"Nani?"
Robin originally thought that Ye Zhuo's speed in invading Alabasta was so fast.
There had to be some ulterior motive.
Perhaps he was also coming for the secret of Pluton.
She never expected that he merely wanted to invite her to become a masseuse!
"Consideration for the crew's physical health.
My Demon King Pirates urgently need a masseuse.
Your Flower-Flower Fruit is simply too suitable."
After Ye Zhuo finished speaking.
Robin could not even think of how to reply. She had encountered someone of such unfathomable, terrifying strength for the first time.
Even the great pirate and Shichibukai, Crocodile, had been casually defeated by him.
He had uprooted the undercover CP9 agents in Water 7.
He had executed a Celestial Dragon at Sabaody Archipelago.
He faced a Buster Call without panic and defeated two admirals, making them too afraid to even show their faces now.
Such an existence!
Actually only wanted to recruit her as a masseuse?
"May I ask a question?"
Robin looked at Kalifa.
"What is her job?"
"Shipwright."
Just as expected, it was simply too adorable!
Robin lowered her head and remained silent for a moment. She felt that joining the Demon King Pirates would be the single most correct decision she ever made in her life.
The black-bellied Robin always managed to strike a cute spot in the most inexplicable places.
Cobra, Vivi, and Igaram, who had witnessed this scene with their own eyes, stood frozen in place.
They felt their worldview collapsing; it was an illusion where breathing nearly stopped and the brain failed to function.
Kalifa had a bounty on her head, branded as a traitor to CP9.
Such a person actually worked as a shipwright?
Robin, the Child of the Devil, hunted since childhood, the sole survivor of Ohara, was going to be a masseuse.
They were speechless and even began to ponder what Ye Zhuo had said earlier.
Could it be that those words were meant entirely literally?
Ye Zhuo walked toward Rainbase, tossing out bags of Dance Powder.
He took out Baroque Works' intelligence files concerning Crocodile.
He looked at the contact information for each member listed inside.
Shadow Ninjas and Blade Shadowkhan departed one after another.
Soon, Baroque Works would be thoroughly crushed, which would count as completing the mission.
"This is!"
Cobra picked up the Dance Powder, then picked up the classified files of Baroque Works.
The realization suddenly dawned upon his entire being.
The reason Crocodile wanted to save Alabasta and drive away pirates was all for an unimaginable conspiracy.
He looked at Ye Zhuo's receding back, feeling an incomparable shock within his heart.
Could this be playing the fool while actually being wise?
"I'm going to build a fountain here—no, a lake, and then a water park.
You royal family members can collect the admission fees when the time comes. From now on, aside from spices, collecting admission tickets will be your responsibility."
After Ye Zhuo finished speaking.
The system prompt finally rang in his ears.
[Linked Main Quest Completed: Crew Completion Plan II: Seize Alabasta]
[Quest Reward: Water Demon Aura—Complete Edition (comes with the Water-Summoning Formation)]
Ye Zhuo swallowed the Water Demon Aura in one gulp.
Basha's magic also surfaced within his mind.
[Linked Main Quest Unlocked: Crew Completion Plan III: Use the Water Demon Aura for the first time, invite Robin and Vivi to become crew members]
[Quest Reward: Advanced Observation Haki—Ultra-Long Range]
A huge dragon tail grew from behind Ye Zhuo, and he quickly began drawing on the ground.
Then he muttered incantations, ignoring everyone's gazes.
Before long.
More and more water welled up from the formation.
This unscientific spectacle caused Cobra to completely lose his grip on reality.
Could Devil Fruits really be this absurd?
He could not help but recall Ye Zhuo's words from moments ago.
"Build a water park, and the royal family will collect the admission fees for him..."
Thinking of this, he was both startled and overjoyed.
"It's fresh water! It's fresh water!"
What was wrong with collecting admission fees? Even if Crocodile's conspiracy had been exposed and failed,
Alabasta still only had oases in a few places, and rainfall remained scarce.
Yet what Ye Zhuo brought was a massive amount of fresh water!
"What? You prefer seawater.
No problem, I can summon that just as easily.
By the way, I can also transform your Alabasta into Atlantis and sink the entire place to the ocean floor."
The water demon Basha had once been the overlord of the seas, rivers, and lakes.
"No, no, no! This is wonderful! Let's build a water park right here!
Lord Ye Zhuo, we, the royal family of Alabasta, will pour our utmost effort into this!
We will also pay a certain amount of Beli for this fresh water!"
Cobra said happily.
The Demon King Ye Zhuo, ever since his name had spread from Water 7, was now known to the world.
"Whatever, just the normal price."
Ye Zhuo looked at Vivi and extended the invitation once more.
"Become my ship's doctor! Just like this fresh water, turn into the new hope of this world!"
"I... also love adventure, but if this kingdom were to lose me, it would definitely..."
Vivi refused decisively; she still carried responsibilities on her shoulders.
She wanted to go on adventures too, but without her, what would the future of Alabasta be?
Her father was growing old day by day; how could she bear to let him overwork himself?
"First, Alabasta is my kingdom.
Your father won't need to be so exhausted in the future.
His main job will be collecting admission fees for the water park."
Ye Zhuo patted Vivi's shoulder.
"Secondly, if you don't go to sea.
I will summon the seawater immediately and sink Alabasta to the ocean floor.
Your old man won't be collecting any admission fees either."
"Are you threatening me?"
