The Operation Begins! Robin, the Mature and Sophisticated Big Sister! (Please Subscribe) (Continued)

Seeing Vivi's embarrassment, Reno patted her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look. "Once we get to Alabasta and deal with Crocodile, all the problems will be solved."

"Mm, I believe in you, Brother Reno." Vivi clenched her fists and nodded.

She had waited long enough for this day. The people of Alabasta had waited long enough too.

Rainland.

One of the few prosperous cities in Alabasta, and also Crocodile's main base.

Inside a smoke-filled office at the Raindinners casino.

At Crocodile's request, all the senior agents of Baroque Works had gathered there.

However, there were fewer people than before.

"Is this all that's left of you?!!"

Crocodile, seated at the head of the long table, swept his gaze across them, his expression gradually darkening.

At least half the agents were missing.

"BOSS, Mr. 2 is already on his way back as you ordered, but it happened so suddenly that he may not make it back before the plan begins."

"As for Mr. 3, Mr. 5, Mr. 9, and their partners..." Robin hesitated.

"I know." Crocodile waved a hand irritably.

He had been busy these past few days planning to seize Pluto, and had nearly forgotten.

Those bastards had all died at Reno's hands. As for their partners, they had already betrayed Baroque Works and joined the Reno Pirates.

"We can't wait any longer. Even without them, the plan will proceed as scheduled!!"

Crocodile slowly raised his head, his gaze moving across the officers one by one.

His most prized subordinate, and the strongest person in Baroque Works besides himself, was Mr. 1.

The Slicing-Slicing Fruit User.

Beside him stood his partner, the curvaceous Spike-Spike Fruit User, Miss Doublefinger.

Further back were officer Mr. 4 Babe and his partner, Miss Merry Christmas.

Overall, they were all insignificant characters.

But taking down a mere Royal Capital would be more than enough.

"Tonight, failure is not an option. Do you all understand?!!"

"Yes, BOSS!!"

"Yes!!"

The four officers answered in unison, then left the office to make their preparations.

After all four had departed.

Crocodile lit another cigar.

"Robin, any news about Reno and the others?!!"

Behind him, Robin, dressed in an elegant mature outfit, shook her head.

"Not yet. Mr. 2 sent word that there was no sign of Reno near Drum Kingdom."

"If I'm not mistaken, they should have come directly to Alabasta."

"Judging by the time, they should be here already. They might even be directly above us right now."

Crocodile's pupils shrank as he shot Robin a sidelong look.

Could she not make it sound so terrifying?!!

"It doesn't matter. As long as they dare come here, I'll make sure none of them leave alive."

"Whether it's Princess Vivi, the Reno Pirates, or those two traitors, I'll personally get rid of them this time."

Crocodile's eyes were incomparably gloomy as he gently stroked the Gold Hook on his arm.

They had provoked him again and again. Did they think his strength was on Whitebeard's level?!!

"You can leave now. Proceed according to plan." Crocodile waved his hand.

"Understood." Robin walked gracefully out of the room, though an imperceptible trace of something unusual flashed through her eyes.

During this period, she had secretly investigated Reno behind Crocodile's back.

Strangely, traces of Kaya, Nami, and the others could still be found, but Reno seemed to have appeared out of thin air. There was no information about him at all.

Everything connected to him had happened after he met Nami.

Moreover, Nami, who had originally been powerless, had obtained the Rumble-Rumble Fruit after joining the Reno Pirates, and her strength had soared.

As for Reno, he was even more unfathomable.

Most importantly, many people had personally witnessed him battling Hawk Eyes, one of the Shichibukai, at the Baratie Restaurant. Though he had not won, he had driven Hawk Eyes to the brink of collapse, forcing him to leave in anger.

"Looks like the Marines' intelligence work is still lacking." Robin chuckled and shook her head.

She had not told Crocodile about this.

After all, she and Crocodile were merely using each other.

The only reason Crocodile had continued to tolerate her was because she could read the words on the Poneglyph.

He could not do without her.

"Crocodile, how will you deal with a man even Hawk Eyes couldn't defeat?!!" A teasing curve appeared on Robin's lips.

She was beginning to regret not meeting that mysterious man back at Whiskey Peak.

Near dusk, the Merry finally arrived at Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta.

"Vivi!!!"

