...
"Hey, Allen, are you sure you want to work with her? This is way too suspicious!"
"We have no way of knowing if she's telling the truth. What if this is just another one of Crocodile's schemes!"
Inside the captain's cabin, Allen and his top officers were gathered together, while Robin sat alone on the opposite side.
Nami spoke to Allen with intense agitation, her face written with worry.
The others were equally skeptical of Robin's claims, except for a certain lovestruck cook who possessed a unique intuition when it came to beautiful women.
Allen could understand their reservations. After all, their opponent was a Warlord of the Sea, and Robin, who was proposing this alliance, was currently still Crocodile's subordinate.
After Robin brought up the topic of an alliance, Allen had summoned his officers to the captain's cabin to discuss the matter.
Robin had also revealed a few details about Baroque Works secretly manipulating the war, giving everyone a slight understanding of Alabasta's current situation.
In the corner, Koza, who was tied up securely with a towel stuffed in his mouth, listened in a state of shock and bewilderment.
After hearing Robin's explanation, he fell into an endless spiral of doubt and self-blame, realizing he had been used all this time to incite a war.
Allen glanced at Koza and said to Nami,
"As for whether her words are true, that guy over there should be able to corroborate at least some of it."
"Indeed. If you use the truth to reverse-engineer a conspiracy, even the most perfect plan won't hold up to scrutiny."
Sanji stepped forward in agreement, unable to help but marvel at Crocodile's scheming.
Not to mention that the entire country was currently kept in the dark, even if the king knew the truth, he couldn't threaten Crocodile as long as he lacked evidence.
In the eyes of outsiders, this was an internal national rebellion. The Marines had no right to intervene, let alone arrest a Warlord of the Sea without proof.
"But I still have one question. What exactly could make a Warlord spend so much time and go so far as to overthrow a country just to obtain it?"
As Sanji finished speaking, Gin and the others turned their gazes toward Robin.
After a moment of thought, Robin answered truthfully,
"What he truly wants to seize is the Poneglyph, a stone inscribed with information in an ancient language. It has been guarded by the Alabasta royal family for generations. As for its contents, I don't know either."
To prevent Allen's crew from coveting the Ancient Weapon, she kept her mouth completely shut about any information regarding Pluton from start to finish.
Ultimately, her relationship with Allen was one of mutual exploitation, no different from her dynamic with Crocodile.
"It's about time I left. The Officer Agents will be here soon, so you all had better leave this place as quickly as possible."
Robin stood up from the sofa. Before leaving, she cast one last glance back at Allen, the corners of her lips curling up slightly.
"I will see you in the royal capital."
Allen and the others watched as she walked toward the door.
But right at that moment.
Bang!
The door to the captain's cabin was violently smashed open from the outside, and a pirate flew in, crashing onto the floor.
"Captain... en... enemies...!"
The injured crew member looked at Allen with a pained expression, forcing the words out of his throat with great difficulty.
Nami looked panicked. "What's going on? Could it be those Officer Agents already?"
"No, they shouldn't have arrived this quickly."
Robin furrowed her brows slightly, feeling doubtful.
"No matter who it is."
"They're an enemy, right?"
Sanji and Gin's eyes darkened simultaneously as they immediately rushed outside.
Stepping outside to take a look, they saw a black figure fighting the crew members below. He was tall, resembling a humanoid jackal, and wielded a longsword as he darted rapidly across the deck.
"A Zoan Devil Fruit user? Leave him to me."
Gin's gaze sharpened as he immediately leaped out, spinning his twin tonfas as he charged at the opponent.
At the same time, Sanji caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing through the air from the corner of his eye.
He jerked his head up, only to see a massive eagle diving down at him from high above, plummeting like a brown meteor.
"An eagle?"
Sanji's eyes widened in surprise, and he hastily raised his leg to deliver a counter-kick.
Bang!
The kick and the bird's talons clashed, sending out a fierce shockwave of wind.
Suffering from a lack of momentum, Sanji barely managed to resist before leaping backward, retreating into the captain's cabin.
Pell hurriedly took the opportunity to dash inside. His gaze swept rapidly across the room, quickly spotting the figure tied up and tossed in the corner.
