The Invisible Hand

Ryan had considered Fujitora's recruitment for a long time. Although he did not know what Fujitora's purpose was in joining, at least one thing was certain: Fujitora would not harm him.

Moreover, through this incident, Ryan realized that aside from himself, the Ryan Pirates' top-tier combat strength was far from sufficient. Beli was decent as well, but he was still not enough when facing a powerhouse like Aokiji.

Fujitora's addition made up for the Ryan Pirates' lack of high-end combat strength, especially with their upcoming fight for the Supreme Grade Sword, "Yoru."

Fujitora would never have imagined that Ryan had asked him to join the crew simply because he needed another high-level fighter. With Fujitora around, Kid and the others' safety would be guaranteed. Then Ryan could roam freely and do whatever he wanted. At the thought of breaking free of his constraints, the corners of Ryan's mouth lifted slightly.

"Captain!"

"Ah, what is it?" The shout of "Captain" pulled Ryan from his fantasies. Turning around, he saw that Robin was calling him.

"I have something to tell you. Just you."

"Ah!"

Without another word, Robin grabbed Ryan and pulled him outside, making Lory, who was watching nearby, grit her teeth in irritation.

Ryan let Robin pull him along almost involuntarily. Looking at Robin, who had grown into a young woman, his heart began pounding wildly.

What does Robin want? She wants to speak with me alone... Does she want to offer herself to me? What should I do? Should I accept her? Ryan thought.

Robin pulled Ryan into an empty little house and said, "Captain, I—"

Ryan immediately cut her off and said sternly, "I know how you feel, but I'm not that kind of person!"

Robin asked in confusion, "Does the captain know what I want to say?"

"I know. You want to offer yourself to me, right? But I'm not that casual, Robin!" Ryan said, shaking his head.

Seeing Ryan's serious expression, Robin froze for a moment. Then the corner of her mouth twitched, and finally she could no longer hold it in. She burst out laughing.

Watching Robin cover her mouth and desperately try to hide her exaggerated movements, Ryan somehow began laughing too.

"No... Robin, what... are you laughing... at?"

Sure enough, Robin had received professional training. Like a magician performing a trick, she immediately stopped laughing and returned to her usual image of a refined, mature woman.

"I think you may have misunderstood something, Captain. What I wanted to tell you was Crocodile's plan."

Ryan suddenly felt as though ants were crawling all over him.

Perhaps seeing Ryan's embarrassment, Robin continued without waiting for a response. "The news about the Supreme Grade Sword, 'Yoru,' and Pluton was both released by Crocodile. His purpose was to draw out the Alabasta royal family's hidden power and wipe them out in one stroke. That is why all the strong have gathered in the royal capital, Alubarna."

"Hidden power?" Ryan asked in astonishment. In his impression, the Alabasta Kingdom did not seem to possess any particularly powerful force.

"Yes. Alabasta has existed for thousands of years, yet the throne has always remained firmly in the hands of the Nefertari family. That means this family has existed for thousands of years as well. According to Crocodile's investigation, whenever the Nefertari family faced a crisis of destruction, someone would appear to save the entire kingdom and the royal family," Robin explained calmly.

Hearing Robin's words, Ryan began to think. "With Crocodile's strength, it would not have been difficult for him to directly arrange an accidental death for the Nefertari family. Why would he spend more than ten years painstakingly laying out a plan just to shake the Nefertari family's throne?"

"No, that's not right! In the end, Luffy still saved the entire kingdom, and the throne remained with the Nefertari family."

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. It was as if an invisible hand was controlling everything.

"Robin, go back and organize all the information on the Nefertari family, then give it to me," Ryan said gravely.

Crocodile believed that a hidden force stood behind the Nefertari family, but Ryan did not think so. He knew that even when the Nefertari family was about to be overthrown and destroyed in the future, no hidden force had appeared to save them.

Seeing Ryan take this so seriously, Robin did not dare delay.

"Alright. The information is all in my head. I'll give it to you once I've organized it, but I'll need some time."

As expected of someone who had become an Ohara scholar at the age of eight. Ryan could not help but envy that brain.

"Then let's go. The others are probably getting impatient."

After rejoining the group, Ryan and the others headed toward the inn. When the residents on the street saw them, they all kept their distance, not daring to approach.

No one paid them any mind, and they headed straight for the inn.

After returning to his room, Beli came to find Ryan.

"Ryan, you've looked preoccupied all the way here. If something is bothering you, you can tell me. We're best friends."

Ryan laughed helplessly. "You noticed?"

Beli shot Ryan a sidelong glance and said irritably, "Of course I did. I'm the person who understands you best in this world."

"Nothing is certain yet. If something really is wrong, I'll tell you," Ryan reassured him.

Beli did not say anything more after hearing that. He patted Ryan on the shoulder and left, leaving Ryan alone in the room to think.

Early the next morning, Ryan, still lost in a pleasant dream, heard a loud pounding on his door.

Ryan had no choice but to get dressed and open it. The moment he did, he saw a slightly weary Robin standing outside with a book in her hands. He asked in surprise, "You didn't sleep all night?"

"Mm!" Robin handed him the book, then turned and left without looking back.

"Thank you. Get some rest!" Not knowing what else to say, Ryan could only thank her like that.

A faint smile appeared on Robin's face.

After closing the door, Ryan hurriedly began flipping through the book.

More than four thousand years ago, the Nefertari family appeared in Alabasta and built a royal palace in what was now the royal capital, Alubarna. From that point on, the Alabasta Kingdom appeared in history.

Scattered records continued until eight hundred years ago, then abruptly stopped. Ryan knew that this was the legendary Void Century.

Ryan continued reading. The records that followed were very detailed. He focused especially on the passages involving times when the Nefertari family had faced crises.

Six hundred and fifty years ago, the Alabasta Kingdom fought an enemy nation at sea. The army led by the king at the time, Nefertari Deka, suffered a crushing defeat and returned home. The enemy nation then launched an expedition against Alabasta with all its strength, only to encounter a hurricane rarely seen once in a century at sea. Their entire army was wiped out, and Alabasta inexplicably won the war.

Four hundred and forty-five years ago, civil unrest broke out in Alabasta. Even the royal capital, Alubarna, was captured. The king escaped with his wife and daughter, but because too many people had died in the capital, an epidemic broke out. Nearly all the rebels caught it, and just like that, the civil unrest came to an end.

The incidents that followed were even more outrageous. Two hundred and twenty-two years ago, Alabasta's king at the time offended a great pirate. Just as that pirate was about to seek revenge on the king, he somehow got lost and wandered into Marine Headquarters, where he died before reaching his destination.

The more Ryan read, the more frightened he became. Before he realized it, sweat had begun to appear on his face.

Ryan slowly closed the book and murmured, "There really is an invisible hand controlling everything. Is my existence an accident, or is someone controlling it too?"