Crocodile glanced at the person behind him with some surprise, then nodded slightly.
“Fine.”
The next moment, a burst of sand suddenly erupted beneath his feet.
It condensed into a sharp blade and instantly pierced through the black-clad man’s body.
An expression of disbelief remained on the man’s face as he died at the hands of his own leader.
Crocodile showed no concern whatsoever over killing one of his subordinates.
In a cold voice, he said, “You will be the one giving the orders from now on.
Remember, once the plan is complete, you’ll get what you want.”
“Hehehehe…”
The silver-bell-like laughter gradually faded into the distance.
Crocodile relaxed slightly and continued formulating his plan to overthrow the Kingdom of Alabasta.
…
“Nami.”
“Hmm?”
Looking at Nami nestled in his arms, Lucas smiled faintly and said softly, “This time, our objective is to recruit our third crew member, Nico Robin.
She’s an archaeologist with extremely profound knowledge of ancient writing.
She’ll be an indispensable part of many of our future plans.”
Nami raised her head and narrowed her eyes at Lucas.
“Nico Robin?
A woman?”
By now, Nami had a fairly good understanding of Lucas’s personality.
She already knew that this man was somewhat of a womanizer.
“Ahem…
What are you thinking?
Yes, she’s beautiful, but she still can’t compare to my Nami.”
“Hmph!”
Nami pouted and snorted before murmuring somewhat wistfully, “I know.
Nothing you think about can escape my eyes.
Whatever you do, I won’t blame you.
As long as I’m always the most important person in your heart, that’s enough.”
“Huh?!”
Lucas was startled, and a trace of delight appeared in his expression.
Did I just solve the problem that had been giving me the biggest headache?
Seeing Lucas’s changing expression, Nami sighed inwardly, feeling inexplicably disappointed.
Lucas, however, tightened his arms around her and held her close.
“Don’t worry.
You’ll always be the most important person in my heart…”
“Mm.”
Hearing those words, Nami’s disappointment vanished, leaving nothing but sweetness in her heart.
…
Late that night, Lucas took Nami and climbed directly over the city wall.
He had a general idea of where Nico Robin was.
In any case, as long as he found Crocodile, he would definitely find Robin.
As for whether Robin had already reached an agreement with Crocodile, he had no idea.
After walking a few steps hand in hand with Nami, his expression suddenly turned cold.
“Come out.
Stop hiding!”
Nami’s heart tightened at his words, and she warily scanned their surroundings.
“Yo, you’re pretty alert.
Climbing over the wall in the middle of the night…
What exactly are you here for?”
A tall figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
The moment Lucas recognized him, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile appeared on his face.
“Looks like Baroque Works has quite an impressive intelligence network.
I just arrived, and you’ve already shown up.”
“You ate the Dice-Dice Fruit(Supa Supa no Mi) and can turn your entire body into steel weapons…
Mr.
1.”
“What?!”
Daz Bones was stunned, and his voice trembled.
“How do you know all that?
Could it be…?”
He was extremely shocked.
The secrecy within Baroque Works was extraordinarily strict.
How could their information have leaked?
There must be a traitor inside!
“Hehehehe…
You’re certainly an unusual person.
Mr.
0 really did underestimate you.”
A crisp voice suddenly came from the rooftop of the building on the left.
Lucas turned his head.
Even in the darkness, his eyes could see clearly.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
I didn’t expect to meet you this easily…
Nico Robin.
“Vice President of Baroque Works, Nico Robin, known as the Demon Child.
You have a bounty of 79 million Berries.
You ate the Hana Hana no Mi and possess the ability to sprout copies of any part of your body out of thin air.”
“Am I right?”
Robin’s pupils contracted slightly.
She stared warily at Lucas, no longer wearing the relaxed and intelligent expression she had displayed moments earlier.
Her identity within Baroque Works was kept secret from almost everyone, second only to Crocodile’s.
Among the lower-ranking members, only the man standing before her—Mr.
1, Daz Bones—knew her true identity.
So how had this man learned so much?
There was wariness in her eyes, but also a trace of curiosity.
Lucas ignored Daz Bones completely and kept his eyes fixed on Robin.
“Robin, I know why you agreed to cooperate with Crocodile.
That’s a simple matter for me.
I know where that thing is.”
“Why don’t you join my pirate crew?
You don’t have to continue working with Crocodile.”
The moment those words were spoken, both Nico Robin and Daz Bones were thrown into turmoil.
Shock appeared in Daz Bones’s eyes.
Even he knew only a little about the president’s true identity.
Yet this man standing before him knew everything.
Could it be that everything within Baroque Works is already known to this man?
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
Robin’s pupils contracted as well.
Lucas had already shocked her enough, but this was a secret known to only two people.
And he knew it too.
This man…
The shock in her eyes gradually transformed into curiosity.
She forcibly suppressed her astonishment and asked, “Could it be that you ate a Devil Fruit that allows you to see the future?
Otherwise, there’s no way you could know this much!”
Lucas burst out laughing and teased her.
“Well, I don’t know everything.
I probably know everything except the color of your underwear.”
“You!”
Robin’s face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
Her hands crossed instinctively, and she nearly couldn’t resist using her powers to kill Lucas on the spot.
At this point, however, Daz Bones had calmed down.
“I see.
So it’s a precognitive Devil Fruit?”
He narrowed his eyes.
“Looks like only the two of you know these secrets.
As long as we eliminate both of you, the secrets can be kept safe.”
“Ah, right.
I forgot about the supporting character standing here.”
Lucas slapped his forehead.
“Fine.
I’ll take you out first, then I’ll come back and steal Robin away.”
Lucas didn’t seem concerned in the slightest as he looked at the enraged Daz Bones.
However, his eyes remained fixed on Robin atop the rooftop.
If Robin attacked him, things could become troublesome.
After all, the arms she manifested were effectively extensions of her own body.
If he slashed through one of them, the consequences could be rather unpleasant.
Fortunately, Robin was wary of revealing her abilities in front of Lucas, and she didn’t recklessly manifest any limbs.
Moreover, her curiosity was gradually taking over.
If this man really possesses the ability to see the future, then there really is no need for me to continue cooperating with Crocodile…
While Robin was thinking this, the two men below had already begun fighting.
Nami quietly moved to the side, keeping a wary eye on Robin.
“Be careful,” she whispered to Lucas.
Lucas chuckled.
“Don’t worry.
This guy is nothing more than a one-sword problem for me.”
Daz Bones charged forward in a fury and roared, “No swordsman has ever dared to be this arrogant in front of me!
And no swordsman has ever been able to so much as scratch me!”
“Oh, really?
That’s because you’ve never fought me…”
Lucas laughed softly.
He uttered the very words Zoro had originally spoken in the canon story.
Heaven-Splitting Dragon Strike!
A flash of sword light streaked across the darkness.
Lucas appeared behind Daz Bones and slowly returned his sword to its sheath.
He murmured,
“Cutting steel is ridiculously easy!
I’ll spare your life.
Let Zoro cut you down again in the future…”
Splurt!
A stream of blood burst from Daz Bones’s chest.
He turned his head toward Lucas in disbelief before collapsing to the ground.