In the rain, at the Rain Dinners.
Crocodile, enveloped in a thin layer of wind and sand, returned to his "Crocodile's Nest."
As he stepped into the Rain Dinners casino and took in the interior scene, Sand Crocodile couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.
"That bastard, White Dragon!"
Earlier, when Crocodile had seen the Blue-Eyed White Dragon atop the pyramid of Rain Dinners, he had already felt pessimistic about the state of his lair...
Now, upon returning to the Rain Dinners casino, the first thing that caught his eye was a sight terrifying enough to scare anyone—a "Clay Hell"!
Endless white clay filled the interior of the Rain Dinners pyramid.
From the staff of the casino to the ordinary guests enjoying their time, everyone was wrapped in white clay, transformed into immobile, speechless "clay statues."
The entire interior of the Rain Dinners casino was silent, devoid of the usual fervor.
After cursing, Crocodile's assessment of Storm's strength rose a notch.
With his keen eye, it was not hard to see that the Rain Dinners casino had been completely "clayfied"...
This ability to assimilate the surrounding environment on such a large scale was known as—
Devil Fruit Awakening!
"White Dragon's Clay-Clay Fruit... has actually reached the level of Awakening!"
Thinking of this, Crocodile's already displeased expression darkened further.
Because in the earlier "battle," apart from the initial appearance of the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, Storm had hardly used the abilities of the Clay-Clay Fruit.
Storm had simply knocked Crocodile, a Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea, down with his fists...
Crocodile felt quite disgruntled but couldn't find a reason to vent.
Should he blame his own weakness? Blame Storm's powerful fists? "White Dragon... bastard..."
Muttering to himself, Crocodile quickly made his way down to the underground of the Rain Dinners pyramid.
Below the pyramid was a deeply hidden secret chamber.
That was Crocodile's core base.
However, as Sand Crocodile walked, he found the interior of the Rain Dinners pyramid completely covered and eroded by clay.
Even his secret base was piled high with white clay...
In the underground chamber, Crocodile saw a woman who was both unexpected and yet to be expected.
Like those outside the chamber, this woman was also wrapped in a thick layer of clay.
"Miss All Sunday, you're here too?"
Crocodile approached his casino manager and senior officer of Baroque Works, raised his right hand, and unleashed wind and sand, destroying the "clay shell" that enveloped her.
"Mr. 0, I'm really sorry, I was no match for that person."
Nico Robin struggled out of the clay, shaking off the clumps of dirt and sand, looking expectantly at Sand Crocodile.
"Did you deal with that intruder?"
Deal with?
Crocodile's mouth twitched in irritation.
He removed the layer of wind and sand shielding him, revealing his disheveled state.
Nico Robin was a remarkably intelligent woman.
She made a precise judgment based on her boss's expression and appearance—
Even Crocodile was no match for that man...
As Crocodile turned to leave and clean up, Nico Robin watched his back, a flurry of thoughts racing through her mind.
'Even the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea are no match for that man...'
'He has recognized my identity and knows my secret...'
'Do I have to change bosses again? This life of hiding and running is truly tiresome...'
'But what exactly is that man's purpose...'
Nico Robin clearly remembered being unconscious for a long time.
When she finally woke up, she found herself "imprisoned" in this chamber.
She had no idea what had happened during her unconsciousness.
Nico Robin only remembered that the man had revealed her true identity.
The "remnant" of Ohara! Nico Robin stood alone in the chamber for a long time, deep in thought.
When Crocodile finished cleaning up and returned in a new outfit, she was still standing in place.
"Miss All Sunday, let's go greet our 'guest'!"
Guest?
An unbelievable thought crossed Nico Robin's mind.
She followed Sand Crocodile out of the underground chamber and into the first floor of the Rain Dinners pyramid.
The once ubiquitous white clay had mysteriously vanished.
Even the people inside the Rain Dinners pyramid had disappeared at that moment.
The only living person on the first floor was the man who had just invaded the Rain Dinners pyramid, riding the White Dragon...
"Finally here?"
Storm sat on a soft clay sofa, leisurely waving at the two.
"Make yourselves comfortable, don't be shy."
Robin glanced at Crocodile beside her.
The latter directly sat down on a casino chair, not even touching the clay sofa.
Miss All Sunday, following suit, found another safe chair to sit on.
As soon as she sat down, Crocodile asked.
"What happened to those guests in the casino?"
