Sailing: I Open Treasure Chests in the Pirate World

"This inherently evil son of a demon, I will—"

"wait wait wait!"

Aokiji quickly called for a halt.

Upon hearing this, he immediately realized that his attitude had been a bit too tense.

"Ahem! Um, what, Ian! You can't just kill pirates like that anymore!"

What does it mean to be so concerned that you lose your composure?

This is what they call being blinded by concern!

Ian said in a low, somber tone.

"Admiral Aokiji, are there any Marines on the high seas who don't kill pirates?"

"Yes! It's Professor Zephyr!"

Aokiji stubbornly insisted on his point, so he quickly changed the subject.

"How did you run into Nicole Robin? Did she go to the South China Sea?"

"South China Sea? No."

Ian said.

"I met and arrested Nico Robin in the rainy lands of Alabasta."

Alabasta?

Aokiji frowned, puzzled.

"Weren't you in the South China Sea? How did you end up in the Grand Line? Is it... the Tyrant's [Paw-Paw Fruit]?"

"Yes."

Ian steered the conversation back on track.

"The focus right now isn't on the [Paw-Paw Fruit], it's on the 'Devil Child'!"

"Admiral Aokiji, what should I do with Nico Robin?"

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scooter).

Aokiji was in a real predicament.

To be honest, ever since the Ohara incident, he no longer believes that the Navy's justice is truly "justice".

If even the navy that bombards civilians can be called "justice," then what are pirates?

In Aokiji's view.

Ohara scholars who violate the laws of the World Government and secretly study ancient history may not actually be guilty.

But even if the scholars are truly guilty.

What do their sins have to do with the ordinary people on Ohara Island?

Furthermore.

What do the sins of scholars have to do with Nicole Robin, a little girl who is only eight years old?

After the Ohara incident ended.

Aokiji fell into a long period of confusion.

It's because of his perception of the Navy's "justice," which is different from the "justice" the Navy should possess in maintaining the rule of the World Government.

A fierce conflict has arisen between two opposing ideas of "justice"!

But ever since the moment when "burning justice" completely transformed into "lazy justice".

Aokiji is no longer the vice admiral who blindly obeys the World Government's orders...

On the island of Ohara in the past.

Aokiji was able to fake Saul's death and then let Nico Robin escape.

Now, there's even less reason for him to do anything to Nicole Robin...

"That's settled then, Ian."

"that's it?"

Ian was puzzled by Aokiji's answer.

"Just what?"

"That's it."

Aokiji continued.

"Nicole Robin, I'm leaving her to you."

"Huh? What do you mean 'leave it to me'? You—"

Ian wanted to say something more.

However, Aokiji's Den Den Mushi had already hung up.

"Hello!?"

Ian, holding up the Den Den Mushi that had lost signal, was extremely displeased with Aokiji's attempt to shift the blame.

He looked at Nicole Robin, who was still unconscious, and inexplicably felt as if he had received some kind of "entrustment from an old father"...

"An illusion! It must be an illusion!"

Ian shook his head vigorously, trying to banish this strange association from his mind.

He dialed Aokiji's Den Den Mushi again.

Unfortunately, the green pheasant seemed to have anticipated Ian's actions and simply stopped answering the phone!

"Damn it!"

Ian put away the Den Den Mushi and looked at Nicole Robin with a conflicted expression.

"Give Nicole Robin to me... but she has a boss now!"

"That bastard Crocodile, why isn't he home yet?!"

Just as Ian was muttering about the sand crocodile.

Crocodile had just returned from the port of Rapeseed Flower, carrying a large bag of treasure on his shoulder, looking like an old farmer who had just finished harvesting leeks.

The crocodiles, laden with their catch, rode the wind and sand, returning directly from the rapeseed flower port to the rainy land.

But when he entered the Rainland and saw his own lair—the Rain Banquet Pyramid—his expression instantly became bewildered.

Where is that huge golden banana crocodile on top of the Rain Banquet Pyramid?

Where did this white dragon come from?!

Chapter 79 Ian vs. Crocodile!

Just as the sand crocodile saw the blue-eyed white dragon.

The blue-eyed white dragon, which was perched atop the Rain Banquet Pyramid, also discovered the sand crocodile's tracks at the same time.

A white dragon flaps its wings, and a sudden gust of wind arises.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon flapped its wings and flew at top speed toward the location of the Sand Crocodile.

"Is it really a dragon?"

Crocodile frowned deeply, casually tossing the treasure on his shoulder aside, his right hand instantly transforming into flowing sand.

"Or perhaps... a Devil Fruit user who likes to play tricks!?"

Crocodile looked at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon flying towards him and assumed an attack stance.

However, his "Desert Sword" had not yet been drawn.

The blue-eyed white dragon opened its gaping maw and unleashed a deafening blow at the sand crocodile.

[Dragon Roar]!

"Roar--"

A deafening dragon's roar, capable of piercing clouds and splitting rocks, accompanied by a powerful explosive shockwave, rushed towards the sand crocodile with lightning speed.

"Nani!?"

Crocodile's pupils contracted instantly.

Caught off guard, he had no time to make any effective defensive arrangements before being hit by the shockwave of the [Dragon Roar].

boom!

The powerful shockwave struck Crocodile's body precisely.

The famous "hero" of Alabasta had his body blown into endless sandstorms in broad daylight.

Wait for the shockwave of the [Dragon Roar] to pass.

All that remained were a pair of incomplete "crocodile legs"!

But if you look closely, you'll find...

At the broken ends of these "crocodile legs," what flowed out was not bright red blood, but rather golden sand!

The wind continues to blow.

The sand surrounding the "crocodile leg" re-coalesced under a mysterious force, shaping it into a human form.

After a while.

Crocodile reappeared in the same spot, completely unharmed.

As a user of the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit, Crocodile can turn any part of his body into sand.

This is the powerful ability of "immunity to general physical attacks" that every Logia-type Devil Fruit user possesses!

Crocodile's body was not injured.

However, his spirit was severely damaged by that [Dragon Roar].

"You bastard!"

Crocodile's eyes burned with fury as he transformed his right hand into a sand blade and swung it heavily at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in front of him.

"Desert sword!"

The sand blade, which was originally only the size of a normal person's arm, rapidly expanded and grew to a gigantic size after being separated from Crocodile's arm.

In a moment.

The sand knife then swelled into a super-sized sword several meters long.

The Desert Blade slashed swiftly and fiercely towards the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, easily cleaving the entire desert ground in two.

Faced with this unstoppable desert sword.

The blue-eyed white dragon neither dodged nor avoided the glare; the porcelain-white scales covering its body shimmered brilliantly under the desert sun.

Ding--

With a crisp, melodious clang, the Desert Blade struck the massive body of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon's flight speed was momentarily slowed.

However, the Desert Blade's offensive capabilities are limited to this.

Crocodile took a closer look.

His "treasure sword," powerful enough to cut through the desert, failed to even break the scales of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!

The Desert Blade struck the Blue-Eyed White Dragon's body.

But it's like a wave crashing against a reef.

Not only did it fail to affect the other party, it also smashed itself to pieces!

"This white dragon..."