Faced with Smoker's unexpected "rogue" behavior, everyone exchanged glances, momentarily unsure how to react.
"This… this is too much, isn't it?!" Usopp angrily stepped forward, pointing at Smoker, "A dignified Marine Captain, actually clinging on like a tagalong?!"
Nami placed one hand on her hip, shaking her head helplessly: "Forget it, he can't beat us anyway; if he wants to follow, let him."
Instantly, Smoker felt as if his heart had been stabbed; this verbal attack was no less potent than a physical one.
Ace couldn't help but laugh, patting Luffy's shoulder: "This guy is quite interesting."
Luffy scratched his head, his face full of confusion: "Huh? No more fighting?" He looked at Smoker, who was leisurely lounging on a deck chair in the distance, and scratched his head again. The man was truly baffling.
Zoro re-sheathed his three swords, letting out a cold snort: "Boring."
Ron also stopped paying attention to Smoker, instead looking towards Alabasta and saying in a deep voice: "Since he's willing to follow, let him. Let's go."
"Understood!" Everyone responded in unison.
Just like that, in a bizarre atmosphere, Smoker maintained a subtle distance from the Straw Hat crew, walking one after the other towards Alabasta.
Tashigi followed behind, her face flushed with embarrassment: "Captain! This… this is not how Marines should act!" But Smoker merely calmly puffed on his cigar, waving her off.
Chopper walked along, curiously observing the Marine behind them: "They're really just following us…"
Sanji lit a new cigarette and blew out a smoke ring: "Let them be, as long as it doesn't interfere with our plan."
As they ventured further into the desert, the scorching desert air assailed them.
...
In Rainbase, in the secret room beneath the casino, a figure completely wrapped in bandages was groaning in pain. It was Mr.3, who had nearly died from Ace's flames.
His Wax-Wax Fruit ability was utterly powerless against absolute high temperatures, and he was currently submerged in medicinal water, receiving treatment.
"President… I will definitely get my revenge…" he vowed weakly, but his trembling voice was filled with fear.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the casino,
The red wine glass in Crocodile's hand was crushed, the crimson liquid flowing down his golden hook, staining the expensive carpet a dark red.
"Useless! A bunch of useless people!" His furious roar made the crystal chandelier tremble, "Mr.3, Mr.5, Miss Valentine… My carefully trained agents are being taken down one after another!"
The temperature in the office suddenly dropped, and sand swirled around Crocodile.
He violently swept all the documents off his desk, gritting his teeth: "Straw Hat… Fire Fist Ace… and that mysterious Ron…"
With each name he uttered, the scar on his face twisted a bit more, "My plan has been completely ruined, heh heh."
In the corner,
Nico Robin elegantly crossed her legs, flipping through the latest bounty poster.
When she saw the surnames of Ron and Luffy, a strange light flickered in her deep, beautiful eyes.
"D…?" she murmured softly, her slender fingers gently tracing the names on the bounty poster. The candlelight cast flickering shadows on her delicate face, making her expression unreadable.
"What are you looking at?" Crocodile suddenly turned, his sinister gaze like a knife.
Robin calmly put away the bounty poster, revealing a professional smile: "Just studying our opponents."
She added pointedly, "Especially this Mr. Ron… his information is surprisingly scarce."
Crocodile snorted coldly, pouring himself another glass of wine: "No matter what their background, in the desert of Alabasta…"
He raised his glass, looking through the blood-red liquid at the blazing sun outside the window, "I am GOD!"
Robin smiled slightly, taking a sip of her coffee, but her gaze involuntarily drifted back to the bounty poster hidden beneath the book, thinking to herself:
"A man who can make the Marine so wary, and who possesses the name of D… truly intriguing."
Just then,
The heavy office door was violently pushed open, and Mr.1 Daz Bones walked in quickly, his usually cold face uncharacteristically showing a hint of surprise.
"President, latest intelligence." His deep voice held a touch of unnaturalness, "The Revolutionary Army… suddenly stopped resisting."
Crocodile's golden hook "clacked" into the desk: "What did you say?!"
"Even stranger," Mr.1's metallic face twitched, "They shook hands and made peace with the royal army. According to our informant, Princess Vivi suddenly appeared and used some method…"
"Impossible!" Crocodile overturned his desk, sand swirling wildly around him, "How could those stubborn rebels…"
"There's something even more bizarre." Mr.1 took out a stack of photos from his pocket, "Someone captured this."
In the photos, Vivi stood in the center of the desert, in front of a giant metal drilling device.
The next photo showed the device automatically unfolding into a giant drill nearly ten meters in diameter, plunging with a roar deep into the sand.
In the last few photos, clear water gushed out from the pipes connected to the drill, and the surrounding people knelt and cheered.
"What… what in the world is this?!" Crocodile's golden hook trembled.
"They call it the 'Desert Irrigation Great Drill'." Mr.1's voice grew softer, "According to eyewitnesses, Princess Vivi conjured this device out of thin air… like magic."
Absurd!
The office fell silent.
Robin had stood up at some point, meticulously examining the photos, her eyes sparkling with scholarly curiosity.
"Vegapunk's latest invention?" Crocodile guessed with a grim face.
Robin gently shook her head: "If the World Government had such technology, they would have used it to control the desert kingdom long ago." She added thoughtfully, "Moreover… the style of this device is completely different from the design philosophy of the Marine's scientific unit."
"Besides, they don't have this much free time, nor do they have such hobbies."
"Damn it!" Crocodile slammed his fist against the wall, and the entire wall instantly turned to sand and collapsed, "No matter what twisted methods that girl used, my plan absolutely cannot be ruined by her!"
He spun around abruptly, his Crocodile skin coat flapping behind him: "Immediately summon all senior agents! Since the plan to sow discord has failed…" His golden hook gleamed coldly in the sunlight, "Then we'll directly massacre the palace!"
Robin looked at the enraged Crocodile, then lowered her gaze to Vivi's confident smile in the photos, her red lips curving into a meaningful arc: "The Princess of Alabasta… seems more interesting than I imagined."
....
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