Chapter 120: Upgrade

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An explosion echoed out of nowhere, followed by the violent trembling of the ground. 

A massive shadow burst through the earth, shooting skyward and sending sand flying everywhere. 

Vivi and Robin stared in shock at the enormous figure that had suddenly appeared behind them, their alertness immediately heightened. 

It was a colossal snake nearly a kilometer long. Its body, as tall as a city wall, was enough to instill deep fear in any ordinary person.

As she watched the giant serpent emerge from the ground, Vivi wondered if a battle between the snake and Byakuya had caused the earlier collapse. 

But before she could think further, Robin urgently warned, "Run! That serpent is eyeing us!"

Vivi looked up and saw the serpent's enormous eyes, bigger than a person, fixed on her and Robin. 

She realized that her abilities were no match for the snake, and Robin, having exhausted herself saving Vivi, couldn't use her powers. They were like helpless lambs before the serpent, completely defenseless.

The enormous snake began to slither across the desert, moving rapidly towards Vivi and Robin. 

The sound of its scales scraping against the sand grew louder and closer, filling them both with despair. 

They had no hope of escaping. As the snake drew near, Vivi felt her heart sink. "I guess this means I'll die with Byakuya," she resignedly thought.

In truth, ever since Vivi realized Byakuya might have died underground, she had harbored a willingness to die herself. 

She didn't want to believe it until she saw his body, but now, faced with the serpent, she was coming to accept reality. 

Instead of fear, she felt a strange calmness as death approached. 

Robin, too, could only sigh in helplessness, though she found some solace in the fact that she had at least seen a piece of the Poneglyph before dying.

Just as the two closed their eyes, ready to face their end, a familiar voice suddenly rang out beside them. 

"Huh, aren't you two scared at all, facing such a big serpent?"

It was Byakuya's voice! Vivi and Robin opened their eyes and saw that the giant snake had stopped just a few meters away, its huge eyes blinking as if observing them like rare animals. 

And there, standing atop the serpent's head, was Byakuya. 

Though he looked a bit messy, with his mask gone and his clothes covered in dust, it was clear that he hadn't been hurt. 

Byakuya leaped down from the snake's head and landed before Vivi.

"Byakuya!" Vivi cried out in joy and threw herself into his arms. 

In her excitement, she forgot she still had Robin on her back, causing Byakuya to widen his eyes as he saw Robin, now pressed against him, in panic. 

Robin tried to pull away, but she was too weak to move, let alone escape the awkward situation. 

As Vivi clung tightly to Byakuya, resting her face against his chest, Robin and Byakuya's faces were pressed together, frozen in shock. 

They might have accidentally kissed if Byakuya hadn't instinctively turned his head.

Byakuya could feel the warmth from Robin's soft cheek, and even someone as experienced as Robin blushed at the awkwardness of it all. 

At that moment, the three of them created a strangely beautiful scene. Holding onto Byakuya, Vivi cried out, "I was so scared! I thought you..."

Byakuya, touched by Vivi's concern, tried to console her, but the situation became increasingly awkward. 

It felt surreal, With Vivi pressing against his chest and Robin's face so close to his. "Uh, Vivi, could you let go now?" Byakuya asked awkwardly.

"No, I won't! I just want to hold you like this!" Vivi responded firmly, tightening her grip on Byakuya as if she wanted to merge with him and never let go.

"But... this is not good," Byakuya muttered. 

Vivi lifted her head, annoyed. "What's so bad about this?" 

But before she could finish her sentence, her voice trailed off, and she trembled as she noticed the situation.

"You two...?" Vivi stammered.

Byakuya explained, "It's because you were holding onto me so tightly that this happened." 

Vivi finally realized she had carried Robin on her back the whole time. 

No wonder Byakuya had tried to push her away earlier because of this! 

Understanding the situation, Vivi quickly set Robin down and apologized repeatedly. 

Byakuya, hands in his pockets, shrugged it off as if it didn't bother him, thinking, "Not like I'm losing out on anything."

Robin was the first to break the awkward silence. 

"So, did you see the 'Pluton' down there?" she asked. 

Vivi, still trembling, pointed to the giant serpent behind Byakuya and asked, "What's the deal with this big snake?"

Byakuya, anticipating their questions, calmly explained, 

"I did see the Pluton, but Hydra has entwined it for so many years that its weapon systems are completely damaged and unusable." 

"Besides, it's far too massive to be removed from there."

Robin told herself, "So, the 'Pluton' really does exist, which means the Poneglyph is genuine." 

However, she didn't mention the Poneglyph since her interest lay in the information it contained rather than the stone itself.

Conversely, Vivi was focused on something else Byakuya had mentioned: 

'Hydra.' She looked at the enormous serpent nearly a kilometer long and stared at Byakuya in shock. 

"You call this 'Hydra'? How big does something have to be to qualify as 'Hydra'?"

Byakuya patted the serpent's head and continued, "When I found the 'Pluton,' Hydra was wrapped around it. Surprisingly, it didn't attack me." 

"I sensed this creature had some intelligence, so I didn't harm it."

"Later, the ground began to shake violently for some reason, and the sand started collapsing inward." 

"Hydra went crazy and drilled its way to the surface, and I just happened to ride its head out of the ground."

Neither Vivi nor Robin doubted his explanation. After all, the 'Pluton' was so severely damaged that it was beyond use. 

Even if they were to spend enormous resources excavating it, it would be a useless scrap metal piece.

Byakuya felt sympathy for Vivi when he learned about her desperate actions after thinking he was buried underground. 

He quickly redeemed some medicine from the system store to heal the injuries on her hands.

As the three returned to Alabasta, Kuro didn't follow them and burrowed back into the sand. 

