The wind-magic airship carrying Yuuki and the others sped toward the city known as Rainbase in the Alabasta Kingdom.
In the entire kingdom, the only places unaffected by the drought were the royal capital Alubarna and Crocodile's stronghold—Rainbase.
Standing on the wind-formed vessel, Vivi looked down through the transparent current beneath her feet. The figures on the ground had already shrunk to the size of ants.
At first, she had been filled with curiosity and excitement.
But now, a trace of unease crept into her heart. Even though the wind beneath her feet felt solid, she couldn't shake the feeling that she might fall at any moment.
"Don't worry. You won't fall."
A gentle, composed voice sounded beside her.
"Thank you."
Vivi responded instinctively. But the moment she realized who had spoken, her expression changed. She turned toward Robin with anger and caution.
From the conversation at the port, Vivi now knew that the woman before her was also part of Baroque Works—and not just a member, but the vice president.
The current chaos in Alabasta had been caused entirely by Baroque Works.
Which meant the woman before her was an enemy.
Seeing Vivi's guarded hostility, Robin glanced discreetly toward the front of the wind vessel, where Yuuki and Conrad stood. When she saw that neither of them reacted, she continued speaking with a calm smile.
"You don't need to be so hostile toward me."
"We're not enemies right now."
Robin shook her head lightly, expressing goodwill.
But the hostility on Vivi's face did not fade in the slightest. Instead, she stepped back, widening the distance between them.
Robin smiled softly.
"Come to think of it, you only learned that Crocodile was the president of Baroque Works because of me."
"And at the moment, Crocodile is hunting me down as well."
Vivi froze for a moment.
Doubt appeared on her face—then realization seemed to strike her.
Before Vivi could say anything, Robin had already turned her gaze elsewhere.
"You're truly fortunate, Princess."
Her voice was quiet.
Vivi frowned slightly.
"I think so too."
Her tone was stiff, but her gaze drifted toward Yuuki standing at the very front of the wind vessel.
Robin noticed the small gesture, and a faint smile touched the corner of her lips.
"So, tell me," Robin asked curiously, leaning forward slightly, her blue-black eyes filled with interest, "why are you so certain you can defeat Crocodile?"
They were heading straight for the headquarters of Baroque Works.
Their opponent was Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, officially recognized by the Marines.
Most people would feel nervous just hearing that name.
And yet Robin sensed no such tension from Vivi.
Especially when Vivi spoke to Captain Igaram at the port, it sounded as if Crocodile's defeat was already inevitable.
It was one thing for Yuuki and Conrad of the Magic Eye Pirates to be confident.
After all, they had come from the weakest sea, the East Blue. Perhaps they simply didn't understand the terror behind the title Warlord of the Sea.
But Vivi was a princess.
There was no way she didn't know how terrifying Crocodile was.
"Because before we came here," Vivi said proudly, making no effort to hide it, "we encountered another Warlord of the Sea— 'Tyrant' Kuma—and fought him."
"I see."
Shock flickered across Robin's eyes.
No wonder the princess before her was so confident.
Once again, she glanced toward Yuuki and Conrad standing ahead.
Robin took a quiet breath. The anxiety in her heart finally faded away.
What mysterious people…
Healing wounds with flames. Controlling the wind.
This was the first time she had seen abilities that looked like multiple Devil Fruits.
"You really are fortunate," Robin said again.
Although she had only known Yuuki for a short time, Robin could tell that he wasn't like the pirates she was used to.
In Yuuki's eyes, she sensed an indifferent gaze when he looked at people.
There was no malice.
No greed.
For someone like that to become a pirate was strange in itself.
"We're here."
Yuuki's calm voice suddenly sounded.
Robin blinked and looked down through the transparent wind vessel.
They were already above Rainbase.
"So fast?" Vivi exclaimed.
Normally it would take two or three days to travel from the port of Nanohana to Rainbase.
Yet they had arrived in less than twenty minutes.
Using his aura perception, Yuuki quickly confirmed that Crocodile was indeed in the city below.
Not only could he sense Crocodile's unusually powerful presence—
There was also a strange aura close to nature itself. In Yuuki's perception, it shone like a torch in the darkness.
With a thought, the wind vessel began descending.
Moments later, it landed directly in front of Alabasta's largest casino—
Rain Dinners.
For a moment, the busy street outside the casino fell silent.
Then chaos erupted.
"Am I seeing things?"
"They… they flew down!"
"That's incredible!"
Shouts of astonishment rang out from every direction.
Two guards standing at the casino entrance instinctively stepped backward, their eyes wide.
"As the headquarters of your organization, you should know the place well," Yuuki said, glancing at Robin.
Robin stepped forward with a polite smile.
"Allow me to guide you, Yuuki."
She walked ahead toward the casino doors.
The two guards recognized her immediately.
After exchanging a glance, they drew their pistols and aimed them at her.
As guards of Baroque Works' headquarters, they had already seen the wanted notice ordering Robin's capture.
No matter how one looked at it, these four were clearly trouble.
Facing the guns aimed at her, Robin calmly raised her hands and crossed them before her chest.
