A group of people sat on the back of the mechanical naruto, eating lunch boxes and discussing the enemies they encountered, like they were on an outing, wandering around the capital of Alabasta.
"Usopp!!! Do you know that this broken thing you made is full of magic?!"
Nami punched Usopp until his face was covered in bumps, complaining that all the weapons he made were just decorative for celebrations, and she almost died.
"Alright, alright, Nami, don't be angry... See, didn't you win even without a weapon?"
Orochimaru soothed Nami and promised that after the Alabasta matter was resolved, he would work with Usopp to develop a weapon suitable for her.
The surroundings were silent, and everyone realized something was wrong; where had all the people gone?
Princess Vivi rushed over from somewhere at this moment, asking everyone to help find the bomb hidden by Crocodile, saying it would explode in about twenty minutes, and if they couldn't find it, everyone, including the rebel army, would be blown up.
Luffy, on the other hand, went to confront Crocodile alone.
Orochimaru's face darkened as he looked at Princess Vivi, wanting to say something but holding back. This was a client, a client, even a foolish one, could not be killed.
"Usopp... I'm entrusting the mechanical naruto to you. He has radar detection capabilities and should be able to find and defuse the bomb within ten minutes.
If it can't be defused within 3 minutes, you'll need to issue a new command for the mechanical naruto to throw the bomb far away. However, in most cases, it can be defused. If other accidents occur, your command will also be needed."
"Understood, sir," Usopp blinked his eyes and gave a very solemn Marine salute.
Was he getting addicted to cosplay?
Orochimaru was very impressed with Usopp in all aspects. If Usopp were a bit bolder and worked harder, his potential would be even higher than Sanji's, easily ranking him among the top three in combat power.
What a pity, no one is perfect.
"Sanji, you go with Usopp. In case Crocodile has a backup plan, dealing with those useless Executives shouldn't be a problem for you. I'm afraid Zoro might get lost, so let him stay with the main group."
Sanji took a puff from his cigarette and scoffed, watching Zoro, who was raising his sword to cut Orochimaru, being stopped by Nami and Chopper with forced smiles.
"Orochimaru truly has good judgment."
After giving some instructions and telling the others to rest, Orochimaru went alone to find Luffy. That reckless fool, he wouldn't have forgotten that Haki can counter Logia-type Devil Fruits, would he?
Soon, the scouting clone returned to his body, and Orochimaru entered the Royal Tomb ahead of Crocodile.
At this time, only King Cobra and Robin were underground.
"Are you done reading?" Orochimaru leaned against the poneglyph and looked at Robin.
Robin looked at Orochimaru and nodded, but her face was full of disappointment... What she wanted was not information about ancient weapons, but the true poneglyph.
"If you've finished, I'll put it away." Orochimaru ignored Cobra completely and directly put the poneglyph into his system space.
"This is..." Robin was a little surprised.
"Oh... just collecting it. This thing is mine now. Or perhaps, this thing was originally mine." Orochimaru didn't explain much. Orochimaru's identity in this world was of the Kozuki Clan. The poneglyph was carved by the ancestors of the Kozuki Clan and then scattered everywhere, so it was fine to say it was his now.
"Do me a favor... how about helping me find if there's anything valuable?" Orochimaru transformed into a half-snake form, blinking his eyes at Robin, his small wings fluttering and brushing against Robin's hand.
"No! Those are ancestral burial items! They are Alabasta's history! You're taking advantage of the situation!" Cobra struggled, looking at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru squatted in front of him and took out a scroll, on which it was clearly written: To help Princess Vivi, who is being hunted by the Shichibukai, successfully reach Alabasta, a reward of 11 billion Berries is required. If the reward cannot be paid, equivalent items must be used as a substitute.
Signature: Nefertari Vivi.
"This is a contract, written in black and white with your daughter's name. There was no coercion; she willingly paid the price to save her kingdom. So, please settle the 11 billion Berries." Orochimaru wasn't angry; anyone would be happy when about to receive payment.
Cobra didn't know what to say. Now, Alabasta couldn't even produce 1 billion, let alone 11 billion.
"So, if you can't pay the reward, then I'll collect the payment myself." Putting away the scroll, Orochimaru looked in the direction Robin pointed, ran over, and waved at him.
ヾ(•ω•`)
"Thanks... See you later. Oh, Crocodile is about to come down, so try your best to trick him... After all, he's really easy to trick, and there really isn't a poneglyph here."
Orochimaru, the treasure hunter, was very happy. No matter what world, payday was always a happy day.
Upon reaching the depths of the underground, Orochimaru unceremoniously began to raid the burial items.
What? A guilty conscience? No such thing. He was very skilled at this. In his previous life, Orochimaru had almost dug up the graves of all famous Ninja, and many unknown ones too.
Later, during the Ninja World War, Yakushi Kabuto inherited his excellent qualities and almost dug up the graves of all Ninja.
If the graves were dug, would it be foolish not to take the burial items? So, digging graves and taking burial items, Orochimaru was very good at it. And this time it was an open and honest reward, which made Orochimaru even happier.
Meanwhile, Crocodile and Nico Robin, who had reached the burial temple via the underground stairs, stared at each other.
"What are you doing?" Crocodile asked, gritting his teeth.
Nico Robin pointed to the square mark on the ground.
"I'm thinking about where Alabasta's poneglyph is. This is the poneglyph you promised to let me see... I also want to know, if there's nothing, how can I interpret it for you?" The cunning Robin tried hard to sting Crocodile's heart.
Crocodile looked at that spot, pushed Nico Robin away, his eyes bloodshot.
"Pluton! Where is my Pluton?"
"It flew away with wings."
Nico Robin teased. Now she didn't even need to make up history. Without Robin's intentional betrayal, Crocodile had no reason to intentionally kill Robin, as she might still be useful later.
Crocodile was so angry he almost vomited blood, kicking Cobra away.
"Since there's no Pluton, then this country is mine. Even without any poneglyph, I will find Pluton with my own power."
Orochimaru had already collected all the valuable items by this time, and was skipping happily.
Suddenly, he heard Crocodile's roar.
"What Pluton? Are you looking for Pluton? I know where it is!" Orochimaru poked his head out, looking at Crocodile.
Crocodile's mouth twitched a little; where did this crazy snake come from again? But he couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart.
"Conditions! Just tell me where Pluton is!"
Orochimaru stared at Crocodile for a long time, wondering what he was thinking.
Crocodile felt a chill and tightened his coat.
"My body can't take it!!"
⚆ ɞ ⚆ And on the other side, Robin instantly perked up, with a look of someone enjoying gossip.
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