Alabasta.
Rainbase.
Inside the secret room beneath the casino.
Nico Robin sat quietly with one hand supporting her chin while the other tapped lightly against the table.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
After a while, she pulled out White Ghost's file and began reading from the beginning.
From his days in the Marines all the way to the present.
When she finished, Robin slowly put the file away.
"That man really is a mystery.
His growth has been absurdly fast.
And again and again, he always seems one step ahead of everyone else."
She flipped through another stack of files.
"Almost as though he already knows where certain things are."
Robin paused.
"For example… the Lightning Fruit."
She looked at Nami's file.
According to the records, White Ghost had personally rushed to rescue her.
Certain Marine sources claimed that the moment White Ghost learned fish-men had entered the East Blue, he immediately set out to find that little girl.
Robin tilted her head.
"How did he know where they would go?"
Then there were the Mythical Zoan fruits.
Even a single one appearing could shake the entire sea.
Yet White Ghost seemed to collect them one after another.
Robin reopened his file.
"The period when he first appeared in the New World…
Wasn't that around the same time the Three Emperors' subordinates were being assassinated?"
At the time, White Ghost had supposedly been training on Raijin Island.
Many witnesses had seen him there.
Yet Robin's instincts told her otherwise.
That war had almost certainly involved him somehow.
After leaving Raijin Island, White Ghost disappeared from public view for a period of time.
When he returned, three Minks and a beautiful young girl had appeared beside him.
According to the reports, even that girl's name had been given to her by White Ghost himself.
No one knew her original identity.
Robin suddenly remembered something White Ghost had said.
"I'm interested in the Nico Robin of a few years from now."
Her blue-black eyes narrowed.
"I hope it doesn't mean what I think it means."
Because White Ghost knew too many things that no one should know.
Far too many.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Elsewhere, Crocodile was watching the Banana Gators in his private pool when he heard the door.
He turned his chair toward the entrance.
"What is it, Nico Robin?"
Robin walked over and placed a list on his desk.
Without saying a word.
Crocodile picked it up.
The names of Daz Bonez and Sara had red X marks beside them.
His brows immediately furrowed.
"What happened?
With their strength in the West Blue, something shouldn't have gone wrong.
Was there another powerful figure involved?"
Robin smiled faintly.
"They encountered White Ghost.
He captured them.
They've already joined his crew."
Crocodile's eyes narrowed.
His cigar cracked between his teeth.
"That bastard.
Stealing people I had my eye on.
Just because he got lucky and defeated Kaido once, he thinks he can do whatever he wants?"
Robin's expression remained calm.
"He did more than defeat Kaido.
He nearly killed a peak-level powerhouse in the East Blue.
Only Kizaru's intervention prevented it.
The entire sea already recognizes him as one of the world's top figures."
Crocodile snorted coldly.
Then he looked through the remaining names.
"These are the ones who passed?"
Robin nodded.
"Everyone except Daz Bonez and Sara."
Crocodile tossed the list onto the table.
"Inform them.
From now on, they can operate using their code names.
There's no need to reveal any more information yet."
Robin smiled.
"It's already been done."
Crocodile nodded with satisfaction.
Robin could read Poneglyphs and handle every troublesome detail.
All he needed to do was focus on obtaining Pluton.
Still, he never fully trusted her.
After all, Nico Robin was famous for betrayal.
She had joined countless organizations throughout her life.
And countless people had ended up betrayed by her.
Only a Logia user like Crocodile dared keep someone like her around.
Robin left without mentioning White Ghost's words.
Neither of them trusted the other enough for that.
Growing up in her circumstances had taught Robin one lesson:
People changed.
There were no eternal companions.
Only interests.
For now, she intended to investigate White Ghost's claims herself.
If they proved false, then White Ghost had merely been amusing himself.
But if they proved true...
Then her suspicions would become reality.
And that possibility was terrifying.
"Devil Fruits truly are mysterious things."
Robin smiled faintly and disappeared into the corridor.
Meanwhile, Crocodile continued staring at White Ghost's file.
Killing intent flashed through his eyes.
"So you think a little strength means you can act however you please?
Fine.
Once I obtain Pluton...
You'll be the first person I test it on.
Then I'll settle the score with Whitebeard."
Crocodile would never forget it.
Whitebeard had defeated him with a single blow and taken his hand.
For revenge, he had endured humiliation for years.
Playing the role of Alabasta's hero.
Waiting.
Enduring.
Preparing.
Back in the West Blue, White Ghost's crew was preparing to leave for the North Blue.
As for the so-called Supernovas of the future?
White Ghost wasn't interested in any of them.
In his eyes, most of them treated piracy like a game.
The only one who behaved like a true pirate was Kid.
Unfortunately, after defeating Big Mom alongside Law, Kid had become convinced he was invincible.
The first time he challenged Shanks, he lost an arm.
The second time, he was defeated with a single strike.
Just before White Ghost left the West Blue, Sengoku sent someone from the local Marine forces to trade for weapons.
Apparently, Sengoku had figured out where the Revolutionary Army's weapons were coming from.
After all, the Marines fought both pirates and revolutionaries.
The person sent was Tina.
The arrival of the beautiful Marine officer immediately put White Ghost's women on guard.
Tina herself was uneasy.
She had never wanted this assignment.
White Ghost's reputation was terrible.
The sea practically described him as a lustful beast.
But Sengoku had specifically chosen her.
What surprised everyone, however, was that White Ghost never even met her.
Instead, he sent Kuro to handle the entire transaction.
From beginning to end, he never showed his face once.
Sengoku's intentions were obvious enough that White Ghost could practically hear them from across the West Blue.
A discount?
Not a chance.
Besides, Tina and Smoker's relationship was already obvious.
White Ghost might appreciate beautiful women, but he still had principles.
A friend's woman was off-limits.
After spending years together at Loguetown's Marine base, he already considered Smoker a friend.
The man's personality suited him well.
Even if he was a little weak.
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