Pirates on Rocks' Ship 996

"Hmm... Let's go to Alabasta to replenish our supplies first! Didn't Dad and Reina say that this is probably just a smokescreen put out by Teach, and he didn't actually come here? After we replenish our supplies, we'll go straight to the 41st Division. If nothing happens there, we can return to base!" Marco said after thinking for a moment.

When Marco and the others arrived at the entrance to Alabasta, Crocodile immediately received the news. At the same time, Robin also learned of Marco's arrival from information within the organization.

"The Whitebeard Pirates... the first division commander!" Robin looked at the message coming from the organization and fell into deep thought.

Dr. Croha had told her that her true identity could only be revealed to Whitebeard or Reyner, and she should never tell anyone else, otherwise she might be in danger.

Now that the first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates is so close to her, she hesitated whether or not to go and meet Marco.

"Guhahaha... Nico Robin, I have good news for you. Although I can't take you to see Whitebeard and Reiner right now, Marco, the first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, has come to Alabasta. Come on! I'll take you to see him!" Just as Robin was still hesitating, Crocodile approached her directly and said.

He was certain that when he received the message, Robin must have also received intelligence from within the organization, and he also felt that this was an opportunity.

He's still unsure of the exact relationship between Robin, Whitebeard, and Reina. Meeting Marco before seeing Whitebeard and the others might be a good option.

Hearing Crocodile's words, Robin did not object, but silently followed behind him. Since Crocodile had made the decision for her, she also planned to go and see.

Meanwhile, in the tavern in the port city of Rapeseed Flower in Alabasta, Marco was resting and drinking with his crew.

"This place is so hot! And this is just a port city. If we keep going, I don't know how hot it will get!" The crew members had all changed into Alabasta's distinctive clothing, and they all looked somewhat comical.

“Alright, once we’ve purchased the supplies, we can set sail and leave. We’ll stay at the 41st Naval Division for a few days. If we don’t hear from Teach, we’ll head back!” Marco said, squinting his eyes.

Although his Devil Fruit ability also involves flames, it is not a scorching flame, but a regenerative flame representing regeneration, so he does not like this kind of climate.

"Captain, when we leave, let's take plenty of fresh water besides drinks! Otherwise, in this weather, we might consume more fresh water!"

“Okay, go ask the owner how much alcohol they have left. We’ll take it all, and then we’ll go buy some fresh water!” Marco nodded and replied.

"Bang!"

Just as Marco and his companions were negotiating with the tavern owner, the tavern door was suddenly opened, and a group of people walked in.

Chapter 210 Marco vs. Crocodile

"Hahahaha... It's been a long time! Marco..." Crocodile entered the tavern, plopped down next to Marco, and said with a laugh, "What are you Whitebeard Pirates doing in a place like this?"

"You are... Crocodile?" Marco looked Crocodile over carefully and exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Standing in the crowd behind Crocodile, Robin carefully observed Marco and found that, judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to be very old.

"Why am I here? This... is my territory!" Crocodile said with a cigar in his mouth and a look of disdain.

"Hahaha... Don't worry, we're just passing by, we're not here to do anything!" After hearing Crocodile's words, Marco immediately understood why the other party had come to their door.

“Passing by? Don’t be ridiculous, how could you possibly just pass by here?” Crocodile said, glancing sideways at Marco.

“I’m not joking, you’re not our target!” Marco shook his head and said seriously.

"I'll trust you this once, but if you dare to cause trouble on my turf, don't blame me if you die!" Crocodile said arrogantly.

Marco smiled but didn't say anything.

At that moment, Crocodile glanced at Robin, and Robin stepped out from behind him.

"Are you Marco, the first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Robin asked softly.

"Who are you?" Marco looked at Robin with some confusion. He felt like he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

“My name is Nico Robin!” Robin said softly.

"Nicole...Robin?" Marco thought for a moment, then his expression suddenly changed drastically. He stood up and stared at Robin, asking, "Who is Nicole Olvia to you?"

Crocodile was also surprised when he saw Marco's expression. He did not expect that Marco would react so strongly to just a name.

"You know her?" Robin suppressed his inner impulse and asked expressionlessly.

“Since I can say her name, I naturally know her, but what exactly is your relationship with her? As far as I know, she passed away many years ago!” Marco asked seriously.

"Hoo~" Robin took a deep breath, glanced at Crocodile, and asked, "I'm here to ask you about the truth of what happened back then, Olvia... how exactly did she die?"

