Witnessing the emaciated old man transform into a heavily made-up man right before their eyes, the crowd below immediately erupted in a boiling uproar.
Bon Kurei, standing on the invisible air in front of Rorschach, showed a hint of terror in his gaze towards Rorschach.
This Marine before him felt extremely dangerous.
Rorschach quietly watched Bon Kurei, his expression outwardly indifferent and emotionless, but deep inside, he couldn't help but sigh.
On the online forums of his previous life, Bon Kurei was always a representative figure of a true man in the pirate world.
If you look from the protagonist group's perspective, Bon Kurei's willingness to sacrifice himself to save Luffy and his comrades is truly hard not to admire and like.
Compared to him, Buggy the Clown, who constantly cowered and hesitated, had not a single redeeming quality.
However, it's undeniable that in the entire Alabasta incident, Bon Kurei, with his Imitation ability, was unquestionably the second executioner in Baroque Works, second only to the chief culprit, Crocodile.
Without him impersonating Cobra and shooting a child to incite the war, Crocodile's Utopia Operation plan would likely have been delayed for a considerable amount of time.
So, while he was a true man, he was also a criminal who couldn't escape the death penalty.
"If you can truthfully confess all the crimes Baroque Works has committed in the Alabasta Kingdom over the years, I might be able to arrange a single cell for you in Impel Down."
Rorschach watched Bon Kurei, who was slowly rising and adopting a combat stance, and said calmly.
"Never!"
His words had barely fallen when he received Bon Kurei's resolute refusal.
Bon Kurei, with his fingers like blades, danced his spinning ballet steps, grinned, and charged towards Rorschach. He leaped high, kicking towards Rorschach's face.
"You want this humble self to betray his comrades? No way! This humble self is a new human with unwavering resolve! Okama Kenpo Ultimate Skill..."
"That's a pity. I was going to give you a chance."
Rorschach lowered his eyelids. The air currents in front of him whistled and gathered, forming an invisible large hand that gripped Bon Kurei, who was lunging with a kick.
Whoosh!
The compressed air transformed into an arc-shaped air blade, sweeping past Bon Kurei's vision in a blurred afterimage.
Pfft!
His high-flying figure froze, his body shuddered, and a clear line of blood appeared on his neck.
A hint of confusion appeared in Bon Kurei's eyes.
The next instant, a head with open eyes shot into the sky, detaching from its headless torso.
The body, split into two halves, plummeted downwards, hitting the sand below with two thuds, quickly dyeing a small area of yellow sand crimson.
Bon Kurei's scattered corpse once again drew gasps from the crowd.
People's gazes towards Rorschach became even more wary and reverent.
Swish!
Rorschach's figure, standing in mid-air, flashed. When he reappeared, he was already beside Cobra and Vivi.
At the same time, the swirling cloud mass in the sky rapidly contracted. Under the astonished gazes of countless people, it condensed into a Marine girl draped in a pure white cloak, gently descending from the air to land behind Rorschach.
Seeing Rorschach appear, Vivi's face immediately brightened with a radiant smile. She took two steps forward and gracefully bowed to Rorschach.
"Rear Admiral Rorschach, Lieutenant Commander Hibari, Vivi is truly grateful for your help. Allow me to introduce you," Vivi turned sideways, gesturing, "This is my father, the King."
Rorschach smiled slightly, nodding to Cobra. "King Cobra, hello."
Cobra, with gratitude on his face, stepped forward. "Rear Admiral Rorschach, on behalf of all Alabasta, I thank the Marines for their assistance, and Rear Admiral Rorschach for saving Vivi. Once this matter is over, I will certainly inform the World Government and the Marines of your merits."
"You're too kind, King Cobra."
"Don't call me 'Your Majesty.' If Rear Admiral Rorschach doesn't mind, just call me 'Uncle' suffices." Cobra's face showed a benevolent smile as he scrutinized Rorschach's tall and slender figure, exceptionally handsome face, and extraordinary temperament. The more he looked, the more pleased he became.
