Thousands of meters above the Rainbase Desert in Alabasta.
The colossal Killion warship, with its wide wings spread, was steadily and rapidly advancing towards the capital, Alubarna.
On the deck, Rorschach leaned against the mast, arms crossed, standing silently.
A few meters in front of him, on the ground, a small, blue-haired girl was sobbing.
This girl with wavy blue hair was Princess Vivi of the Alabasta Kingdom.
At this moment, a curly-haired man lay on the ground in front of Vivi, covered in blood, showing no signs of life.
"Uncle Igaram, boohoohoo, how am I going to explain this to Auntie Terracotta?"
Igaram, the loyal captain of the Alabasta Kingdom's royal guard, was dead.
Watching the heartbroken Vivi and the deceased curly-haired man, Rorschach couldn't help but sigh.
Life was indeed fragile.
Characters who seemed unkillable in the manga were almost non-existent in this flesh-and-blood world.
Especially someone like Igaram, who wasn't much stronger than an ordinary person.
After successfully rescuing Tina, Rorschach and his crew immediately returned to Rainbase at Vivi's request, searching for Igaram, who had covered Vivi's retreat, and for traces of Crocodile.
But ultimately, they couldn't find Crocodile.
By the time they found Igaram, the loyal curly-haired uncle had been dead for quite some time.
"Tap, tap."
Footsteps sounded from the captain's cabin above. Rorschach turned to look and saw Law, wiping his bloody hands, emerge from inside.
Rorschach quickly asked, "Law, how are Lieutenant Commander Tina's injuries?"
"Nothing serious, just a slight infection. Oh, your bio-electricity might stimulate her infected wound a bit, speeding up her healing. If you have time, go in and give her a massage."
Law said softly.
Rorschach nodded and stepped into the captain's cabin.
Rorschach and Tina in the Captain's Cabin
Inside the captain's cabin, on the large bed where Hibari slept, Tina sat leaning against the headboard, her face somewhat weak, a lit cigarette held between her fingers.
Rorschach's lips twitched as he watched. He couldn't help but step forward, reaching out to take the cigarette from her fingers, twisting it to extinguish it.
Tina froze, looking up at him.
Rorschach, however, said grumpily, "Still smoking when you're this injured, Lieutenant Commander Tina? Did Smoker infect you with this addiction?"
"Tina just likes to smoke when thinking. However, since Rear Admiral Rorschach doesn't allow Tina to smoke, Tina won't smoke then. After all, on this flying warship, Rear Admiral Rorschach, you're in charge. Whatever Rear Admiral Rorschach wants Tina to do, Tina will do."
Tina suddenly smiled.
Tina, with her already beautiful face, her smile was like a spring breeze, as if a hundred flowers had bloomed, making the entire captain's cabin seem brighter.
In the corner bathroom, water sounds could be heard; Hibari was washing Tina's blood-stained clothes.
"Whatever Rorschach wants Tina to do, Tina will do..."
Rorschach's ears buzzed with Tina's slightly weak voice, and he couldn't help but shiver.
What was going on?
Why were these women talking so strangely?
"Lieutenant Commander Tina, you're joking. I'm not trying to make things difficult for you."
With that, Rorschach extended his right hand, a faint electric arc appearing at his fingertips. "Law said my bio-electricity might promote the healing of Lieutenant Commander Tina's wound. Lieutenant Commander Tina, would you like me to give you a massage?"
"Yes, Tina would be very willing."
Tina nodded and extended her fair, lotus-root-like arm, pulling back the covers that were draped over her.
In an instant, a vast expanse of breathtaking fairness made Rorschach's face instantly flush red, and he quickly turned his head away.
"Lieute... Lieutenant Commander Tina, you... you don't have to pull it back. I mean, just cover yourself with the blanket. My bio-electricity can penetrate the covers; direct skin contact isn't necessary."
Rorschach felt his nasal cavity heating up.
In that fleeting glimpse, Tina's astonishing curves and fairness were a bit too much for this inexperienced young man.
Speaking of which, the women in this world really dressed boldly and provocatively.
Tina, Tashigi, Sera, Kalifa.
Not only were they beautiful, but they were also incredibly well-endowed and dressed very revealingly.
Seeing Rorschach's flushed side profile, Tina's eyes showed a hint of amusement, and she slowly pulled the covers back over herself.
"Alright, now, Tina will trouble you, Rear Admiral Rorschach."
Rorschach licked his dry lips, stiffly turned around, and looked at Tina, who had pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, revealing only a slender, fair neck and a delicate collarbone. He finally sighed in relief, walked to the bedside, opened his right hand with the leaping electric arcs, and hovered it over Tina's left shoulder.
The bio-electricity, precisely controlled by him, emerged from Rorschach's fingertips, flowing into Tina's body like a gentle stream, causing her no pain whatsoever.
