Robin's Astonishment / Cobra's Thanks ...

The next morning.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

"Damn Crocodile, causing this much trouble."

In the Fleet Admiral's Office, Sengoku had just hung up the Den Den Mushi. He pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed.

Creak!

"Hahaha, cursing someone this early in the morning? What happened?"

The door swung open, and Garp walked in laughing, a cup of tea in one hand and a rice cracker in the other.

"Ah... there is something." Sengoku picked up a document that had been faxed to his desk, his expression grave. "The Five Elders just called me. Crocodile was defeated by a newcomer, and there's conclusive evidence of his crimes in the Alabasta Kingdom. He's no longer qualified to be one of the Shichibukai."

"Oh? A newcomer beat him? Which newcomer is that capable?" Garp sat down on the soft sofa, paying little mind to Sengoku's words, though the latter half had piqued his interest.

"That was a surprise. The one who defeated Crocodile was actually a bounty hunter. And like you, that bounty hunter is from the East Blue. His fame there is second to none, and people call him the Wind Sword Knight." At that point, Sengoku's expression could hardly be called a smile, but at least he no longer looked worried.

Bounty hunting was considered a profession of the dark world, and not a good one at that. People in the trade pursued fame and profit, and could easily waver between justice and evil. Today they might turn in pirates for a bounty, and tomorrow they might join a pirate crew. They were an unstable element.

If Crocodile had been defeated by a pirate newcomer, Sengoku would certainly have treated the matter seriously. A pirate newcomer capable of defeating a Shichibukai so soon after setting out was extraordinarily strong and definitely not to be underestimated.

But since he had been defeated by a bounty hunter, Sengoku felt a little relieved, though also a little worried.

There was nothing he could do, however, except hope that the bounty hunter was simply after fame and profit and would not stray down the wrong path.

"He's from the same hometown as me? Hahaha, impressive." Garp raised a thumb and laughed in praise.

"Apart from your grandson three years ago, it's been a long time since the Weakest Sea produced a newcomer with that much potential." Sengoku put down the document. "I made a point of looking into him and found that Smoker once recommended that bounty hunter to Headquarters and personally invited him to join, but was turned down. And even though he knew the bounties on the Shichibukai had been suspended, he still chose to challenge Crocodile. Clearly, this bounty hunter has great ambitions."

"He hasn't formed a pirate crew, and he's done many good deeds in the East Blue. People call him a knight, and he's a breath of fresh air among bounty hunters. He isn't particularly fond of money, so let's assume for now that it's fame he's after." Sengoku rested his chin on his hands as he calmly analyzed the matter. "Could his ambition be to become a hero whose name goes down in history?"

"Why think so hard? In any case, he isn't an enemy, and that's what matters." Garp tossed a rice cracker into his mouth.

"Ah... I'm overthinking it." Sengoku sighed. Ever since becoming Fleet Admiral, he had taken to letting his thoughts run wild. His old comrade certainly lived a happier life.

At that thought, Sengoku gave Garp an unfriendly look. "Garp, leave for Alabasta today. You're in charge of escorting Crocodile."

"Eh... no thanks. What a pain." Garp waved his hand in refusal, his face full of distaste.

"You bastard! All you do every day is eat and sleep! You failed to escort that scum of a colonel last time, and you even got hit with an axe! What use are you?!!"

Garp's words were like a fuse that set off an explosive, and Sengoku's roar echoed through the Fleet Admiral's Office.

Sengoku crossed the room in a few strides, snatched Garp's rice crackers, and poured them all into his mouth. As Garp clutched his head in dismay, Sengoku mumbled, "Get lost... I can't count on you anyway."

By the afternoon.

Arthur and his two companions had traveled from Nanohana to Rainbase.

Arthur and his two companions had traveled from Nanohana to Rainbase.

"Huh? That's strange. Why is there a patch of desert here?" Nami asked, looking at the desert area a kilometer across in the center.

Bustling streets surrounded it, yet a vast patch of desert had been left empty here. Was it some feature of the country?

"This is..."

Beside her, Robin's eyes narrowed slightly.

The area had been too large for her to recognize it at first, but now that she looked closely, wasn't this where Rain Dinners had stood?

Where was Rain Dinners? Where was the kingdom's largest casino?

Where was the big boss's headquarters?

Even the cool and composed Robin could not help being stunned.

Only her former big boss, Crocodile, could make the kingdom's largest casino disappear and turn a kilometer-wide area into desert.

And for the big boss to go so far as to destroy his own headquarters, he must undoubtedly have encountered some powerful enemy.

Swish—

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Robin's mind. She turned sharply and stared at Arthur beside her in astonishment.

Rainbase, golden light, enemy, desert.

—Heading to Rainbase, a golden light streaking across the sky, a powerful enemy, a stretch of desert.

At that moment, an astonishing thought suddenly occurred to Robin.

"Clomp, clomp, clomp..."

A series of loud, synchronized footsteps sounded as a group of Alubarna guards approached with heavy steps.

"Sir Knight, our king requests your presence."

The guard at their head stopped before Arthur and bowed his head respectfully.

"Lead the way." Arthur smiled and nodded, quite satisfied with Cobra's speed.

Soldiers from Alubarna... Captain, what exactly did you do yesterday? Robin thought. The way she looked at Arthur had already changed, and she was even more certain that the enemy he had fought yesterday must have been Crocodile.

If he really had fought Crocodile...

Then who had won, and who had lost?

The captain had returned unharmed, and Rain Dinners had been turned into a desert. Had the captain won?

That was incredible!

Chapter 39: Cobra's Thanks

The capital, Alubarna, was where Alabasta's royal family lived.

"Sir Knight, I invited you here to offer my heartfelt thanks."

