A Bounty of 120 Million!

"This stone tablet is a priceless treasure. It records the true history of the past thousand years." Robin exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the enormous Poneglyph.

Beside her, Nami yawned, completely uninterested in the Poneglyph. It was just a worthless old rock, after all, and held no appeal for her.

Lu Zhuo was somewhat interested, but he couldn't understand the writing on it, so he didn't give it much thought. He sat cross-legged off to one side, recovering his strength.

Although Robin was recording the Poneglyph's text, half her attention was on Lu Zhuo. At that moment, she found his mystery rather captivating.

He had Haki that let him control everything, seemed to know almost everything, possessed tremendous strength, and was a lecher to boot...

At the thought, Robin nearly laughed aloud and quickly covered her mouth.

Nami noticed and pouted. "What are you so happy about? I can't understand any of this. Is there a joke written on it?"

"Uh, no."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Nothing."

Hearing Robin's perfunctory answer, Nami shook her head and spat out two words.

"Boring!"

By now, the scene above ground had descended into chaos. The King of Alabasta found Crocodile collapsed outside the palace and hurriedly summoned a doctor to treat him.

Crocodile had only just begun putting his plan into action. The king had no idea that the man he was saving intended to overthrow his country. All he knew was that Crocodile was one of the World Government's Shichibukai, and absolutely could not be allowed to die on his territory. Otherwise, he would have a lot of explaining to do—and invite disaster.

As for the other members of Baroque Works, they had no idea that Crocodile was their president. They continued carrying out the plan he had laid out.

Crocodile had to be given credit for keeping his identity well concealed. In the original story, if Robin hadn't deliberately let Princess Vivi infiltrate the organization, Baroque Works would have remained a mystery.

At last, after finishing her transcription of the Poneglyph, Robin left with Lu Zhuo, satisfied.

The chaos continued until daybreak. Aside from Crocodile and Mr. 1, whom Lu Zhuo had defeated, no one knew what had happened.

Of course, everything became clear once Crocodile woke up.

Lu Zhuo had instantly caught the attention of the Marine high command, becoming yet another headache for Sengoku.

"Damn it! How could two powerful pirates show up one after another in the East Blue?"

Sengoku pressed a hand to his forehead, his face dark with frustration. He pointed at Garp beside him, wearing an expression of utter disapproval.

"You bastard, hurry up and bring Ace back! One of them is already enough of a headache, and now you've saddled me with two!"

Garp lounged on the sofa, eating dessert. He shrugged helplessly. "I stopped getting involved in this stuff ages ago. Do whatever you want—I'm not dealing with it! I've got to get back and look after my grandson Luffy!"

"Get out of here! Make sure that grandson of yours doesn't turn out like Ace. Otherwise, you'll never be able to show your face again!" Sengoku grumbled, his expression dark as he slapped the table.

Garp looked unconcerned, but inwardly he resolved to train Luffy properly. There was no way he would let his grandson become a pirate.

Less than half an hour after Garp left, another report was delivered to Sengoku.

Sengoku picked it up, and a look of fury instantly spread across his face. He brought his palm down hard, smashing the table in front of him to pieces.

"Damn it! Who the hell is Teach? How dare he destroy a Marine Branch!" Sengoku's roar shook the whole of Marine Headquarters.

Three months later, in the seventeenth year of the Great Pirate Era, with less than three years until Luffy set sail, Lu Zhuo and his Holy Sword arrived at Mock Town, the town beneath Skypiea.

It wasn't really accurate to call it a town beneath Skypiea, since the entire world was beneath the sky island. More precisely, they had arrived at one of the entrances to Skypiea: Mock

Town!

"Lu Zhuo, are you really sure there's an island above us?"

Nami looked astonished as she listened to Lu Zhuo describe "Skypiea."

She believed everything Lu Zhuo said without question, but this was just too far-fetched! An island floating above their heads? Who would believe that?

Robin smiled at Lu Zhuo. "It seems you really do know everything. I've learned a little about Skypiea from history, too. But it's amazing that you're so certain—and even know how to get there."

"Hey, Robin, I'm not just some guy. I'm your captain!"

Lu Zhuo frowned impatiently and protested, drawing a playful laugh from Robin.

Seeing how adorable Robin looked, Lu Zhuo reached out to stroke her cheek, but she easily dodged him.

After sighing, Lu Zhuo gazed up at the sky, his thoughts drifting.

It seemed Skypiea was somewhere he could take or leave. But to Lu Zhuo, it was a crucial part of his plans!

After Skypiea, he would get his hands on the blueprints for Pluton. And building Pluton would take money!

That was the first reason. The second was that the sword in Lu Zhuo's hand had told him there was at least one Kitetsu on Skypiea!

He didn't know whether it was the Nidai Kitetsu or the Sandai Kitetsu, or how many there were, but he still had to go!

Third, he had gained a little insight into Mantra. The priests on Skypiea used Mantra, which was true Observation Haki. If he could learn it ahead of time, it would give his strength a significant boost.

As for Armament Haki, he couldn't even reach the first level—the invisible, colorless stage. He could only just barely touch it. After all, he didn't know how to train it and had only picked up a tiny bit from Smoker.

Those three reasons meant he had to go to Skypiea!

"Hohoho, since you've already made up your mind, let's get moving. It would be troublesome if the Marines showed up again." Robin's eyes glinted as she chuckled.

After news of Lu Zhuo defeating Crocodile broke, the World Government finally took notice of him. His first bounty was issued at last, and it was astronomical.

120 million!

A bounty reflected a pirate's strength and the level of threat they posed to the World Government.

Lu Zhuo had never directly harmed the Marines, yet his bounty still reached 120 million Beli. That showed just how powerful he was—and how closely the World Government was watching him!

Looking at the two beautiful women beside him, Lu Zhuo felt a surge of happiness. But the next moment, a sense of danger overshadowed everything. His expression gradually turned solemn. He gazed tenderly at Nami and said softly, "You're a little weak. I worry about you; I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you. So I'm going to find you a Devil Fruit."

Looking at Nami affectionately, he kissed her gently on the cheek, then leaned close to her ear and asked, "Which kind of Logia fruit would you like?"

"Ah!"

Nami's cheeks flushed red. Robin was right there, watching them intently, and she didn't know what to do. She answered in a fluster, "A thing like that is something you can only find by chance, isn't it? We shouldn't force it..."

"No... Nami, as long as you want one, I'll get it for you—even if it's one of the three Devil Fruits held by the Marine Admirals!"

A wave of happiness washed over Nami. All the jealousy she had felt these past few months over Lu Zhuo pursuing Robin vanished.

"Mm, whatever you say..."

"Good," Lu Zhuo replied softly, stroking Nami's hair with an affectionate expression.

Just then, a strange voice drifted over from afar, instantly shattering the harmonious scene.

"Zehahaha! Isn't this Ghost Sword Lu Zhuo, with a bounty of 120 million Beli? What a pleasure to meet you!"

Lu Zhuo's eyes snapped open. He turned toward the voice, his gaze sharp!

"Future Blackbeard... Teach!"