The contents of the Poneglyph were divided into two parts.
The first part detailed the history of the Alabasta Kingdom and the origins of the royal Nefertari family.
The second part, however, concerned...
Pluton, one of the Ancient Weapons, and the location where it was buried.
However, after reading through the entire tablet, Robin discovered a massive discrepancy between the records and what Sean had previously mentioned.
The location of Pluton!
Sean had previously stated that Pluton was likely hidden underground near Yuba.
But according to the records on the tablet, while Pluton had indeed been buried in Yuba, Alabasta, it had been moved long ago.
Its new location...
Wano Country!
Furthermore, the tablet noted that even if one found Pluton, an ordinary person would be unable to use it.
Starting Pluton required a key.
And not just any key—a very specific one.
The key had to be a female of the direct Nefertari bloodline!
Without this key, Pluton would be nothing more than a useless hunk of scrap metal, regardless of who possessed it.
'Should I tell Sean, or should I keep this to myself?'
Robin sighed softly, unable to make up her mind.
'''
"Rear Admiral, based on the roster and location intelligence you provided, all remnants of Baroque Works have been captured."
It took only a single day.
Lucci, Kaku, Jabra, Kalifa, Kumadori, and Fukuro—the six of them each led a small squad and operated in separate directions.
Their efficiency was staggering.
While it couldn't be said that every single member of Baroque Works had been caught, there were certainly none left within the borders of Alabasta.
"How many in total?"
"Seventeen Senior Agents and one hundred and seventeen Billions."
"Hmm. Ignore those who aren't in Alabasta for now. Gather all troops and return to the warships. We leave in one day."
"Yes, Rear Admiral!"
As for the remaining thousand-plus Millions within Alabasta, leaving them to the royal army was more than enough; there was no need for Lucci and the others to waste their time on such menial work.
'Robin should be finished with the Poneglyph by now, right?'
Just as he was thinking this, Cobra and Robin emerged from the entrance of the royal tombs.
"Rear Admiral Sean, I have fulfilled my end of the bargain. Regarding the promises you made earlier..."
"Rest assured, I am a man of my word."
"Very well. I shall return to the palace now. A banquet has been prepared for tonight; please, come and attend."
"I'll be there!"
Sean nodded.
Even if Cobra hadn't mentioned it, he would have gone back to the palace anyway. After all, there was still one matter left to settle.
"So, how was it? How do you feel after reading the tablet?" Sean asked Robin once Cobra had departed.
"I..."
"Alright, I can tell by the look on your face. The records say Pluton isn't in Alabasta, right?"
"You knew?" Robin's eyes widened. "But didn't you say before that it was in Alabasta?"
"I did. I just knew that it was either in Alabasta or Wano Country. As for which one specifically... well, seeing how you're hesitating now, I assume it's not in Yuba, correct?"
Sean wasn't lying.
In his past life, the One Piece manga hadn't even finished when he first followed the story. Early on, everyone believed Pluton was in Yuba, but it was later revealed to be in Wano.
Thus, Sean himself hadn't been entirely certain. Although, based on subsequent plot developments, the likelihood of it being in Wano was much higher.
Most importantly, Sean didn't feel a desperate need to obtain Pluton. To him, it was a "nice to have," not a "must have."
Hearing this, Robin found it quite interesting.
'Was I played?'
However, even if she had been unwittingly lured into this conversation, Sean still didn't know about the key to Pluton, did he?
At that thought, a smug smile played across Robin's lips beneath her mask.
For some reason, seeing that Sean wasn't omniscient gave her an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
"By the way, I'm attending Cobra's banquet tonight. As my adjutant, you'll come along."
"Understood."
"Good. Once we convince Vivi to join the Marine, we leave for Jaya Island tomorrow!"
"Wait... you mean Princess Vivi Nefertari of Alabasta?" Robin froze.
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"No, it's just... she is the princess of Alabasta. Why would she join the Marine? Besides, Cobra wouldn't agree to that, would he?"
"Her position is unique, and Alabasta cannot protect her!"
With that, Sean turned and walked away.
Robin's eyes widened even further.
'This guy... does he even know that Vivi is the key to Pluton?' she wondered.
What she didn't know was that she was overthinking it. Sean had no idea that Vivi was the key.
He simply knew that in the original story, Imu wanted Vivi eliminated.
That single fact was enough to prove Vivi's special status and her critical role in the future. It was enough for Sean to value her and want to bring her under his control ahead of time.
Even if he didn't yet understand the full significance of Vivi's existence.
