The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

West Blue, a certain sea area

Nico Robin, draped in a black cloak, steered a small boat slowly across the sea.

Looking back on her experiences during this period, she was filled with resentment.

She originally wanted to go to the New World to join the Beasts Pirates.

After all, in this world where the World Government strictly forbids research into the Void Century, only the Beasts Pirates and Ian of the Scorched Sky would not accept coercion from the government.

If we could get that man's help, then revealing the true truth of history might not be impossible.

Although she inevitably had some reservations about the Beasts Pirates, the most terrifying pirate group in the world, Robin still embarked on her journey without hesitation.

Even if it meant death, she would be willing to die to reveal the truth of history.

Robin managed to sneak onto a merchant ship, and was almost ready to embark on the Grand Line with it.

However, she did not expect that due to the turmoil in the West Blue, the World Government would greatly strengthen its inspections of ships heading to the Grand Line.

That's how she was discovered.

If it weren't for the vigilance she developed during her long years on the run that allowed her to react immediately and choose to escape, she would probably be being escorted to Impel Down by now.

Even so, she was now being pursued and intercepted by the navy.

Unlike any previous times when they were pursued by the navy, this time the navy's actions could only be described as frenzied.

The navies from many nearby bases were summoned, forming a large fleet of dozens of ships, which gathered around like a fishing net.

All islands along the route will be subjected to a thorough search, and all ships will be temporarily prohibited from sailing in the entire sea area.

Robin was desperately trying to escape.

But no matter how hard she tried, the navy's inescapable net was tightening.

After another difficult escape from the Navy's encirclement, Robin was at a loss for where to go next.

No matter which island they went to, they were bound to encounter naval interception.

However, if they choose not to dock, the supplies carried on such a small boat simply won't last long.

In fact, before the supplies even run out, the pursuing navy will arrest her without hesitation.

A sense of despair welled up in the girl's heart.

The world is vast, and it seems she has nowhere to escape.

Just as the girl was sinking into despair, on a warship not far behind in the sea...

"Admiral Kizaru!"

A naval officer from a nearby Marine Base stood as straight as a javelin. "It's confirmed that Nico Robin is fleeing north!"

"The nearby Marine Base has been notified to send troops to provide support!"

"They will block the woman's escape route, thus surrounding the entire sea area, leaving her with nowhere to run!"

Kizaru, who was leisurely sitting in a chair flipping through a book, slowly raised his head. "That would be wonderful."

Upon hearing the Admiral's words, the naval officer couldn't help but smile with delight.

This person is Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, a very important figure whom he could never have reached before!

To earn his approval means a bright future, a truly bright future!

Ignoring the officer who was barely suppressing his smile, Kizaru's brows furrowed slightly.

It took even more effort than I imagined.

At first, there were only a few dozen warships, but as time went on, more and more Marine Base received orders, and now there are more than a hundred warships surrounding Nicole Robin.

With such a huge commotion, it's absolutely impossible that the Cross Guild and Teacher Zephyr hadn't received the news.

Let's just hope they don't act too quickly.

Otherwise, the situation could become very complicated.

Kizaru thought to himself.

The Marine warship continued forward, and the surrounding warships began to converge on them.

Faced with the all-out attack of the Navy, no matter how skilled Nico Robin was at escaping, she was finally at a loss.

Upon first spotting several naval warships on the sea ahead, the girl did not hesitate to steer her small boat to the right in an attempt to escape.

The small boat was moving very fast.

The girl used the power of the Flower-Flower Fruit to create many arms on the side of the boat, and rowed the boat with more than a dozen oars.

It must be said that this method is highly efficient; the small boat sped across the sea like an arrow released from a bow.

However, once the Birdcage is complete, no matter how fast the bird flies, it cannot escape from it.

Robin soon spotted the warships reappearing on the sea ahead.

Her face was now as pale as paper.

She probably already knew that this time she was likely doomed.

But the girl was still not prepared to give up.

The dreams of her mother, the dreams of all the scholars of Ohara, rested on her shoulders.

She can't give up like this!

So the girl turned the boat around again and fled in another direction.

This time, it took her even less time to spot the oncoming naval warships.

Fortunately, this time she didn't have to go through the trouble of running away.

Just as the girl was about to change direction again, a brilliant light fell from the sky and condensed into a man in a yellow striped suit on the bow of the small boat.

"Oh! I've finally found you!"

The newcomer greeted Robin with a smile, "Nicole Robin, the government and the Navy have been looking for you for years."

The girl stared at the person in front of her, her gaze instantly freezing.

"Admiral... Kizaru?"

How could it be Admiral? How could a Marine Admiral personally send out such a mission?

This guy in front of me is an absolute monster, just like Aokiji from Ohara back then...

The girl felt her body go limp and collapsed onto the boat.

Her once stunningly beautiful face was now as pale as a sheet of paper.

There's no escaping it.

If it's this guy, how could he possibly have escaped?

Mama, Doctor, everyone, I feel like I'm powerless to help anymore.

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes.

Kizaru looked at the girl who was silently crying and looked desperate, and couldn't help but sigh.

He couldn't judge whether what happened at Ohara back then was right or wrong.

However, as a soldier, all he needs to do is obey orders.

"Come on, young lady, come back with me."

Nicole Robin was arrested on the spot.

And just minutes after she was arrested.

The Wano Country.

Ian had already received the news.

He couldn't help but sigh in admiration; the Navy's actions were quite swift, capturing Nico Robin so quickly.

But it's okay, getting fat first doesn't count as being fat, getting fat later will crush you.

Ian immediately made a call to Teacher Kai.

He was originally considering having Uncle Jin provide emergency support if the navy deployed too many or too powerful personnel.

However, since the Navy has only deployed Admiral Kizaru, Teacher Kai alone is sufficient.