"I released my ability, and they all ran away."
Storm shrugged casually.
"Not a single one stayed."
Veins instantly bulged on Crocodile's forehead.
The Rain Dinners casino was a lavish establishment he had painstakingly built.
After today's incident, it would take an unknown amount of time for the Rain Dinners casino to return to normal operations. That bastard, White Dragon!
Storm was completely unaware of the significant blow he had dealt to Crocodile's gambling empire.
"What do you think of the plan we discussed earlier?"
"Childishly ridiculous!"
Crocodile criticized mercilessly.
"The strength of the Pirate Emperor—"
"Here we go again, here we go again."
Storm interrupted Crocodile's attempt to elevate others.
"Are you so scared of Whitebeard that you've lost your nerve, Sand Crocodile? What kind of pirate are you if you're afraid of this and that!?"
"Whitebeard—"
Crocodile gritted his teeth; that name was a taboo for him.
"I'm not saying we shouldn't challenge Whitebeard! I just think we aren't adequately prepared yet!
"If we want to challenge Whitebeard, we need more manpower, more weapons, more..."
"Manpower? Weapons?"
Storm casually pointed to Nico Robin beside him.
"What kind of allies can you gather in Alabasta?
"Or do you plan to rely on this 'Daughter of the Devil's' knowledge to seek out lost ancient weapons?"
At this, both were taken aback.
Crocodile immediately turned to Nico Robin.
The usually distrustful Sand Crocodile suspected that this "Miss All Sunday" had betrayed him! After receiving Crocodile's glance, Robin quickly raised her hands in innocence.
"I didn't reveal any information to him, Mr. 0."
"Tsk tsk, a relationship of mutual distrust..."
Storm shook his head, intrigued, and extended an invitation.
"Nico Robin, how about coming to work for me? At least I won't point the finger of suspicion at my subordinates the moment an outsider exposes my secrets."
Backstabbing from behind is nothing special; a true pirate confronts face-to-face!
Before Nico Robin could respond, Crocodile angrily tried to terminate the topic.
"Enough! Miss All Sunday is my subordinate!"
"In this day and age, pirates can be recruited by the World Government and become Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea; who can't change jobs?"
Storm waved his hand dismissively.
"So, what do you say, Nico Robin? Want to come to my side?"
Nico Robin tugged at the corner of her mouth, revealing an awkward yet polite business smile.
Sand Crocodile was giving her a death glare; she didn't want to answer this life-threatening question...
Seeing Robin's silence, Crocodile immediately directed his furious gaze at Storm.
"You bastard, White Dragon! Do you want to fight?"
"Not interested."
Storm shook his head decisively.
"You're too weak, so weak that I can't even muster any interest."
Upon hearing this, Crocodile immediately wanted to throw a punch but feared being knocked down by White Dragon's fist the next second.
In the end, he could only seethe in impotent rage, closing his mouth in frustration.
Robin cautiously observed the exchange between the two.
She initially thought Sand Crocodile was just at a slight disadvantage against "White Dragon."
But now it seemed it was more than just a "slight disadvantage"...
The atmosphere in the Rain Dinners casino fell silent for a moment.
"What exactly do you want to do, White Dragon?"
Crocodile said helplessly.
"Just the two of us challenging the Pirate Emperor?"
"Not just the two of us; besides you, I have another subordinate."
Storm introduced seriously.
"You might have heard of his name, 'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma; he is the user of the Paw-Paw Fruit."
"Tyrant, Paw-Paw Fruit..."
Crocodile seemed to recall something from the past, a shadow passing over his face.
"Alright! It's just about going to find Whitebeard, right?! Let's go!"
"You really are fixated on Whitebeard, old Sand."
Storm shook his head, then smiled.
"However, welcome to the team!
"In light of our cooperative relationship, I can offer you a piece of free information.
"The legendary evil battleship, Pluton, has a 'design blueprint' that has circulated in the world."
"Pluton design blueprint? Really?"
Crocodile was taken aback, springing up from his seat.
"Where is it?"
"Regarding you, Nico Robin, I also have a piece of information."
Storm no longer looked at Sand Crocodile but turned to Robin.
"Do you remember the surname 'Haguar'?"
Haguar?
Robin was momentarily stunned.
The next moment, she turned to Sand Crocodile and said decisively.
"Boss, I'm quitting!"
Clay Golem, the strongest in the world!
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