"So, you really are connected to Olvia?" Marco looked at the face that was almost identical to Olvia's back then, took a deep breath, and said, "But wasn't Ohara destroyed in the Navy's Buster Call?"

“Don’t you know? This is the only survivor of Ohara, a being known as the Child of the Devil, and now she is my partner!” Crocodile couldn’t help but say from the side.

“The remnants of Ohara?” Marco nodded and said, “What do you want to know? I can tell you everything I know!”

"How do you know about Olvia? How exactly did she die?" Although Robin almost blurted out that she was Olvia's daughter, she had to use other questions to cover up the truth in order to be cautious, especially since Crocodile was there.

"Back then, due to some circumstances, we needed someone who could decipher ancient scripts to help us, so we went to Ohara. Olvia was the one who went on the adventure with us!" Marco seemed lost in memories as he whispered to Robin:

"After spending some time together, we became true partners, but Olvia had her own pursuits, so after the mission was over, she returned to Ohara!"

"But why did she die in Impel Down in the end?" Robin asked, slightly agitated.

"You know?" Marco was taken aback. Not many people knew that Olvia had died in Impel Down, otherwise Reyna's repeated attacks on Impel Down wouldn't have remained a mystery.

“I know more than you think!” Robin said softly as she slowly regained her composure.

“Although I don’t know what your relationship with Olvia is, I think you need to come with me. And the things you want to know can only be found out after you go to Crescent Moon Island and ask the people involved!” Marco looked at Robin and thought Robin and Olvia looked more and more alike, so he made the suggestion.

“Hey… Marco… are you pretending I don’t exist? She’s… mine now!” Crocodile immediately stood up and said.

"So, Nico Robin, do you want to come back to Crescent Moon Island with me? You can find the answers to your questions there!" Marco ignored Crocodile and asked Robin.

Robin glanced at Crocodile, clearly wary of him. She hadn't been there long, but she knew how powerful he was.

“If it’s him, you don’t need to worry at all. Just answer me whether you’re willing to come with me!” Marco glanced at Crocodile, chuckled, and said.

"Is that so? It seems you've forgotten me after not being around the New World for so many years! Marco..." As Crocodile finished speaking, sand began to swirl around him.

“Crocodile, this person is very important to me. I advise you not to make a move!” Marco stepped forward, shielding Robin behind him, and said.

As the two men confronted each other, the men behind them also drew their weapons and began to fight back.

"Hmph! This... is my territory! Sandstorm!" A small sand tornado formed in Crocodile's hand and flew directly towards Marco.

"Protect her, you guys go first!" Marco's arms transformed into wings burning with blue regenerative flames as he spoke to his teammates behind him.

"boom!"

The blue flames collided with the sand, and the massive explosion destroyed the tavern. Marco, who had transformed into a phoenix, soared into the sky.

"Hmph! Flying is useless against me! Desert Blade!" Crocodile waved his hand, and a sand-formed slash shot straight towards Marco.

"Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish! Phoenix Seal!" Marco wasn't the kind of person who would just take a beating without fighting back. Facing Crocodile's attack, Marco immediately launched a counterattack.

However, he still kept some attention on Nico Robin. Before figuring out her identity, he had to ensure her safety.

"Nicole Robin, come with us! I'll take you back to the ship first, and we'll return to Crescent Moon Island after the captain has dealt with the enemy!" A veteran member of the first team came to Robin's side, shouting as he attacked the enemy.

Robin hesitated for a moment, but still ran over there. Returning to Crescent Moon Island with Marco was indeed more reliable than staying with Crocodile. Marco's excited expression earlier couldn't fool her.

After seeing Robin being taken away by his teammates, Marco decided to stop fighting. The battle between the two intensified, even destroying many surrounding buildings. Many unsuspecting civilians fled in all directions, fearing they would be drawn into the fight.

"Desert Diamond Blade!" Facing Marco's Regeneration Flame, Crocodile unleashed an even larger slash at his opponent.

"No wonder Reina made such a judgment about you, Crocodile... nothing special!" Marco's flames trembled violently, and the wings that had transformed from his arms formed a blue wall of regenerative flames that completely blocked the desert slash.

"Really? Then try again! Heavy Sandstorm!" A huge tornado slowly began to take shape and continued to grow larger.