Her wrists moved slightly.
"Two-Flower: Hold."
Two arms suddenly sprouted from the guards' backs.
They grabbed the men's heads—
And twisted.
Crack. Crack.
With two sharp sounds, both guards' necks snapped.
Yuuki's group entered the casino without obstruction.
Outside, screams soon erupted.
But inside the casino, the gambling floor remained lively.
Shouts filled the air as gamblers—some ecstatic, others red-eyed with desperation—stared at the tables before them.
It was Vivi's first time in a casino.
Seeing the luxurious decor and the wealthy patrons revealing their ugly greed, she fell silent.
In the kingdom outside, countless people suffered and died from lack of water.
Yet here, luxury overflowed.
It felt like two completely different worlds.
Yuuki glanced at Vivi with interest.
"Extravagance and poverty. Drought and waste."
He looked at the grand fountain in the center of the casino hall, water spraying endlessly into the air.
"The contrast is quite interesting, isn't it?"
"This is the rule of the world."
"Your kingdom's rebellion was doomed to fail from the very beginning."
"Why?" Vivi asked in confusion.
"The Grand Line is a paradise for the strong."
"Only the strong can overturn the rules—and create new ones."
"And that is something your rebels never possessed."
Robin's eyes flickered slightly as she listened.
Having survived in the underworld since the age of eight, she understood those words far better than Vivi.
"That's a rather blunt observation," Robin said with a thoughtful smile.
"You're quite young, Yuuki. Yet your understanding doesn't match your age."
"Judging people by age is a bad habit," Yuuki replied.
His gaze lingered briefly on Robin walking ahead.
Her brown boots clicked softly against the floor as her slender waist swayed with each step.
By his calculations, he should still be under seventeen.
But suddenly Yuuki noticed something.
Robin's height was around 188 cm.
When he had left the Black Clover world, he had been around 175 cm.
Yet standing beside her now, she didn't seem much taller.
After sensing his body carefully, Yuuki realized something surprising.
His height had grown without him noticing.
He had only been in the One-Piece world for less than a month.
Does this world naturally make people grow taller?
The thought briefly crossed his mind.
"Hmph."
Vivi let out a quiet snort.
Following Robin, the group walked upstairs.
The guards stationed along the staircase were eliminated effortlessly.
Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit allowed her to sprout limbs on any visible surface.
Without Haki, it was extremely difficult to counter.
As an assassination ability, it was nearly perfect.
Guided by Robin, the traps installed on the casino's top floor became useless.
Soon they reached a champagne-colored door.
For the first time, Robin's relaxed expression turned serious.
She pushed the door open.
Click.
The heavy door swung inward.
Seeing that no traps had activated, Robin's pupils shrank slightly.
Crocodile must already know what had happened in the casino.
Yet nothing had changed.
Not even the door had been altered.
"Just as confident as ever, President Crocodile," Robin said calmly.
Across the room sat a man at a desk, his back facing them in a swivel chair.
A cloud of smoke drifted through the air.
The chair slowly turned.
A man with slicked-back hair, a long scar across his face, and a cigar between his teeth appeared before them.
Crocodile.
"Welcome back, Robin."
He chuckled.
"It seems you've chosen betrayal."
"But someone who survives through betrayal… that's hardly surprising."
"Don't blame me," Crocodile continued with a laugh.
"Your identity was discovered by the Marines."
"If you were going to fall into their hands, I might as well kill you myself."
Then his gaze shifted.
"Oh right. And the princess of Alabasta as well."
His voice suddenly turned cold.
"You think some pirate crew from the East Blue gives you confidence?"
"Who do you think I am?"
"If you came here to die—"
"I'll gladly grant your wish."
Vivi clenched her fists.
"It's because of you!"
"If you had never come to this country, Alabasta would still be at peace!"
Crocodile ignored her completely.
He snapped his fingers.
CLANG!
A massive cage suddenly dropped from above, trapping Yuuki and the others inside.
Robin and Vivi's faces changed.
Robin touched the bars and instantly felt her strength draining away.
"Seastone…"
Her face turned pale.
She glanced back at Yuuki and Conrad.
Even if they were powerful Devil Fruit users—
Inside a seastone cage, their abilities would be useless.
Crocodile looked surprised as well.
He had captured them far too easily.
He had expected the pirates who defeated Mr. 3 to be troublesome.
Apparently he had overestimated them.
"How boring."
He leaned back in his chair.
"This country—and all of you—deserve to be buried in sand."
He burst into arrogant laughter.
"So…"
Yuuki finally spoke.
His eyes were calm as he looked at Crocodile.
"Is that your last speech?"
"It's just as boring as expected."
Crocodile's laughter stopped.
The moment he saw Yuuki's indifferent gaze, a familiar pair of eyes flashed through his mind.
Whitebeard.
The same indifference.
The same disregard.
"I'll gouge your eyes out," Crocodile said coldly.
Yuuki said nothing.
He simply waved a hand toward Conrad.
Conrad nodded.
A golden key suddenly appeared in his empty right hand.
He inserted it into the lock of the seastone cage—
And turned.
Click.
The cage opened instantly.
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