Instead, a tingling, numbing sensation made Tina let out a soft hum, a relaxed expression appearing on her beautiful face as her muscles slackened, leaning back against the bed's headboard.
"Tina feels so comfortable. Rear Admiral Rorschach, this thing of yours is amazing."
The scrubbing sound from the bathroom suddenly stopped, and a certain little girl alertly perked up her ears.
Rorschach's facial muscles twitched. He suppressed the urge to flee and continued to send bio-electricity into Tina's wound.
Tina, relaxed, leaned against the headboard, her pink long hair draped behind her. A few playful strands fell onto the fair slope not covered by the blankets, subtly trembling with that deep curve.
Below her glistening collarbone was a shallow, coin-sized circular wound.
That was precisely where the sand manipulated by Crocodile had penetrated, forming it.
It should have looked more gruesome, but Law's Op-Op Fruit ability had treated it well.
Tina's long eyelashes fluttered, and she extended a slender, green-onion-like finger, gently stroking the shallow scar.
"Rear Admiral Rorschach, do you think I'll have a permanent scar here?"
Tina's voice was still somewhat weak.
Her slightly pale face made her appear frail and pitiable in her current somewhat haggard state.
Rorschach kept his eyes downcast, focusing inward, silently reciting the 'Ice Heart Art': 'My heart is as clear as ice, unmoved by the falling sky, steadfast amidst all changes, my spirit serene and pure.'
"No, you won't, Lieutenant Commander Tina. Your physical constitution is very strong. Plus, the bio-electricity I'm sending you stimulates muscle activity and speeds up wound healing. This tiny scar definitely won't leave a trace."
Rorschach said soothingly, looking down.
"Mm, then thank you very much, Rear Admiral Rorschach." Tina yawned comfortably, her body softly sinking down. She looked up at Rorschach with a fragile face, "Tina truly admires you, Rear Admiral Rorschach. When Tina first saw you a year ago in Marineford, you were just a Lieutenant Commander. Less than a year has passed, and you're already a Rear Admiral. That's really amazing, unlike Tina, who was a Lieutenant Commander a year ago and is still a Lieutenant Commander now. Even Hibari is almost catching up to me."
"Haha, Lieutenant Commander Tina, you're joking. You also graduated from the Headquarters training camp with extremely outstanding new recruit scores. Don't underestimate yourself. Your talents just haven't been fully showcased yet. I think in the future, you'll at least become a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral." Rorschach said, reaching out his left hand to pull up the blanket covering the drowsy Tina.
His words received no reply from Tina.
Perhaps the bio-electricity Rorschach had introduced into her body made the weakened Tina too relaxed and comfortable; she was now peacefully asleep.
At this moment, soft footsteps came from behind him.
Rorschach turned and saw Hibari, sleeves rolled up, carrying a basin of clothes, emerging from the bathroom.
Seeing Rorschach turn to look, the little girl's eyes darted away, her face flushed. She stepped forward and leaned over Tina, "Is Big Sister Tina asleep?"
"Mm, yes, she might be too tired. She really needs a good rest."
Rorschach nodded and saw that the little girl was still half-bent over, not standing up. She pursed her lips and looked at Tina, seemingly thinking about something.
Rorschach was completely bewildered, turning his head to glance at the little girl who was up to something.
Then, his gaze froze.
Because the little girl, who was half-bent over, had the buttons at her neckline undone.
Through her wet black hair, which fell from her earlobes, he could see a slender neck and a rather ample, lustrous curve.
This little girl...
A few black lines appeared on Rorschach's forehead. He retracted his right hand, which had been suspended over Tina's shoulder, raised it, and gave Hibari's head a sharp rap.
"Ow! That hurts!"
Hibari immediately clutched her head, tears welling in her eyes, and looked at Rorschach with a wronged expression.
"What are you doing, Hibari! Naughty at such a young age, how unbecoming!
Take good care of Lieutenant Commander Tina, and don't get any crooked ideas, understood?"
Rorschach reprimanded her righteously, then straightened his face and stood up, walking out of the captain's cabin.
Behind him, Hibari looked at her unbuttoned neckline, then cautiously lifted the blanket covering Tina for a peek, and immediately sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling a bit deflated.
"I'm still too small, no wonder Brother Rorschach doesn't like it. Hmph."
Outside the captain's cabin, the young man clutched his nose, looking somewhat dazed at the high, lonely sky.
The severe trials of this world were perhaps too numerous.
For him, a fourteen-year-old boy, it was still too cruel.
"Buru buru. Buru buru."
As soon as Rorschach returned to the deck, his personal Den Den Mushi in his pocket rang urgently.
Rorschach took out a rather unique Den Den Mushi from his pocket.
It was unique because this particular Den Den Mushi looked exceptionally lean and strong.
