One Piece: A Guide for Ordinary Players

Robert released Karina, turned around and bowed slightly in thanks. Monet, understanding the situation, closed the door and left the room.

Although only their own people were left in the house, Padong and Uta themselves didn't seem to have any plans and both appeared carefree.

Robert and Karina, on the other hand, tacitly avoided discussing anything inappropriate, simply exchanging and sharing their experiences over the past few months.

Compared to the exciting life on Robert's side, Karina's life was much simpler. After Robert left, she lived a quiet life with Uta for more than a month, and the two of them sang every day.

Even the suggestion to hold a concert at sea didn't require Karina's prompting; Uta herself was driven by an increasingly strong desire to sing and brought up the idea of ​​letting more people hear her voice.

Karina, on the contrary, played the role of helping her calm down during this period, constantly telling her that it was still very dangerous outside, that she hadn't accumulated enough experience yet, and that she was still too young. She should first build up her fanbase online before gradually seeking an offline debut.

Redheads also sent someone to contact Karina privately. Later, for some reason, they actually agreed to let Uta come out and see the world, but she was not allowed to hold a public concert like Karina.

That's why Uta proposed this concert format that interweaves the real world with the world created by the Song-Song Fruit, with her and Karina performing together, one outwardly and the other inwardly.

Robert currently has no intention of taking action against Doflamingo, so he didn't hint at anything to Carina. After catching up with everyone, Robert took the initiative to say that he wanted to leave.

“I have three comrades who came with me. I can’t just leave them out here. You guys prepare well for the concert. After it ends successfully tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to them.”

Stepping out of the room, Monet and the tall, beautiful woman who had sat next to him during the meal seemed to have been waiting for him.

Robert apologized somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, it's been so long since I've seen Karina, so we chatted for a while longer. I didn't expect you two to wait at the door for so long."

Monet smiled and replied, "It's only natural. If I hadn't seen my sweetheart for months, I certainly wouldn't want to be apart from her for even a second."

Robert blushed slightly, a rare sight on his face, and changed the subject, saying, "Take me to meet up with my comrades. Actually, I've been wanting to come to Dressrosa to see the Grand Colosseum for a while now. I heard that anyone can sign up for the gladiatorial games, is that true?"

Monet laughed heartily: "Of course, our Dressrosa is an open and inclusive country, and gladiators are not slaves kept in captivity for entertainment. Many gladiators volunteer to come and show their prowess."

Robert's face showed a hint of longing: "I wonder if I can sign up for the Navy. To be honest, I was very confident in my combat ability before, and I trained in the recruit camp for a few months and learned a lot of Navy combat skills."

Monet's face showed a playful expression: "You guys really do look alike."

Robert asked in confusion, "How many of us?"

Monet smiled and said, "They are your two comrades-in-arms. Just like you, when they heard about the arena, they first asked if they could sign up. They are probably already waiting to go on stage now."

Robert's eyes lit up: "They didn't wait for me and went to participate on their own? Are they afraid I'd laugh at them? Can you take me to see them?"

Monet's smile widened: "Of course, not only can I take you to watch the match, but I'll also arrange the best seats for you. If you're interested, you can also sign up to go on stage and compete against other gladiators. The prizes we're giving out today have been a real pain for our king for a long time."

Robert also became interested: "You guys just said that today's loot would be a Devil Fruit. I wonder if it's recorded in the encyclopedia? Do you know what kind of fruit it is?"

Monet smiled and nodded: "Of course, since we've chosen it as the grand prize, how could we not find out its details? It's a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, which originally belonged to a king of the Paradise region. He disappeared after being attacked by pirates, and it seems he has met with misfortune."

"This fruit is called—the Swallow-Swallow Fruit!"

Robert even lost control of his facial expressions for a moment; the previous owner of this fruit had died by his own hand!

Back then, he was swatted away by Bartholomew Kuma in the Sabaody Archipelago. As soon as he landed, he encountered Wapol, the former king of Drum Island who had become a vagabond. Wapol tried to ambush him, but he was instantly killed by him in a state of stress.

Robert never expected that the Devil Fruit, which had been reborn because of him, would eventually reappear before him.

"Then I really want to try and see if I can get it."

Monet chuckled and said, "But I have other matters to attend to, so I cannot accompany you. If you have any needs, you can tell Violet, and she will be at your service."

