In the plaza before the Alubarna Palace.
The sounds of battle were deafening.
With the Rebel Army's reinforcements arriving, the fighting grew increasingly brutal.
Every second, someone was wounded and fell to the ground.
And falling to the ground basically meant death.
Compared to the tempest raging across the plaza, the palace courtyard, accessible only by climbing a long flight of stairs, was deathly silent.
Crocodile stood tall in the courtyard, draped in a coat.
Before him, the king of Alabasta—Cobra—was nailed to the wall with iron spikes.
"Gyahaha, in ten minutes, the entire plaza and this courtyard will be blown sky-high. By then... a new king of the Sand Kingdom will be born!"
Crocodile sneered as he looked at Cobra, who was bleeding profusely and unable to move.
The thunderous sounds of battle coming from behind constantly reminded him that his plan was proceeding smoothly.
Crocodile, brimming with confidence, had no idea that his senior agents had already been defeated one by one.
Nor did he know that the clock tower containing the specially made bomb had received a man even he should have feared.
All he was thinking about now was taking Cobra's throne in a perfectly legitimate manner.
Then he would use Robin's ability to decipher ancient writing to uncover the secret buried deepest within this country—the Ancient Weapon Pluton!
And all of this was about to fall within his grasp.
"Is there really no way to turn this around...?"
Cobra gritted his teeth as he watched Crocodile laugh smugly.
His guilt toward the citizens and his helplessness at being unable to avert the disaster were like sharp swords, stabbing relentlessly into his heart.
Tap, tap—
Robin walked out of the palace.
Her gaze swept over the several severely wounded and unconscious members of the royal guard