The Plan

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Robin woke and immediately surveyed her surroundings, alert and ready to use her power at any moment. Robin woke and immediately surveyed her surroundings, alert and ready to use her power at any moment. But nothing happened. Then her memories came rushing back like a tide.

"I never thought I'd get drunk." Robin shook her head. Since she had gone on the run, she couldn't remember the last time she had slept so soundly. Then, seeming to realize something, she checked herself over. Finding nothing amiss, she let out a long breath. "That guy's quite the gentleman."

She got out of bed and glanced through the window. It looked to be only two or three in the morning. It was still early, but she no longer felt sleepy. She went into the living room, felt around for the light switch, and turned it on. The somewhat messy room made her frown.

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

Meanwhile, after Li Ziming regained consciousness, he found himself aboard a ship. A cold sea breeze hit him, clearing away much of his drunkenness.

"Have I lost my mind?" Li Ziming had been turning the question over ever since he woke. "Damn it. Alcohol really is poison. I'm never drinking again. I swear I'm quitting!"

That was what he said, but this was hardly the first or second time Li Ziming had sworn off alcohol. He had never managed to make it stick.

"That's the Sand Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai!" Li Ziming genuinely thought he must have been out of his mind to pick a fight with him. "Still, what I came up with while drunk might actually work. Heh. Even drunk, I'm as clever as ever." Li Ziming shamelessly began feeling pleased with himself.

Li Ziming was now headed to Alabasta to look for the Rebel Army. He held out little hope of persuading them, though. Even Vivi, the rebel leader's childhood friend, had failed to convince him. What chance did an outsider have? Li Ziming figured he would be better off using less conventional methods.

He had little hope for the Marines either. The corruption in their ranks meant that even if they came to investigate, they would never do so in earnest. Besides, Li Ziming had no intention of contacting them. He still had a Marine rear admiral's death on his hands.

All Li Ziming intended to do was draw someone in the Marines' attention to the Ancient Weapons. Once he muddied the waters, even a small fry like him could move freely. So he sent out a large batch of anonymous letters. He did not care whether any reached the Marines, since many were addressed to Alabasta. Besides warning the Marines, he wanted to plant the idea among the people that the Sand Crocodile was no hero, but the mastermind behind it all. People were quick to follow the crowd. When they could not verify a story, they tended to spread whichever version they heard most often. Li Ziming only needed to get the rumor started.

Crocodile surely had the royal family under his thumb. Li Ziming had no intention of taking on a Logia Shichibukai head-on, so he planned to visit the Rebel Army and see what he could do there.

Li Ziming's plan was sound, but one thing caught him by surprise.

Alabasta was a desert kingdom, with vast stretches of sand covering much of its territory. There were no roads between its cities. People traveled by camel, guided by locals who knew the way. Li Ziming had arrived in the middle of the night, though. He did not want to disturb the villagers, and he could not be sure none of them worked for Crocodile. As a precaution, he hired neither a camel nor a local guide. The result: Li Ziming got spectacularly lost.

Staring out at the boundless desert, Li Ziming looked thoroughly miserable.

His one consolation was that he had arrived at night. The temperature was lower, but his explosions could generate heat, and his Shockwave could counter the cold wind. Between the two, he could keep himself from freezing. Without the scorching sun, he also did not have to worry about dehydration.

Li Ziming still fretted. "I'm not going to be the first person with powers to die in this desert, am I?" His mouth twitched.

"Of course not. Who knows how many people with powers this desert has swallowed?"

The familiar voice reached him, but Li Ziming felt no joy. Fear seized him instead. Even the howling cold wind could not stop the sweat from running down his forehead.

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

"It certainly is." Crocodile emerged from the shadows.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be going." Even as Li Ziming spoke, he used Soru to send himself hurtling toward Crocodile. The recoil from an explosion added force to his punch, while the Haki coating his fist gave him the ability to strike a Logia user.

Crocodile was a seasoned fighter. His body instinctively turned to sand, but Li Ziming still left a fistprint on his face.