A familiar voice rang out beside her, and Vivi's delicate body trembled.

Then she saw Cobra running out from the palace.

"Father!!"

Tears slipped from Vivi's eyes as she ran toward Cobra.

The two began telling each other how much they had missed one another.

Bello and Chaka, the ministers, hurried forward and welcomed Reno and the others inside.

Igaram had already explained everything to them. They knew Reno was the benefactor who had come to help them deal with Crocodile, so they absolutely could not slight him.

Inside a private room.

King Cobra, the ministers Chaka and Bello, and everyone from the Reno Pirates were seated.

"Lord Reno, are you truly certain you can defeat Crocodile?!!"

Cobra hesitated for a moment before asking with difficulty.

This concerned every Alabasta citizen, so he had to receive a definite answer.

After all, Crocodile was one of the Shichibukai. His strength could not be underestimated.

"Just call me Reno." Reno waved his hand.

Vivi was his woman, and Cobra was Vivi's father.

What was with him calling Reno "Lord"?

"Yes, Father. You don't need to be so polite with him." Beside them, Vivi playfully stuck out her tongue at Reno.

That intimate gesture made Cobra freeze. Their relationship seemed a little too close.

He looked toward the women in the room again and immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

Could those two possibly...

"I'm one hundred percent certain I can defeat him. Besides, Crocodile is even more anxious than you are right now. We'll wait here, and he'll come looking for us himself."

Reno knew how desperately Crocodile wanted to seize Pluto.

To Crocodile, that was the true priority.

Dealing with them was merely something to be done along the way.

Seeing how certain Reno sounded, Cobra finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Night fell, and the entire city was shrouded in darkness.

The sounds of families laughing and playing gradually faded into silence.

Atop the Royal Palace, a gust of sand suddenly swirled through the air, slowly gathering into Crocodile's form.

At the very moment he appeared, Reno suddenly opened his eyes in a room inside the palace, and his body instantly vanished.

Not long after Crocodile appeared, several figures emerged one after another in the square. They were the four remaining officers of Baroque Works.

Behind them, nearly a thousand more assassins appeared.

They were the Billion Longs and Million Longs of Baroque Works.

The Gold Hook on Crocodile's hand glinted with a faint cold light beneath the moon.

"Begin." Crocodile raised his Gold Hook, and everyone below swiftly disappeared, each moving into action.

"I can already smell victory."

Crocodile slowly closed his eyes, indulging in fantasy for two seconds before opening them again.

He stared intently at the palace below, a satisfied curve appearing on his lips.

After today, Pluto would be his.

Once he obtained Pluto, the entire world would belong to him.

Then he would kill that bastard Whitebeard first.

With those beautiful fantasies in mind, Crocodile's body turned into quicksand and scattered on the wind.

Everyone began carrying out their respective tasks. Only Robin remained standing where she was, her expression complicated.

After an unknown amount of time, she let out a helpless sigh. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly stopped.

Looking at the figure appearing before her, panic flashed through Robin's eyes for an instant, but she quickly calmed down.

"Reno, when did you get here?"

Reno rested both hands behind his head and replied casually, "We just arrived in Alabasta today. I originally planned to wait for him here, but I didn't expect Crocodile to be so impatient to come and deliver himself to death."

"He's already gone. Aren't you going after him?!" Robin looked at Reno in confusion.

"He can't escape. Before that, though, I'm more interested in you."

Reno looked at Robin, whose entire body exuded mature charm, and felt his heart stir.

She was a beautiful woman, and also the kind of woman who made men unable to control themselves.

Robin remained calm. How could she not understand what men wanted?!

After discovering that Reno only recruited female crew members, along with the betrayal of Traitor and Goldie, the perceptive Robin had already sensed something was amiss.

So now he was finally going to make a move on her too?!

He really was a lecherous captain.

Unfortunately, he did not know her origins, nor did he know what kind of danger he would face with her by his side.

If he knew, he would probably avoid her at all costs.

Robin's beautiful eyes curved slightly as she smiled. "Reno, do you want me to join your pirate crew?!"

Reno shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.

As expected of Robin. She understood immediately.

"It feels like you really like beautiful women. But don't you know? The more beautiful a woman is, the more dangerous she is."

"Dangerous?!!"