He truly was a Marine rookie; not only was his strength so formidable, but he was also humble and polite—indeed, a man of outstanding caliber.
"Heh heh, then I won't stand on ceremony, Uncle Cobra."
Rorschach looked at Cobra, who lacked much kingly pretense and seemed like an ordinary old man. To be honest, he still held some admiration for him.
He had witnessed Cobra alone stepping out of the city and meeting with hundreds of thousands of rebels through his powerful Observation Haki.
His subsequent actions clearly demonstrated the responsibility and courage of a monarch.
Perhaps outsiders could say he was incompetent, unable to save his country from Crocodile's grasp.
But they couldn't deny that a person like Cobra was a rare good king in the pirate world, genuinely caring for his people.
The old man and the young man chatted for a bit, then Cobra, full of concern, asked, "Rear Admiral Rorschach, forgive my presumption, but how do you plan to make Crocodile willingly confess his crimes? In my opinion, it's almost impossible to make a cunning and powerful person confess willingly."
"Actually, I'm not entirely confident either." Rorschach chuckled, then countered, "Uncle Cobra, when do you think a person would feel fearless, even if everyone in the world knew of their sins?"
Cobra fell into a brief contemplation.
Then, he tentatively replied, "After gaining immense power that can control everything, one might become fearless."
"Exactly, especially someone like Crocodile, who could lie dormant in Alabasta for over a decade for a baseless rumor, just to seek that non-existent Pluton battleship. Uncle, think about it, if... if we let him achieve his dream, find a Pluton battleship, would his ego inflate?"
Rorschach's words stunned Cobra.
"Find him a Pluton battleship? How... how would we find it?"
Cobra was a bit bewildered.
Indeed, ancient legends in Alabasta had traces of records about the Pluton battleship.
But as the helmsman of the Nefertari Royal Family, the King of this ancient kingdom of Alabasta, Cobra himself knew that his country absolutely did not possess any Pluton battleship.
If Alabasta truly possessed one of the Ancient Weapons, Pluton.
Then the Alabasta of today would either be a ruin, destroyed into a wasteland due to the World Government's apprehension.
Or it would have risen after controlling the Ancient Weapon, becoming a world-leading kingdom, possessing the power to challenge the World Government.
And not like it was now, where even a Shichibukai could openly disregard a country of tens of millions.
Rorschach, however, did not answer. He merely exchanged glances with Hibari and Vivi, smiling without a word.
Crafting the "Pluton Battleship"
Let's rewind time a little, back two hours.
The Killion, soaring through the sky, slowly descended into the endless desert below, coming to a steady halt atop a raised sand dune.
"Give... give Crocodile a Pluton battleship? Rear Admiral Rorschach, how... how would you do that?"
Vivi was bewildered by the casual statement.
As the Princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, her knowledge was not shallow; of course, she knew the rumors of the three Ancient Weapons.
It was said that each of these three Ancient Weapons possessed terrifying power capable of destroying the world.
And Pluton, a battleship built in Water 7, possessed the terrifying destructive power to destroy an island with a single shot.
Anyone who could possess such a battleship could absolutely dominate the seas with it, even challenge the World Government.
The reason why the three Ancient Weapons were referred to as legends by the world was because no one had ever truly seen their true forms.
But now, this Marine boy before her casually spoke of giving a Pluton battleship to the Sand Crocodile.
How could this not confuse Vivi?
Looking at Vivi's charming, naive face, Rorschach couldn't help but think of Hibari.
Indeed, these two were quite similar.
Not only was Vivi perplexed, but everyone else on the Killion, except for Enel who didn't know what a Pluton battleship was, curiously looked at Rorschach, wanting to know how he would do it.
"It's simple. He wants Pluton, right? We'll just build him one."
Rorschach grinned. With a grab, electric arcs flashed at his fingertips, and a mottled golden slab whistled out from the captain's cabin, landing in his hand.
