Noyer, who had been feeling smug and triumphant, saw Crocodile burst through the doorway and thought to himself:
This is bad. How did this guy get here so fast?
The guests saw that familiar face at the entrance and stopped grabbing money.
The manager, Little Fatty, opened his mouth wide, staring in disbelief at his two "bosses". He was completely bewildered…
Two nearly identical Crocodiles — but the manager quickly noticed something off. The boss who just arrived had a golden hook on his hand, while the more handsome one didn't!
Crocodile's anger turned to laughter, his wolf-like eyes fixed on Noyer, "What's the meaning of this?"
Noyer smiled lightly, "Just winning over some hearts and minds for you."
Win over your uncle!
If I keep this casino running for a few more years, I'll have taken over the whole country — why would I need you to win people over?!
Veins bulged on Crocodile's forehead. He couldn't contain his fury any longer and roared, "Die!"
Sand dust swirled up in the hall, forming a blade that left the casino interior in ruins.
Noyer, still wearing Crocodile's appearance, had a gleam flash through his eyes as he casually unleashed the same technique.
Two currents of sand collided. The magnificent Rain Dinners casino immediately suffered. Under the impact, a large section of the roof was blown off.
Exposed in the sunlight were two Crocodiles using identical abilities.
Crocodile stared suspiciously at the imposter, "Why can you use my ability? No, not just mine! There's also Mr. 2 and the Logia-type ability they reported before!"
He seemed to have discovered some great secret and was in disbelief.
"You can't possibly have this many Devil Fruit abilities. Is it the Copy-Copy Fruit?! How can such an ability exist?"
Noyer rolled his eyes — that name again.
Ace had mentioned it when speculating before too. Does such a Devil Fruit actually exist?
Crocodile had clearly convinced himself he'd discovered the truth. His expression turned serious, "Don't think having that ability means you can beat me. A fake will always be just a fake!"
The Suna Suna no Mi's ability activated again. This time the two ran outside to fight, with countless citizens watching the battle. They couldn't understand why there were two Crocodile-samas fighting each other.
In the desert, the home field advantage of the Suna Suna no Mi was infinitely amplified. Both fighters' exchanges seemed divinely assisted. Two sandstorms continuously clashed and contested. The massive sandstorm appeared terrifyingly ominous.
Before long, Noyer gradually fell into a disadvantage.
When it came purely to the Suna Suna no Mi, the talent he copied — 〔Devil's Dwelling · Suna-Suna〕 — was just an imperfect Devil Fruit. Unless he could kill the original owner and obtain the complete talent.
In terms of development and potential, Noyer couldn't compare to Crocodile, who had honed the ability for years.
But he hadn't copied just one Devil Fruit. Seeing the Suna Suna no Mi wasn't working, he switched abilities immediately. The battlefield filled with yellow sand suddenly erupted in flames!
Noyer used Amaterasu flames as armor and the Mera Mera no Mi ability as a spear. The scorching heat and destructive power instantly tore through the sand's encirclement.
Fire and sand clashed wildly, forcing even Crocodile back from the intense heat.
The ordinary flames were manageable, but the black fire burning on Noyer's body was different. The ferocity of those flames gave Crocodile the feeling that even a single touch would mean death.
Using the flames' propulsion, Noyer closed the distance.
As they entered close combat, Crocodile counterattacked hastily, his hand transforming into flowing sand as he struck out, shouting:
◆ Suna Suna no Mi ⥤ Desert Spada ◆
Noyer, cloaked in flames, switched abilities again.
The Kuma Kuma no Mi, Model: Brown Bear — which he hadn't used in a while — activated. Thick bear paws extended, covered in black Armament Haki.
The Haki-coated bear paws burning with black fire easily shredded through Desert Spada's defense and swatted toward Crocodile's head.
Armament Haki?!
Crocodile's mind shook. He hastily turned his body into elements, dispersing to evade the attack.
Mimicry, flames, bear, unknown black fire, plus his own sand — he was amazed to discover this kid had so many abilities!
