Chapter 198: Something Robin Has Never Experienced Before...
Why?
Why do some people have everything from the moment they're born?
Why do some people get what they've always dreamed of just through connections?
He, Crocodile, has relied on his own wisdom and strength to climb step by step to where he is today.
But these people—Whitebeard's son, the Pirate King's descendant—what gives them the right?
"Desert Spada!"
Yellow sand condensed into a massive blade, slashing toward Ace.
"Hiken!"
Flames transformed into a giant fist, meeting the sand.
Sand and fire collided, merging into a swirling vortex of red and yellow.
The office ceiling was completely torn away, and the two of them fought their way out through the hole, continuing their duel in the air.
On the ground, the battle raged on.
Under Ralph's command, Munch-Munch faced off against Mr. 4's duo... plus one dog, as planned.
The three of them refused to surrender and even dared to fight back.
Lassoo, who had eaten the Inu Inu no Mi, spat out baseball-shaped timed bombs from its mouth, which Mr. 4 then launched with swings of his four-ton iron club.
The high-speed flying bombs struck Munch-Munch, exploding with a deafening roar and blasting away large chunks of its sandy armor.
However, that was only the surface layer of Munch-Munch's defenses.
It casually took a couple of bites from the surrounding rubble and immediately replenished its armor with an even harder layer of rock.
Miss Merry Christmas ordered Mr. 4 to attack Munch-Munch's head directly.
Yet, the four-ton iron club's blows meant little to Munch-Munch at its current size.
Instead of dodging, Munch-Munch lunged forward and bit down on the incoming club.
Crunch—crunch—
The sound of grinding metal was enough to make one's teeth ache.
The massive iron club was devoured by Munch-Munch in just two bites, as if it were a biscuit.
Not only that, but as Munch-Munch swung its tail, everyone noticed that the tip had transformed into the shape of a hammer.
Good heavens!
Fighting while eating, growing stronger with every bite—how do you even fight that?
Miss Merry Christmas activated her Devil Fruit ability, transforming into Mole Form, intending to dig tunnels underground to restrict Munch-Munch's movements.
But the moment she burrowed into the ground, Munch-Munch took a bite.
Miss Merry Christmas looked up to see Munch-Munch's massive head and sharp teeth.
The soil had been completely devoured, and Munch-Munch stared curiously at her in the hole.
She dug deeper, and Munch-Munch ate more soil.
Clearly, she couldn't dig faster than Munch-Munch could eat.
And this was with Munch-Munch not even trying.
Finally, Munch-Munch seemed to grow bored.
It opened its mouth, gathering a massive ball of sand and stone inside, then fired it like a cannonball.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sand-and-stone cannonballs chased after the two humans and the dog, forcing them to flee in panic, running farther and farther away.
Munch-Munch gave chase, but before leaving, it glanced back at Ralph.
Ralph instructed:
"Just scare them a bit, don't actually eat them."
"And don't forget, after you're done playing, bring those three back to me."
Munch-Munch nodded happily, wagging its... large tail.
Crash! Crack!
After knocking down another wall, it cheerfully bounded off in pursuit.
Only then, at Lufia's urging, did Ralph approach the Seastone Cage.
"Ralph! Hurry up and get me out of here!"
Lufia gripped the bars, her eyes sparkling.
"I'm going to knock Crocodile flying!"
Just then, a voice spoke up beside them:
"This is a specially made Seastone Cage."
Nico Robin had appeared beside them at some point. She looked at the cage and explained:
"Not only can it restrict the abilities of Devil Fruit users, but it's also incredibly sturdy. Without the key, no one can open it."
She paused, looked at Ralph, and smiled gently:
"But it's fine!"
"The key should be on Crocodile. However, judging from the current situation, it's only a matter of time before Fire Fist Ace defeats him and retrieves the key."
Her gaze lingered on Ralph's face for a few seconds, filled with undisguised admiration:
"Boss Ralph truly has remarkable methods. Not only are you highly intelligent, but your connections are also impressive. I deeply admire you."
These were words of praise.
But before Ralph could respond, Lufia in the cage couldn't hold back.
"How can that be!"
She stomped her feet anxiously, "I'm the one who should defeat Crocodile!"
"Ralph, hurry up and let me out, or it'll be too late!"
Robin listened nearby, blinking her large eyes.
Through observation, she had long known that this captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, the Straw Hat Girl Lufia, was different from others.
Now, seeing this, she truly was extraordinary.
It had already been said that without the key, it couldn't be opened, yet she seemed... unable to understand human speech?
There should be limits to being willful!
Although it seems every girl has the right to be pampered and the privilege to be willful.
But due to her lifelong study of history and her tragic childhood experiences, Robin recalled that she had never had the privilege to be willful.
Her willfulness would only bring pursuit and betrayal.
However, faced with such a request, Ralph agreed with a smile.
And it wasn't a perfunctory one.
Robin saw Ralph looking at Lufia in the cage, his eyes so tender they seemed to melt. What they expressed was:
As long as it's a request from you, I will fulfill it no matter what—a depth of affection.
Robin, whose past was filled with darkness, couldn't understand such a look.
But she could sense that it was something she had never possessed and had never been given.
"Alright."
Ralph said, "I'll let you out."
He took off the cross pendant from his neck.
What he intended to use wasn't the cross itself or the small knife hidden inside it.
Ralph used the string that held the cross.
With the enhancement of Armament Haki, the soft string became as hard as two iron wires.
Ralph inserted the string into the lock of the cage and gently prodded it twice.
Click.
A crisp sound.
The cage door opened.
Lufia cheered, jumped out of the cage, and hugged Ralph:
"Ralph, you're amazing!"
Then she let go, sprang up to a high point, looked up at the sky where yellow sand and flames were fiercely colliding.
"Crocodile! I'm coming!"
She shouted, stretched her rubber arm, grabbed a distant pillar that hadn't collapsed yet, and launched herself like a slingshot.
Ralph watched her receding figure and smiled helplessly.
Then he heard a soft sigh beside him.
Robin looked at him, her expression complex.
"This is also possible..."
Her tone was filled with disbelief, "Is there anything you can't do?"
Ralph turned his head, "This is nothing."
He showed a somewhat arrogant smile, "Give me a pack of instant noodles, and I can freely enter and leave Impel Down, stealing from all of Mary Geoise."