He held this golden slab, on which the Ark Maxim blueprint was engraved, and walked up to Enel. He playfully put his arm around Enel's shoulder and looked at the curious onlookers.
"Has anyone here ever seen the Pluton battleship?"
Everyone looked at each other, shaking their heads like rattles.
Are you kidding? Who's seen anything like that?
That thing is an Ancient Weapon.
"I've seen the Dark King, but I haven't seen the Dark King battleship," Hibari muttered softly.
As is well known, in the minds of most people, the "Dark King" didn't refer to an Ancient Weapon, but to a certain legendary suck-up with a bounty of 3.9 billion Berries.
"Princess Vivi, have you seen it?" Rorschach asked with a smile, looking at the timid Vivi.
Vivi was somewhat embarrassed by his gaze, her cheeks flushed, and she unconsciously rubbed the hem of her clothes, whispering, "No, I haven't."
"Well, there you go. No one's ever seen the Pluton battleship anyway, so how can Crocodile distinguish whether what we give him is the real Pluton battleship?" Rorschach chuckled.
"Hmph, are you underestimating the Sand Crocodile too much, kid? If it's the real Pluton, wouldn't he just fire a shot to test its power?" Law was a bit speechless, not knowing how to comment on Rorschach's naivety.
However, upon hearing this, Rorschach's smile grew even wider.
He patted the grim-faced Enel's back with his right hand and held up the golden slab, saying, "That's exactly what I wanted to say. Everyone, look at this golden slab I'm holding. This thing was contributed by our new recruit, Comrade Enel, a precious battleship design from Skypiea from hundreds of years ago. Just this golden slab alone, if I were to throw it into the Alabasta royal palace ruins, it would be 100% connectable to Pluton. Because everyone knows Pluton is a ship, and this Ark Maxim blueprint is also a ship, a ship we've never seen before."
"This slab is hundreds of years old. As far as I know, Crocodile has a very knowledgeable archaeologist by his side who has deeply researched such ancient historical items. We don't even need to deliberately falsify it; if this thing is thrown into the ruins, it will be considered the blueprint for the Pluton battleship."
"We also have a large amount of gold. We can just use this gold to casually mold a golden battleship that hasn't appeared on the seas before and throw that into Vivi's family ruins too."
Rorschach looked at everyone, who were slowly falling into a dazed state, and continued, pointing at Enel, "And our Comrade Enel will make a guest appearance as the energy core of the Pluton battleship. He's a Logia user; transforming his body and hiding inside the golden battleship isn't a very simple matter? If Crocodile doesn't believe it, he can fire a shot, hehehe, and then..."
Rorschach smiled at Enel. "You, the former god of Skypiea, can then properly demonstrate the power of a god, and let the Blue Sea's bumpkin Shichibukai see if the full power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit can rival a shot from the Ancient Weapon Pluton battleship. Of course, you mustn't harm the people of Alabasta."
At this moment, everyone on the ship gaped at Rorschach, falling into a prolonged state of stupor.
After a good while, Law's cheek twitched. "I really want to cut open your brain and see what kind of structure it has to come up with such... rotten ideas. I can already imagine the spectacular show Crocodile will put on after falling into your trap."
Hibari, however, walked forward with an expression of adoration, holding Rorschach's hand, her eyes sparkling as she praised, "Brother Rorschach, you're amazing, to be able to come up with such a brilliant idea. Let's get to it, let's build a golden battleship—no, let's build a Pluton battleship."
"If we can really build a large ship entirely of gold and put that golden slab inside it, and then place it all in our Nefertari family's ruins, then Crocodile might indeed mistake it for the Pluton battleship. But the entrance and passage to that ruin are very small; only a few people can pass through. It would be impossible for a large ship to pass. Moreover, there isn't enough time to build a ship now."
Vivi's eyes were somewhat dim.
Rorschach's idea was good, but they no longer had any time to waste.
