Making a Name on the Seas (Part 1) / Making a Name on the Seas (Part 2)

The other person was Robin. Standing beside her, Arthur could clearly feel her slender body trembling even more violently than before.

On second thought, it made sense. Hadn't Robin come to Alabasta and spent three years working with Crocodile for the sake of the Poneglyph?

She had thought that, now that Arthur had captured her, she might never get to see the Poneglyph again.

But unexpectedly, on only her second day in Alabasta,

Crocodile, whom she had regarded as an enormous threat, had fallen, and the goal she had pursued for three years was suddenly within reach.

Robin knew that the man beside her had brought her all of this.

At that moment, Robin experienced Arthur's strength, and just as Arthur had thought, an inexplicable sense of security welled up in her heart.

It seemed that, as long as she stayed by this man's side, her dream wasn't so far away after all.

This sense of security had another name—protection.

West of Alubarna stood Alabasta's royal cemetery—the Royal Mausoleum.

Once the entrance to the Royal Mausoleum was opened, a staircase leading downward came into view. The light was too dim to see how far it went.

"Sir Knight, although I agreed to let your crew member go down to view the Poneglyph, the kings of our country's past generations rest below. I'm sorry, but I can only allow your crew member to go down, and I must accompany her," Cobra said.

"Your Majesty, how can you do that..." This time, Cobra's safety was at stake, and Pell could no longer hold back. He spoke urgently.

"Rest assured, warrior," Arthur said with a serious expression. "I swear on my honor as a knight that if anything happens to the king, I will pay with my life."

"How can your life compare to the king's..." Pell looked at Arthur with even greater anger.

"Enough, Pell. Say no more... My mind is made up, and you should trust the hero who saved our country too." Cobra raised a hand to interrupt him and spoke softly.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Pell quickly lowered his head and apologized. "I lost my composure."

"Then, please follow me." Cobra gave Robin a long look, then picked up a lamp and descended the steps.

"Thank you, Captain..." Robin turned her head and lifted a corner of her hood. Her beautiful blue-black eyes met Arthur's, and she thanked him with a serious expression.

Hearing this, Arthur patted Robin on the back and said with a smile, "Go on!"

"Mm..."

As the two went down the stairs, Arthur and his two companions remained at the entrance, waiting quietly for them to come out.

"Arthur, who is Crocodile? Was he the person you fought yesterday?"

At that moment, Nami, bored out of her mind, suddenly spoke up.

"He's an extremely vicious pirate, one of the Shichibukai, and he goes by [Crocodile]. He's a great pirate recognized by the World Government," Arthur explained simply. "As a Shichibukai, he only has to do things for the World Government at certain times. Not only is he exempt from being hunted by the Marines, but his wanted poster is also nullified, and he has the legal right to plunder. That's why the Shichibukai are also called the World Government's lackeys."

"You actually defeated someone that powerful?!" Nami's beautiful eyes widened at his explanation, and she stared at Arthur in a daze.

Although she didn't know about the Shichibukai system, Arthur's explanation was easy to understand. Only seven people on the seas enjoyed the privilege of legal plunder.

And it went without saying that anyone granted that privilege had to possess formidable strength or influence.

A pirate like that certainly couldn't be compared to the likes of Arlong. He was unquestionably a true great pirate.

And Arthur had actually defeated such a great pirate?!

"Crocodile was an extremely dangerous man and a constant source of worry for the king. Sir Knight, we are truly deeply grateful that you helped us eliminate such a great enemy," Pell also said sincerely.

On the staircase, a lamp faintly illuminated the way ahead.

Cobra walked in front, with Robin following behind. Both were silent, and only their footsteps echoed through the quiet passage.

"If I'm not mistaken, your name is... Nico Robin, isn't it?" Cobra suddenly asked slowly.

Although it was phrased as a question, Cobra's tone was full of certainty.

"..."

Robin fell silent, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

After a long while, she finally asked, "How did you know?"

"Has that eight-year-old girl who shocked everyone twenty years ago grown so much?" Cobra remarked with a faint sigh. Skipping over Robin's question entirely, he went on to ask, "Why are you, someone the government is so determined to capture, with a bounty hunter?"

"Because I met a knight," Robin said ambiguously, her voice soft.

"Is that so? He truly is an upright and gentle knight."

"Ah... he really is."

(In the original, Cobra didn't know that Miss Sunday was Robin. He only learned she was Nico Robin after the rebellion began, when Crocodile gave Robin an order in front of him.)

Chapter 41: Making a Name on the Seas (Part 1)

(The long period of delayed updates is about to end. Starting tomorrow, there will be at least three chapters a day, and on New Year's Day, I'll enter a frenzy of updates. Everyone is welcome to chat away in the comments; this author will be sure to write more creative and highly entertaining storylines for you.)

"Spare... spare me..."

"Why beg for mercy? Since you resolved to set sail as a pirate, you should have been prepared to die, whether at sea, while being hunted by the Marines, or at my hands, shouldn't you?"

Pleading and lecturing voices sounded one after another amid a bloody scene in Nanohana, Alabasta's port city.

Gravely wounded people and corpses lay all around, while numerous severed limbs were scattered across the yellow sand.

The cuts on those limbs were exceptionally smooth, as though they had been sliced off by something sharp.

At the center of them all, two figures stood out.

One was a man over two meters tall, as sturdy as a tiger. The other was a boy who looked very short and frail.

