirahoshi, feeling guilty and frightened, said, "Father, brothers, I insisted that Lord Takumi bring me here. Please don't blame them. They're good people; they haven't hurt me at all. I swear."

While Shirahoshi was talking, Kaku and Den jumped down from a nearby shipwreck.

Despite being faced with so many royal soldiers, and Neptune and his three sons, Kaku showed no fear, his tone still relaxed. "Wow, what a lively scene."

"Oh, so His Majesty the King is here," Den said, bowing respectfully to Neptune.

Neptune glared at Kaku and Den, just about to say something.

Shirahoshi floated over to Neptune using her bubble coral, pleading, "Father, I'm the one who wanted to come out. It has nothing to do with them. If you must blame someone, blame me. Please don't hold it against Lord Takumi and his companions, okay?"

"No!" Neptune insisted. "From the moment they took you out of the palace, they committed a crime. Anyone who disregards your safety is an enemy of the kingdom!"

"But they saved me, Father. If you must charge anyone, then charge me," Shirahoshi said, her eyes welling up with tears.

Neptune's heart softened instantly when he saw her about to cry. "Ah, my precious princess, don't cry. Alright, no one will be charged. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

The three princes also gathered around, trying to cheer Shirahoshi up.

Kaku looked at them and couldn't help but smile. "What a loving family. You're fortunate, Princess Shirahoshi, to have such a caring father and brothers."

"Yes," Shirahoshi wiped away her tears, smiling at Kaku, "I love my father and brothers the most."

Hearing this, Neptune and the three princes blushed slightly.

At this point, Takumi and Enel had returned.

Kaku knew, based on these two's Haki, that they were well aware of what had just happened, so he didn't say anything further.

Seeing them return, Shirahoshi called out happily, "Lord Takumi, Lord Enel, you're back!"

Takumi didn't mind how she addressed him.

Enel, however, scornfully replied, "Call me Thunder God!"

"Alright, Lord Thunder God~" Shirahoshi obediently responded.

"Shirahoshi, I understand why you came here," Neptune said, glancing at Queen Otohime's grave. A flicker of sorrow passed through his eyes. "Since you've seen your mother, let's head back to the palace. The outside world is still too dangerous for you."

Although Shirahoshi didn't want to leave, she understood that Neptune did everything for her own good. So, despite her reluctance, she forced a smile and nodded. "Alright, Father."

"Then let's get ready to go," said Shark, signaling to his men.

The Fish-Man soldiers immediately cleared a path for Shirahoshi.

She had only moved a little when she paused, looking back at Takumi, Enel, and Kaku. "Aren't you three coming back to Ryugu Palace with us?"

Before Takumi could respond, Enel spoke up. "You promised us a three-day, three-night feast, King. Are you going back on your word?"

Neptune scratched his head, then waved dismissively. "Oh, right. Since I said it, then you all come along."

"Father, are you sure it's alright for them to follow us back to the palace?" Prince Fukaboshi asked, concerned.

Neptune shook his head. "If they had any intention of harming Shirahoshi, they could have done so during the last hour. But they didn't and instead protected her on her way to the Sea Forest. I think it's fine. Now, let's go."

With that, Neptune took Shirahoshi aboard the largest fish vessel.

Takumi and his companions followed Shirahoshi onto her vessel.

On the way back to Ryugu Palace, the three princes kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, fearing that a weapon might suddenly fly in and hurt Shirahoshi.

Seeing their caution, Kaku asked, "Are you three watching out for those mysterious flying weapons?"

Shark nodded. "Yes. I suppose you've already realized that all those weapons were aimed at my sister Shirahoshi."

Kaku nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, we noticed. On our way to the Sea Forest, we even knocked away an axe, a piece of wood, and a Fish-Man."

"Uh? A Fish-Man?" Shark asked, surprised. "What kind of Fish-Man are you talking about?"

Kaku shrugged. "I'm not sure. That Fish-Man also seemed to be targeting Princess Shirahoshi, so our captain ordered us to take him out."

"Hah, that Fish-Man was truly ugly," Enel said disdainfully. "He looked just like a rat."

"A rat?" Neptune and his sons exclaimed simultaneously.

The four of them exchanged glances, and Shark couldn't help but ask, "Did that Fish-Man have any other features, like four legs?"

"How did you know he had four legs?" Kaku asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, Neptune and his sons were stunned.

There was no mistaking it—they were now sure that if Takumi's group wasn't lying, then the one they had taken out was almost certainly Vander Decken IX!

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