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While Princess Vivi, King Cobra, and the others were discussing the next steps, Kosha, out of breath, arrived at the palace. Seeing Jason, he was visibly agitated! He drew his sword, gathering all his strength.
"Is it you? The one who killed 500,000 of us at the South Gate!"
Robin was shocked to hear this! 500,000 people? Could Jason really have killed so many? She wasn't doubting his abilities—he'd hunted Marines before and taken down some of them. But killing half a million people? That seemed impossible.
Jason's expression darkened.
"Hey! Don't go spreading lies! I just put them to sleep for a while!"
At this point, Vivi stood up to defend Jason.
"It's true! The rebels just fainted! I can vouch for that!"
Kosha was stunned. In his rush to fight, he hadn't checked whether the unconscious rebels were dead or just fainted.
After a lengthy conversation with Vivi and King Cobra, Kosha decided to surrender. He immediately proposed warning everyone about the impending explosion in the square and urging them to evacuate quickly.
But Vivi stopped him. She feared that if word got out, panic would spread, leading to an unavoidable war fueled by mistrust between the two armies.
The final plan was for Vivi and Kosha to first persuade the rebels to surrender, then rush to the square to stop the explosion. This way, they could avoid panic and prevent the war from escalating.
Everyone knew their role. As long as the rebellion was quelled, peace would return to the kingdom.
Meanwhile, King Cobra, injured and unable to assist further, decided to take Jason and Robin to read the Poneglyph. Soon after, everyone left the palace gate to carry out their respective tasks.
But calming the rebellion wasn't as simple as they had hoped. Hidden among the rebels were Crocodile's agents, planted within both armies. Without them, starting a rebellion would have been nearly impossible given Kosha's relationship with the royal family.
At this moment, Crocodile, who had been kicked out by Jason earlier, regained consciousness and slowly stood up from the pit. This was the consequence of not delivering a finishing blow.
Just as Vivi and Kosha were about to convince the rebels, an undercover agent shot Kosha, causing him to collapse. Crocodile then used his powers to stir up a sandstorm, obscuring visibility for both sides.
Baroque Works agents seized the opportunity to open fire on the rebels. Unaware of the truth, the rebels retaliated, and the battle began.
Princess Vivi, sitting on the palace wall, cried helplessly. At that moment, Crocodile approached her, ready to deliver his villainous taunt!
Vivi realized that even though war had broken out, casualties could still be minimized if the explosion was prevented—but she was out of options. Crocodile grabbed her by the neck, mocked her, and tossed her off the tower.
"Crocodile!"
"Luffy!"
"Straw Hat!"
In Vivi's moment of despair, Luffy, with a large jar of water strapped to his back, flew towards the palace on Pell. He spotted Vivi falling and caught her just in time!
Crocodile clenched his teeth in frustration, watching Luffy descend from the sky. He muttered a few words under his breath, seething with anger, as the rest of the Straw Hats gathered below the palace.
Luffy declared that Crocodile was his to defeat. He had lost to him once before but wouldn't lose again. He urged Vivi and her friends to handle everything happening outside.
The crew trusted Luffy completely and immediately set out to locate the source of the explosion.
Luffy then leaped onto the palace tower and swung his fist at Crocodile. As Crocodile smirked in disdain, Luffy's punch landed squarely on his face, sending him flying to the ground.
"You can't turn into sand when you're wet, Crocodile! Get up and keep fighting!"
Faced with Luffy's provocation, Crocodile first chuckled, then burst into arrogant laughter.
"You think you can defeat me?"
"Of course! I'm here to knock you down! You can't turn into sand anyway!"
"Your observation is sharp, but even so, there's an insurmountable gap between us! I'm a Shichibukai!"
"So what? I've still got the Yabukai!"
As he spoke, Luffy launched a Gomu Gomu no Pistol, but Crocodile dodged it and grabbed his arm, draining the moisture from it. Luffy, panicking, quickly drank some water to recover.
Luffy initially gained the upper hand with his clever tactics, but this only enraged Crocodile. After being sent flying by Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Rocket, Crocodile brought down a building. No longer able to contain his anger, he transformed everything around him into sand.
Luffy barely managed to grab the edge of the tower, avoiding the sea of sand below. But Crocodile seized him by the neck, and despite Luffy's attempts to spit water at him, none hit their mark.
No longer holding back, Crocodile sucked the life out of Luffy, turning him into a mummy! He tossed Luffy off the tower, taunted him as usual, and, after orienting himself, rushed towards the royal family's tomb. Even now, he remained obsessed with the Poneglyph's secrets.
I'll never forget this! Whether I can beat him or not, he's stubborn!
Luffy's mummified body lay on the ground, but the large globs of water he had spit earlier fell back onto him, instantly reviving him with full health!
You have to admire the power of the protagonist's luck.
