The desert's environment was scorching and dry. The wind blowing over them carried almost no moisture at all.
"It doesn't seem as hot as Sumeru's desert." Furina felt it for a moment and realized she had already grown used to this kind of climate.
That was only natural. She had spent a long time searching for treasure chests in the desert, so she had unknowingly adapted to that temperature and environment.
"I've never been to Sumeru's desert, but it really is hot," Ningguang said.
There were few people in the desert, and the climate was harsh. There was no need to go there. That was what most people thought.
"So hot."
Kaeya wiped his sweat. His darker skin absorbed sunlight more easily, and beneath this blazing sun, this really was not the kind of place anyone wanted to stay in.
"Kaeya, don't you control the Cryo element? You can make ice to cool yourself down," Eula said lightly.
She had the Blessing of Heat Avoidance active on her body, so any heat that made her uncomfortable was being canceled out.
"I can, but wouldn't that be tiring?"
"I'll give all of you a blessing."
Koji waved his hand casually, granting everyone a blessing that allowed them to feel comfortable in the desert. In an instant, the scorching sensation vanished, and the irritation lingering in their hearts gradually faded as well.
"With a move like that, you should've used it earlier." Kaeya felt like he had come back to life. He had almost been dried into salted fish under the sun.
Kaeya stretched. It was much more comfortable now.
"I wanted you all to experience it. After all, most of you basically haven't experienced a desert climate before," Koji said.
Aside from Sumeru, most people had never experienced the climate and environment of a desert region.
Besides, getting some sun for a while could also drive out dampness. It was very effective.
"Do you know this person? Is she a pirate?" Beidou walked over with a black-haired woman.
She was no ornamental vase. She had truly fought to the death against many magical beasts, and her perception of the surrounding environment had been honed to a very sharp degree.
"Nico Robin. Right now, she doesn't really count as a pirate," Koji said.
The survivor of Ohara was currently working with Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Her skin also wasn't as dark as it had been in the anime.
"Oh my. Now that you know my identity, are you going to hand me over to the Marines?" Nico Robin looked calm on the surface, but she was already preparing to counterattack.
She had only observed them for a short while before being discovered. She had not seen many people with such monstrous perception.
Although she knew she might not be able to escape, she would not simply sit there and wait for death.
"You're overthinking it. We aren't short on money. Your bounty isn't even one hundred million Beli, so we don't have any desire to exchange you for a reward," Koji said.
Nico Robin: "…"
Ever since she had become wanted, this was the first time she had been looked down on because her bounty was too low. That feeling of defeat made her heart complicated.
A criminal with a bounty close to one hundred million Beli was no minor pirate. They were someone the Marines took quite seriously.
"I'm really not worth much. I'm so sorry about that."
Nico Robin could roughly infer that these people had not come for her bounty.
Taking a closer look, all of them had excellent appearances, the kind rarely seen even in the pirate world.
"Then are you also after the Poneglyphs?" Nico Robin asked.
Anyone who wanted to obtain her either wanted her bounty or wanted the ability she had to read Poneglyphs.
"Aren't you overthinking this?" Beidou looked at Nico Robin strangely.
"You were clearly the one spying on me, so I acted and captured you. It's that simple."
"So that's what happened." Nico Robin sighed softly. It seemed she really had been too intrusive.
"Is Crocodile here right now?" Koji asked.
Nico Robin froze. He actually knew that she and Crocodile knew each other. What an astonishing intelligence network.
"He is. May I ask what business you have with him?"
In her view, Crocodile was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Generally, no one would go looking for trouble with him. Crocodile's strength was not weak either, and provoking him brought no benefit. It could even cost someone their life.
"We were passing through, so I wanted to ask him whether Crocodile used to be a woman."
Nico Robin: "Huh?"
It was hard to imagine someone like her showing such an incredulous expression. Had something gone wrong with her ears?
With Old Croc's image, how could he possibly have been a woman?
"There are some rumors that Crocodile was a woman in the past, but because he thought a woman's body was too weak, he found someone to turn him into a man."
"That really is some unofficial history."
Nico Robin found it absurd. It was so wild there was barely anything left of it.
"Um… are you sure you want to ask him that kind of question?"
With Crocodile's personality, if he heard that, he would absolutely fly into a rage. Anyone else would react the same way.
Although Nico Robin had a dark sense of humor, her heart was very kind.
Since these people were not enemies, she did not mind giving them a word of advice.
"Is he stronger than a Marine Admiral?" Furina asked with great interest.
"Well… no." Nico Robin choked for a moment.
Marine Admirals—she was rather familiar with Aokiji, and she had seen his overwhelming power. He could freeze everything with ease.
Although Crocodile was not weak, he definitely could not compare to a true Admiral.
"Is he stronger than one of the Four Emperors?"
"No."
Nico Robin was speechless. The examples you're bringing up are all people who could be called the world's top combat power.
Crocodile simply could not compare to them.
Besides, did you really have the strength of an Admiral?
"Lead the way, Nico Robin. You definitely know where Crocodile is."
"All right. But when the time comes, I won't help you," Nico Robin said.
She did not want to die, so the best option was to pretend she had been coerced. As long as she was still useful to Crocodile, he would not dispose of her.
"Nico Robin, I can tell that your relationship with that Crocodile probably isn't very good. Why are you cooperating with him?" Ningguang asked.
"Why, huh…"
Nico Robin's eyes became somewhat dazed. She thought of all the drifting and wandering she had gone through along the way.
She constantly sought protection, and when others could no longer protect her, they chose to betray her. Perhaps she really was a disaster star. Every organization that came into contact with her ended badly.
"In this world, the weak seek the protection of the strong. That is how they preserve their insignificant lives."
"Crocodile is very strong, so I wanted to rely on him to survive in the world."
The title of Warlord alone was enough to make many people keep their distance. That also made her much safer.
However, she had no sense of belonging here. Once her value was gone, what awaited her would probably be death.
"Do you know Nika?" Koji asked.
Nico Robin looked deeply at Koji and nodded. She knew some history related to Nika.
However, all of that was only legend. If she ever met him, she wondered what sort of people would be traveling with him.
According to rumor, he was a warrior of liberation who could bring laughter.
Could she obtain that kind of salvation?
(End of Chapter)
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