Chapter 177: Full Cooperation from the Marines  

Water 7, inside a villa hotel. 

Right now, only Ryuen and Robin were here. The others were either out shopping or learning shipbuilding techniques. 

Ryuen hung up Lindgas's call with a puzzled look on his face, feeling confused. 

Marriage was supposed to be a good thing, so why did Lindgas sound so unhappy? 

At first, he thought it might be because the other person wasn't attractive, but after hearing that she was beautiful, he was even more confused. 

Marrying someone who looked good and was approved by his elders—why would he feel wronged? 

Suddenly, Ryuen remembered something. 

"Right, that guy Aokiji… he should still be in Water 7, right?" 

Robin nodded with a strange expression and replied, "Yeah, he's living a pretty laid-back life. He eats Water Meat every day, and when he's bored, he plays around with Bulu." 

Before, she hadn't really noticed, but now she realized that a Marine Admiral's life was actually pretty relaxed—almost like a retired old man. 

"It's not like you're any less relaxed..." Ryuen muttered under his breath. 

"Hmm?" 

"What was that, Captain?" Robin asked with a bright smile. 

"Ahem—" 

"Nothing, nothing at all! Anyway, Robin, let's go for a walk. We can look for Aokiji while we're at it," Ryuen said, clearing his throat. 

"Ohohoho~" 

"You're the captain, so I'll listen to you," Robin chuckled, covering her mouth. She felt like their little captain was getting more amusing by the day. 

Ryuen's face turned slightly red. After changing into a fresh set of clothes, he led Robin out of the villa. 

That guy Aokiji—if he didn't go back with Garp and the others, he was probably waiting for news from Ryuen. 

~~~~~~ 

The scene shifted. 

Ryuen and Robin were now walking through an alley in the central district. 

"Robin, what are you thinking about?" Ryuen asked, noticing she seemed distracted. 

"Ryuen, do you want to know what's written on those two Poneglyphs?" Robin suddenly asked. 

"I do, and I don't," Ryuen replied casually. 

"Why?" Robin looked confused. 

"I want to know because I want you to trust us—or rather, trust in our strength. But at the same time, I don't want to know because those things don't really matter to us," Ryuen said, stopping to look at Robin. 

Robin gazed at the boy in front of her. His eyes were clear and steady, as if he could see through everything. 

She couldn't help but think back to her years of searching for the Poneglyphs, her deep desire to uncover the world's truth, and the twenty years she had spent on the run. 

They kept walking through the alley, and somehow, the distance between them felt smaller. 

Sunlight filtered through the narrow streets, casting patches of light and shadow on them. 

"Actually, those two Poneglyphs record two of the legendary Ancient Weapons. The Ancient Weapons hold immense power—they could change the entire world," Robin explained. 

"I figured as much," Ryuen paused for a moment, then snapped out of his thoughts and continued walking. 

Robin watched his back and smiled, feeling at ease. Then, she picked up her pace to catch up with him. 

"Ryuen, thank you."

"You're welcome, Sister Robin~~~" 

~~~~~~ 

They found Aokiji at an outdoor bar. 

This guy was really living life with a laid-back attitude. Every day seemed peaceful, as if nothing in the world could bother him. 

"Ara~ra~ra~~~" 

"So, I guess there's already a plan. Tell me, what do I need to do?" 

Seeing Ryuen and Robin, Aokiji knew his vacation was over. 

"Admiral Aokiji, you sure know how to relax. But yeah, we have a plan now. The most urgent thing is housing. The Kingdom of Oikot is in ruins, so we need to build a lot of houses first," Ryuen said, sitting down across from Aokiji. 

Robin took a seat to Ryuen's left and ordered drinks for both of them. 

Aokiji didn't say anything. Building houses wasn't exactly a Marine's job, so he figured Ryuen needed him for something else. 

"The Donquixote family has a Stone-Stone Fruit user. You know about that, right?" Ryuen asked. 

"I see where this is going. Got it. I'll request to have him temporarily transferred under the Marines' authority," Aokiji said, suddenly understanding. 

Using the Stone-Stone Fruit to build houses was definitely a fast and effective solution. 

"Also, the World Government is gathering data on orphans across the seas. The Marines need to be ready for transport," Ryuen continued. 

"Just those two things?" Aokiji asked. 

"For now, yeah. By the way, coordinating Marine ships—Fleet Admiral Sengoku is going to ask about it, right?" Ryuen glanced at Aokiji. 

Aokiji nodded. "Of course, he'll ask. But I already spoke to him, and he fully supports this plan. The Marines will cooperate completely." 

"Alright then. If anything else comes up, we'll talk again." 

Just as Ryuen finished speaking, Robin's drink arrived. 

Aokiji turned to Robin with a complicated expression. "Nico Robin... To be honest, I never thought we'd be sitting here, chatting like this." 

"Yeah... I didn't expect it either, Admiral Aokiji," Robin replied calmly. 

Ryuen stayed silent. 

These two could be considered both enemies and benefactors to each other. 

Aokiji had spared Robin, allowing a piece of Ohara's bloodline to survive. But Robin's suffering had also made Aokiji question the justice of the World Government. 

Without saying more, Aokiji downed his drink and stood up to leave. 

Just as he was about to take a step, he paused and said— 

"Saul... Saul is alive..." 

With that, he didn't stay any longer. He got on his bike and rode away, leaving the Water 7 crowd murmuring in surprise. 

Ryuen turned to Robin. 

Tears were already streaming down her face. 

Saul is alive... 

For Robin, this was everything. 

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