Chapter 20

Crocodile sent a vicious kick toward Robin, catching her under the ribs. She was lifted up and flung, hitting the ground again with a grunt of pain.

"You dare betray me, Nico Robin? Did you forget who took you in when you had nowhere to go?"

Pushing herself upright with some difficulty, Robin shook her head.

"You were just… using me. There's no trust… between us."

Crocodile chuckled condescendingly.

"What a naïve woman. We were using each other! What did you think was going on? Tsk… this is annoying, but you will serve your purpose one way or another. As soon as I deal with these bothersome flies…"

He trailed off toward the end, having noticed a new arrival. A vaguely human-shaped flame was standing there, dozens of Baroque Works goons scattered around its feet. The fire receded slowly, gathering on the tip of the person's finger before extinguishing it with a flick.

Ace smirked at him.

"Didn't you want to become the pirate king, Crocodile. What are you doing in a place like this, playing around with such a lame secret organization?"

Crocodile's eyebrow twitched.

"Fire-fist Ace. Are you sure you should be interfering? Don't you understand the consequences?"

Ace shrugged.

"Don't know whatcha mean. Your employees were little rude, so I beat them up. Not my fault you didn't train them right."

He looked in a certain direction.

"Anyway, I'm just here to be a spectator. I'm not fighting you."

Crocodile looked like he wanted to ask what that meant, but before he could, a battlecry suddenly sounded from behind him.

"Gom-gomu-no… pistol!!"

A fist rocketed toward him, smashing into Crocodile's jaw. His head was whipped around, sending him stumbling backward.

He wiped a droplet of blood from his lip. Earlier, Robin had made use of one of his traps, repurposing it into a water-bomb. Completely soaking both him and Luffy, he was unable to dissipate into sand.

"Straw Hat Luffy... If it weren't for Fire-fist Ace and that woman's treachery, you wouldn't even have the opportunity to cause trouble."

His arm snapping back into place, Luffy breathed hard. There was a hole in his thigh, blood soaking his shorts and dripping down his legs.

"Crocodile, I'm gonna pummel you! I wanna see if you can keep talking after that!"

Crocodile ignored him, glancing at Ace.

"You're not going to interfere?"

Ace nodded easily.

"I won't. If my little brother can't beat you, he has no business going deeper into the Grand Line. In that case, I might have to train him a little. It's been a while since we had some 'quality time'. I even remember him saying something about being stronger, so we can put it to the test…"

He punctuated the phrase by cracking his knuckles, looking at Luffy with a weird smile.

Luffy gulped. He stared at Crocodile with renewed determination.

"I-I'm not scared of you Ace, but damn it, I won't lose! Get ready, you lizard!"

Crocodile's gaze shifted away from Ace.

"Hmph, fine. Let's get this over with."

There was a moment's silence before they launched themselves at each other. Their scuffle only added to the chaos inside Rainbase—the product of a violent mix of pirates, marines and Baroque Works agents.

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Jack sat on the roof of a building in the late-afternoon sun, his legs swinging over the edge. He'd informed Chaka of the bomb, and while the man hadn't initially trusted him, it was easy enough to confirm the truth.

Fortunately, Chaka had a way of contacting Pell to remove the bomb from the city. With how Baroque Works had infiltrated the royal army, the soldiers couldn't be trusted with the task.

It had taken a while for the bird-man to arrive, but the issue was eventually resolved. The bomb was somewhere in the arid mountains now, too far away to harm anyone. All that remained was for the Straw Hats to beat Crocodile and join Jack at Alubarna.

Though, there was still one loose end—Mr. 2. The okama should've finished his impersonating mission, but where he was, that was anyone's guess. Well, it wasn't a big deal. As far as Baroque Works agents went, he was far from the worst.

While he sat there in thought, Jack's stomach suddenly growled. He placed a hand on his abdomen, remembering he hadn't eaten anything all day.

He got up slowly, patting himself down. In the meantime, he'd bum some food off Chaka. As the city's savior, he did deserve some kind of reward.

