Chapter 201 Robin

"How can you help me?"

Cobra looked up, and at this moment, the fatigue and anxiety in his eyes were all suppressed by him, and his eyes were full of questioning.

Unlike Gaga, Bell, and even most people in this kingdom.

As a monarch of a country, he never really believed in Crocodile in front of him.

Even though Crocodile has been working diligently to fight pirates in this country for several years, he has been recognized by almost everyone.

But Crocodile is a pirate after all, and an extremely powerful and extremely dangerous pirate. The probability of such a person repenting in one day is too low.

But as Crocodile said, he has no other choice now.

"Or..."

"Sir Crocodile, what do you want to do when you come to this country?"

"Create an ideal country."

"Create an ideal country in a country full of wind and sand, poverty and suffering?"

There was even a hint of undisguised sarcasm in Cobra's tone, but Crocodile's next words made him silent instantly.

"Wouldn't it be more meaningful to transform such a country into an ideal place?"

Cobra was relieved:

"Can I trust you?"

"It depends on your choice."

"Then I'll leave Vivi's matter to you, bring her back to me."

"Understood."

...

A few minutes later.

Da!

Da!

Da!

Accompanied by a steady sound of footsteps, Crocodile slowly walked out of the palace, leaving Cobra with only his back.

Outside the palace.

Crocodile looked at Alubana, the capital of Alabasta in the distance.

The sky was dark, because the howling wind rolled up the extremely dry sand and dust, almost completely blocking all the sunlight.

There were no pedestrians on the road.

In such a place, survival is a problem, how could it be an ideal place?

Huh——!

A puff of smoke came out of Crocodile's mouth, and his face became extremely hideous at this moment.

He thought he was not someone who liked to cause trouble. He was even willing to stay in a barren kingdom like Alabasta for several years for the sake of Hades, who was illusory in the eyes of ordinary people.

But when trouble came to him, he was determined to root it out.

Cruelty and ruthlessness are compulsory courses for every pirate.

It is also a quality that must be possessed to survive in this world where the winner is king.

Crocodile is naturally not lacking in this aspect.

"Knight Gawain kidnapped the princess of Alabasta, killed her on the spot when the extortion failed, and Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, fought him off."

"Don't you want to see such a script?"

"Knight Gawain!"

...

A few days later.

Grand Line.

The overhauled Raven is far more reliable than Gawain expected.

The voyage was smooth sailing.

But what they saw and heard inside the Kingdom of Alabasta was not very good.

They had passed through many towns, but without exception, they were all deserted and uninhabited.

Even the few survivors who could be seen sporadically were pale and thin, almost dehydrated, and struggling to make ends meet.

Weiwei stood on the deck, her eyes fixed on the city of Wadda that she had just passed, and she pursed her lips tightly.

The city was almost completely buried in the yellow sand, with only a few tall buildings that could reveal its former grandeur.

"Originally, even though this country was drought-stricken and poor, the people could still barely survive."

"This level of drought is already abnormal."

Kalifa appeared beside Vivi at some point, looking at the city of Vada that she had just passed by, and frowned slightly:

"Dancing powder?"

"By gathering the surrounding clouds, the precipitation in an area is increased, but the cost is that the area at hand will become more dry, creating a vicious cycle."

"This kind of thing should have been listed as a banned item a long time ago."

"I have heard before that King Cobra of Alabasta was punished by the World Government for abusing dancing powder."

"No!"

Vivi's eyes turned red, and she argued:

"I know my father. He can't even eat enough to save a little bit of supplies for his people. How could he use such a banned item with huge side effects?"

"It's Crocodile. I saw his subordinates transporting dancing powder with my own eyes. He is the culprit who caused the destruction of these towns!"

While speaking.

Vivi's attention was on Gawain in the distance.

But she only saw the latter glance at the city of Varda with an indifferent expression, and then there was no other reaction.

She couldn't help but feel disappointed.

During the time on the ship, Vivi's actions were not restricted too much.

She had become familiar with Chopper, Nami and others. They couldn't be called partners, but they were definitely friends.

