Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

It turns out that it wasn't.

A fatherly smile of satisfaction spread across his face.

Ace's gaze lingered on Nami and Vivi for a moment, then he pulled Luffy aside and whispered, "Which one do you like better?"

"...What are you saying?"

"Still pretending with me? Forget it, you're at that age now."

Ace burst into laughter and slapped Luffy's shoulder hard, making Luffy wince in pain.

That's all I have to say.

Then Luffy watched as Ace solemnly bowed to Nami and Vivi, pleading, "I'm entrusting Luffy to your care from now on."

"what?"

"Oh, good."

An indescribable sense of absurdity washed over me.

Luffy's gaze toward Ace also became strange.

So what was the meaning behind those words? He felt like he'd been sold out.

Chapter 119 What the Demon Child Seeks

Ace boarded the ship as a guest. He was very curious about Luffy's crew. Blackbeard was nowhere to be seen for the time being, so it would be nice for him to spend some time with Luffy.

Then he saw the ship spirit Merry and exclaimed in surprise, "Your ship actually has a ship spirit?"

Luffy said, "Don't you guys have any?"

"Please have some tea." Sanji served tea and snacks.

"Thank you." Ace picked up his tea and looked at Merry, who was sitting on Luffy's shoulder with his chin resting on Luffy's head. "I've heard my father mention that there is one, but I've never seen one."

Moby Dick is hailed as the king of ships. As the symbol of the Whitebeard Pirates, the ship and its captain, Whitebeard, are renowned far and wide.

“Merry is quite rare, huh?” Luffy laughed. “I really have to thank Uta for that. I met her in the East Blue, and it was all thanks to her Song-Song Fruit.”

"Is it your childhood friend?" Ace asked. "He's also a Devil Fruit user."

The Song-Song Fruit? I've never heard of that before. It actually has the ability to summon ship spirits? Luffy has so many strange people around him. If the people of the New World knew about this guy, they'd definitely go crazy.

The boost a ship spirit can provide to a pirate crew is considerable.

"Does Luffy have a childhood friend?" Vivi was hearing this for the first time.

"Hmm, he's a musician, and he sings very well." Nami thought of her first rival.

But while competitors come and go, Nami remains a constant! She's always there!

Vivi was originally teaching Luffy music because she really didn't know what to teach him. She couldn't very well dance a duet with Luffy in front of them, could she?

That's too much of a public execution.

With Crocodile defeated, Vivi seemed a little more relaxed. Now all she had to do was stop the rebels and expose Crocodile's plot to stop the war.

However... Vivi was still somewhat uneasy.

"The war started by Crocodile is difficult to stop. I heard that the number of rebels and the King's army has reached a million."

Ace began, "A battlefield with so many people needs a decisive event."

Why is this sea kingdom so powerful?

The advantage in numbers is one of the most important reasons.

Wars that break out within a kingdom can easily involve millions of people, while a pirate crew with more than five thousand members can be considered a large fleet.

"We still need to find Crocodile. Sorry Vivi, I let him escape back then." Luffy said somewhat embarrassedly.

It's all because that plan came at the wrong time!

"It's not your fault." Vivi had witnessed Luffy's sacrifices; she had no right to blame him.

The most urgent task now is to get to Arubana, the capital of Alabasta. As soon as she arrived in Alabasta, Vivi asked Run Fast to take her letter to the capital first. As the best of the Super Run Ducks, Run Fast is the fastest animal in Alabasta.

We might have arrived by now.

.....

While Luffy and his crew were rushing to Albarna.

The war that has engulfed the entire Alabasta has begun.

Besides Crocodile and his men, Baroque Works also had many agents infiltrated into the rebel army, inciting the war.

Robin is very fast. Having spent so many years in Alabasta, she knows how to get to Alabasta quickly and must get there before Luffy and the others.

Regardless, everyone has their own purpose, and what she wants to know is the hidden historical text of this country.