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By the time night fell, Rain Dinners was almost entirely reduced to a pile of ruins. The area was bustling, surrounded by dozens of marines. They scurried back and forth, rounding up the remnant agents and seizing contraband.

Smoker watched the process evenly, a cigar hanging from the corner of his mouth. Despite the operation's success, he didn't look too happy.

"We were taken advantage of by those pirates."

Next to him, Tashigi stood, tightly clutching her katana. One of her arms was bandaged, having briefly engaged Zoro, but failing to apprehend him.

"…still, to think something like this was going on in Alabasta. A coup. Illegal use of rainpowder. Even trying to challenge the government. I almost don't believe it…"

Smoker grunted, nudging the prone figure at his feet. Crocodile was unconscious, bruised and battered, his medium-length hair hanging limply over face. His wrists were secured with seastone shackles, dashing all hopes of escape.

"We'll find out the whole story soon enough. If Crocodile doesn't tell us the truth, we'll squeeze it out of his associates."

There was a moment's silence as he reached inside his jacket, withdrawing some matches and lighting his cigar. To his side, Tashigi stared at Crocodile, her brows furrowed.

Smoker glanced at her.

"Pirates are pirates. Doesn't matter what fancy titles they carry. From the beginning, the warlord system… was a mistake."

Tashigi nodded slowly.

"I understand. But captain, should we really be letting the Straw Hats get away?"

"What are you saying? Didn't I send a squad after them?"

"That's… I just don't think-…"

"…they'll succeed? In that case, I'll just have to punish them when they get back."

"…"

Eventually, Tashigi sighed, staring into the distance. The day's excitement had taken a lot out of her, but she couldn't rest yet. There was still plenty of work left.

"Roronoa Zoro… one day, I'll definitely capture you…"

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Under the cover of night, a rag-tag group of people fled to the outskirts of Rainbase. They were in poor shape, bleeding and bruised, with their clothes torn in various places.

Luffy was draped over Ace's shoulder like a sack, his face pale and bloodless. He had no shirt on, bandages wrapped around his leg and waist. They were both stained red. His expression twisted in pain every time he was jostled—since Ace was running, that happened a lot.

Behind them, Chopper huffed and puffed, trying to keep up. He seemed on the verge of tears.

"Ace, p-please stop! He's badly injured, if this g-goes on, his wounds will only get worse-...!"

Ace laughed boisterously, slapping Luffy on the back. Each hit provoked a wracking cough, followed by a spurt of blood.

"Don't worry, don't worry. He's a lot tougher than he looks. He won't die from something like this."

Hearing this, the other Straw Hats exchanged glances. They'd seen Luffy take Crocodile's hook through his gut. It wasn't a small injury by any means.

It was Nami who suddenly came to a stop. She leaned against a building, groaning with her hands on her knees.

"Huff, huff... If he doesn't die... then I will. I can't keep going..."

Vivi followed her lead, plopping down on the ground next to her. She looked at everyone, brushing strands of hair from her face.

"I'm thankful, Ace-san but... we won't make it to Alubarna on foot. We lost the marines too... it's better to rest for now. Karoo... please fetch the supersonic-duck-squadron-..."

Before she could finish, a certain yellow duck raised its wing in a salute, disappearing in a cloud of dust. Within seconds, he was nothing more than a dot, disappearing behind a distant dune.

Vivi's hand hung awkwardly in the air.

"...once you're feeling up to it."

Zoro chuckled, in the process of kicking down a barricaded door. It belonged to an abandoned warehouse. They could shelter there for the night. He stumbled inside favoring one leg, using a sword as a crutch—having taken a licking during his fight with Mr. 1. The steel-man initially squared off against Chopper, but Zoro had taken his place when he proved too strong.

"He didn't do much today, so he probably feels a little useless."

The others followed his lead, eager to rest. The day's battle had taken its toll on all of them.

Rubbing his back, Usopp observed the interior. It was entirely empty of furnishings. Tonight's sleep wouldn't be comfortable.

"'Supersonic-duck-squadron'—it sounds pretty cool."