Walking along the road, Byakuya noticed Robin's uncharacteristic silence and suddenly asked, "You must know who I am by now, right?"

When Byakuya emerged from the ground riding Kuro, his mask accidentally fell off, revealing his true face. 

Given how close they had been, with their faces almost touching, Byakuya noticed a flicker of recognition in Robin's eyes. 

He guessed she had figured out his identity. Vivi's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. Byakuya's identity was a secret that no one else should know. 

Even after she found out, she continued to call him 'Yoru.' Now that Robin knew Byakuya's true identity, would he silence her on the spot?

Before, if Byakuya had wanted to deal with Robin, Vivi wouldn't have stopped him. As the deputy leader of Baroque Works, Robin had been an enemy. 

Vivi had harbored a deep resentment towards her, though she never showed it because Robin had been useful to Byakuya. 

However, after Robin risks her life to save Vivi, Vivi's feelings toward her change.

Now, Vivi doesn't want Robin to die at Byakuya's hands.

Robin didn't pretend to be ignorant; instead, she let out a bitter smile and said, "Yes, I recognized you, Rear Admiral Byakuya."

While working under Crocodile, Robin had access to various intelligence reports, one of which detailed how Rear Admiral Byakuya had defeated one of the Beast Pirates' top officers, Jack the Drought. 

The report even included a front-facing photo of Byakuya. 

So, the moment she saw Byakuya without his mask, she instantly recognized him. 

What puzzled her was how someone so young could already be a Rear Admiral in Marine headquarters and have the strength to defeat Jack. 

It was clear that Byakuya had a bright future in the Marines. 

Despite this, Byakuya created a mysterious organization, 'Yoru,' and personally killed Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords recognized by the World Government. 

If this information were to be released, Byakuya would undoubtedly come under suspicion from the world government. 

His promising career could be derailed, and he might even become a wanted man. Yet, he had done it anyway.

Robin could understand if Byakuya decided to kill her to keep this secret. 

Vivi, though desperate to ask Byakuya to spare Robin, also knew the severe consequences that could arise if his true identity were exposed.

Vivi knew deep down the difference in importance between Byakuya and Robin, but she still didn't want to see Robin die at Byakuya's hands. 

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind. "Byakuya, why don't you have Robin join your organization, 'Yoru'?" she suggested. 

"She can read Poneglyphs, a rare skill in this world. Your organization could use someone like her, right?"

Byakuya was slightly surprised. He had considered the idea before but didn't think it was that significant. 

However, now that the system could collect Poneglyphs and Devil Fruits, it might be useful to have someone in the organization who could read them. 

Moreover, Byakuya didn't harbor any ill feelings toward Robin. Vivi's suggestion was worth considering.

"Vivi makes a good point," Byakuya began, "and you did save Vivi's life. So, I'm officially inviting you to join the 'Yoru' organization."

Robin had been prepared to be eliminated but didn't expect Byakuya to invite her to join 'Yoru' instead. 

Vivi also chimed in, "Robin, you should accept. 'Yoru' is more legitimate than Baroque Works."

Hearing this, Byakuya couldn't help but roll his eyes. What did she mean by "more legitimate"? 

If someone told him an organization was legitimate, he'd be inclined not to join. He preferred things that weren't exactly above board.

Robin didn't take long to decide; this was a matter of life and death. She wasn't sure if Byakuya might suddenly change his mind. 

However, before joining, Robin had one question for Byakuya. 

"I've always been curious—why did you create the 'Yoru' organization as a Marine Rear Admiral? What's your purpose?"

"If it's inconvenient, you don't have to answer," she added.

Byakuya smiled. "Why would it be inconvenient? I've told everyone who joins the 'Yoru' organization this—our goal is world peace."

"World peace?" Robin and Vivi were stunned. The idea sounded as grand as it did unbelievable. Robin asked, "Are you serious?"

"Once you join 'Yoru,' you'll see for yourself," Byakuya replied.

"All right then, I'll join 'Yoru' and see how you plan to achieve world peace."

...

After resolving the Kingdom of Alabasta situation, Byakuya needed to return to Water 7. 

His vacation was almost over, and he couldn't stay any longer. Vivi was reluctant to see Byakuya go but didn't try to stop him. 

However, before he left, she repeatedly reminded him to find her when she turned sixteen.

To Cobra, it seemed like Vivi just wanted Byakuya to celebrate her sixteenth birthday, but only Byakuya, Vivi, and Robin knew the deeper meaning behind her words.

As the four of them set sail towards Water 7, gradually leaving the Kingdom of Alabasta behind, Byakuya received a notification from the system:

[Congratulations to the host for altering the storyline: "Alabasta Incident," "Crocodile's Death," etc. A total of 15,000 World Source Points have been awarded.]

This trip to Alabasta had been incredibly rewarding for Byakuya. He opened the system interface:

[Host: Byakuya]

[Template: One Punch Man—Saitama]

[Fusion Level: 30%]

[World Source Points: 48,000]

[Fusion Level 30%—31% requires 2,100 World Source Points]

[Special Skills: King's Engine, Rokushiki, Armament Haki Lv8 (Special Technique: Ryuo), Observation Haki Lv8, Swordsmanship Lv9 (+), Infinite Regeneration (Passive)]

[Summoned: "Testicle-less Ninja" Sonic]

Following his usual pattern, Byakuya increased his fusion to 40% by spending 25,500 World Source Points and leaving himself with 22,500 points. 

This boost in fusion doubled his strength and surprised him during the special ability draw.

[Draw complete. Congratulations to the host for acquiring the ability of the Dragon-level Monster, Goryuganshoop: Psychokinesis (Telepathy)]

<End Chapter>

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