Deep within the Alabasta Royal Palace, the atmosphere was clearly heavy. King Cobra frowned as he listened to the reports from his guard captain, Falcon Bell, and Jackal Jakka about the increasingly dire situation at the front.

Every casualty figure is like a blunt knife, cutting into the heart of this benevolent ruler.

"This can't go on like this."

Cobra slowly stood up, a resolute look appearing on his weary face. "I will go to the battlefield myself. If my presence and my life can stop them, then it will be worth it."

"Your Majesty, that's too dangerous!"

"Please leave this matter to us."

Bell and Jaka exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

Just then, Nico Robin's voice rang out in the empty throne room:

“Going now will only add to the king’s corpse, King Cobra.”

The three were startled and turned around abruptly, only to see Nicole Robin gracefully walking out from the shadows in a corner of the palace.

"Miss. All Sunday?!"

Icarus cried out, unable to contain himself. He had only been able to return to the palace early to deliver the message thanks to Robin's help. "Why are you here?"

His feelings at that moment were extremely complicated.

He couldn't tell whether the woman in front of him was a friend or foe.

Robin ignored Icarus's questioning and calmly looked at Cobra, saying, "King Cobra, your daughter Princess Vivi and her companions have defeated Crocodile. The high-ranking agents of Baroque Works have also been largely dealt with by the Straw Hat crew."

"Is Weiwei alright?"

Cobra's eyes lit up with surprise, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, but his long experience in governance made him calm down immediately. His sharp gaze scrutinized Robin. "You came here specifically to tell me this news, so you must have other purposes."

"It's easy to talk to smart people."

Robin smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and said, "My purpose is simple: take me to the place in this country where the Poneglyphs are recorded."

Cobra frowned deeply: "What are you trying to do with that thing?"

Robin's smile faded, and his tone hardened: "I don't want to hurt you, King Cobra. So please don't ask any pointless questions; just lead the way."

Cobra paused for a moment, his kingly intuition allowing him to keenly discern the leverage in the other's words: "Now that Vivi is returning to end this war, my greatest fear has vanished. So, what makes you think I would be coerced into revealing the whereabouts of the Poneglyphs?"

“I know one thing. Before Crocodile left Rainfield to intercept Princess Vivi, he planted a large amount of explosives in this palace and even in key areas of Arubana. This is the madness of his Utopia plan, a plan that was decided long ago.”

This is my bargaining chip. Tell me the location of the text, and I'll tell you where the bomb is planted.

Cobra's pupils contracted sharply, and after a moment's hesitation, he asked, "May I know your name?"

Nicole Robin.

"Nicole Robin, it's you, the devil's child of Ohara."

As the ruler of a country, Cobra was quite familiar with some of the notorious pirates.

Was the public used as leverage? Not really, it was a deal Robin made.

Chapter 120 Sashiburina Crocodile

Kobra remained silent for a few seconds.

"Okay, I promise you. Where's the bomb?"

Robin rattled off several key locations without hesitation, a decision that surprised even Cobra.

"You trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word?"

"As the king of the Nefit clan, the recognized benevolent ruler of Alabasta, and Vivi's father... I'm still willing to give him this much credibility."

Robin tilted her head slightly, but Luffy's face inappropriately flashed through her mind. She suppressed this inexplicable thought and thought to herself:

"Perhaps, I've changed a bit too."

In the past, she would never have trusted anyone.

Cobra gave Robin a deep look and immediately ordered Bell, "Bell, take some men and defuse the bomb right now!"

Bell agreed without delay, instantly transforming into a white falcon and bursting through the window to fly away.

“Then, please follow me, Miss Robin.”

Cobra sighed and turned to lead Robin toward the royal family's forbidden grounds—the royal tombs.

Passing through the deep passageway, we entered the magnificent and solemn underground tomb.

Cobra asked, "Do you understand that script?"

"That's why Crocodile chose to cooperate with me," Robin said.

"He wants to obtain that legendary ancient weapon... but I have no interest in it."

Cobra then realized that this was Crocodile's true purpose.