Vivi nodded with a smile, though it seemed a little forced.

"They're amazing. They'll get us to Alaburna before the rebel army arrives."

Sanji looked at her once they were all settled in, having helped Chopper make Luffy as comfortable as possible on an improvised mattress.

"...that bastard probably dealt with things on his side. I don't think you need to worry, Vivi-chan."

The tension didn't leave Vivi's shoulders.

"I believe in Jack, but... he's just a stranger. There's no way he can stop the war on his own. I don't think anyone would listen to him. Not Chaka and... definitely not Kozu."

Nami snorted.

"Be that as it may, worrying won't get you anywhere. Your duck friends are going to do their best to get us there, right? Just believe in them."

Her words drew a fond look from Vivi.

"Yes. They will..."

There was a moment's silence, everyone nursing their thoughts. The only sound was Luffy's uneven breathing, and the clacking of equipment as Chopper tended to him.

When the mood felt a little less grave, Robin cleared her throat. She'd followed them until now, not saying much.

"I think it's best if I take my leave. Now that our mutual goal has been accomplished, there's no reason for me to hang around."

Her words drew a few strange looks. The crew was conflicted when it came to their temporary ally, mostly because they didn't know much about her.

"W-wait..."

Before anyone could speak, Luffy had extended his arm, his hand clasping Robin's wrist from a distance. He sat up with difficulty.

"...you h-helped us. I wouldn't have b-beaten Crocodile without you..."

Robin looked at him, her expression unreadable.

"Our alliance was one of circumstance. I only acted for my own benefit. There's no need to thank me."

Luffy shook his head.

"That d-doesn't matter. We fought together, so w-we're comrades..."

It was at this point that Nami's face twisted. Having dealt with Luffy for a while now, she clearly had an idea of where this was going.

"Hey, Luffy, I'm just as grateful as you are, but let's not do anything rash. There's already one suspicious person with us-..."

"...that's why I'm t-telling you—join our crew!"

Everyone was stunned to silence, staring wide-eyed at Luffy. They were indeed grateful to Robin, but this was something else entirely. He didn't even ask anyone's opinion!

Perhaps no-one was more surprised than Robin herself. Her mouth hung open, breaking her usual calm facade.

You-... w-what? Why?"

Luffy grinned, flashing a mouthful of teeth. Mischief glinted in his eyes.

"Because I like you. I want you to set sail with us. Come on, it'll be fun!"

Robin was silent for a moment before she laughed. There was no amusement in it.

"Of all the ridiculous things-... I'm leaving. Good luck with the rest of your mission..."

Luffy didn't let go. He hadn't taken no for an answer before, and he clearly wasn't going to do so now.

"At least stay with us until Alubarna. Vivi still needs our help. And we need yours."

Robin's shoulders twitched.

"...no, you don't. You already have Fire-fist Ace helping you. What do you even expect from me?"

Off to the side, Ace raised his hands helplessly. He'd taken a seat in a corner, in the process of nodding off.

"Hey, don't involve me. I was just tagging along. I didn't even really do anything today."

Luffy ignored him, staring intensely at Robin.

"You worked for Crocodile. If anyone understands his plans, it's you. We might not be able to save the city without your help."

Robin still didn't seem convinced. However, Vivi took the opportunity to approach her, clasping the other woman's hands in her own. She looked at Robin with sincerity.

"I know this isn't your country, but... I'm begging you. Help me save my father, and my people. Please."

"..."

Robin's face maintained its stone-like appearance for a long moment before it cracked, showing resignation. She nodded once.

"All right. Just until then. After that, I'm leaving."

Both Vivi and Luffy looked relieved. The latter released her wrist, gesturing a thumbs up.

"Don't worry about it—you'll join us for sure!"

The rest of the crew exchanged glances. There wasn't much for them to say. By now, they understood their captain's nature.

Ace broke the silence, chuckling to himself. He pulled his hat lower over his head.

"...not bad, Luffy. I have to say, I didn't know what to think about your crew, but if nothing else, you guys are really good at forcing people to follow you..."

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