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PS: Here's the May Day update. Don't rush off to have fun after reading—remember to vote with your monthly tickets first. Starting now, the Qidian 515 Fan Festival offers double monthly tickets. There are also other events with red packet giveaways, so take a look!

Robin woke up and immediately warily observed her surroundings, her ability at the ready to move at any moment. Robin woke up and immediately warily observed her surroundings, her ability at the ready to move at any moment. But after a while, nothing changed, and then her memories came flooding back like a tide.

"I really didn't expect myself to get drunk." Robin shook her head. Ever since she had gone on the run, she had not slept this peacefully in so long that even she could not remember when it had last happened. Then, seeming to realize something, Robin checked her body. Only after finding nothing unusual did she let out a long breath. "That guy was quite the gentleman."

She got out of bed and looked out the window. It seemed to be only two or three in the morning. It was still early, but Robin had already lost all desire for sleep. She went to the living room, felt around until she found the light switch, and frowned at the slightly messy sight before her after turning it on.

"Did that guy throw a party while I was asleep?" Robin casually began cleaning up. "Hm? What's this Den Den Mushi?"

Now, let's take a look at Li Ziming. Once his consciousness returned, he found himself on a ship. A blast of icy sea wind swept over him, dispersing much of his drunken haze.

"Have I gone crazy?" Li Ziming had been pondering that question ever since sobering up. "Damn it, alcohol really is poison that burns through the gut. I definitely won't drink next time. I'm definitely quitting drinking!"

He said that, but it was far from the first or second time Li Ziming had declared he would quit drinking. Basically, he had never succeeded even once.

"That was the Sand Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai!" Li Ziming truly felt that he must have had a screw loose to pick a fight with that man. "Still, the idea I came up with while drunk seems like it could work. Heh, heh. As expected of me—even drunk, I'm still so smart." Li Ziming began smugly congratulating himself without the slightest restraint.

Li Ziming was now heading to Alabasta to search for traces of the Rebel Army. But he did not hold much hope of persuading them. Even Vivi, the Rebel Army leader's childhood friend, had failed to persuade him, let alone an outsider like Li Ziming. So, Li Ziming felt it would be better to use some special methods.

He did not hold much hope for the Marines either. The darkness within them meant that even if they investigated, they would never truly take it seriously. Besides, Li Ziming had no intention of contacting them. He was still carrying the life of a Marine rear admiral on his back.

What Li Ziming intended to do was make someone in the Marines take notice of the Ancient Weapons. As long as he muddied these waters, even a little shrimp like him could swim with the tide. So, Li Ziming sent out a large number of anonymous letters. He did not care whether any Marines received them, because a large portion of those letters had even been sent to Alabasta. Aside from warning the Marines, Li Ziming also wanted to create the impression among the public that the Sand Crocodile was not a hero, but the mastermind behind everything. The public loved to follow the crowd. When faced with information whose truth they could not verify, they preferred spreading whatever message was most widely circulated. As long as Li Ziming could get the ball rolling among the people, that would be enough.

The royal family was certainly under Crocodile's control. Li Ziming had no intention of confronting a Logia Shichibukai head-on, so he was now planning to see whether he could do anything with the Rebel Army.

Li Ziming's plans had all been sound, but one situation had caught him by surprise.

Alabasta was a desert kingdom, so a large part of its territory was desert. There were no roads between cities; people traveled back and forth only with camels and local residents familiar with the directions. Li Ziming had arrived in the middle of the night. To avoid disturbing the villagers—or rather, because he was not sure whether any of them worked for Crocodile—he had not rented a camel or hired a local guide just to be safe. As a result, Li Ziming had gotten spectacularly lost.

Looking at the endless desert before him, Li Ziming's face was full of agony.

The only thing he could be grateful for was that he had arrived at night. The nighttime temperature was lower, but explosions could generate heat, and shockwaves could offset the cold wind. At least that kept Li Ziming from getting too cold. And without the scorching sun, he did not need to worry about dehydration.

But Li Ziming was still distressed. "Am I going to be the first ability user to die in this desert?" Li Ziming tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Of course not. This desert has devoured the lives of who knows how many ability users."

A familiar voice came from nearby, but Li Ziming did not feel the slightest joy. Instead, he was filled with fear. Even the howling cold wind could not stop sweat from sliding down his forehead.

"Ahaha, what a coincidence." Li Ziming laughed awkwardly as he backed away.

"Indeed, quite a coincidence." Sand Crocodile Crocodile stepped out of the shadows.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving first." Li Ziming said that, but his feet had already used Soru to send him flying toward Crocodile at incredible speed. The recoil from an explosion increased the power of his fist, while the Haki coating his fist gave Li Ziming the ability to strike a Logia user.

