The changes in the New World didn’t have much of an impact on the first half of the Grand Line. At least, Nico Robin’s life remained mostly disconnected from the upheaval of the New World.
Robin’s teaching career in Alabasta was going smoothly. At the same time, she had confirmed that the royal family of Alabasta harbored a significant secret—one that couldn’t be uncovered through conventional means.
Meanwhile, Crocodile’s plans were quietly unfolding. After Roger’s death, he had ventured into the New World, but he suffered significant losses there. Ultimately, he became one of the earliest individuals to accept the position of a Shichibukai.
Among the Shichibukai, Crocodile was considered one of the most intelligent. Through various channels, he became convinced that Alabasta held a great secret related to the ancient weapons, which led him to settle here.
Initially, he used his status as a Shichibukai to hunt down pirates, repeatedly appearing in newspapers to become a national hero. This allowed him to achieve his first goal—building a reputation. In the eyes of Alabasta’s common people, he had already accumulated considerable prestige.
During this period, he kept recruiting people and established Baroque Works. However, these subordinates were nothing more than tools to him. As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, Crocodile was nearly invincible in the first half of the Grand Line, and for someone like him who had ventured into the New World, these people were too weak in comparison.
Crocodile’s plan was to stir conflict, incite the populace to overthrow the Alabasta royal family’s rule, and use this opportunity to obtain the things he needed.
In the desert kingdom, water was the most precious resource. There existed a special powder in this world called Dance Powder, banned by the World Government. Its invention was originally intended to help drought-stricken nations summon rain. Only those who had experienced drought could truly understand the value of water. The name “Dance Powder” came from the joy people felt when dancing in the rain.
However, Dance Powder has a severe side-effect: it didn’t create water out of thin air but instead extracted moisture from the air. Rainfall in one area leads to drought in others.
By leveraging Dance Powder, Crocodile’s plans for Alabasta began to take shape.
Over the course of a few months, public discontent gradually emerged.
Meanwhile, before Vivi and Igaram approached Nico Robin for a discussion, Crocodile had already extended an invitation to Robin.
He needed someone familiar with the royal family’s internal affairs and possessing certain abilities. As an outsider, Nico Robin fit the bill perfectly.
Shortly after Robin was selected as a court tutor, Crocodile noticed something unusual about her identity.
She was no longer the orphan of Ohara, nor the Devil Child wanted by the World Government. Yet, she had gained a certain reputation in the Underworld. Even in far away Paradise, Crocodile had heard of her name.
In his view, a woman like her coming to Alabasta could not be for the salary of a court tutor; she must have some other unknown reason.
After conducting an investigation, he discovered that Nico Robin had a keen interest in the ruins within the Alabasta Kingdom and had collected a significant amount of textual information. This further strengthened his belief in his judgment.
What he didn’t know, however, was that his men were only able to find traces of Robin because she deliberately allowed them to.
Robin wasn’t alone—she has an Inteleon by her side. While Lizzi can’t compare to Elizabeth, at least it hasn’t learned dual-colored Haki, and it can’t fire a Snipe Shot that has devastating effects. However, it’s still more than enough to deal with the bunch of trash from Baroque Works.
It’s the final evolution of a Starter Pokémon, after all. If you want to take a hit from it head-on, you’ll need to train until you’re almost as good as a Super Rookie.
Even in the desert, their tracking and stealth skills are inferior to Inteleon. This was an innate racial advantage. Without professional training, they can’t deal with a special Pokémon that comes equipped with its own spy gear and can also turn invisible.
As a court tutor, Nico Robin had the privilege of staying overnight in the royal palace. Not long ago, during a sandstorm night, Crocodile silently infiltrated Robin’s bedroom in his elemental form, and found her wearing peculiar pajamas.
“Your taste is rather strange.”
A white tight-fitting suit. Crocodile didn’t recognize the style of clothing, nor did he realize it was a combat suit replicated by Queen. It offered exceptional defense.
“It’s certainly better than a man sneaking into a woman’s room in the middle of the night, wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Crocodile?”
He was a well-known figure in Alabasta, both as a national hero and a Shichibukai. It would’ve been strange if Nico Robin didn’t recognize him.
His gaze shifted to a notebook on the table. It contained strange symbols and translations. Seeing this, Crocodile’s lips curled into a smile.
His suspicions were confirmed—Nico Robin, who studied ancient ruins, clearly had a unique expertise in ancient texts.
“Nico Robin, your resume shows that you are a smart person. I don’t want to waste words with you. I need your skills to do something for me.”
Regardless of whether it is her expertise in ancient texts or maneuvering within the royal circle, Robin’s skills seemed quite useful.
“Why should I?”
“If you work for me, you can gain access to even more documents; if you don’t, you will only wither away here just like this flower.”
Crocodile’s right hand touched the flower on the table, and within just a few breaths, the flowers in the vase withered and shriveled, turning into a pile of debris.
But for some reason, at that moment, he felt a sense of danger. Yet, he couldn’t pinpoint its source. Until a rude awakening occurs, there were some things he was destined never to find.
Even as a loser of the New World, Crocodile harbored a blind confidence in himself. Although Robin’s background suggested she had betrayed numerous organizations, he believed he could control this woman.
After a discussion lasting over ten minutes, Crocodile was convinced his threats and offers had worked. Turning into sand, he left the room.
“Ro~tom, the target has left.”
Rotom’s voice from the rooftop as Lizzi emerged from a corner, disengaging its invisibility and deactivating the safety of the nail gun in its hand, which was loaded with high-purity Seastone nails.
Inteleon’s invisibility was achieved by secreting a special fluid, which could also render objects it carried invisible.
With Lizzi hiding in a corner while wielding a custom weapon, and with the support of Rotom and the combat suit, under circumstances of insufficient information, Crocodile may not be Nico Robin’s opponent.
He thought he was the one in control, but in reality, he was the fish caught on the hook.
At this moment, Vivi and Igaram were oblivious to the fact that the person standing before them was a special undercover agent. At the same time, Crocodile was also unaware that the person in front of him had always been affiliated with the Beasts Pirates.
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