I collect everything in the One Piece world.

Early-rising vendors began to appear on the streets, and the faint sound of camel bells could be heard.

Robin's heart was far from as calm as the city outside the window. Morsen's words were like a boulder that fell into her heart, and the ripples they stirred up could not be calmed for a long time.

“Operation Utopia…stealing a country…” Robin’s brows furrowed slightly; she had long felt that this plan was strange.

Given Crocodile's personality and his power as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, why would he go to such lengths to steal a country, and specifically Alabasta?

Therefore, perhaps stealing a country is just a means, a prerequisite, not the ultimate goal.

Robin's gaze deepened; this deduction made many previously contradictory points seem reasonable.

“Crocodile…Ancient Weapon…Pluto…” She murmured these words, a cold glint in her eyes.

She was a smart and observant person, so although Crocodile never explicitly revealed his ultimate goal to her, he could tell from certain historical materials he had her collect, his excessive focus on the secrets of the Alabasta royal family, and the grand yet eerie "Operation Utopia" plan...

Crocodile's desires went far beyond the throne of a desert nation; she simply hadn't expected them to be related to ancient weapons.

If what Morsen said is true... then Crocodile's "respect" and "cooperation" with her are even more dangerous.

She was merely a "tool" for deciphering historical texts to find Hades, and once the tool lost its value, her fate was predictable.

And Morsen... he not only knew her identity and that she was searching for the Poneglyphs, but he even knew the whereabouts of some of the Poneglyphs?

Who exactly is he? How credible are his words? Does his "invitation" conceal a scheme deeper than Crocodile's? Or... is he really just an eccentric, strangely capable, and audacious "collector"?

Countless questions, like tangled vines, grew wildly in her heart.

Trust was both a luxury and a poison to her. Neither Crocdale nor Mosen could she easily entrust her with anything.

The gray-white sky in the east gradually expanded, tinged with a faint golden edge. A new day was inevitably dawning.

Robin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. All the intense struggle, worry, and confusion on her face receded like a tide at the first light of dawn, and were resealed beneath the elegant, composed, and impeccable "Miss All Sunday" mask.

She turned away from the window, walked to the large desk, sat down, and turned on the desk lamp. The warm yellow light dispelled the last trace of gloom in the room.

She needs to calm down, she needs to think, and she needs to take action.

First, she must play the role of "Miss All Sunday" well and not arouse Crocodile's suspicion in the slightest.

On the surface, she remains the trusted second-in-command of Baroque Works, wielding considerable intelligence and operational authority, which is precisely her advantage.

Secondly, she needs to use her existing identity and resources to conduct a deeper investigation into Crocodile's true intentions and the secrets hidden by the Alabasta royal family, without arousing his suspicion.

She needed to verify Morsen's words and also find out Crocodile's trump card. Without sufficient information, she wouldn't make any hasty decisions.

As for Mosen… Robin’s gaze fell on the simple file on the table about the “collector” Black Mosen.

She needed more detailed information about his abilities, his past, his true purpose in appearing in Alabasta, and... how he knew those secrets that shouldn't have been known to anyone.

“Before leaving Alabasta…” Robin repeated in a low voice the deadline given by Morsen.

She picked up a pen and casually wrote a few words on a blank sticky note, her handwriting elegant and clear:

[Access to Royal Ancient Documents]

[Albania Subsurface Structure Exploration Record]

[Recent Contact Records of Crocodile President (Encrypted)]

[The movements of "collector" Mohsen and his companion Baccarat (ongoing)]

[Detailed Report on the Alabasta Casino Incident]

After finishing writing, she gently folded the note and pressed the call button on the corner of the table.

Soon, a uniformed man with an expressionless face appeared silently at the door.

"Distribute these to the relevant departments for routine filing and investigation." Robin handed over the envelope, his tone calm and even, just as he always did when handling official business.

“Yes, Miss All Sunday.” The man bowed, accepted the gift, and quietly withdrew.

Robin leaned back in his high-backed chair, his gaze fixed on the window. The morning light had completely dispelled the darkness, and the rain-soaked ground was bathed in a golden-red glow, appearing both vibrant and unreal.