Naturally, she also learned about Gawain's past experience.

He became a bandit because his forbidden love affair with the princess was exposed. He became a kind-hearted man who even saved Nami and Chopper's hometown from suffering.

Originally, Vivi had expectations for Gawain, but now it has gradually fallen through.

The hope of saving Alabasta and saving the people will eventually fall on herself.

She sighed.

She could no longer accept the scene in front of her and turned back to the cabin.

...

Gawain naturally saw Vivi's reaction, but for him, it was still the same sentence.

Without sufficient benefits, directly attacking Crocodile will only put him in jail.

If things go wrong, the skin of the Seven Warlords of the Sea will be stripped.

By then, with the combat power and potential that Gawain has shown now, the opponent he will face will most likely be at the level of an admiral.

Although he will not be unable to escape, the trouble will definitely be great.

It is just out of rational judgment that Gawain has no reason to attack.

But when he saw the bones in the yellow sand, he still felt a fire burning in his heart.

These people did not have to die.

The World Government levied heavy taxes and pirates sucked their bones and marrow. For these ordinary people, survival is not easy.

But even if the living environment is so difficult, there are still people who do not hesitate to destroy their last living space for their own purposes.

This world is really like grass.

Who cares about their lives?

Dalton cares, Vivi cares, Cobra cares, but these people have no ability to change the status quo...

At this moment

Gawain felt like there was a stone blocking his chest.

He simply returned to the room, but the knife on his waist kept buzzing.

Restless and uneasy.

…

A few days later.

The Raven slowly docked in a coastal town.

The fresh water on the ship was almost used up, and there was no corresponding seawater purification device, so Gawain planned to replenish fresh water here.

But when they arrived at the town, they found out.

This place was already deserted, and the rivers flowing into the sea had dried up. At a glance, you could even see several dried bodies half buried in the yellow sand.

The dead still maintained the movements of their struggles before they died.

But this is a coastal town!

It should have been extremely prosperous, enough to become a national transportation hub.

It can lack anything but water. It can only fall to this point due to external factors.

And Gawain also understood the specific reasons.

At this moment, the Guanshi Zhengzong on Gawain's waist buzzed again, and the vibration of the blade was already visible to the naked eye.

"Gawain..."

Kero glanced at the Guanze Masamune on Gawain's waist and couldn't help but speak.

As the first person to follow Gawain and the second-in-command in the pirate group, he was almost the person who knew Gawain's character best on the ship.

He knew that although Gawain said that interests came first, he could even make the most favorable judgment based on the current situation.

But he also knew.

Gawain had a heart that could empathize with the weak and ordinary people more than anyone else.

If he didn't know Gawain's past.

He almost thought that Gawain had such a life.

Like the grass in the wind, the yellow sand all over the ground, and the life of ants crushed by people on the roadside.

As a deputy.

His duty should have reminded Gawain to put interests first.

No mistakes in one song, one post, one content, one 6, one 9, one book, one bar!

For these ordinary people, facing another Shichibukai, no matter the result, it is not worth the loss.

But what he said became:

"Whatever you do, I support you."

Gawain did not reply immediately, but said:

"Let's go down and take a look."

A few minutes later.

A dilapidated and desolate town came into everyone's eyes.

The surrounding buildings had long been dilapidated, and only in the corner, there was a bar with lights on.

"Is there anyone in this damn place?"

Gawain was slightly stunned, and then walked in quickly.

Squeak~!

The door of the bar was pushed open.

Unexpectedly, the furnishings inside were still brand new, and there was even a phonograph playing classical music.

Pile up on the lockers were not the various famous wines commonly seen in bars, but books, some quaint and worn, some brand new, and even with the smell of ink.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Mr. Gawain."

Gawain looked at the bar counter fiercely.

There was no one there.

There was only a telephone bug that had been connected, and the sound came from the receiver.

"You are..."

"You can call me Miss.all sunday!"

Gawain was slightly stunned, but a familiar face emerged in his mind.

Tall, intellectual, and always with a warm smile on the corner of her mouth...

Nicole-Robin.

