Facing Ryūjin's proposal, Nico Robin fell silent.
To be honest, his words genuinely shook her.
Robin was a historian, someone obsessed with uncovering and restoring the true history of the world, a dream ordinary people could never understand. That dream was also the very meaning of her existence.
But she was still a wanted criminal hunted by the World Government. Relying on her own strength alone, achieving that goal was nearly impossible.
That was why she chose to cooperate with Crocodile despite fully understanding how dangerous he was.
She needed power she could borrow.
And now, Uchiha Ryūjin, the man who had effortlessly defeated Crocodile, was clearly a far better option.
"Nico Robin, I'm not forcing you. Take your time and think about it."
Seeing Robin lost in thought, Ryūjin did not press further. He simply turned around and walked toward Crocodile.
At that moment, inside the Four Red Yang Formation, Crocodile remained completely motionless.
He was not dead, only unconscious.
"Ding! Host has defeated one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile. Reward obtained: Sand Sand Fruit!"
The familiar notification echoed in Ryūjin's mind once again.
Inside the system storage space, a Sand Sand Fruit appeared instantly.
Ryūjin's mood improved immediately.
After all this time, the Sand Sand Fruit was finally his.
With a thought, the four wood clones dispersed simultaneously.
The Four Red Yang Formation vanished alongside them.
The floodwater washed Crocodile onto the ground, leaving him lying there in a miserable state.
Meanwhile, inside the Royal Palace of the Alabasta Kingdom...
"Vivi, are you serious? The mastermind behind everything is actually Crocodile?"
King Nefertari Cobra stared at Nefertari Vivi and Igaram with disbelief written all over his face.
He could hardly process what he had just heard.
Crocodile was supposed to be the hero who protected Alabasta.
"Your Majesty, it's true," Igaram said grimly. "Princess Vivi and I infiltrated Baroque Works for years before finally uncovering the truth."
Igaram held enormous prestige within the kingdom, and Cobra trusted him completely.
Since even Igaram confirmed it, Cobra no longer doubted the matter.
"I was too careless," Cobra said through gritted teeth. "I trusted him because he was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. I never imagined he intended to seize control of our country."
Anger filled his voice, but so did helplessness.
Crocodile was one of the strongest pirates on the sea.
Even if they exposed his plans, what exactly could they do against him?
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Pell asked seriously.
"Father, there's no need to worry," Vivi said confidently. "I've already invited someone powerful enough to deal with Crocodile."
Cobra's expression became even more serious.
"Vivi, this isn't something we can gamble on. Crocodile isn't an opponent ordinary people can handle."
"Father, don't worry. The person I invited can definitely defeat him."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Igaram added immediately. "Princess Vivi invited Demon Eye Ryūjin."
"Demon Eye Ryūjin?" Cobra's eyes widened slightly. "The same Ryūjin who defeated Dracule Mihawk?"
That name alone carried enough weight to shake the seas.
If someone like that truly intervened, perhaps there was still hope for Alabasta.
"Your Majesty!"
A soldier suddenly rushed into the room in panic.
"We just received news from Rainbase. A massive battle broke out there. Crocodile's casino palace has been completely destroyed!"
Everyone present froze.
Then realization hit them immediately.
Ryūjin had already made his move.
"Prepare immediately," Cobra ordered at once. "Pell, Chaka, bring the royal guards. We're heading to Rainbase now."
The group hurried toward Rainbase without delay.
Not long after, they arrived outside the destroyed ruins.
The moment they saw the scene before them, everyone stopped in shock.
Crocodile lay unconscious at the feet of a young man dressed in black.
Whether he was dead or alive no longer mattered.
The result was obvious.
Crocodile had lost.
Cobra, Igaram, Chaka, and Pell all stared in stunned silence.
How long had it even been?
From the moment they received the report until now, Crocodile had already been defeated.
"Vivi," Cobra asked quietly, "is that young man Demon Eye Ryūjin?"
"Yes, Father. That's Lord Ryūjin."
Even though they already knew his reputation, seeing how young he actually was still shocked them.
"Take us over there," Cobra said after regaining his composure.
Vivi nodded and led everyone toward Ryūjin.
"Lord Ryūjin," Vivi asked curiously, "did you kill Crocodile?"
"Killing him now would be a waste," Ryūjin replied casually. "I still have use for him."
As he spoke, the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eye spun slowly.
Kamui activated instantly.
A distorted spatial vortex appeared above Crocodile's body and swallowed him whole.
In the blink of an eye, Crocodile disappeared completely.
Cobra and the others watched in stunned silence.
Nobody dared interrupt him.
Only after Ryūjin finished did Vivi formally introduce Cobra and the others.
Cobra immediately greeted Ryūjin politely.
After all, this was a man who had consecutively defeated Mihawk and Crocodile.