"What a terrifying Devil Fruit." Crocodile reformed his body.
Even consumed by anger, he couldn't help but admire it.
"But!" His expression turned confident, "This is the desert — my territory."
Sand that blotted out the sky surged from the desert, forming a dark mass above all of Rainbase.
Noyer stared at the display, dumbfounded. Isn't this fruit ability development a bit excessive?
For Luffy to defeat this guy — that's seriously god-tier!
With a wave of Crocodile's hand, the apocalyptic yellow sand converged from all directions into a single point and rushed toward Noyer.
Noyer didn't dare take it head-on. He quickly turned to elements to evade. Under the massive impact, smoke and sand dust flew together, burying and collapsing many buildings in Rainbase.
Soon, sand at a nearby location began to flow, and Noyer's form coalesced once more.
Noyer looked at the grim-faced Crocodile and taunted, "Relying solely on the Suna Suna no Mi won't work — I have the same ability as you!"
Crocodile gritted his teeth in frustration.
He wasn't skilled in Haki. Like Smoker, he followed the orthodox fruit development route. When facing an enemy with the same ability but stronger Haki, his means of striking back were reduced by nearly half.
Crocodile adjusted his state and was about to charge again, but Noyer was too lazy to keep fighting. He had already accomplished all his objectives.
Giving Old Croc a beating — successfully completed.
In Arabasta, he'd obtained the two Devil Fruit abilities he wanted most. In a bit, he'd swipe a few bags of money, and this trip would basically be mission accomplished!
The final small objective was to lure Robin onto the ship.
Taking advantage of his opponent's inattention, he turned and rushed back into the casino. Crocodile was faked out and was still puzzled when Noyer flew back out, transformed into swirling sand.
Seeing what he had swept up with the sand, Crocodile's eyes widened in fury, "No!!"
Noyer shot up into the sky. The sand dust his body had transformed into suddenly exploded outward in all directions.
Countless glittering gold and silver treasures — large-denomination Belly — rained down from the sky.
Bathed in the money rain, his excited booming voice instantly spread throughout all of Rainbase.
"Crocodile is handing out money to everyone!!"
After the massive sandstorm passed, the people of Rainbase painfully opened their eyes. What appeared before them were Belly falling from the sky like raindrops.
Combined with Noyer's shout, the entire population went wild.
"Crocodile is giving out money to everyone!"
"Don't push! Don't shove me!"
"Money! Give me the money!"
"Bastard! Put down those Belly!"
Crocodile's heart felt like it was bleeding.
Rain Dinners was a powerful money-making machine in his hands. This single casino earned as much as all of Baroque Works combined.
Noyer stood behind the chaotic crowd, shouldered two bags of Belly, and smiled, "Well then, I'll be taking my leave, Warlord of the Sea~"
The triumphant young man rolled up the money, his body transforming into sand and merging into the ground.
Even Crocodile couldn't tell where he'd hidden himself.
He was like an enraged lion, his overwhelming fury erupting as he roared, "Noyer!!"
Even though Crocodile had become the country's "hero", this honor wasn't enough to make people return the money they'd grabbed.
What's more, Noyer had been using Crocodile's own name while throwing money around!
When the farce subsided, Crocodile returned to his office, physically and mentally exhausted. Looking at the devastated casino and empty vault, his heart was filled with nothing but rage and hatred.
He forced himself to calm down and reconsider Noyer's objectives.
Noyer was someone he'd targeted — that was correct. But that guy's understanding of him far exceeded Crocodile's imagination.
The coup and Pluton — he seemed to have known about these schemes from the beginning. But if he knew this important intelligence, why come to Rain Dinners to waste time?
Was it to divert his attention?
But that would mean he already had better intelligence than Crocodile — like the burial location of the Pluton Poneglyph!
But what use would that be?
Unless… he had an accomplice who could examine the Poneglyph while Noyer distracted him.
Crocodile had a flash of inspiration, and that woman's image surfaced in his mind.