Although it was only half the size of an ordinary person's fist.
Its small body was full of bulging, tough muscles.
The hard shell on its back was also incredibly sturdy.
This Den Den Mushi, which had nothing to do, had also been 'trained' by Rorschach using electro-tempering.
Now, this thing ate meat, and its appetite was equivalent to that of an ordinary person, consuming several pounds of meat per meal.
If it didn't lack hands and feet, Rorschach truly suspected this Den Den Mushi would crawl out of its shell and do a few push-ups on the deck right in front of him.
Rorschach sometimes wondered what would happen if a Den Den Mushi ate a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
Shaking off the random thoughts in his head, Rorschach answered the Den Den Mushi.
With a click, the Den Den Mushi quickly conveyed Sengoku's usual husky voice.
"Rorschach, you're in the Alabasta Kingdom now, aren't you?"
"What do you think, Grandpa Sengoku?" Rorschach pouted, then lightly leaped onto the Killion's dragon head, leaning against the protruding antlers and sitting down.
"What do I think, what do I think?! You brat, you're even bickering with this old man now." Sengoku snorted annoyed, then immediately asked, "What's the situation like in Alabasta? Is Tina alright?"
"Lieutenant Commander Tina is fine, just a minor injury. After Law's surgical treatment, she's much better. As for the situation here in Alabasta, heh, the Sand Crocodile, who's been lurking here for over a decade, seems to be in a hurry to make his move on this ancient kingdom. Old man, don't tell me the Marines aren't aware of Crocodile's true intentions in this country."
Rorschach's undisguised mocking tone made Vivi, who had been immersed in grief over Igaram's death, involuntarily look up at him, a hint of confusion appearing in her tear-filled eyes.
Crocodile's true intentions in Alabasta?
Wasn't it just to steal the country?
Rorschach's words made Sengoku, on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, silent for over ten seconds before he retorted, "Tell me, brat, what do you know? From your tone, it seems you know more than all the intelligence we've gathered over the years?"
That shouldn't be.
Although Sengoku admitted that Rorschach did sometimes have a bit of cleverness.
For example, getting Shiryu, who enjoyed torturing prisoners, under Akainu's command, who perfectly countered that arrogant fellow.
And creating an unofficial Marine faction in Water 7.
But to say that Rorschach had already established ample connections and powerful intelligence sources in Paradise so quickly, Sengoku absolutely wouldn't believe it.
At most, only Jonathan's Bounty Hunter Guild could currently help Rorschach with some confidential intelligence.
"Heh, do I even need to guess?" Rorschach chuckled lightly, saying lazily, "If it was truly as he appears on the surface, wanting to seize control of the Alabasta Kingdom, then would he need to wait here for so long?
Although the Sand Crocodile was beaten down after challenging Whitebeard and lost his spirit, causing his strength to decline over the years. But he's still an invincible Logia user in Paradise.
The power of the Sand-Sand Fruit, in a desert kingdom like Alabasta, makes him a true ruler.
If he wanted to seize this country like Doflamingo, he could have taken it by force many years ago. Why would he use such a slow-burn method, first gaining the trust of the people, then slowly plotting?
Presumably, he did this to avoid attracting attention, especially from the World Government and our Marines.
So, that guy must have some other scheme, something more appealing to him than mere state power.
And regarding that something, I happened to hear some rumors from certain people in Water 7 recently."
After hearing Rorschach's analysis, Sengoku, far away in Marineford, involuntarily gasped.
Was this kid a demon?
How could he guess so accurately?
At this moment, Vivi, who had been listening intently to Rorschach, suddenly stood up from the deck. In two steps, she rushed to Rorschach's side and, in her urgency, grabbed Rorschach's arm, saying quickly, "Rear Admiral Rorschach, is Crocodile really a bad guy? What exactly does he want to do to this country? What is his true purpose? Please, Rear Admiral Rorschach, tell me."
"Who's speaking? Rorschach, do you have an outsider with you?" Sengoku was startled.
"Not exactly an outsider." Rorschach glanced at Vivi, who looked pitiable with her tear-stained face, "The one asking is the Princess of Alabasta, Nefertari Vivi."
"Oh, it's Princess Vivi..." Sengoku realized.
In Tina's earlier distress call, Sengoku had also learned about what happened in Rainbase.
Vivi, however, ignored Sengoku, her gaze fixed intently on Rorschach.
"Rear Admiral Rorschach, please tell me the truth."
Rorschach mused for a moment, then nodded gently.
"Ancient Weapons. I suspect Crocodile has been staying in Alabasta to obtain a certain Ancient Weapon that possesses world-destroying power."
"Ancient Weapon?" Vivi was stunned upon hearing this.
After a moment of silence, her small body trembled as if she had realized something, and she couldn't help but blurt out,
"Pluton?"
(End of Chapter)
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