One Piece: Get Stronger by Watching Battles

Alabasta Kingdom, Rain Land.

Crocodile sat in a large, high-backed chair, his fingers interlaced in thought, only occasionally making a sound when he took a puff of his cigar.

"Miss AllSunday, send a message to the senior agents: get back to Rainfield as quickly as possible!"

Miss.AllSunday, Nico Robin, the vice president of Baroque Works, paused for a moment. She found it strange that Crocodile had gone out today and had been looking terribly gloomy ever since he returned.

"The top agents have assembled at Spider Cafe according to the plan. They'll definitely make it before the operation begins at midnight tomorrow..."

Nico Robin elegantly crossed her legs, rested her right hand on her thigh, and propped her chin up with her palm, speaking calmly.

Crocodile was about to pick up the coffee on the table when he heard this. With a slight squeeze, the handle of the coffee cup was crushed with a "crack".

Robin looked over with slight surprise, only to see Crocodile's eyes flashing with inexplicable anger. "I've already said it, the fastest speed! I don't want to repeat myself."

Robin then stood up and walked outside, and Crocodile's cold voice came from behind her again.

“A young man with black hair and black eyes has appeared on the island. Go and investigate him. I need to know his information.”

Robin paused for a moment, then continued walking outside.

……

Alabasta Royal Palace.

"Well, that's all I can say." Zhou Ze nodded to King Cobra and the other two.

“But even if I tell you all this, there’s still not much you can do. Crocodile is a top-notch schemer. If he notices anything unusual, it’s hard to say whether he will act in advance.”

"Princess Vivi and her friends haven't returned yet. If a fight breaks out now, you have no chance of winning."

As soon as Zhou Ze finished speaking, the kingdom's guardian deity, Jaka, asked sternly, "Do we know all this, yet do nothing about it?"

Zhou Ze sighed, "So, I hope to minimize the casualties among our people as much as possible. If we can achieve that, it will be a great blessing..."

Zhou Ze thought of the members of Baroque Works. He remembered that Mr. 1, the strongest fighter, was a swordsman. Mr. 2 Bon Clay was a real man who was extremely popular in his previous life. Moreover, his Devil Fruit ability was so powerful that it was impossible to defend against. Mr. 3's Candle Man Devil Fruit ability was also very strong. There were also some characters whose memories were not very clear.

The people in this company are all talented! They're highly capable and have great manners.

In the original storyline, Impel Down and the Marineford War were almost entirely a showcase for the members of Baroque Works.

Cobra nodded, exchanged glances with Jaka and Bell, and said in a deep voice, "I understand!"

He stood up again, smiled at Zhou Ze, and said, "Well then, Zhou Ze, it's getting late, please join me for dinner!"

Zhou Ze shook his head. He still had a lot to do. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I have some matters to attend to and must leave. Please help prepare some food and water."

Despite Kobra's repeated urging, Zhou Ze remained steadfast in his refusal, saying solemnly, "Your Majesty, please be sure to order the Kingdom's army to exercise restraint. I beg you."

Cobra didn't say anything more, just nodded.

After Zhou Ze took his leave, Jaka bowed to King Kobra and said, "Your Majesty, have you completely trusted this young man? I personally feel that he is still hiding a lot of information."

“That’s enough, Jaka.” Cobra shook his head. “Don’t forget his status. He’s done enough.”

“But he’s asking for too much, he…” Jaka unconsciously took a step forward, still wanting to argue.

Cobra waved his hand. "Alright, Jaka, and Bell." He looked at the two guardians of the kingdom. "The reason I agreed to make the deal with... wasn't just because of this information..."

"It's all because of him!"

Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, Cobra slowly walked to the window. "Alabasta has a history of thousands of years, and the Neferutari family has been around for more than a dozen generations," he said softly, looking down at the capital and the magnificent desert sunset on the horizon. "It's time for this desert to undergo some changes!"

……

As dusk settled and the desert temperature plummeted, Zhou Ze mentally assessed the distance and decided to rest first. He wanted to meet the leader of the resistance, Princess Vivi's childhood sweetheart.

He had already learned from Jaka that the resistance forces had gathered in Katrea, a place that was not far from the rapeseed flower port where Zhou Ze had landed.

Although Jaka did not know why the rebel leader Kosa had decided to move from Yuba, located in western Alabasta, to Katrea, which was in the east like the royal capital Albana, he knew that the rebels were preparing for a decisive battle with the royal army.

Zhou Ze was well aware that Kosa's resistance would receive a large number of weapons from the Baroque Works in Cartier, and with the 30 Kingdom soldiers who had already defected, the number of the resistance would have expanded to 60, while the Kingdom army would only have about 40 left.

The most frustrating thing is that both sides about to engage in a decisive battle are trying to make their own countries better.

Crocodile wants the people of Alabasta to bleed to their last drop!

As a young man who grew up in a peaceful era, Zhou Ze felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about the bloody war that was about to break out.

However, he dared not reveal all the conspiracies. Knowing the general outline of events was his greatest reliance, because he could not guarantee what would happen if the situation developed in an unknown direction.

Zhou Ze lit a campfire and stared at the flickering flames, lost in thought for a moment.

Chapter 26 Nico Robin (Seeking Silver Tickets!)