"Koza! Are you alright?"
Koza was stunned at first, clearly not expecting the man to come looking for him, but he quickly snapped out of it and desperately tried to make a sound.
"Mmph...! Mmph...!"
"Please wait a moment! I will rescue you as soon as I take care of these pirates!"
"Mmph...!! Mmph...!!"
Koza's eyes bulged, and he shook his head even more vigorously, desperately trying to tell the man to run. The strength of these people was completely incomparable to ordinary pirates.
But Pell couldn't understand him at all, assuming Koza was angrily rejecting a rescue from the Royal Army.
"I know you have many misunderstandings about the King. Even so, the King still hasn't given up hope for peace. Even if there is only a sliver of a chance, he wants to strive for peace talks to prevent a war from breaking out."
Pell fixed his gaze on Allen and the others.
"For the future of this country, I will absolutely rescue you, Koza."
"Seis Fleur..."
Suddenly, six arms sprouted bizarrely from the falcon-man Pell's shoulders, lower back, and feet, tightly locking around his neck, arms, and other joints.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, Robin crossed her arms over her chest and clenched her fingers to activate her ability. The six arms on Pell's body forcefully twisted!
"Clutch!!"
Crack! Crack!
"—Gah!"
Accompanied by the crisp sound of popping joints, Pell's body was ruthlessly bent backward!
Thud.
Pell slowly collapsed to the ground. Aside from the pain on his face, he wore an expression of extreme disbelief as he stared fixedly at Robin.
Allen remained silent.
*An instant kill? At least let the guy finish his lines.*
This scene left Nami and the others completely shocked, and they all looked at Robin with grave expressions.
"Arms... what is going on?"
"Is she a Devil Fruit user...?"
"Yes, I ate the Flower-Flower Fruit. I can make any part of my body bloom like a flower. I went ahead and took care of this guy for you, no need to thank me."
Robin smiled softly. Three arms sprouted from her elbow joint like a blooming flower as she gestured to Nami. Then, she looked back at Pell.
"To think the kingdom's strongest warrior, Pell the Falcon, would come to rescue the leader of the rebel army. Your king truly is kindhearted."
"Unfortunately, kindness alone cannot save this country. If you want to solve a problem, both wisdom and strength are indispensable."
Under Pell's resentful glare, Robin spoke with a playful smile,
"It's a pity you are simply too weak. Without sufficiently powerful allies, your abilities alone are far from enough. Do you understand now?"
"Well then, I will be taking my leave."
Picking up her white cowboy hat and putting it on, Robin chuckled, waved her hand, and departed.
Sanji clasped his hands together, his eyes turning into hearts as he watched her leave.
"Understood, Miss All Sunday! Please be careful on your way!"
"Miss All Sunday... That's a Baroque Works codename...!"
Pell realized the implication, his shock giving way to anger in his eyes.
Sanji, biting down on his cigarette, walked over to him. He crouched down, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly as he said,
"Hey, birdman, haven't you figured it out yet? Your strength alone isn't enough to save this country. Don't let her good intentions go to waste."
"What do you mean by that...!"
Pell glared at him indignantly.
Sanji paid it no mind. He stood up and said calmly, "I mean exactly what I said. It seems you're not only lacking in strength, but you're also not very bright."
"Captain, the enemy has been dealt with."
At that moment, Gin walked back through the doorway with a gloomy expression. Blood trickled down his face, and in his hand, he dragged the unconscious and utterly battered Chaka the Jackal.
"Chaka...! Even you...!"
Pell's pupils trembled, his expression filled with disbelief.
...
A short while later, the Freewill slowly departed from the shore, sailing along the edge of the island toward the royal capital.
On the shore, dozens of bloodied rebel soldiers lay scattered about, their bodies covered in gruesome slash wounds.
A burly, bald man with a muscular, wheat-colored physique held up a pair of binoculars, reporting in a deep voice to a Transponder Snail,
"Boss, they have already set sail. Judging by their direction, they should be heading to Alubarna."
Power Stones, reviews, and comments— really helps a lot
Want to read ahead? Get access to 50+ extra chapters on my Patreon:
👉 patreon.com/Aragai_Sama