"Ah!!! That was close! I thought I was done for! Crocodile's gone! He ran that way!"
Luffy stood up and chased after him. This guy seemed to be the toughest opponent yet...
...
Meanwhile, Jason, Robin, and King Cobra had arrived at the burial hall of the royal family's tomb.
"I've been here before! I couldn't find anything!"
King Cobra: ...
I figured!
"Ah, well, Mr. Jason, such a historical document wouldn't be kept out in the open. Only the kings of Alabasta know its location!"
"Eh? (¬д¬.) So the ones in other places are just randomly placed?"
King Cobra: ...I don't want to talk to you!
Robin covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. Jason had a knack for getting under people's skin during conversations.
"Mr. Jason, my hand is injured. Could you turn that statue over there counterclockwise?"
"Oh, sure!"
As the statue rotated, a hidden entrance to a basement appeared before them. The three of them slowly descended.
"The Poneglyph is deep underground! Let's head down!"
Jason led the way.
"Before I met you, I thought no one in the world could read history, but here I am, standing before the two people who shook the world 20 years ago!"
King Cobra spoke as they walked, already aware of Jason and Robin's identities.
"There are many things you never expected!"
"Yes! And there's still so much I don't understand!"
The three reached the bottom of the burial hall. Jason looked around. It resembled a sacrificial chamber, with no sign of the Poneglyph.
"The Poneglyph is behind that door!"
"Creeeeak"
With a teeth-grinding noise, the door opened, revealing the Poneglyph to the three.
"It's really here!"
Robin's face lit up with joy. She grabbed Jason, kissed him, then stepped forward to start reading the Poneglyph.
Jason savored the moment: (｡=̴ ❥ =̴)
King Cobra silently took a couple of steps away.
"Is there anything you want to know about up there?"
"Why ask me? Robin's the scholar, and I can't read any of this stuff!"
King Cobra: ...I shouldn't have asked!
Soon, Robin finished reading the Poneglyph and turned to King Cobra.
"Is this all? Are these the only secrets of this country?"
"There's nothing more I can show you. This is the only Poneglyph in our kingdom! If there were others, I would certainly take you to them!"
"Hmm~ It's okay! I'm only interested in discovering true history! Let's go!"
"Okay!"
Jason was busy admiring the reliefs on the wall, finding them more interesting than the Poneglyph's text. When Robin mentioned leaving, he quickly agreed.
"Wait a moment!"
King Cobra seemed to have something on his mind.
"Huh? What is it?"
"Can you be a little considerate of me, old man? I'm injured, lost a lot of blood, and walked a long way! I need a rest!"
Jason looked at Robin, who nodded in agreement. There was nothing left to do now that he had returned.
"Okay, let's take a break for a while. King Cobra, you really need to exercise more. The Queen isn't even like this!"
King Cobra:...
Veins bulged on his forehead, and he said nothing. Robin pursed her lips and pulled Jason, signaling him to stop talking before King Cobra got angry. Jason glanced outside during the break and sensed something—the presence of a beast.
Sure enough, after about ten minutes of rest, footsteps sounded outside. When they looked up, Crocodile was there!
"It's truly a state secret. If you don't know the agency, it's impossible to find it!"
"Crocodile!"
Cobra stared at Crocodile in disbelief as he entered slowly. Jason glanced at him, already expecting this.
"You dare to come here? Are you really not afraid of death?"
"What should I fear? There's no conflict of interest between us! There's no reason for me to take action! After all, in the past 20 years, you haven't even killed a few Marines who were chasing you!"
Crocodile walked over to the historical article and stared at the inscription above.
"Is this a historical article? I really don't understand it!"
In fact, Crocodile had been there for a while. His purpose was simply to test his luck and see if the three of them would reveal the location of Pluton, but he had shown up unannounced.
"Well, forget it! This country will fall into my hands sooner or later anyway! I can find Pluton without relying on historical documents!"
Jason looked at him as if he were strolling through his own backyard, almost unable to resist attacking him.
"I advise you to restrain yourself! If you continue to be so arrogant, I might actually take action!"
"Hahahaha, you won't tell me anything recorded in history anyway. There's no point in staying here! In a few minutes, this country will belong to me! As for you, Cobra, although I can't kill you now, you will ultimately be a stray dog and will never be the king of this country again! Hahahahaha!"
It was the classic villain's taunt again. Jason was tired of hearing it and wished they'd change it up. After finishing his rant, Crocodile turned and walked outside, just as Luffy entered from the basement entrance.
As soon as Crocodile walked out of the history room, he encountered Luffy, who had come through the wall.
"I'm catching up to you, Crocodile!"
"Straw Hat! You again! Why do you still stand up? How many times do you need to be beaten before you give up?"
"I will definitely beat you and take back what you stole!"
Jason and Robin, hearing the commotion, left the room where the historical documents were stored.