A new day begins.

Chapter 42, A Calm Confrontation, the "Rare" Bakala

On the Bang Bang Orange, Captain Lyle and Raleigh were frowning as they looked at the map and various navigation tools to confirm the route, while staring at the empty sea with serious and puzzled expressions.

Lali clung to the gunwale, her lips pressed tightly together, trying to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

Her home, the island where she had lived since childhood, had vanished into thin air.

A few days later, on the top floor of the Rain Banquet, in Crocodile's private office.

The heavy curtains blocked out most of the sunlight, making the room dimly lit. Only the red glow of burning cigars and the light from the table lamp illuminated two faces with different thoughts.

Crocodile sat imposingly in a large leather chair, a thick cigar between his teeth, slowly exhaling a heavy puff of smoke, the grayish-white smoke swirling and rising in the dim light.

His gaze sharpened as he looked across the desk at Robin, who sat elegantly at the same time. His voice was low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible displeasure:

"What exactly happened at the casino a couple of days ago? I've read the report, but I want to hear it from you in person."

He flicked the ash from his cigar: "Since I founded 'Rain Banquet,' I have always made a profit without losing money, and I have never let anyone run away with so much money at once."

"More importantly, this time it almost caused a scandal of 'the dealer being caught cheating'."

He paused, his tone becoming more forceful, the red glow of his cigar illuminating half of his sinister face: "You should know how much effort it took to cultivate this image of me as an 'Alabasta hero'."

"Every now and then, we have to 'coincidentally' wipe out a few groups of foolish pirates, deal with some 'natural disasters,' and cater to those stupid masses..."

“Building an image is difficult, but destroying it is easy with just one ‘casino scandal.’ So I don’t want any unexpected events to affect the progress of ‘Utopia’.”

"The reason I'm handing over power to you and putting you in full charge of other matters is to minimize the chances of such accidents happening again. You're a smart person, you should understand what I mean. I don't want this to happen again in the future."

Robin maintained a polite and slightly apologetic smile, as if he had been prepared to face this questioning.

So when she heard Crocdale's dissatisfaction, she obediently nodded slightly and explained in a calm and clear voice, "I'm sorry, President. The matter was caused by a female customer with exceptional gambling skills... or rather, exceptional luck."

"Her luck that day was abnormally good. She won dozens of rounds in a row in the VIP room, with huge sums involved. The dealer on duty was also under too much pressure and lost his mind for a moment. He tried to win back the money with low-level means, but was caught red-handed by her male companion."

She spoke calmly, briefly recounting the events, emphasizing the "accident" and "individual behavior": "But please rest assured, I arrived at the scene immediately to handle the situation. The cheating dealer has been dealt with according to the strictest rules, and an internal investigation has been conducted, confirming that it was his individual act and that there were no accomplices."

"We also provided sufficient and sincere compensation to the other VIPs present, successfully calming their emotions, minimizing the negative impact, and ensuring that there was no substantial damage to the casino or your reputation."

As she spoke, she took out two more detailed reports from a folder she carried with her and gently pushed them in front of Crocodile: "These are the preliminary investigation reports on those two guests, as well as a summary of the people I arranged to track their movements over the past two days."

"That man is the pirate hunter I mentioned before, nicknamed 'The Collector,' who has recently gained some fame on the sea route."

"The woman, named Bakara, was a regular at the casino, but her whereabouts were unpredictable. She also had an amazing record of 'only winning and never losing' at casinos in several other cities in Alabasta."

Crocodile picked up the report and quickly flipped through it under the light, his eyes lingering on the "Collector's" record and Baccarat's extravagant winnings.

After glancing at it, he tossed the report back onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and twirled a cigar between his fingers.

“This ‘collector’… is interesting. Haven’t you made contact with him yet? If he’s truly capable, he could be a valuable asset; if used well, he could save us a lot of trouble.”

Thinking of their conversation that night, Robin felt a slight tension in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. He gently shook his head, his tone carrying just the right amount of caution: "The scene was somewhat chaotic that day, and they had just won a large sum of money, so they must have been very vigilant."