Crocodile was battle-hardened as well, and his body instinctively turned to sand. Unfortunately, Li Ziming still left a fist mark on his face.

"You're not bad, kid." Crocodile's expression darkened. He had been famous for so long, yet a brat had caught him off guard and injured him. To him, that was a humiliation.

"Really? I think so too." Li Ziming did not hold back at all, though his body was already subtly prepared to evade.

"Actually, we could have had a very good employer-employee relationship." Crocodile said with a hint of regret.

"I don't think so." Li Ziming sneered.

"Yes, because you're too stupid. I don't like idiots becoming my subordinates!" A massive sandstorm tornado formed between Crocodile's hands and charged at Li Ziming at tremendous speed, growing larger and larger along the way.

"Damn it!" Li Ziming had wanted to dodge, but it was obviously too late for that. He could only raise both hands in front of him. "Directional Blast!" A violent explosion created a powerful shockwave that directly scattered the sandstorm tornado.

Crocodile appeared behind the sandstorm tornado, swinging a blade formed from sand at Li Ziming.

A huge explosion erupted beneath Li Ziming's feet. Combined with the speed of Soru, it sent his body shooting forward in a straight line. At the same time, his right hand was coated in a metallic color. Just before it collided with the sand blade, his right elbow exploded again, providing a second burst of thrust. Then, his metallic fist slammed into Crocodile's sand blade.

Boom! A massive sound and violent shockwave spread out from the two of them. Li Ziming was immediately sent skidding across the ground, while Crocodile merely took a few steps back.

"Cough, cough!" Li Ziming coughed up two mouthfuls of blood after being sent flying. Then he tore off his shirt, tossed it aside, and stood up once more.

"Kid, is it worth it?" Crocodile asked. "You're a criminal. Even if you really defeat me, so what? No one in this country will see you as a hero. You're nothing more than a wanted criminal on a bounty poster. What are you risking your life for?"

"Yeah, what for?" Li Ziming muttered. "Maybe for something interesting. Maybe to protect that smiling face?" Li Ziming shook his head, smiled, and said to Crocodile, "Why do you care so much? What I'm doing it for has nothing to do with you. You only need to know that I'm here to cause trouble for you."

"You're courting death!" Crocodile had originally wanted to persuade the other party to work under him, but he had not expected such an attitude. Feeling challenged, Crocodile flew into a rage and immediately unleashed three Desert Spadas.

Li Ziming seemed to have no reaction at all. He did not move, merely lightly spitting out one word. "Explode!"

The three Desert Spadas exploded. The blasts were not large, but they were enough to destroy the structure of the Desert Spadas. Crocodile exploded as well.

"You turned my sand into bombs?" Even Crocodile had to marvel at Li Ziming's talent for combat.

Watching Crocodile's body rapidly recover, Li Ziming could only smile bitterly. But then he pulled himself together. At the very least, Crocodile had fewer ways to use sand to attack him.

"But you don't think you can defeat me like this, do you?" Crocodile revealed the golden hook on his right hand. "I can only say that you're too naive!" Crocodile moved quickly. It turned out that he had transformed his lower body into sand to accelerate himself.

The two immediately began exchanging blows at close range, but Crocodile soon discovered that Li Ziming was truly extremely strong in melee combat. Li Ziming had brought the Haki that could only cover one hand to life, using it only when attacking or defending, greatly reducing his consumption. He also concentrated it only on the point of attack or defense, allowing his limited Haki to be used to the fullest. Furthermore, Li Ziming's Devil Fruit ability was exceptionally suited for close combat. Every attack was accompanied by an explosion. Crocodile felt that if he were not a Logia user, he would likely have already lost to Li Ziming.

This can't go on. I need to think of something! Crocodile took one of Li Ziming's punches head-on, then grabbed Li Ziming's right hand with his left. "Die!"

In an instant, Li Ziming felt the moisture in his body draining away at incredible speed. His right hand visibly shriveled before his eyes.

"Tsk, tsk, you..." Crocodile seemed to want to say something more, but Li Ziming raised his left hand, grabbed Crocodile's left hand, and detonated an explosion. Crocodile's left wrist was blown into sand, yet his left hand still held Li Ziming's right hand. This time, Crocodile was completely enraged. He had originally intended to persuade Li Ziming a little longer, but Li Ziming did not know what was good for him. Crocodile sped up the absorption, and looking at what Li Ziming had become, Crocodile sneered, casually tossed him aside, and left the area.

[Thank you all for your continued support. During this Qidian 515 Fan Festival, there will be the Author Glory Hall and the Works General Election. I hope everyone can show some support. There are also red packet gift packs during the fan festival, so go claim them and keep those subscriptions going!]