By now, the capital Alubarna was probably already under siege.
Just as she was thinking this, on the Killion's deck, thick bolts of lightning intertwined and covered the gold lumps on the deck, startling the surrounding warriors who scattered away.
Enel, somewhat reluctantly, joined Rorschach in the task, releasing a large amount of high-intensity lightning power towards the gold blocks that Rorschach was manipulating to float in mid-air.
"Sixty Million Volts Discharge! Electro-Metallurgy!"
Crackling lightning flashed, and the blinding light raised the temperature on the Killion by dozens of degrees.
"Don't do it on the ship; you'll damage the Killion." Rorschach waved his hands. The gold lumps floating above the deck transformed into a long golden dragon and, under Vivi's astonished gaze, flew out of the Killion, hovering above the sand dune beside the warship.
Dazzling, terrifying lightning followed like a persistent curse, striking the hundreds of gold lumps.
Soon, large amounts of gold rapidly melted under the lightning's super high temperature, turning into flowing liquid gold, like a golden river, flowing and converging in the air.
Rorschach looked at the gold lumps, which Enel had melted into a golden liquid, and a curious idea formed in his mind.
"Enel, you provide the electricity, and I'll control this liquid gold to form the ship."
With that, Rorschach immediately began, using air currents and magnetic fields, to guide the golden river flowing in the air, converging it to construct interlocking golden gears, a ship's hull covered in dragon patterns, and a miniature version of the Shandora Golden Bell, suspended at the entrance to the gradually forming golden battleship's cabin.
Furthermore, at the bow of the golden battleship, a thick golden cannon barrel, half the length of the battleship itself, pointed diagonally towards the sky, its base fixed on a turret mount capable of 180-degree rotation.
Half an hour later, under everyone's dumbfounded gaze, a twenty-meter-long golden battleship, entirely constructed from gold, gleaming brightly, appeared on the sand beside the Killion.
A twenty-meter ship was not small.
But next to the hundred-meter Killion, it became like a miniature toy.
"This Pluton battleship, isn't it a bit too small?" Law still couldn't resist complaining.
"Concentration is key, what do you know?" Rorschach rolled his eyes.
The Killion only had a few hundred tons of gold from Skypiea, so building a twenty-meter ship meant he had utilized it to its absolute maximum.
This ship might not seem big, but the gear design and construction inside had taken Rorschach quite a bit of thought.
While it might not seem that useful, it certainly looked impressive.
In short, it was the kind of thing that would make Crocodile feel an inexplicable sense of awe at first glance.
On the outside of the ship's hull, he created many dragon and mandala patterns, making the ship look imposing and mysterious.
The battleship's deck was Rorschach's favorite open-style design.
Yes, like an aircraft carrier.
The ship had no mast and no overly large cabins, just one cannon, huge and imposing, clearly very powerful.
Rorschach even thoughtfully added a useless button to the cannon's base.
He leaped onto the golden battleship, patted the thick golden cannon barrel, and looked at Enel, saying, "Enel, when the time comes, you'll hide inside this barrel, trying to conceal your presence as much as possible. Your Observation Haki is very powerful; just release a chaotic, powerful electrical energy aura. Crocodile's Haki has weakened a lot; the chaotic energy should be enough to confuse him. When you see that guy press the button on this thing, you'll zip out and give him a show. Remember to make it big; you need to impress that arrogant bastard."
Enel's face was covered in black lines as he watched Rorschach patting the golden cannon barrel. He really wanted to quit.
How could I, the mighty Thunder God, do something like that...?
Wait, showing off in front of others, giving the Blue Sea bumpkins a small taste of a god's awe-inspiring power, actually sounds pretty good.
Never mind, I'll just show some mercy and help these weak Blue Sea people.
This isn't because I'm afraid of that kid Rorschach; it's simply a god's compassion for his subjects.
"Hmm, I also need to make this thing look a bit aged."