“If we make contact immediately, I’m worried it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings and backlash, which could push them to the opposite side or make them wary too early.”

"So I plan to observe for a few days first, and then find a suitable time when they relax a bit."

This explanation is reasonable and consistent with her usual cautious and thorough approach.

Crocodile glanced at Robin upon hearing this, then casually asked, "What about that antique he's holding..."

Robin was startled when she heard this. She had been busy with the investigation for the past two days and hadn't had time to think about it at all. She hadn't thought of it at all.

She immediately realized her mistake and quickly added without changing her expression, "We still have to wait until he relaxes a little."

Crocodile remained noncommittal upon hearing this, tapping his finger again on Baccarat's page: "This woman... has never lost in any of the casinos in Alabasta?"

"So is it that his gambling skills are unparalleled, or... his luck is just bizarre?" A glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at Robin.

Robin met his gaze and slowly said while thinking, "Based on information from the dealers and staff present that night, as well as from reviewing limited records from other casinos, her winning method leans more towards an 'unreasonable stroke of luck'."

"She doesn't seem to rely on particularly complex gambling techniques or precise calculations, but no matter how the cards are shuffled, swapped, or even cheated, she always manages to win by a narrow margin."

“Some dealers suspected her of cheating, but no matter how they checked, even using the surveillance footage on slow motion, they couldn’t find any evidence.”

She leaned forward slightly, lowered her voice, and said her speculation: "Considering her behavior that completely defies probability, I personally tend to think that she might be a Devil Fruit user."

"And the nature of the ability may be related to concepts such as 'manipulating probability' or 'influencing luck'."

"Of course, it cannot be denied that she is also very familiar with the rules and basic skills of various gambling games, so it is not just purely based on ability."

"The Devil Fruit ability to manipulate luck...?" Crocodile repeated the word, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, even revealing a hint of undisguised greed.

He slowly exhaled a smoke ring, his voice carrying the excitement of discovering a treasure: "This is truly fascinating."

He sat up straight, tapping his fingers on the table, and quickly made a decision: "Make contact with both of them and try to bring them in."

Chapter 43, Crocodile's Ambition, Sensing Something Abnormal

He first looked at Mosen's file: "If this 'collector' can be put to my use, he can handle a lot of dirty and tiring work that is inconvenient for us to do directly."

Then his gaze fixed intently on Bakala's name, his tone filled with undisguised importance: "As for this woman... if her ability truly is to manipulate luck... then her value is immense!"

"She's not just someone who can sit in the casino and bring us a constant stream of wealth; she can also make the plan..."

He paused, not continuing, but Robin understood the unspoken meaning behind his words.

Crocodile's ambitions extend far beyond the casino profits. What he truly cares about is the ultimate objective hidden deep within Operation Utopia: the Ancient Weapon Pluto!

Searching for historical texts, deciphering ancient scripts, locating legendary weapons in the vast desert and even the wider world... every step of this process is filled with countless coincidences, risks, and uncertainties.

So if someone has a "lucky" ability to "increase the probability of success" and "avoid fatal risks" by their side, it means that their chances of finding Pluto will increase significantly!

This means that the unexpected events and obstacles that may be encountered in the process of seizing the Alabasta throne will be miraculously reduced!

This means that the entire plan will proceed more smoothly than anyone could have imagined!

This is an incredible stroke of luck! It's a strategic piece that could be more crucial than any force or strategist!

Robin felt a chill run through him, but he maintained a calm and analytical expression on his face, nodding in response, "I understand. I will arrange contact as soon as possible and try to recruit them into the company."

Crocodile nodded in satisfaction, leaned back in his chair, and took a puff of his cigar. "Yes, go and do it. Be careful with your approach, and you can raise the price appropriately. Especially that woman, make sure you get her."

"Yes."

Robin bowed in agreement, and then, as usual, reported on a few other trivial official matters before taking his leave of the office.

Stepping out of that heavy solid wood door and back into the brightly lit yet quiet and somewhat oppressive corridor, Robin let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.