"You're quite good, kid." Crocodile's expression darkened. Famous for so long, he had never expected some brat to catch him off guard and injure him. It was humiliating.

"You think so? I agree." Li Ziming accepted the compliment without hesitation, though his body was already poised to dodge.

"We could have had an excellent relationship as employer and employee," Crocodile said with a hint of regret.

"I don't think so," Li Ziming replied with a sneer.

"Of course you don't. You're too stupid, and I don't like stupid people working for me!" A huge sandstorm Dragon Twister formed between Crocodile's hands and rushed toward Li Ziming, growing as it went.

"Damn!" Li Ziming wanted to dodge, but it was already too late. He thrust both hands forward. "Directional Blast!" A violent explosion sent out a powerful Shockwave that tore the sandstorm Dragon Twister apart.

Crocodile appeared behind the collapsing storm and swung a blade made of sand at Li Ziming.

A Big Explosion erupted beneath Li Ziming's feet. Combined with the speed of Soru, it sent him shooting forward in a straight line. A metallic sheen covered his right hand. Just before it met the sand blade, another explosion burst from his right elbow, giving the punch a second surge of force. His metal-colored fist collided with Crocodile's blade.

Boom! A tremendous sound and a violent shockwave spread out from the two fighters. Li Ziming was sent flying, skimming across the ground, while Crocodile merely took a few steps back.

"Cough, cough!" Li Ziming spat up blood twice. Then he tore off his shirt, tossed it aside, and got back to his feet.

"Is it worth it, kid?" Crocodile asked. "You're a criminal. Even if you defeat me, what will that change? No one in this country will see you as a hero. You'll still be a wanted man on a wanted poster. Why risk your life for this?"

"Yeah. Why?" Li Ziming murmured. "Maybe because it's interesting. Maybe to protect that smile?" He shook his head, then smiled at Crocodile. "Why do you care? My reasons have nothing to do with you. All you need to know is that I'm here to mess up your plans."

"You're asking to die!" Crocodile had still hoped to talk Li Ziming into working for him. Instead, the kid had given him that answer. Furious at the provocation, he unleashed three Desert Spadas.

Li Ziming seemed not to react at all. He did not even move. He simply uttered one word: "Explode!"

The three Desert Spadas exploded. The blasts were small, but enough to destroy their structure. Crocodile exploded too.

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

Watching Crocodile's body rapidly reform, Li Ziming could only smile bitterly. A moment later, he rallied. At least he had taken away some of the ways Crocodile could attack with sand.

"You don't think that's enough to beat me, do you?" Crocodile revealed the golden hook on his right hand. "You're far too naive!" He moved fast, having turned his lower body into sand to propel himself forward.

The two clashed at close quarters, and Crocodile soon discovered just how formidable Li Ziming was in hand-to-hand combat. Li Ziming made ingenious use of the Haki he could apply to only one hand, calling on it only when he attacked or defended. That greatly reduced how much he used. He also concentrated it at the exact point of contact, making full use of the little he had. His Devil Fruit power was equally suited to close combat: every strike came with an explosion. Crocodile suspected he would have lost already if he had not been a Logia user.

This can't go on. I need a way out! Crocodile took one of Li Ziming's punches head-on, then seized his right hand with his left. "Die!"

Li Ziming instantly felt the moisture draining from his body at terrifying speed. His right hand visibly shriveled.

"Well, well, you—" Crocodile seemed about to say more, but Li Ziming caught Crocodile's left hand with his own and set off an explosion. Crocodile's left wrist burst into sand, yet his hand remained clamped around Li Ziming's right. Crocodile was thoroughly enraged now. He had meant to give Li Ziming another chance, but the kid refused to listen. He drew the moisture out even faster. Looking at what Li Ziming had become, Crocodile gave a derisive laugh, tossed him aside, and left.

[Thank you all for your continued support. For this Qidian 515 Fan Festival's Writer Hall of Fame and overall works vote, I hope you'll lend your support. The festival also has some red-envelope gift packs, so claim them and keep reading!]