Rorschach stroked his chin, pondering, then flew up into the air. He gripped the invisible air currents with both hands, scooping up the rolling yellow sand from the surrounding desert, transforming it into a surging, roaring golden sand dragon. He then furiously rubbed and scoured it against the golden battleship's hull.
After a full ten minutes, the once gleaming golden battleship became incredibly rough, and the dragon and flower patterns carved on its hull became blurred.
"Alright, that's good enough. This golden battleship is just a shell; whether it can fool Crocodile depends on the golden slab and Enel's lightning energy."
Rorschach stopped, nodding with satisfaction. He returned to the Killion's deck and looked at Vivi, saying, "Princess Vivi, we'll first place this 'Pluton battleship' in your family's ruins. Of course, we need to confirm that Crocodile isn't in the capital first. If that guy is causing trouble in the capital right now, then this trick won't be used. And without irrefutable evidence, I can't kill him; at most, I can beat him up. Don't worry, whether he's in the capital or not, the Alabasta war won't break out, because I'm here!"
Vivi stared blankly at Rorschach's azure blue eyes, looking at the gentle, absolutely confident smile on his face. Her previously panicked heart instantly steadied.
She obediently nodded, but still stammered, "Rear Admiral Rorschach, my... my family's ruins' entrance and passage are very small; I'm afraid this ship won't be able to pass through. And if we were to damage the top of the ruins, it might arouse Crocodile's suspicion."
Rorschach waved his hand, pointing at Law. "Don't worry, this is a very simple little 'operation.' Law will handle these things. Now, let's head to the capital first."
The Trap is Set
Approximately one hour later, the Killion hovered steadily within the cloud layer, seven to eight thousand meters above Alubarna, the capital.
To avoid alerting Crocodile, Rorschach maneuvered the Killion to hover at this altitude.
"Alright, let me see if our kingdom's hero, Mr. Sand Crocodile, is causing trouble in the capital."
Rorschach stood at the ship's rail, releasing his Observation Haki downwards.
At the same time, tiny electric arcs rapidly extended through the air, permeating over Alubarna, enhancing his Observation Haki perception.
Soon, Rorschach let out a surprised "Oh?"
Crocodile was actually not within the capital's range.
This was somewhat strange.
At this point in time, since the rebel army below had already besieged the city, and many Baroque Works members were mixed in, causing trouble in secret.
But the mastermind, old man Crocodile, was not in the royal city.
Where had he gone?
Rorschach's brow furrowed slightly.
Not normal.
But never mind.
Crocodile's absence was a good thing; it was perfect for implementing his prepared 'Ambition Inflation Assistance Plan.'
While Crocodile wasn't here, he would arrange the prepared Pluton battleship for him.
Immediately, Rorschach maneuvered the Killion to rapidly descend, whistling as it flew towards the direction Vivi had indicated.
The Killion's descent speed was incredibly fast. A few minutes later, it landed on the open ground of the royal city's ruins.
Such a massive warship landing surprisingly did not attract the attention of the royal city guards.
This was because before the Killion landed, a hazy, cloud-like mist had enveloped the entire warship, simulating the background of the royal city, as if the entire Killion had been equipped with a chameleon's ability to adapt to its environment.
This was the camouflage effect of Hibari'sCloud-Cloud Fruit, developed from her Mirage Cloud ability.
It used the refraction and reflection of light, along with the cloud's color-changing disguise, to deceive human vision.
Of course, currently, Hibari's ability could only fool ordinary people.
As soon as the Killion landed, without waiting for Rorschach's command, Pamela volunteered and walked to the golden battleship. She extended her two thick arms and embraced the side of the hundreds-of-tons battleship, exerting force to lift it.
It proved that the strength of giants was also quite terrifying, absolutely incomparable to ordinary people like Law and Hibari.
Even though they trained their bodies extremely hard.
This was a racial advantage.
The Demon Clan among giants could even transport countries, dragging their favorite islands.
