Yang Cheng did not immediately agree to Vivi's request that he save Alabasta.
Instead, he explained that he had only won this time because Crocodile had lacked the advantage of favorable terrain.
If they fought in Alabasta, which was almost entirely desert, that environment would practically put Crocodile on par with someone who had achieved Devil Fruit Awakening.
As long as Crocodile did not foolishly choose to fight him in a town, Yang Cheng could protect himself, but defeating him would clearly be extremely difficult.
After this battle, if Yang Cheng pursued him to Alabasta, would Crocodile still be arrogant enough to fight him in a town?
Clearly not. Crocodile had already thought that through while fleeing in defeat.
If Yang Cheng dared to come to Alabasta, he would combine the Sand-Sand Fruit with the desert environment to unleash an attack comparable to a natural disaster and kill Yang Cheng outright!
Vivi could not hide her disappointment after hearing Yang Cheng's explanation.
But just as she was sinking into despair, Yang Cheng added that if he had another year or two, he should be able to beat Crocodile decisively, even in Alabasta.
Besides, they probably did not need to worry too much about Crocodile making a move against Alabasta in the immediate future.
After all, he had failed to obtain any clues about Pluton from Yang Cheng, and given his personality, he clearly would not give up on an ancient weapon so easily.
If Crocodile grew desperate and openly attacked Alabasta, the World Government and the Navy could not stand idly by without losing face.
For now, he still had to maintain his image as a "hero" and pursue his takeover of Alabasta gradually.
Yang Cheng suggested that Vivi secretly contact Koza, the leader of the Rebel Army, and tell him about Crocodile's plot.
Of course, joining forces with the royal army and taking Crocodile head-on was out of the question.
Yang Cheng worried that a single massive Sables from Crocodile would wipe out both the royal army and the Rebel Army.
His advice was therefore for Koza and Vivi's father to put on an act together, maintaining the illusion that their armies were at odds so Crocodile would believe everything remained under his control.
As for Yang Cheng, returning to Baroque Works was clearly impossible, so he intended to head back out to sea.
Constant fighting and challenging powerful opponents were the fastest ways to grow stronger.
His Observation Haki had just hit a bottleneck, so he planned to visit Sky Island.
Back in his previous life, people online had argued endlessly over whether "Mantra," an ability resembling mind reading, was a way of using Observation Haki.
But there was no denying that before Observation Haki reached its highest level of "predicting the future," Mantra was a very useful ability.
In the first half of the Grand Line, a small-to-medium-sized sailing ship was making its way toward Jaya.
Holding a parasol, Miss Valentine stared with obvious displeasure at a woman lounging in a deck chair, absorbed in her book.
"Why are you here?! Aren't you the Vice President of Baroque Works, Crocodile's trusted right-hand woman?
"It was already generous of us not to kill you. How can you sit on our ship without a care in the world?!"
Faced with Miss Valentine's furious questions, Robin elegantly closed the book in her hands, then replied at a leisurely pace, "As far as I know, you don't own this ship either, do you?
"Besides, Crocodile and I were only ever using each other.
"Weren't you also Miss Valentine of Baroque Works before, Miss Mikita?
"So really, our positions aren't all that different."
Robin's words left Mikita gritting her teeth in anger. Even back when she belonged to Baroque Works, she had found Nico Robin thoroughly irritating.
They had both been members of Baroque Works, and the boss himself had backed Robin, so Mikita had always been forced to swallow her anger.
Now that even Crocodile could only flee in defeat before Yang Cheng, Mikita felt they could finally hold their heads high. Yet Nico Robin still dared to act so brazenly in front of her!
"What do you mean, we're the same?! Yang Cheng and I are the best partners! You're just someone who hopped aboard halfway through. How can you compare yourself to me?
"Yang Cheng, hurry up and tell this woman how close we are.
"And kick her off the ship already! She's that bastard Crocodile's partner. For all we know, she's following us to pass information to him."
As a mature woman, Robin had originally intended not to stoop to arguing with a girl like Mikita.
But with Mikita targeting her so relentlessly, she saw no reason to hold back.
"You probably don't know who recruited Yang Cheng into Baroque Works, do you, Miss Mikita?
"If we're talking about who met him first, I knew him before you did. And he and I have a secret agreement, too.
"A special agreement just between the two of us."
"A secret agreement..."
Mikita was clearly desperate to know about the "secret agreement" Robin had mentioned, but she also knew she could not let the other woman gain the upper hand now.
"What secret agreement? You must be making that up! Yang Cheng and I have been partners for over a year. We spend every day together..."
As Nico Robin and Mikita's verbal sparring gradually threatened to turn into an outright catfight, Yang Cheng watched them.
He had been fishing nearby and enjoying the show, but now he hurriedly called a halt to their argument.
"You'd better think this through. If you start fighting on board, this little wreck of a ship won't survive you.
"And if the ship breaks, there's nothing beneath us but open ocean. You're both Devil Fruit users. I'm sure you know how that ends without me spelling it out.
"Don't ask me impossible questions like whose side I'd take or who I'd save. To keep myself alive, I'll watch both of you sink to the bottom of the sea.
"So go ahead and fight if you want. Just make sure you're ready to take each other down with you."
Whatever Robin's reaction was, Mikita immediately backed down upon hearing Yang Cheng's warning.
She was terrified of dying. There was no way she would throw her life away fighting a woman like Nico Robin. She could just kick that annoying woman off the ship when they reached the next island.
But with all that pent-up frustration, on their way to Jaya-
-the pirates who crossed their path had terrible luck.
His battle against Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai, at Whiskey Peak had transformed Yang Cheng from someone with a modest reputation in the first half of the Grand Line into a widely known name.
Many pirates with bounties on their heads took a wide detour the moment they spotted him, though naturally, some reckless fools wanted to use his fame as a stepping stone.
Unfortunately, most of the pirates who came looking for trouble were small fry who did not even have bounties.
And those small fry ended up serving as punching bags for Mikita to vent her frustration on.
Before you continue