Chapter 221 - 79

Chapter 79"Luffy, this is bad! A lot of ships are closing in from the front and the sides!"Luffy looked in the direction Merry was pointing.On the horizon, dozens of black dots were faintly visible, rapidly growing larger and forming a massive encirclement net.Soon, the other companions also arrived on deck one after another.Vivi picked up the binoculars to observe carefully, and her expression immediately turned grim: "Those are Baroque Works ships; they have their insignia on them.It looks like a fleet led by the Billions. It seems they were lying in ambush in this sea area beforehand.""Looks like they're specifically here to block us," Zoro said coldly, his three swords already prepared."That's normal."Luffy said, "Since we're going to Alabasta, we're bound to pass through this sea. It's better that they came early.""Everyone, get ready for a big fight!"Chapter 106: Naval Battle, 1 vs How Many?Pirates are called pirates because most of their battles take place at sea.The reason the Marine holds the advantage in this great ocean is that they possess sturdy ships and powerful cannons.Never mind being a Devil Fruit User; before they even see a face, a volley of ten thousand cannons is fired, and the ship is destroyed and people killed before anyone is even spotted.The most obvious example of firepower coverage is the Buster Call.Dozens of ships belonging to these Baroque Worksagents approached in a fan-shaped encirclement, making the going merry look incredibly tiny.But the atmosphere on the ship was completely different; the Baroque Works agents had no idea what they were about to face.One couldn't blame them; who could have imagined that everyone on a single ship would be a monster?When they first received orders from the top boss, Miss All Sunday, many high-ranking agents thought they were in for a major operation. Who knew the target was just a single pirate ship? How many people could be on that ship?Wasn't this a bit of an overreaction?However, just as they were preparing to fire the cannons...Several figures flew down from the sky."What's the situation?""Are those cannonballs?""It's people!"For people to suddenly appear from such a distance—it was Zoro, Sanji, and the others being sent over.Only, the expressions on their faces weren't very good.How should one put it? Luffy had just said to get ready for a big fight."Zoro, Sanji. Are you ready for a big fight?""I've been waiting for this!""Just the right time to stretch my limbs and let these small fry witness the power of a Knight Kick!"They originally thought Luffy would discuss it with them, but who knew he would just go straight for a super launch.Having sent Zoro and Sanji over first, fires were already visibly breaking out on two of the ships.Luffy turned back and gave a reassuring smile to Vivi, who was nervously gripping the railing:"Don't worry, have faith in our strength.""I—I want to help too!" Chopper transformed into his Heavy Point form, trying to make himself look more intimidating.Usopp had already pushed out the cannon, and his goggles were beginning to aim.Luffy's gaze swept across and saw Nika trying to sneak into the cabin. His Rubber arm shot out and lengthened, grabbing her and hauling her back: "Hey, Nika, don't think about slacking off! You have to help too.""Hey, how can you force Ni— let go of me quickly, waaaaah..."Nika kicked her legs in protest, but Luffy ignored her completely. He grabbed Chopper with one hand and Nika with the other, then flew over.Meanwhile, Zoro and Sanji had already begun fighting on the ships."Three-Sword Style: Bull Demon Brave Claw!""Collier Strike!"Sword light flashed, leg shadows flew, and screams instantly rang out from the enemy ships.What was even more shocking were Chopper and Nika.Chopper went without saying; he dashed around in his seven forms as if coated in lubricant, and no one could catch him.On the other side, Nika was tossed onto a ship and Luffy left."What is this again? A pet?""Looks like a raccoon dog.""Are you kidding me? Kill it!"Nika was cursing Luffy in every way possible. Most of the power in her body had been absorbed by Luffy, leaving her with only a measly bit, and he seemed to know exactly how much.She didn't have much time; the Baroque Worksagents were already greeting her with various guns and cannons.Then, they watched as the small raccoon dog's White Flame Clouds suddenly expanded, and her figure grew rapidly larger under everyone's astonished gazes.Her size swelled until she was like a small giant, rampaging across the ship with a power that was absolutely not to be underestimated!"Is that Nika?"Nami's mouth hung open in surprise.She wondered if she had been a bit too smug when she was holding Nika in her arms and teasing her before.On the other side, Vivi's heart trembled as she watched Luffy sink a ship with a single punch.She understood the message Luffy was conveying.The Baroque Works and Crocodile she worried about were actually nothing to them.Before Vivi's eyes was this incredibly shocking scene.The Straw Hat Crew were wreaking havoc on the sea, and the Baroque Works fleet looked like toy ships in front of them.Luffy was using practical action to demonstrate his strength to her, telling her that they had enough power to oppose Crocodile.No one knew what kind of pressure Vivi was carrying on her shoulders.A war involving millions of people, Baroque Works, the Seven Warlords of the Sea Crocodile... a normal person would have long since broken under such pressure."We'll help you fight together," Nami said, walking to Vivi's side and gently patting her shoulder in comfort.Not far away, Robin sat