Seeing Pamela carry the golden battleship off the Killion, Rorschach turned his head to Law.
Without Rorschach needing to speak, Law, holding his long sword, jumped down with Pamela.
He held a lightning ball encased in a transparent aura, and with a wave, pressed it into his chest.
This was a small ball of lightning power condensed by Rorschach, which could be used to stimulate physical activity, and significantly boost explosive power for a short period.
Law's current strength wasn't strong enough; the maximum range of his Room was only about six hundred meters.
He was worried that during the teleportation within Room, the golden battleship might get stuck in the walls of the ruins below, so he decided to stimulate his body to enhance his strength.
Yes, Rorschach intended to have Law use his Op-Op Fruit ability to directly teleport the golden battleship into the ruins below.
Law's Op-Op Fruit ability allowed him to freely reposition objects within his Room.
This repositioning was not limited by architectural obstructions; he could send one item inside another.
Aside from walls containing Sea Prism Stone, which couldn't be moved, other substances, even seawater, could be massively moved by him, or he could directly move people into the seawater.
Of course, the targets for repositioning here had to be those who weren't proficient in Armament Haki, and whose strength wasn't superior to Law's.
As the lightning ball was pressed into his chest, Law grunted. His entire body expanded by a size, his tall body became monstrously muscular, his muscles bulging, and veins protruding all over, looking very intimidating.
"ROOM!"
A transparent Room suddenly descended, its diameter exceeding a thousand meters. The upper part floated on the ground, enveloping the golden battleship, while the lower part extended deep into the ruins below.
As long as Law activated his ability, he could easily teleport the hundreds-of-tons golden battleship into the space beneath his feet.
"What are you standing around for, Enel? Get to work. You're a Private First Class now, so show some initiative. You're not far from becoming a Marine Admiral."
Rorschach shouted at Enel.
Enel squinted his eyes. Under Vivi's astonished gaze, his tall figure burst into fragments with a snap, transforming into a thick bolt of lightning. It pierced through Law's Room and darted into the golden cannon barrel on the golden battleship.
Rorschach released his Observation Haki for a slight check.
Inside the golden battleship's cannon barrel, Enel had transformed into a fist-sized chaotic lightning ball, calmly residing there, emitting terrifying energy fluctuations.
If some people with weak Observation Haki were to approach, they wouldn't discover that this energy fluctuation actually had a life signature.
Seeing Enel enter the golden battleship, Law suddenly waved both hands.
Swish!
Silently, the twenty-meter-long golden battleship, simply vanished from everyone's sight.
Rorschach's Observation Haki extended downwards, and he immediately 'saw' that in the ruins below, atop a large cube-shaped stele, the golden battleship that Law had teleported was steadily placed.
That Law guy actually put the ship directly on top of the Poneglyph!
Isn't this equivalent to directly stuffing the Pluton battleship into Crocodile's hands?
Rorschach wondered if Crocodile would feel no sense of accomplishment at all when he saw this 'Pluton battleship,' since it was obtained so easily.
Rorschach flashed to the ground, stomping his foot.
The ground within a few hundred meters immediately vibrated with a hum for several seconds.
In the ruin space below, large swaths of dust rattled down from the dome, quickly covering the golden battleship, making it look dull and dusty, as if it had been placed in the ruins for hundreds of years.
"Alright, done! Let's hide the Killion first. After Crocodile's ego inflates, we'll provoke him. Now, Princess Vivi, I'll take you to stop this war. Let's go!"
A howling gale lifted the Killion, carrying everyone towards the side of the royal capital. With Vivi's help, they quickly found a space deeply recessed into the royal capital's high rock wall. After hiding the Killion, Rorschach took Hibari and Vivi and flew towards the main battlefield of Alubarna.
Crocodile's Strategic Move and Robin's Question
Time rewinds to the present.
At the edge of the royal capital, inside Baroque Works' base café.
