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Crack.
Boom.
Lightning kept crashing down from the sky, one strike after another…
Cricket, Robin, Shizuku, Machi, and Bonolenov were moving through the heart of the rainforest.
According to records left behind by Cricket's ancestors, the City of Gold should be located in the southwest of the island, somewhere within a stretch of ancient ruins. So without hesitation, they headed straight in that direction.
But…
The lightning almost seemed to have a mind of its own. It kept striking down around them—never directly hitting them, but close enough to feel deliberate, like someone cracking a whip to drive them forward.
"…This feels like what the Boss mentioned," Machi said slowly. "That guy who calls himself a god… is he herding us?"
Machi trusted her instincts, and this time, they were dead on.
"Looks like it," Robin replied, resting her chin on her hand thoughtfully.
"But why?" Robin continued. "If he really wanted to stop us from reaching the City of Gold, he could just strike us directly. Instead… it's more like he's pushing us to hurry up."
Robin and Machi exchanged a glance—and almost simultaneously reached the same conclusion.
"He wants to use us to find the City of Gold."
"Exactly."
The Boss had already warned them: the enemy they were about to face had large-scale mind-reading abilities. That meant their objective had been exposed from the very beginning.
"So… what do we do now?" someone asked. "Do we keep going?"
Robin hesitated. The last thing she wanted was to finally uncover ancient ruins or a historical text—only to see it destroyed by someone else.
She had zero faith that a man arrogant enough to call himself a god would respect history or preserve ancient records.
"My suggestion," Robin said carefully, "is that we stop here and wait until the Boss's side settles their fight. Then we move. Otherwise, there's a high chance we'll run into him first."
Machi thought for a moment… then slowly shook her head.
"No. The Boss's orders are absolute."
She lifted her head, her expression unwavering.
"That's how the Troupe works. Once you join, you follow the rules."
"As for the rest—those aren't things you need to worry about."
Her tone left no room for doubt.
The veterans of the Phantom Troupe had learned long ago, through countless incidents on Lake Island, that Chrollo's commands didn't need to be questioned.
No debate. No hesitation.
Just trust.
Even if his plans seemed strange or illogical in the moment, they always proved right in the end.
If the Boss said to ignore everything else and focus solely on finding the City of Gold, then nothing else mattered.
Robin studied Machi's resolute profile, lost in thought. What kind of past would shape someone like this…? To believe in another person so completely—almost blindly.
She couldn't help but feel curious.
Then, memories of Alabasta surfaced in her mind.
After a moment, Robin nodded and smiled softly.
"Alright. Then we'll do it your way. Let's keep moving."
---
They soon arrived at a crumbling stone forest. Broken pillars and ruined structures lay scattered across the ground.
Robin's eyes lit up.
"We're here!"
She hurried forward, examining the inscriptions carved into the stone monuments—but quickly frowned.
"These aren't Poneglyphs," she said. "This is a different ancient script."
She traced the carvings with her fingers.
"The symbols are mostly animal-shaped pictographs. Looks like the writing of a tribal culture."
Cricket nodded.
"According to my ancestor's journal, this should be the language of the Shandians. These stones likely record their tribal legacy."
Robin's excitement dimmed into disappointment.
"But—" Cricket suddenly grinned. "If we've found the Shandians' homeland, then the City of Gold they've protected for generations can't be far."
Robin's eyes sparkled again.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's keep searching!"
She turned to head deeper into the ruins—
And froze.
From the forest to the north, several figures slowly emerged.
At the front was a man with a greedy grin, a missing front tooth, and fingers loaded with gemstone rings.
Teach.
Behind him stood Van Augur, calmly scanning the surroundings; Lafitte, leaning on a black cane; Doc Q, slumped lifelessly atop his horse as usual; and Hisoka, casually shuffling playing cards between his fingers.
Robin's body went rigid.
Having spent years moving through the underworld, she recognized them instantly.
A pirate crew with a combined bounty exceeding seven hundred million. The infamous Blackbeard Pirates.
And she remembered Nami mentioning something else…
These people had bad blood with the Troupe.
"…This is bad," Robin muttered.
Teach looked just as surprised to see them. His gaze lingered on Machi and Shizuku, as if dredging up unpleasant memories. His brows twitched.
After scanning the area and failing to spot Chrollo, he turned back toward them, a savage grin spreading across his face.
"Well, well… fancy meeting you again. What a coincidence~"
"Looks like that man from last time isn't with you."
His expression darkened. Killing intent poured out of him as he stared straight at Machi.
"Then we can finally settle the score for Burgess's death."
Robin's expression changed. She instinctively reached for the compass-shaped tattoo on her wrist.
Before they'd set out, Chrollo had branded each of them with it. By channeling emotion into the mark, he could sense them from afar—and come running.
But just as she raised her arm, Machi stopped her.
"The Boss is probably preparing to deal with that lightning guy," Machi said calmly. "Unless things get truly desperate, don't interrupt him."
Then she lifted her gaze toward the Blackbeard Pirates, her eyes cold.
"Besides…"
"I've got my own score to settle with them."
Machi stepped forward, heading straight toward her previous opponent—"Devil Sheriff" Lafitte.
She never wanted to feel that helpless again.
She wanted to see just how far she'd come.
She would wash away that humiliation.
Lafitte's face twisted into a mocking grin as he watched her approach.
"It hasn't even been that long, and instead of running away, you're coming at me again?" he sneered.
"Looks like last time didn't teach you enough."
His smile grew vicious.
"How about I carve you into pieces this time?"
"No one's coming to save you now~"
Machi took a step forward, her expression icy, and burst into motion.
"Heh…"
"You're right."
"This time—" her eyes sharpened, "—I'll be the one tearing you apart."
At the same time, Shizuku charged toward Doc Q—the man who had injured Nami before.
Based on her instincts, his ability was a bad match against hers.
Bonolenov's bandages began to unwind as he let out a shrill sound and advanced toward Van Augur.
"Last time, our fighters weren't all present, and you took advantage of that," he said.
"This time, I'll be your opponent."