"Little Qiu, let's set off."
On the edge of the island, Robin, with a pack on her back, stood on the shore.
Xia Qiu poked his head out, and Robin jumped onto his head, walking to the base of his neck before sitting down by his first dorsal fin.
Today was the day Xia Qiu and Robin had agreed to leave, and they weren't staying for the full two years as originally planned.
Since they had a plan, they needed to act quickly.
Therefore, after only half a month, he headed to Alabasta with Robin.
Xia Qiu's name had also changed from Little Black to Little Qiu.
(One Piece only has an English and Japanese name. Taking the character 'Xia', the English name could be Summer, and the Japanese is Natsu. Taking the character 'Qiu', the Japanese is Aki. Both are common names in reality. But in Chinese, it would be called Little Qiu.)
Xia Qiu carried Robin towards Alabasta at great speed.
However, the sea breeze blowing towards them was too strong, so Xia Qiu extended his tentacles from beneath him and draped them over his head.
The four tentacles formed a protective circle, blocking the wind.
"Little Qiu, you're so thoughtful."
Robin reached out and stroked Xia Qiu's tentacles.
But the next moment, the blowhole near the back of Xia Qiu's head stirred up a large current.
"Ah!"
Robin was drenched and quickly shielded herself with her hands, saying reproachfully, "Little Black, why are you spraying water? My clothes are all wet."
"Why are you spraying water, ask me?"
Xia Qiu thought helplessly, It's all because you touched my tentacles.
Don't you know that one of an octopus's tentacles is its reproductive organ?
Yes, the one you were touching.
...
Xia Qiu brought Robin to the coast of Alabasta quickly. Finding a secluded spot, Xia Qiu crawled onto the shore.
It was now May, and it was starting to get hot in the East Blue. Alabasta, being a desert country, had extremely high temperatures that made it hard to breathe.
Robin stepped onto the shore and turned around, saying, "Little Qiu, I'll go back first. Wait here, and I'll come to find you. I'll let you come ashore with me if it's appropriate."
"Okay."
Xia Qiu nodded, with more than half of his body still submerged in the sea.
"If I come, it will be in the morning, at this exact spot," Robin added as a reminder.
"Understood." Xia Qiu nodded again.
"Then I'm off."
Robin waved goodbye and walked away with a wooden pack on her back.
Xia Qiu watched her leave before diving back into the sea.
He wouldn't follow Robin ashore. Robin opposed him going ashore right now, believing it might be dangerous.
Xia Qiu also knew that confronting Crocodile directly would mean certain death if a conflict arose.
Moreover, he wasn't ready to cross such a vast desert yet.
More importantly, he wouldn't make a move now. He would wait at least two to three months, until Robin became Vice President again and met all the other Senior and Intermediate Agents. Only then would he make his move.
Xia Qiu shook his head and swam away, intending to eat some sea creatures.
...
"Robin, you're actually still alive?"
In the office of the Raindinners Casino, Crocodile looked at Robin with surprise in his eyes. "But they said you were attacked by that black fish and fell into the sea. How did you escape?"
"I was attacked by that black fish, but a passing merchant ship came by, and the black fish left immediately. The merchant ship rescued me," Robin said, using the excuse she had prepared.
"A merchant ship? That sea fish can even wreck warships, so how could it let you be rescued?" Crocodile asked, puzzled.
Robin replied, "That merchant ship was very large, and it used stinkwood, which emits a foul odor. As soon as it got close, the sea fish fled the area."
"I see. I've heard of some types of wood that sea fish are afraid of."
Crocodile looked at Robin, frowned, and asked, "But why did it take you so long to return?"
"My leg was broken, my sternum was fractured, and my internal organs were damaged," Robin said helplessly. "I was rescued by someone and spent nearly a year recovering before I could move freely. After that, I stayed there for a long time before returning to this place."
"So, you still want to return to Baroque Works?" Crocodile narrowed his eyes as he looked at Robin.
"We signed a four-year agreement," Robin said seriously to Crocodile. "More importantly, only you can help me see the Poneglyphs, and only you can protect me."
"Very well."
Crocodile grinned and said, "The Vice President position is still vacant. Since you're back, you can continue as Vice President."