"Kishishishi, kishishishi, Crocodile, did that Marine Rorschach really say he's on his way to Alabasta? Excellent! I'll contact the Flower Kingdom's navy right now; they're currently hovering in the waters near Sandy Island. Just wait a little longer, one day, no, half a day, and we'll reach Alabasta's capital. Then, it will be that Marine kid's doomsday. I'll make him wish he were dead, let him taste what it's like to see his comrades die before his eyes, and then turn his corpse into a zombie!"
Crocodile exhaled a thick puff of smoke from his mouth, hung up the Den Den Mushi, and glanced at Robin, who was sitting at the café counter.
The news of Rorschach's impending arrival had been intercepted by Baroque Works members after Tina and her group sent their distress call.
"Let's go. Let's go to the capital and see if the Pluton battleship's whereabouts are truly in Alabasta."
Robin, wearing a sheer, long desert dancer's dress, looking beautiful like a desert princess, nodded slightly at his words and rose from her seat.
She looked at Crocodile, and suddenly asked in a low voice, "May I ask a question?"
Crocodile strode forward with powerful, tiger-like steps, casually saying, "Ask away."
"Since you've pinpointed the location of Alubarna's royal city ruins, why didn't you go directly to see it? Why did you still stir up chaos in this country? It makes no sense. After all, the whereabouts of the Pluton battleship are what concern you."
Robin followed closely behind Crocodile. The two soon got into a turtle carriage.
The cigar-chomping turtle roared, then galloped across the yellow sand at high speed, dragging its mushroom-like carriage, quickly disappearing into the endless desert, rushing towards the royal capital.
Smoke billowed within the carriage. Crocodile leaned back in his seat, his expression indifferent, arms crossed, eyes closed.
"Have you grown soft, Nico Robin? It seems that all these years of hiding and evading haven't made you discard all your conscience and kindness, to ask me such a question about the lives of ordinary people."
Robin sat opposite him. Hearing Crocodile's words, which could have been either mocking or reflective, she didn't respond, merely sitting in silence, as if waiting for Crocodile's answer.
After a long while, after Crocodile discarded the cigar from his mouth and lit another one, he said lazily, "It's merely a contingency plan. I am indeed searching for the whereabouts of the Pluton battleship, and the main purpose of the Utopia Operation is also for Pluton. But I'm well aware that I might not get the Pluton battleship directly. More likely, I'll get a little clue, or even no clue at all."
Robin's expression shifted slightly.
She hadn't expected Crocodile to see things so clearly.
"If the Pluton battleship could be obtained so easily, then the three Ancient Weapons would have been acquired long ago," Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke, a cunning look appearing on his face, which was horizontally bisected by a jagged scar. "And if I don't get the Pluton battleship, then I also need this populous nation of tens of millions to help me continue searching for its whereabouts."
Robin listened, and a hint of unwillingness appeared in her eyes. She lowered her eyelids, not wanting Crocodile to see her expression.
She remained silent for a few minutes before saying hoarsely:
"Mr. Crocodile, thank you for your protection over the years. Without your protection as a Shichibukai, I would probably still be drifting from place to place in Paradise, evading capture. I am very grateful to you, but I hope that after this, you will keep your promise and let me leave."
Earlier, Robin, who was constantly hiding from the World Government's and Marine's pursuit, met Crocodile.
The two made a pact: Robin would work for Baroque Works, and Crocodile would provide her with protection.
Once the Utopia Operation plan was completely executed, Robin would have the right to choose whether to remain in Alabasta or leave Crocodile.
Behind the rising smoke, Crocodile's closed eyes opened and fixed on Robin, making Robin feel increased pressure.
Crocodile looked at her expressionlessly for a long time, until Robin's heart was filled with apprehension. Only then did he say faintly, "No problem. As long as you can translate the ancient text on the Poneglyph and help me find the whereabouts of the Pluton battleship, I will let you leave."
"Thank you."
(End of Chapter)
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