Yet the burly man was being held up by the boy's grip on his throat, his feet dangling off the ground.

Looking at the pirate before him, whose face had turned red as he pleaded, Arthur said calmly, "I can smell the killing intent on you. My Instinct tells me you have a great deal of innocent blood on your hands."

"You're a true pirate. Goodbye... Crack."

Almost without hesitation, Arthur crushed the man's throat and casually tossed his corpse aside.

"Ding! You have won this battle. Accumulated victories: 32!"

The next moment, the system's notification sounded again.

At the sound, Arthur felt a warmth pass through his body, and then he felt nothing else.

Arthur immediately looked at the pirate's corpse with disgust.

These pirates were utterly weak. A single burst of sword pressure from Arthur had nearly wiped them out, and their so-called captain hadn't even been able to follow his speed.

Yet defeating such weaklings had still earned him a victory count recognized by the system.

Clearly, the pirate captain's strength hadn't qualified him, so it had to be his reputation that earned the system's recognition.

Without strength, he could never have gained a formidable reputation.

The only way he could have gained that reputation was by raiding villages and killing innocent people until the Marines put a bounty on him.

Just as Arthur's Instinct had told him, these pirates had a great deal of innocent blood on their hands.

"Arthur, I found lots of treasure on their ship."

Out on the water, Nami stood aboard a huge sailing ship, waving and shouting to Arthur.

Nanohana was a port city in Alabasta with a great many docks. These pirates had run into Arthur purely because they had unluckily moored at the same dock as his small-cabin sailboat.

While Arthur dealt with them, Nami and Robin divided the work: Nami gathered the loot, while Robin dealt with the people aboard the ship.

And now, one look at Nami's glowing face was enough to tell that she had found quite a haul.

And now, one look at Nami's glowing face was enough to tell that she had found quite a haul.

On second thought, it made sense. Pirates who earned bounties by robbing ordinary people were mostly very rich.

"Bring it all down," Arthur said with a smile, going over to help.

Before long, Arthur, Nami, and Robin each carried a chest down, filled with Beli and treasure.

They really didn't have to go to all this trouble. They could simply switch ships; all they had to do was take down the pirate flag and sails, and the ship would be theirs.

But neither Arthur nor Nami nor Robin brought it up.

Just as Nami had refused before they landed a few days ago,

until they had a ship of their own, unless their small-cabin sailboat truly could go no farther, they neither wanted nor intended to replace the vessel that carried their first bonds.

Three days had passed since Robin viewed the Poneglyph in the Royal Mausoleum.

It had also been four days since Arthur defeated Crocodile.

The sea was vast, but four days were enough for an event to settle, then erupt completely.

The New World, the second half of the Grand Line.

On an island, News Coos filled the sky. Wearing hats, carrying cameras, and bearing mailbags, some flew back from outside while others flew away from the island. Their sheer numbers were astonishing.

"Oh~? Crocodile was actually defeated, and by a newcomer at that?! Well done! Apart from the killing of the Whitebeard Pirates' fourth division commander some time ago, there hasn't been news this big on the seas in ages. A Shichibukai defeated by a newcomer who just made his debut—now that's big news!"

"Investigate that newcomer's identity immediately. It'll be tomorrow's front-page story!!"

"Yes, President Morgans!"

"..."

Morgans, president of the World Economy News Paper, was an enormous bird-man who looked like a member of the Mink Tribe.

Because he controlled an "important medium" for reflecting and shaping world opinion, Morgans was unquestionably a major figure on the seas.

Not only did he thrive in respectable circles, but he was also one of the kings of the underworld.

At his command, an organization known as the "paparazzi" sprang into action.

Information about the newcomer who had defeated Crocodile was soon uncovered.

—Early the next morning.

A great flock of News Coos ate their breakfast early, then soared into the sky one after another, carrying rolls of newspapers to the rest of the world.

That day, the seas were destined to be astir.

Chapter 42: Making a Name on the Seas (Part 2)

[First update]

Kuraigana Island.

It was a gloomy, dilapidated island, covered in ruined walls and rubble, as though it had endured a brutal war.

The only intact place on the island was a castle at its center.

The castle's owner was none other than the man at the pinnacle of all swordsmen, the World's Greatest Swordsman—Dracule Mihawk.

A man known as Hawkeye.

At that moment, in a courtyard outside the castle,

Hawkeye sat in a beach chair, wearing a white shirt, his legs elegantly crossed and an air of nobility about him. Looking at the News Coo that had landed before him of its own accord, he held out a gold coin and asked mildly, "You actually came down on your own this time? Is there some big news?"

"Caw~~"

The News Coo's eyes lit up. It gave a loud cry and readily produced a newspaper, handing it to Hawkeye.

It took the gold coin in passing and soared into the sky, delighted.

A newspaper worth 100 Beli, bought with a gold coin—it was the first time in its life it had encountered such a rich customer.

Unaware of the News Coo's thoughts, Hawkeye settled into a more comfortable position and slowly opened the newspaper.

"One of the Shichibukai, [Crocodile], was defeated four days ago in the Alabasta Kingdom on the Grand Line. The man who defeated him was a knight from the Weakest Sea... The Weakest Sea, the East Blue?" Unlike others who anxiously searched for the main point as soon as they opened the paper, Hawkeye chose to read from the beginning, taking his time.