Meanwhile.
Inside the royal palace, Allen's group finally burst into the grand hall and laid eyes on the King of Alabasta, Nefertari Cobra.
"Pell?"
"Y-Your Majesty..."
Looking at Cobra, who had just walked out from inside, Pell hesitated, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself for the possibility of an imposter, seeing the king in person still made it hard for Pell to believe.
Whether it was his appearance or his voice, the man was completely identical to the image in Pell's mind. There were absolutely no flaws to be seen.
Before Cobra could speak again, Sanji stepped forward. Pinching a cigarette between two fingers, he said in a deep voice, "No need to put on an act here. The real king was probably kidnapped a long time ago. We already know who you are, Mr. 2!"
"You...!"
The sudden title made Mr. 2's expression change. He hadn't expected to be exposed the moment he appeared. He hadn't shown a single flaw!
"To think I was actually found out. Truly impressive."
Mr. 2 suddenly laughed playfully. Dropping the act entirely, he wiped a hand across his face.
Under the group's astonished gazes, that resolute face instantly transformed into a heavily made-up okama visage.
"That's right! I am the user of the Clone-Clone Fruit, code name Mr. 2, the Okama—Bentham!"
Throwing off his robe to reveal a pink swan ballet outfit, Mr. 2 raised a leg and struck an Okama Kenpo stance, looking at Sanji with interest.
"I'm very curious as to how you saw through it. The Clone-Clone Fruit's power should be flawless."
"Saw through it? Don't misunderstand. Never mind how well you imitated him, we haven't even met the king before."
Sanji spoke dismissively. He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, the corner of his mouth curling up smugly. "I was just bluffing."
Mr. 2 rolled his eyes and glared fiercely, roaring in anger, "So you didn't see through it at all, you bastard!!"
"Damn it...! To think I, the great Mr. 2, was tricked!"
Mr. 2 gritted his teeth in fury. "But it doesn't matter anymore. Killing you all right here works just the same."
"Wait! Where did you take the king?!" Pell shouted at him urgently.
Faced with his question, Mr. 2 merely gave a playful smile and charged forward, his toes tapping rapidly against the ground.
"Are you an idiot? Why would I tell you where Zero took him!"
"Take my Okama Kenpo: Gorgeous Swan Dance!"
Mr. 2 raised his hands above his head to form a heart shape, gave a loud shout, and leaped high into the air. However, the attack came from below, channeling all his power into his toes for a fierce kick!
Sanji bit down on his cigarette, leaped forward, and met the attack with a sweeping whip kick!
"Mouton Shoot!!"
*Bang!!*
The explosive kicks clashed heavily against each other. Their eyes met across the space between them, burning with fighting spirit.
"Allen! Go find Crocodile, leave this place to me!"
As the two separated and landed back on the ground, Sanji shouted loudly, pushing off the floor to charge back into a fierce melee with Mr. 2.
Allen and the others didn't linger, immediately running outside.
Once outdoors, Pell instantly transformed into a falcon, carrying them into the air and flying straight toward the western side of the royal palace.
"I once accompanied His Majesty to the Tomb of the Kings. Although I'm not sure if that's the Poneglyph Crocodile is looking for, the item guarded by the royal family for generations should be the stone placed in the Tomb of the Kings," Pell said gravely, his eyes anxiously fixed on the western hall.
Landing in an open clearing, Pell reverted from his transformed state and led Allen and the others behind a statue.
On the ground lay a dark, deep hidden passage. The stone slabs originally used to conceal the entrance had been casually tossed aside.
"They really are here! Judging by the marks on the edges, these were moved recently. Let's hurry."
Saying this, Pell eagerly rushed inside.
"After running around in circles for so long, it really wasn't easy to find you."
The corner of Allen's mouth curled up slightly. His right hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of Kashu, his eyes revealing a hint of anticipation.
Compared to his excitement, Nami couldn't help but look worried.
During the previous battle with Drake, he had nearly lost an arm. Now, facing one of the legendary Warlords of the Sea, the battle would undoubtedly be even more perilous.
"Let's go."
With an eager gaze, Allen followed Pell into the passage.
...
Inside the dimly lit underground tomb, three figures walked along a wide stone corridor.
On both sides stood stone pillars carved with mysterious patterns and ancient animal statues.
The underground tomb was dead silent, making the echoing footsteps sound exceptionally clear. Crocodile and Nico Robin walked in front.
Cobra stumbled along behind them, looking at their backs with a complex expression.
He never expected that the mastermind secretly manipulating the country was actually Crocodile, the man revered by the citizens as a hero. Nor did he expect that the man's goal was the Poneglyph guarded by the Alabasta royal family for generations.
What he expected even less was that there was still someone in the world capable of deciphering the ancient text!