Nico Robin? The one he'd sent away?
If Noyer could hear Crocodile's deductions, he'd definitely be munching on sunflower seeds and cheering "Bravo".
His reason for causing such a scene at Rain Dinners was simple — rob some money.
However, Crocodile had unexpectedly deduced the real reason through speculation. This was something Noyer hadn't anticipated.
Crocodile paced around the room. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He picked up his private Den Den Mushi and called Robin.
Puru Puru Puru…
No one answered. Crocodile felt certain he'd guessed correctly.
Robin and that Noyer had been in cahoots from the start!
He rallied himself and rushed toward Alubarna — he wouldn't be wrong this time!
Just as Crocodile flew away on the sandstorm, in an alley in Rainbase, Noyer slowly revealed himself and muttered in confusion:
"Damn it… why is he heading to the royal capital? I wonder if Robin's finished."
He shouldered the Belly and turned to walk out of the alley. After a few steps, he hesitated.
"Forget it, I'll follow and take a look…"
◇◆◈◆◇
The royal capital of Arabasta — Alubarna.
The royal palace's forbidden grounds, usually heavily guarded, had been infiltrated by an uninvited guest.
At the Tomb of the Kings west of the palace, more than a dozen skilled soldiers lay fallen at the entrance. Arms had suddenly sprouted from the guards' shoulders and backs, locking down their throats in just a few moves.
Click!
With several crisp sounds of snapping bones, the guards collapsed unconscious without a sound.
Robin retracted her ability and quietly pushed open the door, slipping into the mausoleum.
The underground Poneglyph chamber… She pondered silently.
She searched for quite a while before finally discovering the underground mechanism.
Gently activating it, a muffled sound echoed as the heavy door — seamlessly fitted to the ground — slowly lifted. There really was an underground palace.
Finding the entrance, Robin felt a surge of joy. Her confidence in locating the Poneglyph grew even stronger.
It didn't disappoint her. After passing through a long, narrow passage, the view opened up once again. In the underground hall, that blue stone she had been dreaming about day and night stood prominently before her!
A Poneglyph!
Robin gently caressed the cool stone. The inscribed characters transmitted through her touch to her brain, filling her with an indescribable sense of solidity and excitement.
Her beautiful eyes swept across the stele character by character. The obscure ancient glyphs appeared to her as ordinary writing.
After she finished reading all the records, Robin finally let out a long breath. As she and Crocodile had speculated, this stele didn't contain much historical record.
It recorded the location of one of the three Ancient Weapons — Pluton, the World's Worst Battleship.
But this didn't arouse even a trace of greed in Robin. Instead, she felt disappointed.
Her dream was actually very simple — she didn't seek to gain anything from the Poneglyphs. Pluton, Ancient Weapons — she had no desire to obtain them.
She only wanted to know the complete history, nothing more. But her dream had too many enemies in this world.
Robin possessed a photographic memory. After memorizing the Pluton information on the stele, she finally emerged from the tomb.
Although she hadn't found clues about the Void Century, witnessing a different piece of history satisfied her greatly.
Using the surveillance function of the Hana Hana no Mi, Robin slipped out of the heavily guarded palace with little effort.
The sky had darkened. She walked on the soft sand, her mood both relaxed and worried. Relaxed because she'd finally learned about the Poneglyph hidden in Arabasta.
Worried because the last Poneglyph lead she knew of had now been confirmed. What came after?
These things weren't exactly cabbages — you couldn't just find them whenever you wanted.
As Robin pondered this, Noyer's image appeared in her mind again.
Should she accept his invitation and search with him? It wouldn't be such a bad thing…
At worst, just like before — if it became disadvantageous, she'd betray him and flee. After all, she was still the "Demon Child".
Thinking of this, Robin smiled self-mockingly. Behind that smile was endless bitterness.
"Nico Robin, where do you think you're going?"
A low voice rang out. Robin's eyes trembled, and the terror in her heart immediately awakened.
"Crocodile…"
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want more chapters of this novel or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)