Crocodile was very happy. In the year and a half since he lost Robin, he hadn't found anyone who could read Poneglyphs.
Now that Robin was back, his ultimate goal could finally be achieved.
"Then thank you very much, Lord Crocodile," Robin said with a smile.
"Right, there are two things you need to know."
Crocodile continued, "The first is that the Utopia plan has already begun. Four months ago, I started transporting Dancing Powder to stop the rain in most areas of Alabasta. Other parts of the plan will follow."
"The plan has started? Then I'll take over from here," Robin nodded in agreement.
"You don't need to handle this. I'll have you do something else, which is the second thing I need to tell you."
Crocodile snorted, his eyes shadowed as he said, "A year ago, a pirate crew passed through Alabasta, destroyed our Whiskey Peak base, defeated several Intermediate Agents, and routed over sixty Baroque Works members at sea. They also caused the former Mr. 2, the new Mr. 4, Valentine, Mr. 5, and Wednesday to be on the run just as I was about to intervene personally."
"The losses were heavy, and coupled with the attack by that black fish, nearly half of Baroque Works' high-level strength was wiped out," Robin said with a grim expression.
High-level strength included Senior Agents, Intermediate Agents, and arguably Billionaires, totaling over two hundred people.
"Yes, and it caused the morale of the entire Baroque Works to waver. Many people believed I couldn't protect the organization and left," Crocodile said grimly. "Baroque Works still hasn't recovered to its state before the black fish attack."
Robin frowned and said, "This is indeed troublesome."
Crocodile looked at Robin and said, "So, I want you to focus on developing Baroque Works for now, find strong individuals to join, and show them your strength. You can do this, right?"
Robin smiled and said, "Leave it to me."
"Hoo."
Crocodile felt a sense of relief. The events of the past two years had worn him out.
Two attacks, and Robin's disappearance.
Now that Robin was back, she could help share some of the burden.
"By the way, what pirate crew attacked Baroque Works?" Robin asked curiously.
Crocodile slowly replied, "The Spade Pirates."
...
Grand Line, New World.
On the ocean, a pirate ship with a giant whale head for a figurehead floated silently. Many people were gathered on the spacious deck.
The figure sitting below the mast was the world's strongest man, Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
"Old man, the sea chart for the Morse Sea Area is complete."
A young girl with golden hair stood not far away, holding a stack of charts.
"Gurararara, Nami, you've done a great job." Whitebeard looked at the girl and couldn't help but reach out and pat her head. His enormous hand was like a giant umbrella.
"Heehee, do I get any rewards, Old man?" Nami tilted her head up, looking at Whitebeard.
"What do you want?" Whitebeard asked with a smile.
Nami said shyly, "I, I saw in the newspaper that there are many beautiful clothes this year, but they're a bit expensive."
"Then buy them all."
Whitebeard burst into laughter.
"Old man, Nami just bought a lot recently," Marco said from the side, sounding exasperated.
"What do you know? Those are last year's styles, they're outdated," Nami glared at Marco.
"Gurararara, Nami is right, it's time to buy new clothes," Whitebeard agreed with a smile.
"Thank you, Old man."
Nami hugged Whitebeard's arm and ran off.
"Old man really likes Nami, doesn't he?"
On the side of the ship, a tall man with a black beard sighed.
"Yeah, Teach. Old man dotes on Nami. It's truly enviable."
Ace smiled and said, "But Nami is the youngest member of our crew, and she's still a young girl. She's lively and mischievous, so it's normal for Old man to favor her a bit. Plus, her navigation skills are excellent. Senior Adrian even said her navigation skills are already on par with his, and in time, she'll become the best navigator on this sea."
"You're right, she is indeed excellent. Any powerful pirate crew needs such an outstanding navigator."
Teach looked in the direction Nami had gone, a smile on his face, his eyes glinting.
Ace joining the Whitebeard Pirates was a done deal. It was he who challenged Whitebeard. Before the challenge, Jinbe found out and fought him for five days and five nights. Then, after challenging Whitebeard and attempting assassination over a hundred times, he was still recognized even after revealing his father was the Pirate King, and only then did he join Whitebeard.
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