'''
That evening, Sean brought Robin to the royal palace.
Led by the guards, they entered a room that was ancient yet radiated a sense of solemnity.
Though called a banquet, there was actually only one table and four chairs in the room.
It must be said that while Alabasta was poor, Sean found the meal quite delightful. The world of pirates offered so many animals, fruits, and vegetables that didn't exist in his previous life, not to mention the unique specialties of Alabasta.
Every dish brought a fresh taste and texture he had never experienced before.
After the meal, once the table was cleared and the servants had retreated...
"Princess Vivi, while I was investigating Crocodile, I heard a rumor that you began a secret investigation long ago, and even planned to go undercover within Baroque Works yourself. Is that true?"
"What?! Vivi, you did something like that?"
Before Vivi could answer, Cobra exploded in anger.
Vivi shot Sean a resentful look.
She had hidden it so well that her father had no idea. Now that everything was resolved perfectly, wouldn't it have been better to just let the past stay in the past and have everyone be happy?
Why did he have to bring it up?
Vivi suddenly felt that Sean was a wicked man—he had absolutely done this on purpose!
"Oh, Father, I just wanted to do my part for the kingdom. And besides, I'm fine, aren't I?"
"Thank goodness you're safe! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? One wrong move and you could have lost your life!"
"Oh, stop it! We have a guest right here!"
Fourteen-year-old Vivi immediately deployed her secret weapon: acting cute.
Seeing his daughter play the charm card, Cobra's heart instantly softened. Vivi had long since mastered the art of manipulating her father.
"Rear Admiral Sean, I apologize for letting you witness such a scene," Cobra said, glancing toward Sean after Vivi let out a small sigh.
"Not at all. I actually think Princess Vivi is quite remarkable. To be so brave before even turning fifteen... most people wouldn't have the courage to do what she did."
"You flatter her, Rear Admiral Sean," Cobra replied modestly, waving his hand. "I've heard that you became the youngest Commodore in Marine history at fifteen, and the youngest Rear Admiral at sixteen. Even Crocodile was no match for you. Compared to you, Vivi still has a long way to go."
Despite his humble words, Cobra's expression gave him away; he was clearly beaming with pride after hearing Sean praise his daughter.
"King Cobra, I've just had a very interesting idea."
"An idea? What is it?"
"Alabasta has a massive army—perhaps the largest of any kingdom—but..." Sean paused, intentionally leaving a cliffhanger.
Cobra's interest was piqued. When it came to the military of Alabasta, he was always attentive. Since Sean had used a "but," there had to be a flaw he had spotted.
"But Alabasta lacks truly powerful individuals. To put it bluntly, if I wished it, I could neutralize all five hundred thousand of your royal soldiers in a very short amount of time, even if they all charged me at once."
"Ah... that..."
Cobra couldn't deny this. In this world, strength was everything. Once a person's power reached a certain threshold, armies composed of ordinary men became meaningless, regardless of their numbers.
The most vivid example was Whitebeard. If that man fought in earnest, he could literally wipe an island off the map with a single strike. What could ordinary soldiers possibly do against that?
"Rear Admiral Sean is correct," Cobra admitted. "I wonder if there is a way to solve this?"
"There is, of course. I've been wanting to take on a disciple, and Princess Vivi's courage and latent talent satisfy me completely. I wonder if..."
"What? You want to take Vivi as your student?"
"Indeed. If King Cobra agrees, I can guarantee that within three years, Vivi will reach the strength of an elite Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters."
'Good grief,' Cobra thought. 'I thought you were kindly pointing out the flaws in my kingdom's military. After all that buildup, you're actually trying to steal my precious daughter! This is too much! This is absolutely too much!'
"Sea—"
"Brother Sean, do I really have that kind of talent?"
Cobra had just opened his mouth to decline when Vivi beat him to the punch. He looked at his daughter and saw the stars sparkling in her eyes; she looked utterly expectant.
Cobra felt a massive headache coming on.
"Of course. I have a very keen eye for talent," Sean replied with a smile, completely ignoring Cobra's increasingly sour expression. "So, are you willing to become my apprentice?"
"I am!"
"Excellent. From this moment forward, Vivi, you shall—"
"Wait a minute! I object!"
Sidelined and ignored, Cobra could no longer contain himself. If he stayed silent any longer, his precious daughter was going to be lured away. As a devoted doting father, how could he possibly tolerate this?
He couldn't!
Cobra snapped upright and shouted at the top of his lungs.