In just one minute, Robert was shocked twice: the tall, beautiful woman beside him was actually Violet, the former princess of Dressrosa!

Thinking of his current identity in the Navy, Robert couldn't help but give Monet a deep look.

"You're using a princess from the previous dynasty to entertain officials of this dynasty?"

Chapter 11 You started it!

Violet was very enthusiastic, introducing Robert to the local customs and culture of Dressrosa, but Robert seemed rather distracted.

Ever since he entered Karina's room, he had felt like he was being watched. At the time, he thought it was normal for Karina and her group to be monitored in Doflamingo's territory, but he didn't expect that this feeling would still linger.

Having undergone several rounds of special training, Robert's Observation Haki was pushed to its limit. He subconsciously closed his eyes and began to observe the world simply by using Haki.

Violet continued leading the way, completely unaware of Robert's unusual behavior: "The gladiatorial matches this afternoon start at two o'clock, so we need to hurry. By the way, Mr. Robert, are you sure you want to register for the competition?"

Robert suddenly opened his eyes, raised his wrist to look at his watch. The glass case on the watch face was like a mirror, reflecting a rather cute bat toy in the sky.

The bat toy was only discovered by Robert's most refined Observation Haki, and it would disappear again as soon as Robert lost focus.

It was flying slowly, only four or five meters behind Robert, but Robert went through so much trouble to spot it.

The man and the bat exchanged a glance through the watch face, and Robert even saw a hint of a smile on the cute toy's face, as if to say, "Oh dear, we've been discovered!"

Violet noticed that Robert wasn't responding, so she glanced back at him and saw that he was looking at his watch.

"Mr. Robert?"

Robert smiled apologetically: "This watch was issued by the Navy, and it's really bad quality. You said the gladiatorial match started at two o'clock, so I wanted to check what time it was, but it actually shows that it's four o'clock!"

Violet covered her mouth and chuckled, continuing to lead Robert toward the arena:

“Mr. Robert, you see, this country hasn’t been this lively in a long time. Everyone’s here for Miss Karina. I really hope she can stay in Dressrosa permanently.”

Robert responded with a smile: "Although her ambition is to hold concerts all over the world, she can't just sing and be on her way to the next concert all the time. So it's still necessary to settle down somewhere when she's not holding concerts."

Seemingly surprised by Robert's answer, Violet turned to look at him.

Robert smiled broadly: "I also really like Dressrosa. It's a bright, warm, and romantic country. Most importantly, you've given Karina enough respect and protection. I'll discuss it with her, and as long as she has no objections, I think settling in Dressrosa would be a perfect choice."

Violet's breathing quickened, like the reaction of a fangirl hearing that her idol would be living next door.

With Violet as his official escort, Robert had no trouble entering the arena and didn't even have to go through the queuing process.

"Mr. Robert, would you like to step into the arena this afternoon and show your prowess?"

Robert raised his chin: "Of course. I came straight from the recruit camp to attend Karina's concert. I didn't even have time to buy a decent gift. I might as well try to win that rare Devil Fruit as a gift for her."

Violet comforted her considerately, "Miss Karina must be very happy that you could come. Luckily, it was our people who picked you up. If she had seen you looking so travel-worn, she might have been so touched that it affected her performance tomorrow."

Robert narrowed his eyes: "Traveling alone is indeed very lonely..."

Seeing that Robert was in a bad mood, Violet smiled and said, "Oh dear, it's all my fault for making the topic so heavy. Please wait here for a moment, I'll go and register you for the gladiatorial tournament. By the way, the gladiatorial tournament is all anonymous, would you like to give yourself a cool nickname?"

Robert smiled and said, "Although I am usually quite humble, when participating in a competition like this, I must come up with a name that sounds like I am the only one who is supreme in heaven and earth. How about 'Heavenly Venerable'?"

Violet smiled and nodded as she left to help Robert with the paperwork, but Robert's mind was in turmoil.

He had been on guard against Violet's Gaze-Gaze ​​Fruit ever since he set foot on this land, and it seems he has been quite successful so far.

However, another person he was wary of, Sugar, who possessed the Fruit of Childlike Innocence, had already made his move without him noticing!

Robert already knew about the power of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit and left himself a hint before coming to the island. When the four of them arrived in Dressrosa, the hands of Robert's watch always pointed to four o'clock.