However, while Teacher Kai was preparing to take action, another group of people were waiting in ambush.

On an island in the West Blue, near the mouth of the canal that leads to the Grand Line.

This island holds a similar position in the West Blue as Loguetown in the East Blue Sea.

However, it lacks the prestige of being the island where Loguetown begins and ends, so compared to Loguetown, it is naturally relatively unknown.

However, fame is not important. Both islands are equally important in terms of geographical location, serving as crucial gateways to the Grand Line for an entire sea area.

Like Loguetown, this island also has a large Marine Base.

The officer stationed here is also a colonel from the Marine Headquarters, far superior to the colonels from the Four Blues Branch.

At this moment, in a civilian house outside the Marine Base.

Crocodile sat in a chair, leaning back with his feet propped up on the table in front of him.

He sneered, "The New World has been completely taken over by that guy Ian. Even if the Navy captures Nico Robin, there's no way they can cross the Calm Belt and return to the Grand Line."

"They can only get back this way, so all we need to do is block them from here."

His original plan was indeed to race the Navy to see who could find Nicole Robin first.

However, the Navy had indeed caused too much of a commotion, Crocodile simply wasn't confident he could find Nico Robin before the Navy did, so he decided to wait here and wait for her to come to him.

He has already arranged for people to guard the entrance to the canal; naval warships will be informed as soon as they pass through.

"If we get that woman, we'll probably become the target of everyone's criticism."

Redfield, who had come here with Crocodile, was leisurely sipping his coffee.

Compared to the Sand Crocodile's unrestrained sitting posture, the Crimson Earl was much more elegant, with his back ramrod straight.

"It doesn't matter,"

Crocodile sneered, "Kill all the witnesses, then nobody will know, right?"

"A really tough guy has arrived from the Navy, Admiral Kizaru, huh,"

Crocodile looked at Redfield with a serious expression. "Ryde, it's up to you now."

"Snort."

The Crimson Earl simply chuckled and did not refuse.

He has changed somewhat after all.

Moreover, his dream is to become the Pirate King.

He felt he couldn't miss out on that woman.

While the two from the Cross Guild were lying in wait, the rabbit they were hoping for was indeed getting closer.

A naval fleet personally overseen by Kizaru is approaching the island.

Nico Robin was imprisoned in a cell at the bottom of the warship, bound tightly with Seastone shackles, and several chains completely locked her inside the cabin.

The girl just sat there blankly on the ground, her head bowed, her eyes lifeless.

She had completely lost hope.

On the deck, Kizaru stood at the bow, looking at a nautical chart.

After gesturing on the nautical chart with his finger, he said with satisfaction,

"It's quieter than I expected. We're quite close to the canal now. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong."

Once we return to the Grand Line, it will be much safer.

The West Blue, now occupied by the Cross Guild and the NEO Marines, is far more dangerous than the first half of the Grand Line.

What Kizaru didn't know was that someone was waiting for him on the island he was heading towards.

What he didn't know was that someone was also chasing him from behind.

A strong wind was blowing in the sky behind them.

Dragon transformed into the wind, accelerating at full speed.

When he arrived, the navy fleet that had surrounded Nico Robin had already disbanded.

Dragon immediately realized that the girl he considered Lantern of Revolution had likely been captured by the Navy.

So what will the navy do next?

It's obvious without even thinking that the Navy's next step is to bring Nico Robin back to the Grand Line.

Therefore, Dragon immediately made the same guess as Crocodile.

With the New World now occupied by the Beasts Pirates, the Navy's only way to return to the first half of the Grand Line is through the canal on Reverse Mountain.

So, Dragon pursued them.

No matter what, we must bring that girl back!

She is the only person in the world who has the potential to uncover the hidden truth of history!

With that thought in mind, Dragon accelerated with renewed vigor.

The naval warships finally slowly approached the island located at the mouth of the Reverse Mountain Canal.

Next, we will enter the Grand Line via the canal and then head straight for Enies Lobby.

The journey is quite long, so we need to replenish our supplies first.

Fortunately, the navy at this base had already made preparations. As soon as the warships entered the naval port, the marines began loading supplies onto the ships.

Kizaru stood at the bow of the ship, watching the busy marines, and for some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling.

Meanwhile, on the roof of a civilian house outside the Marine Base.

"How about it?"

Crocodile, with a cigar dangling from his lips, asked casually.

"An extremely powerful aura."

Redfield said calmly, "It must be that Marine Admiral."

"So,"

Crocodile's lips curled into a smile. "So, we can begin our operation now, right?"

"Let's knock all the small fry unconscious first."

Redfield nodded slightly.

To conceal one's whereabouts, it is indeed necessary to kill to silence witnesses.

But at that very moment, he suddenly looked up.

"What?"

Crocodile looked at him with some surprise.

Redfield's reaction told him that something unexpected had happened again.

"An even more formidable guy has arrived!" Ryde said.

"Ah?"

Crocodile was momentarily stunned.

A sudden gust of wind howled down from the sky.

"Um?"

On the warship, Kizaru looked up in disbelief, "No way?! Why am I here at this time?!"

A fierce wind swept through the entire Marine Base in an instant, and many naval soldiers were even blown away.

The Marine warship was also trembling in the strong winds.

In the next instant, a figure materialized on the mast.

The green cloak billowed in the gale as Dragon looked down at the man below. "Borsalino, it has indeed been a long time, hasn't it?"

Looking at his old friend whom he hadn't seen in so long, Kizaru couldn't help but sigh, "If I could, I wouldn't want this kind of long-awaited reunion."

"But Dragon, as a member of the Revolutionary Army, what brings you here now?"

Kizaru is playing dumb.

"Of course there won't be a second reason,"

Dragon simply said calmly, "Old friend, hand the girl over to me."