In the palace, Cobra personally received Arthur and his two companions. Facing the extraordinarily young man, the king bowed and expressed his sincere gratitude.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing?" Arthur was pleased with Cobra's display, though he feigned confusion.

Nami looked astonished as well. They had only landed on the island yesterday, and she could not fathom what Arthur had done to make the king of a country bow in thanks.

Robin was much calmer. Cobra's actions made her even more certain that her former big boss had been defeated.

He was very likely a prisoner already.

In less than a day, the country where she had spent three years and the great pirate she had worked with for three years had gone from the height of their power to beaten dogs.

It was incredible!

Just how strong was her captain?

Countless thoughts flashed through Robin's mind, but none showed on her face. With her veil and cloak, no one recognized her either.

"Sir Knight, you may not know this, but when you defeated Crocodile, you also saved my country..." The guards had all withdrawn. The only people in the palace were Arthur and his two companions, Cobra, and Pell, the kingdom's strongest warrior, who had eaten the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Falcon and was responsible for protecting the king.

Looking at the young man who had unwittingly rid him of a great worry, Cobra smiled gently. His recent look of misery vanished, and, thoroughly relieved, he told Arthur about Crocodile's plot.

Whether it concerned Dance Powder, the Rebel Army, or the attempted usurpation, Cobra hid nothing from Arthur.

However, because Arthur had put an early end to Crocodile's plan, Cobra believed he had only wanted the country. He did not know that Crocodile's real plot was to obtain information on Pluton.

From beginning to end, Crocodile had three goals: first, to seize control of Alabasta; second, to obtain information on Pluton; and finally, to find [Pluton], one of the legendary Three Ancient Weapons.

Crocodile had also heard somewhere that [Pluton], a super battleship said to be capable of destroying an island with a single shot, was in Alabasta.

And so Crocodile had come to Alabasta and lain low for three years.

"I see. I never expected this to work out for both of us by chance. Perhaps it was fate." After hearing Cobra out, Arthur put on a look of "realization" and nodded with a smile.

"Sir Knight, you have rid my country of a great enemy. If you have any wish, please tell me. I am willing to use the resources of the entire country to fulfill it." Cobra looked at Arthur solemnly and spoke sincerely.

"Let's forget it. Your country is still in the midst of civil unrest, and we'll leave once our magnetic field has recharged." Arthur shook his head and politely declined. "In any case, it was all just a coincidence."

"You truly are a knight..."

Arthur's words moved both Cobra and Pell, and admiration showed in their eyes as they looked at him.

Cobra especially had investigated Arthur after arresting Crocodile and knew that he was a bounty hunter.

Like everyone else, Cobra understood bounty hunters to be motivated by fame and profit.

Like everyone else, Cobra understood bounty hunters to be motivated by fame and profit.

As for fame, Arthur had defeated Crocodile and clearly already had it.

As for profit, Cobra had invited Arthur here not only to express his thanks, but also to give him some treasure.

But to his surprise, Arthur was as upright as the title the East Blue had given him suggested.

The more he saw of that, the more Cobra wanted to express his gratitude.

Cobra smiled and said, "The Rebel Army only exists because of the Dance Powder. The moment Crocodile fell, the Rebel Army ceased to be a problem."

"So, Sir Knight, if there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to say so."

With that, Cobra looked earnestly at Arthur, as though he truly wanted to repay him.

Seeing this, Arthur fell silent. He rubbed his chin and pretended to ponder.

On the surface, he was deep in thought, but in truth he was using Observation Haki to sense what was behind him.

Arthur clearly noticed that the moment Cobra finished speaking, Robin's emotions had become anything but calm. Her body trembled faintly beneath her cloak.

She seemed ready to speak up before Arthur could.

And not just her—even Nami's eyes had turned into dollar signs. Unsurprisingly, if she had been in charge, she would already have been asking for a fortune.

But Arthur had come this time to use the Poneglyph to win Robin's favor.

To deepen her bond with the two of them, Nami's hopes for treasure would have to remain just that.

Arthur did not keep Robin waiting long. After pretending to think for a while, he said, "In that case, could I ask you to let my crewmate see the Poneglyph of your nation, which has endured for a thousand years?"

"..."

"The Poneglyph?!"

At Arthur's words, everyone present except Nami reacted differently.

Robin's body trembled. Beneath her cloak, her beautiful eyes wavered as she looked at Arthur's back.

Cobra looked troubled. Others might not know, but as the twelfth king, he knew what was written on his country's Poneglyph.

It recorded the location of the ancient weapon—Pluton.

"Can one of you read Ancient Script?" Cobra seemed to realize something important. His eyes widened as he looked at Arthur's group, his gaze sweeping over the two people behind him.

Their faces were hidden by their cloaks, but their figures alone revealed that both were women.

Chapter 40: The Upright and Gentle Knight

"She's my crewmate, and a very lovely scholar." Arthur pulled Robin over from behind him and smiled at Cobra. "I don't know whether she can read Ancient Script, but her dream is to collect things related to history. If possible, please let her see your country's Poneglyph. A rubbing for her to study would also be fine."

"...Is that so?" Cobra gazed at Robin, seemingly trying to see through her cloak and make out her face. He neither refused nor agreed immediately, instead falling silent.

"Very well, I agree."

After hesitating for a long time, Cobra suddenly spoke.

"Your Majesty..."

At his words, two people present reacted differently.

One was Pell, behind Cobra. He called out at once, as though he wanted to say something, but ultimately did not.

As the kingdom's strongest warrior and already one of its highest-ranking figures, Pell knew about the Poneglyph and that it was hidden in the Royal Mausoleum.

The Royal Mausoleum, however, was a royal burial ground, where outsiders were not permitted to enter and desecrate it.

But when Pell remembered that the person before him was the hero who had saved their country, he ultimately could not bring himself to object.