by the ship's railing, watching the chaotic yet efficient battle scene with a hint of undetectable complexity and envy in her tone:"Yes. To have such a group of companions is truly a stroke of luck."Hearing this, Vivi turned her head and looked sharply at Robin.After spending some time together, although the initial hatred had not vanished, she did feel that Robin was not a simple villain serving Crocodile.She took a deep breath and questioned: "Robin, what exactly is your goal?I don't believe you're helping Crocodile subvert my country just for power or wealth.I can feel that you've helped me in secret.But no matter what your goal is, using my country and hurting my people is something I can never accept!"Robin was silent for a moment, her gaze casting toward the faintly visible coastline of Alabasta in the distance. After a pause, she said:"Your country possesses some things it shouldn't possess.To be innocent but bear a treasure is a crime; Alabasta being caught in certain whirlpools has been unavoidable for a long time.I am merely using Crocodile's plan to achieve my own goals.As for the help... perhaps it's just a tiny bit of compensation from me, or rather, having stayed in the dark for so long, I occasionally want to see what light looks like.""Things it shouldn't possess?"Vivi wanted to press further, but in that short time, the battle over there was already nearing its end.Luffy swept through several main warships like a whirlwind, accompanied by the sound of the Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol. The last few enemy ships putting up a desperate resistance were also silenced.The entire naval battle took less than five minutes.Then Luffy brought everyone back.The wreckage of ships and unconscious Baroque Works members floated on the sea as the going merry sailed through them unscathed, heading toward the coast of Alabasta....From a distance, it was a boundless red land, like a furnace, and the air became stifling.After landing, a wave of heat rushed toward them."So hot!"Luffy immediately clutched the Straw Hat on his head, feeling as if his Rubber body was about to melt from the sun.Looking up, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, only the scorching sun baking the earth.Having just come from the year-round snow of Drum Island and immediately stepping into Alabasta, a Summer Island with almost no rain all year, the temperature difference made everyone except Vivi extremely uncomfortable.Merry stayed behind to guard the ship at a hidden port.Chapter 107: Encounter, First Clash with Crocodile(Requesting Monthly Tickets)"There's a familiar scent here."Nika took the spot on Luffy's shoulder where Merryusually liked to stay, surveying this world of yellow sand.How should she put it? It was a scent she disliked.Just like the scent on Vivi.Seeing everyone drenched in sweat, Vivi explained apologetically: "Alabasta wasn't originally like this. It's because someone used dance powder to steal the country's rain, causing most areas to fall into years of drought..."dance powder is also known as the powder that calls for wind and rain.It achieves artificial rain by releasing a mist-like smoke.But dance powder actually works by plundering rain from other places; for example, if an upwind area uses dance powder, the neighboring country downwind will suffer a drought. Crocodile used this method to plunge the Alabasta Kingdom into turmoil."That guy is truly heinous.""But to some extent, he is indeed very clever," said Sanji, who had lit a cigarette:"Instigating a war on the scale of millions while he hides behind the scenes to reap the benefits.""And Crocodile should already know by now that we've landed in Alabasta."At this time, Nami fanned herself with her hand while tugging at Luffy's sleeve, whispering: "Luffy, have you noticed? Robin has become a bit taciturn since we came ashore."Luffy heard this, turned his head to look at Robin, who was quietly following at the back of the group, her deep gaze fixed on the distant city, and grinned:"No problem, Robin is a good person."This blunt 'good person card' made Nami roll her eyes.But under Luffy's increasingly sharp Observation Haki, Robin indeed held no malice toward them; Luffy could guarantee that.According to Vivi, the king of this country—Vivi's father, Cobra—only knew that someone was secretly manipulating the war but had no information about the person behind the scenes.Crocodile's prestige among the people made it impossible for even Cobra to link such things to Crocodile.Nami curiously asked the question in her heart: "Vivi, I still don't quite understand. How did a pirate like Crocodile become a hero in the eyes of the people?"At the mention of this, Vivi clenched her teeth, her face showing anger and helplessness:"He exploited pirate attack incidents. Every time pirates attacked a town, he would deliberately let the Royal Army fall into a bitter struggle, and then he would appear just in time like a savior, resolving all enemies with a wave of his hand.Sometimes, even if one of the kingdom's guardian deities, Pell, arrived at top speed, he wouldn't be able to resolve all the enemies before Crocodile.Over time, although the people were grateful to the hardworking Royal Army, they admired the Crocodile who solved problems with ease even more."Even worse, to promote the correctness and legitimacy of the Shichibukai system, the World Government instructed news agencies to heavily publicize Crocodile's heroic deeds, causing residents in other parts of Alabasta to also start blindly worshipping him.Vivi had felt something was wrong long ago and had reported it to Cobra, but...