Marco's expression changed, and he shouted at Crocodile, "Damn it, isn't this your territory? Don't you care about the lives of the civilians around here?"

"Isn't all of this... caused by you, Marco!" Crocodile waved his hand, and a super-sized sand tornado moved towards Marco.

"You retreat!" Marco shouted back to his teammates who were still fighting, and then he fell directly from the sky. The traction force of the tornado in the air had already affected his ability to fly.

Meanwhile, Robin, who was retreating, asked with some concern, "Will your captain be alright?"

"Don't worry, Captain Marco is incredibly capable!" The team members protecting Robin's retreat seemed to have a lot of confidence in Marco.

However, Robin was still worried as she looked at the huge desert tornado behind her. If Marco were to be defeated here, even if she returned to Crocodile's side, he probably wouldn't keep his promise to her.

After all, having offended the Whitebeard Pirates, if Robin were to go to Crescent Moon Island again, even Crocodile might not be able to return. Therefore, Robin could only hope that Marco would not be defeated.

Marco did not disappoint Robin. Although he did not defeat Crocodile quickly, he was not defeated by Crocodile either. The battle between the two continued, and the entire city seemed to have become their battlefield. Marco wanted to leave, but Crocodile pursued him relentlessly, making it difficult for him to escape for a while.

It's not that he can't leave, but if Crocodile keeps chasing him, even if he returns to the ship, he won't be able to set sail. So he can only leave after his crew members have all left.

Crocodile knew Marco's plan, so he kept heading towards the pirate ship, but Marco kept blocking him from passing.

"Damn it... Marco, is this what you call passing by?" Crocodile was so angry that he threw away his cigar and yelled at Marco after seeing Nico Robin board the ship.

Nico Robin was his only key to finding the Ancient Weapons, but now that Marco has taken her away, doesn't that mean his plan is going to end before it even begins?

"I'm sorry, this person is very important to me. If I've made a mistake, I will send her back with an apology gift!" Marco knew that Crocodile was no longer able to stop him after seeing Robin board the ship.

Chapter 211 Return to Xuan Yue Island

"Captain! Are you alright?" Not long after the pirate ship left the port of Alabasta, Marco descended from the sky and landed directly on the deck.

"It's alright, Logia-type Devil Fruit users are just that troublesome. Fortunately, his weakness is obvious. After Reina encountered Crocodile last time, he told us about his situation!" Marco said with a smile.

“Reina? Is he your first mate? What kind of person is he?” Robin couldn’t help but ask when Marco mentioned Reina.

“That guy… he’s quite something! But before that, I still want to ask, what exactly is your relationship with Olvia?” Marco replied with a smile when Robin asked the question.

Faced with Marco's question, Robin fell silent again. After a long while, she said, "I won't answer this question until I see Whitebeard or Reyna!"

Marco blinked. He was genuinely curious about Robin's identity. With her almost identical appearance to Olvia, he would never believe that Robin and Olvia were unrelated.

So who is Robin's father?

Reina?

Marco was skeptical. If it really was Reina, he wouldn't let his child wander outside, but if it wasn't Reina... then things were a bit more complicated!

Marco is now having second thoughts. What if Nicole Robin really is Olvia's child with someone else? How is Reina supposed to face her then?

So Marco decided to talk to Robin about the relationship between Olvia and Reina, and subtly suggested that if she wasn't Olvia's child, it would be better to say so beforehand.

However, after hearing Marco's words, Robin simply smiled and shook her head, still refusing to reveal her background.

“Alright, Miss Robin, I’ll be blunt. I can confirm that Olvia and Reina didn’t have any children before they got married, and they didn’t have any children after they got married either, until Olvia passed away. If you are Olvia’s child, then it can only prove one thing… Olvia is still alive!” Marco stared at Robin and said.

“I don’t know what happened back then, but from what I’ve heard, Olvia is indeed dead!” Robin replied directly.

"So that means you're not Olvia's child?" Marco raised an eyebrow and asked.

Robin smiled but did not answer.

“Okay, as long as you’re not Olvia’s child, otherwise… you know, don’t ruin Olvia’s image in Reina’s eyes!” Marco shrugged in response.

Although the other party didn't say anything, he thought about it and still felt it was necessary to take Robin back. After all, she was a survivor of Ohara, and even if she had no relation to Reina and Olvia, they still needed to take care of her. Moreover, given Robin's appearance, it was hard to say that she had no relation to Olvia.