But at some point, the information about his other three companions vanished from his memory. Robert didn't even bother to recall who they were, because he knew perfectly well that it wasn't something that could be remembered through effort.

Doflamingo is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a pirate recognized by the World Government as being legally allowed to plunder, and the current king of a member state of the World Government. With these dual identities, he should at least maintain a public peace with the Navy.

He and his companions had just landed, and the other three didn't even know they had a mission, yet Doflamingo still attacked them. This just doesn't make sense.

Unless, his real target is himself!

Robert's senses never left Violet for even a second, watching her navigate the winding path into a secret stone chamber within the arena.

The room, which had been empty, suddenly began to move with threads after Violet entered, creating the image of Doflamingo out of thin air in the middle of the room.

Robert narrowed his eyes. The actual controller of Tokusai had finally revealed himself, albeit only as a clone created by Shadow Rider Thread.

"Viola~ Did you find something?"

Violet looked at Doflamingo with a conflicted expression: "No, his thoughts are very simple, just like he really is Karina's boyfriend."

Doflamingo shook his head: "Then that's even more abnormal. Ever since I found out that Karina has a boyfriend, I've been investigating him. The North Sea is where we started, and I know the North Sea mafia inside and out. This young naval hero is definitely not from the North Sea scavengers!"

Violet hesitated for a long time before finally speaking: "I just asked him if he could accept Karina staying in Dressrosa, and he agreed, saying that Karina would be settling down somewhere anyway when there are no concerts..."

Doflamingo chuckled maliciously, "That's wonderful, Viola. Do you know what to do when you can't solve a problem?"

Violet shook her head, and Doflamingo answered his own question: "Then there's no need to solve it, just kill the person who set the question!"

"Although we don't know the identity of this young hero, it doesn't matter anymore. Let him have a glorious end in the gladiatorial tournament."

"Then, he was turned into a toy and kept by Karina's side forever."

"Our goal is simply to keep this cash cow!"

Chapter 12 As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Robert was almost laughing in anger. Although he had been eyeing Doflamingo for a long time, he hadn't planned to make a move against him so soon.

What kind of personality do I have?

I'd rather offend others than be offended by them. If they do offend me, then what the hell will happen?

Robert originally had a whole plan for dealing with Doflamingo, not only to seize his underground industry chain that he had been building for many years, but also to have two other targets.

First, he wanted to do Luo a favor. He and Luo had collaborated more than once, and Luo was both intelligent and capable. Luo had always wanted to recruit him.

Law's biggest obsession is to kill Doflamingo and avenge his benefactor, Rosinante. Since he's going to clash with Doflamingo anyway, he might as well do him a favor.

The second target is the Tontatta tribe, a unique race in Dressrosa.

This tiny race is frighteningly simple-minded. They are small in size, extremely fast, and incredibly strong. Once you bring them under your command, they will be a group of loyal employees who will never betray you.

What could have been a three-pronged plan will likely have to be launched ahead of schedule.

In Robert's view, taking down Doflamingo was not exactly a piece of cake, but it was at least a piece of cake.

However, if Robert simply defeats the Donquixote Family, he will not gain any benefit whatsoever. In fact, if he makes a mistake, his hard-won naval career could come to an abrupt end.

After all, besides being a Shichibukai, Doflamingo was also the nominal king of Dressrosa. What right did a Marine have to overthrow a country without orders from his superiors?

With this thought in mind, Robert abandoned his idea of ​​taking Karina and Uta away first, and then uprooting the Don Quixote family.

In Chinese warfare, it is important to have a just cause. According to the experience passed down from our ancestors, we should now find a motive that can be justified by the greater good for our actions!

After greeting the staff around him, Robert followed the directions and went into the restroom.

A leaf slipped from his palm, and before he knew it, only a fake body identical to Robert's was left in the toilet stall, while the real Robert had transformed into lightning and instantly appeared on an unnamed island several kilometers away.

Rashomon pulled out a Den Den Mushi, and a dejected voice came through it:

"You're never coming to me for anything good. It's only been a few months, can't you just give me a break?"

Robert was furious: "You're such an ingrate! Apart from that time at Marineford, when have I ever looked for you without giving you anything in return?"

Luo chuckled: "That seems to be true. I hope this is good news too. So, what do you want? I'm a newly appointed Shichibukai now, and my schedule is packed."