Nobody in Alabasta dared show disrespect.
Following a brief conversation, Cobra warmly invited Ryūjin to attend a royal banquet in celebration of Crocodile's defeat.
Ryūjin accepted without hesitation.
After being stuck at sea for days, taking a break sounded pretty good.
More importantly, the Poneglyph hidden within Alabasta still interested him.
After discussing a few matters, Cobra tactfully excused himself and left Vivi behind to accompany Ryūjin.
Only then did Ryūjin return to Robin.
"So, have you decided?" he asked.
Robin looked at him for several seconds before finally speaking.
"I agree."
She had thought carefully about it.
Someone capable of defeating Crocodile so easily could have forced her into submission if he wanted.
But Ryūjin never tried to threaten her.
That alone made him different from Crocodile.
At the very least, he wasn't the type to rely purely on brute force.
"That's good," Ryūjin replied with a faint smile.
"Nico Robin?" Vivi suddenly exclaimed in surprise. "You're the Devil Child Nico Robin?"
Robin had become infamous across the world after receiving a bounty of seventy-nine million berries at only eight years old.
"Robin is my companion now," Ryūjin said casually.
Vivi immediately nodded.
"Then she's also a friend of Alabasta."
That night, the royal palace held a massive banquet in Ryūjin's honor.
The celebration lasted deep into the night.
Afterward, Ryūjin and Robin spent time touring the kingdom together.
As for Nami, Ryūjin casually handed her a bag filled with gold dust.
The greedy navigator nearly exploded with excitement and disappeared into the shopping district instantly.
Later, while walking through a quiet street, Ryūjin suddenly looked toward Robin.
"Nico Robin, you've been searching for the Poneglyph in Alabasta this whole time, right? I'll take you there."
Robin's eyes widened slightly.
"You already know where it is?"
Crocodile had spent years searching for it while mobilizing enormous manpower and resources.
Even after planning an entire rebellion, he still failed to locate it completely.
Yet Ryūjin already knew where it was.
"Of course."
Having watched One Piece in his previous life, Ryūjin naturally knew the Poneglyph was hidden beneath the royal tomb.
Combined with Observation Haki, locating it was effortless.
"I'll take you there now."
Ryūjin placed his hand on Robin's shoulder.
Kamui activated instantly.
Space twisted around them as both figures vanished.
The next moment, Robin's vision blurred before stabilizing again.
They had arrived inside a dim underground chamber.
"Instant teleportation..." Robin muttered in disbelief. "A space-time ability?"
Before she could think further, her gaze landed on the massive stone tablet standing nearby.
Her breathing stopped for a moment.
"Poneglyph..."
She walked toward it almost unconsciously.
The ancient text carved into the stone was something only she could understand.
Robin immediately immersed herself in reading it carefully.
Meanwhile, Ryūjin silently activated his Sharingan and copied every symbol engraved onto the stone.
Not because he planned to study it himself.
He simply preferred being prepared.
After several minutes, Robin finally finished reading.
"Done?" Ryūjin asked.
Robin nodded slowly.
She had secretly worried whether Ryūjin wanted information about Pluton.
But Ryūjin merely shrugged.
"Then let's go."
He did not ask a single question about the contents.
Robin stared at him in surprise.
Since there was nothing else worth staying for in Alabasta, Ryūjin soon prepared to leave.
Cobra personally arrived at the docks alongside Vivi to see them off.
They also prepared a large amount of supplies for the journey.
As the ship departed once again, there was now one additional passenger aboard.
The intelligent and mature Nico Robin.
Nami seemed especially happy about Robin joining them.
At least there was another woman on the ship now.
"Ryūjin, should we set sail?" Nami asked while checking the Log Pose.
Ryūjin thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"No rush. There's something else I want to handle first."
The instant he finished speaking, his Mangekyō Sharingan activated again.
A spatial vortex formed above the deck.
Crocodile's body fell out directly onto the ship.
Nami jumped in fright and immediately moved closer to Ryūjin.
Even unconscious, Crocodile still looked dangerous.
Crocodile slowly regained consciousness and looked around warily.
When he realized Ryūjin stood before him, his expression darkened immediately.
"Ryūjin... where are you taking me?"
His voice carried obvious caution.
Ryūjin posed a far greater threat to him than any other Warlord.
The pressure he felt from Ryūjin even reminded him of the terror he once experienced facing Edward Newgate.
Ryūjin smiled faintly.
"It's not about where I'm taking you."
"It's about where you're taking me."
Crocodile frowned.
Ryūjin continued casually:
"I quite like Baroque Works. So I've decided to take it over."
"From now on, I'm your boss."
"You'll work for me instead."
Ryūjin currently lacked manpower he could use freely.
And honestly, Baroque Works was already a perfectly organized force.
Rebuilding something similar from scratch sounded annoying as hell.
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