"Nico Robin... the sole survivor of the Ohara incident. To think that after vanishing for so many years, you were hiding within Baroque Works."
Cobra stared exhaustedly at the two and asked in a deep voice, "The Poneglyph. How did you know Alabasta had such a thing?"
"There are too many secrets hidden in the darkness of this world. The Poneglyph is merely the tip of the iceberg beneath the surface."
Crocodile sneered in a low voice. He glanced back at Cobra indifferently and mocked, "The Poneglyph here should also contain information about the Ancient Weapon, Pluton, right?"
"I cannot read the text inscribed on it, much less know anything about the things you speak of," Cobra replied calmly, his expression showing no change whatsoever.
Crocodile silently withdrew his gaze and sneered, "It doesn't matter if you don't know. Nico Robin will naturally know once she reads it."
The underground tomb fell silent once more as the three continued forward.
A complex emotion subtly flashed through Robin's calm eyes, her thoughts unknown.
Suddenly, a commotion echoed from the long-silent path behind them.
"Your Majesty!"
Hearing the voice, the three turned around in unison. From the deep darkness, the sound of hurried footsteps faintly approached.
"Hmm? Was Mr. 2 discovered by the royal guards?"
Crocodile's confusion was tinged with a hint of disdain.
Robin silently gazed into the darkness.
Only Cobra recognized the owner of the voice, his expression freezing for a moment.
Sure enough, within two seconds, several figures gradually emerged from the darkness. The person leading them was none other than Pell!
"Pell!"
"Your Majesty! I've come to save you, Your Majesty!"
The moment he saw Crocodile, Pell's eyes flared with anger. Sprouting wings from his back, he placed his right claw on the sword at his waist, ready to draw his blade and fly forward.
"Crocodile!!"
"The Royal Guard's Pell the Falcon, huh? Heh, a reckless fool."
Crocodile sneered disdainfully, condensing a mass of yellow sand in his upturned palm.
But right at that moment.
"Don't get in my way, idiot!"
*Bang!*
Under Crocodile's astonished gaze, a figure leaped out from behind Pell, grabbed the head of the newly airborne falcon, and slammed him straight into the ground.
Allen grinned fiercely, his eyes burning with fanaticism. Stepping on the falcon's back, he pushed off with all his might and shot forward!
"Crocodile!"
"You...!"
Seeing Allen's figure, Crocodile reacted. Gritting his teeth, his face instantly darkened.
"What's going on? Did Mr. 1 and the others fail?"
"I'm standing right here, what do you think happened to them?!" Allen said with a savage grin. In the blink of an eye, he had arrived right in front of Crocodile, drawing back his arm and clenching his fist.
However, Crocodile was a step faster. His eyes darkened as he swung his hand, viciously hurling the mass of flying sand from his palm!
"Barchan!!"
The flying sand condensed into a massive, curved blade, sweeping out like a yellow crescent moon!
This move wouldn't cause slashing damage, but it could absorb the moisture from any object it touched. Once a person was passed through by it, they would rapidly dry up into a mummy.
Allen's gaze narrowed. He threw his charged heavy punch, directly blasting a hole right through the curved sand blade!
*Bang!!*
A massive amount of fine sand splashed in all directions. Through that hole, he could clearly see the astonished expression on Crocodile's face.
Allen's eyes glinted fiercely. He threw another punch straight through the hole in the center of the sand blade, landing a solid blow squarely on Crocodile's chest!
*Bang!!*
"*Gah—!*"
Crocodile agonizingly spat out a large mouthful of blood. His eyes bulged red, filled with disbelief and fury.
Under the terrifying explosive force, his entire body flew backward at extreme speed, crashing heavily into a thick stone pillar!
*Boom!!*
Accompanied by a dull crashing sound, cracks spread all over the stone pillar before it completely collapsed, burying Crocodile under countless falling rocks.
Seeing this scene, Robin parted her lips in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.
*He clearly didn't use Seastone or water, so how was he able to hit Crocodile?!*
Allen, however, furrowed his brows. He clenched his right fist and glanced at it; his entire forearm had actually shriveled up slightly.
Facing Crocodile, a Logia user, he had naturally used Armament Haki right from the start.
Since leaving the resort island, his recent practice had allowed him to retract and release it at will, so there was no mistake on his part.
But... his arm had still been drained of some of its moisture...
*Although Haki can resist Devil Fruit powers to a certain extent, it isn't a complete immunity. The key still depends on the relative strength of the Haki and the Devil Fruit ability.*
*Crocodile has probably developed the Sand-Sand Fruit to a very profound level. Expecting to be completely unaffected by the dehydration effect during battle is unrealistic,* Allen thought solemnly as he clenched his fist.
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