"Hey! Luffy!"
"Ang? Jason, what are you doing here? Wait for me! I'll explain after I defeat this Crocodile!"
Luffy was surprised to see Jason again but remained focused on Crocodile.
"Do you need help? I was hesitant to interfere earlier, but now I can't stand by."
"This is my fight! Just watch and don't get involved!"
"Oh! Go for it!"
Jason agreed and moved aside with Robin.
Luffy muttered something to Crocodile before charging at him.
"No matter how excited you are! If you don't have that person's help and don't bring any water, beating me is just a fantasy!"
"Bang!"
With Crocodile's confident expression, Luffy's powerful kick landed squarely on his face, sending him flying into a wall.
"What's happening? You can hit me without water?"
While Crocodile was stunned, Luffy charged forward and punched him in the face, sending him crashing into the same wall again!
"Hehehehe! From the rainforest to the palace to this underground palace, people who survived after being sent to hell twice by me actually dared to refuse help and challenge me!"
As he spoke, he slowly removed the outer metal casing from the hook on his left hand, revealing the poisonous hook underneath.
"Let's finish this! You won't get another chance to live!"
Luffy took his stance and prepared himself. The two exchanged blows, with Crocodile being beaten most of the time. Aside from his hook occasionally grazing Luffy, he barely touched him.
"Look, Robin, now you see the importance of physical skills! Old Crocodile, you idiot, can't beat Luffy! I have such good intentions, but you refuse to learn! I won't teach anyone else who wants to learn!"
Jason watched the fight and used the opportunity to tease Robin, who wore a slightly disgruntled expression, but Robin didn't take it seriously.
"Yada! That's so rude! I still have you, and you're so powerful, I just need you to protect me!"
When Jason heard this, his invisible tail perked up. It felt wonderful to be relied on by his partner! If she didn't want to learn, that was fine! Robin's reverse psychology had worked!
On the other side, Crocodile was struggling to land a hit on Luffy, and the poison wouldn't kill him immediately. He seemed increasingly anxious.
"This country probably doesn't have what you want. What's the point of sacrificing your life for irrelevant people? How can there be idiots like you in the world!?"
Luffy was dizzy from the poison, but when it came to nonsense, who could top Luffy?
"You don't get it! Vivi says she doesn't want anyone to die, but she's always willing to sacrifice her own life to save others! She's my partner, and we won't let her die! As long as she doesn't give up on this country, we won't stop fighting!"
"It doesn't matter if you die!"
"Even if you die, you can't change anything!"
Crocodile was momentarily stunned by Luffy's words. He couldn't understand it. To him, partners were expendable, while Cobra's eyes widened in shock.
In the end, Luffy, poisoned and dazed, collapsed on the ground. Crocodile began to boast about his plan again, claiming that even if the bombardment was prevented, it would be useless and everyone would still die!
"How despicable! Crocodile!"
"Huh? I thought you would praise me for my thoughtfulness! Isn't war about preparing for the worst-case scenario? I've been prepared from the beginning!"
"Jason, aren't you going to do anything? He looks so infuriating!"
Even Robin was exasperated with Crocodile.
"No need! Luffy hasn't lost yet, and he won't be proud for long!"
Jason wanted to intervene but held back. Luffy still had fighting spirit, and if he stepped in now, Luffy would definitely be angry.
However, after a long wait, the explosion Crocodile anticipated did not happen! Jack had sacrificed himself to send the bomb into the sky.
"You can't defeat me! I want to be the Pirate King!"
Luffy struggled to his feet and roared.
"Hahaha! You're truly naive. If you understood this sea even a little, you wouldn't make such foolish statements!"
Crocodile charged at Luffy again, but one of his moves was intercepted!
"No matter how much I know, I still want to be the Pirate King!!"
Luffy landed another two powerful punches.
"Why do you keep standing up, you little brat who just appeared? Go to hell! Who do you think I am!"
Crocodile extended a dagger from his broken hook and tried to stab Luffy, but Luffy ducked and kicked him into the sky.
"Go to hell! Sandstorm!"
The entire underground palace was destroyed. Jason held Robin in his arms, skillfully dodging the debris!
Luffy looked up at Crocodile on the ceiling, took a deep breath, and leaped into the air to unleash his ultimate move.
"Rubber Machine Gun!"
The impact was so great that the entire underground trembled. Rocks shattered, and the buildings above shook! Eventually, the ceiling of the basement was pierced, sending Crocodile flying and knocking him out.
The king's army and the rebel army on the ground were still fighting amidst the dust, but as Crocodile fainted, his powers dissipated. Rain began to fall from the sky!
The rain washed away the sand and dust. The two armies, feeling the rain, gradually ceased their fighting. The square became quiet.
"Please don't continue this meaningless fight!!!"
Princess Vivi's voice echoed across the square!
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Phoenizbeelze
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