Her code name during the Baroque Works period was Miss.all sunday.

As the only surviving descendant of O'Hara, Robin is also one of the few remaining people in this world who can interpret the historical text.

Gawain is not very interested in the so-called great treasure One Piece.

But he is very envious of the buried history, or the unimaginable technology of the ancient kingdom.

You should know that even the smartest man of this era, Vegapunk, made the greatest contribution of his life not in invention, but in archaeology.

More than 80% of the technology that appeared in Future Island came from the ancient kingdom buried in history, and more technology is still buried in history.

Robin has the ability to discover it!

Although such a person is not in Gawain's expectations, he is enough to win his favor.

After all, Robin's combat power is not weak. If he is placed in the navy in the later period, he will at least be able to serve as a vice admiral.

If converted into a system score, it is a silver-level potential.

"Really?"

Gawain smiled slightly:

"As a senior executive of Baroque Works, you are not a big shot if you are so secretive."

"Ah, ah, ah~"

Robin's voice was filled with a hint of "as expected". She said softly:

"For big shots like the Seven Warlords of the Sea, we should still have the most basic respect. At least I don't think I can get away easily in front of you~"

"However, from the moment you left Whiskey Peak, you were targeted by another Seven Warlords of the Sea~"

"Crocodile?"

The other end of the receiver suddenly fell silent. After a few breaths, Robin continued:

"It seems that my worry is unnecessary~"

"But."

"I still have to remind you that even the Seven Warlords of the Sea are different."

"Twenty years ago, Crocodile was already able to compete with monsters like Barrett. Now, no one knows how strong he is."

"Really?"

Gawain smiled faintly:

"Why help me?"

"Who knows?"

The other end of the phone.

Robin lazily leaned on the sofa, holding a Den Den Mushi in one hand and Gawain's bounty order in the other, with an inexplicable meaning in her eyes.

She murmured:

"Maybe I want to see if the man known as the most benevolent man in the East China Sea will reveal the ugliest side of human nature at the critical moment of life and death."

"After all, I have seen too many men who flaunt justice and virtue."

"But those are all despicable disguises without exception, a layer of skin on the body, and after peeling it off, it's all dirty and ugly."

"There is something wrong with the Rapeseed Port."

"Huh?!"

Gawain was about to continue asking, but the Den Den Mushi was hung up.

Beep beep beep--!

"Interesting."

Gawain smiled.

Recalling Robin's image and mentality in his memory, even if he didn't get his own answer from the other party, he was basically sure of the reason why Robin did this.

"While constantly witnessing the filth of human hearts, are you also longing for that little bit of beauty?"

"This woman's words may not be trustworthy."

Kuro had come in at some point and sat next to Gawain. He couldn't help but say:

"If we don't hand over the person as agreed, and Cobra asks the World Government for help, we will be in a passive position."

"No."

Gawain shook his head:

"Cobra won't do that."

"There are too many secrets inside Alabasta, and the historical text has been guarded by generations. That thing cannot be seen in the light."

"If it wasn't really a critical moment, Cobra, as the king, would never take the initiative to ask for help from the World Government and the Navy."

"Then what about this woman..."

"If you were Crocodile, what would you do."

Kuro fell into deep thought for a while, with all kinds of information in his mind, and gradually put himself in Crocodile's perspective.

After a few breaths

His eyes lit up, and all the information in his mind was sorted out:

"According to what you said before, that guy was plotting against Pluto in Alabasta."

"Once this matter is discovered by the World Government, he will only be hunted endlessly, and he will inevitably lose his skin as a Shichibukai."

"Vivi's suspicion of him increases the possibility of his plan being exposed."

"From this point of view, the assassination that Vivi encountered at Whiskey Peak before was most likely the work of Crocodile."

"But now things are getting more complicated, because whether we intend to or not, in his eyes, we have already intervened in this matter."

"The safest way..."

"Let Vivi disappear with us, and even use this to put all the blame on us, and he can further gain Cobra's trust."

"After all, on the surface, we are really holding Vivi hostage and demanding a ransom from Alabasta."