Vivi looked at Ye Zhuo with a burning gaze.
"Mm. Do you want to turn into a crocodile, or an eagle?"
Ye Zhuo pointed at the unconscious Sand Crocodile.
Who had truly been reduced to the state of an actual crocodile.
"I am willing to board the ship."
Vivi's gaze dimmed.
She knew she lacked the leverage to negotiate with Ye Zhuo.
If she refused, not only would Vivi turn into a crocodile, but her father, King Cobra, would also turn into a crocodile right along with her.
Ye Zhuo's notoriety was enough to stop crying babies in their tracks.
[Ding!]
The system prompt rang in his ear.
Ye Zhuo smiled with satisfaction.
"Alright, you're free. Get off the ship."
[Linked Main Quest Completed: Crew Completion Plan III: Invite Robin and Vivi to become crew members]
[Quest Reward: Advanced Observation Haki—Ultra-Long Range]
Now Ye Zhuo could genuinely use Observation Haki from the port of Alabasta to see Rainbase.
[Linked Main Quest Unlocked: Crew Completion Plan IV: Head to East Blue, find a female swordsman wearing glasses, and invite her to set sail]
[Quest Reward: Rumble-Rumble Fruit]
With Enel dead, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was up for grabs.
Ye Zhuo was very satisfied with this reward.
Still, he had to make a trip to East Blue.
Once his quest was completed, naturally there was no need to drag Vivi out to sea.
If he had to face a long face all day long, what fun would that be?
"I'm getting off the ship?"
Vivi did not understand. She had not even officially set sail yet.
And she was already leaving the Demon King Pirates.
"That's right, you've already gotten off the ship,"
Ye Zhuo said, turning around.
"We are going to resupply here, and set sail in three days."
Leaving behind only Vivi, who understood nothing.
The Royal Palace.
After returning home, Vivi grew increasingly dejected.
She could not fathom how Ye Zhuo's brain actually worked.
The more she thought about it, the angrier Vivi became; she wished she could go punch Ye Zhuo right now.
Igaram, Pell, and Chaka all came to comfort and advise her.
The Demon King Ye Zhuo was simply a capricious person.
Yet Vivi refused to listen to any of it. Deep inside her heart, a single thought took root instead: to set sail!
She had to go to sea, and she had to win back this grievance!
The underground passage behind the royal palace.
Cobra was filled with despair; the secrets guarded by their royal family for generations were about to be exposed.
Yet he had no other choice; Ye Zhuo could destroy countless people's homes at any moment.
Robin was gazing at the Poneglyphs here, and she said to Ye Zhuo:
"What is recorded right here is the whereabouts of Pluton."
In her view, Pluton would definitely arouse Ye Zhuo's interest.
"Oh, no need to look for it."
Ye Zhuo took out a set of blueprints.
"It's just Pluton. When we have time, we can go straight to Water 7 and build one."
Cobra, who had still been feeling sorrowful, and Robin, who had intended to use Ye Zhuo to further her own adventures, were both left dumbfounded.
"This is what I was being hunted by CP9 for back in Water 7."
Ye Zhuo handed the blueprints to Cobra.
"Are you interested? How about we build two? One for you, one for me."
Cobra glanced at the blueprints, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
He laughed.
All the worries in his heart turned to ashes, becoming utterly meaningless.
"Hahahaha, is there really anyone in this world who isn't interested in Pluton?"
"To be precise, it's that Mr. Iceburg of Water 7 didn't dare to build it."
Ye Zhuo sighed helplessly as well.
"How much more do you know about the Poneglyphs?"
For the first time, Robin realized that her schemes were meaningless.
"The sea will give us the answer!"
Ye Zhuo laughed loudly. His adventure had only just begun.
Like Cobra, Robin looked at Ye Zhuo with shock in her eyes.
Three days later.
The Demon King Pirates set sail.
Robin officially became a crew member, while Vivi secretly snuck aboard.
Cobra threw back his head and laughed amid the worried looks of his ministers.
"That's the Demon King among pirates! Princess Vivi will definitely be in danger aboard that man's ship!"
"Perfect. Let us hide beneath the Demon King's radiance for a while."
On the route to East Blue.
Ye Zhuo looked at Vivi before him.
"Didn't you say you didn't want to go to sea?"
"I'm going to sea anyway. I'll return in three years, and you won't be able to stop me."
Vivi turned her head away.
"Suit yourself. Vivi, ship's doctor, this Devil Fruit is for you. Develop it properly."
Ye Zhuo tossed the Disease-Disease Fruit to Vivi.
"It tastes awful!"
Vivi wore a bitter expression. She rose to her feet and looked toward Alabasta, tears streaming down her face in an instant.
"I'm setting sail!"
"Crybaby!"
Ye Zhuo's single remark brought Vivi's tears to an abrupt stop.
She took another bite of the Disease-Disease Fruit, forcing herself to adapt to life at sea as quickly as possible.
When she looked at Ye Zhuo, he had already fallen asleep on the deck.
The sea breeze blew.
This year, Vivi was still waiting for adventure.
Before long.
News of the Demon King Pirates occupying Alabasta spread throughout the Grand Line.
What shocked the world was that Crocodile, the former Shichibukai, had not even left behind a corpse.
A week later, the Crocodile Pirates were established.
Its captain was a crocodile, rumored to have eaten the Devil Fruit of Crocodile, the former Shichibukai.
Before you continue