Just then, a rustling sound came from the sand not far from Zhou Ze.

Then, with a "whoosh," a thick hook emerged from the desert, followed by a dark red desert scorpion that crawled out of the sand. It was astonishingly large, and its dark red exoskeleton appeared somewhat black under the desert moonlight.

Zhou Ze was angry with himself for knowing what was about to happen but only daring to make some insignificant changes. Seeing the desert scorpion emerge and invite trouble, he didn't waste any words, stood up, and shouted:

"fire punch!"

A bluish-white vortex-shaped flame rose up, and as Zhou Ze threw a punch, the flame rapidly expanded, rushing towards the desert scorpion and striking its body head-on. With a loud "boom," the desert scorpion collapsed to the ground with a "crack, crack," completely dead.

Meanwhile, Nico Robin, riding on F. Crocodile, gazed at the suddenly brightened sky in the distance, a thoughtful expression on her face. After a moment of contemplation, she spurred her mount toward the light.

……

Having defeated the desert scorpion with a single punch, Zhou Ze's depressed mood improved somewhat. Now, he enthusiastically used his sword to skewer a large piece of desert scorpion meat and roast it over the campfire.

"I like roasted chicken wings..."

"But your mother says you're about to ascend to heaven..."

"The faster they ascend to heaven, the more they should..."

"Hold the grass!"

Zhou Ze, who was singing Stephen Chow's famous songs in a cheeky voice, suddenly screamed.

On a boulder in front of him, a woman sat with her legs crossed, her right hand supporting her chin, watching him with great interest.

Zhou Ze was dumbfounded. Are these people so easy to meet?

First Ace, then Crocodile, and now Nico Robin.

Wow, that's really damn exciting.

"Keep singing! Why did you stop?"

Nico Robin's voice drifted over.

Zhou Ze used the firelight and moonlight to look Robin up and down. Her hat and robe were white, and underneath she wore a purple top with the front open and a matching short skirt, revealing her stunning figure.

Zhou Ze took a deep breath and silently warned himself not to be impulsive, or he would be killed by Luffy.

Forcibly suppressing a strange feeling rising in his heart, Zhou Ze then noticed that Robin was much fairer than he remembered. It seemed to be a coloring issue by the animation team. He smiled and extended his sword, which was skewered with grilled meat, toward Robin.

Hi there, have you eaten yet? Want to grab something to eat together?

Nico Robin had actually been there for a while. She first examined the corpse of the desert scorpion before cautiously approaching Zhou Ze.

I thought he would be a person with extraordinary abilities, but when I got closer I heard a young man singing some kind of music that I couldn't understand.

It must be music; the melody is strange, and it's not in any language I know!

This piqued Robin's interest, so she listened patiently on the boulder for a while before the young man noticed her.

The man was initially shocked, then his gaze turned lewd. Although it was only for a moment, Nico Robin, as a woman who had witnessed much evil in the world, clearly felt it.

She suppressed her anger and tried her best to speak calmly: "Was that a song you just sang?"

Zhou Ze found it a bit strange. He asked if the man wanted to eat, but the man nodded in affirmation.

What language is used?

"Chinese!"

Zhou Ze sheathed his sword, gave a casual reply, and then took a bite of the roasted meat.

“Chinese?” Nico Robin murmured, her brow furrowed as she pondered the database in her mind.

After a long while, Nico Robin still hadn't found an answer, so she looked at Zhou Ze again and said, "Teach me."

Zhou Ze, who was engrossed in swallowing a piece of meat, choked. He swallowed the meat in his mouth with difficulty and coughed violently twice. "What did you say?"

"I said, teach me that language!"

Zhou Ze then understood what she meant, and wondered to himself, "Aren't you a historian? You also work as a linguist?"

His eyes flickered, he glanced at Robin, and his brow furrowed slightly. "Okay, but you'll have to trade something for it!"

When Zhou Ze said this, his eyes revealed a hint of fervor.

Upon hearing his words, Robin instantly stood up, a flash of anger in her eyes, and crossed her arms in her signature attack pose.

Holy crap! What the hell?!

Zhou Ze looked at Robin, who was staring at him in surprise, and hurriedly stood up, stretching out a hand and shouting:

"Wait a moment!"

Seeing that Robin didn't make a move, Zhou Ze quickly spoke up, "Is there some misunderstanding?"

Robin looked at Zhou Ze's reaction and was also a little confused. Did he not want his body...?

If Zhou Ze knew what Robin was thinking, he would probably say, "Actually, I'm craving it too!"

What do you want?

Zhou Ze wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with his arm. "Knowledge, I want your knowledge!"

"Knowledge?" Robin frowned.

"Put your hands down first, let's sit down and talk slowly. The way you're doing this doesn't look like a friendly exchange at all," Zhou Ze said, pointing to the low stone next to the campfire.

Robin hesitated for a moment, then gently leaped down from the boulder and walked to the campfire.

Seeing this, Zhou Ze sat down again and gestured to Robin to sit down as well.

Robin stared at Zhou Ze for a while before sitting down.

"Really not going to eat?" Zhou Ze handed the grilled meat over again, but Robin looked at the rows of teeth marks on it and turned his head away in disgust.

Zhou Ze didn't care, "If you don't want to eat, then don't."