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[TIOP] Chapter : 35
🕑 Added 2025-02-17 14:21:37 +0000 UTC"Stop it, you idiot!" Zoro growled, kicking Luffy away before charging straight into the two spies rushing toward Vivi. The impact sent all three of them tumbling into the ruins.
Mr. 5 picked himself up, dusting off his clothes. He glanced at Luffy, who was still sprawled on the ground, then sneered. "Looks like I’ll have to take care of you two troublemakers first."
Ms. Valentine twirled her umbrella as she floated overhead, laughing. "Hahaha! Works for me!" As a user of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit, she had full control over her body weight, making her a dangerous threat from above.
Vivi’s eyes widened in alarm. "Mr. Swordsman, get out of the way!" she shouted as Ms. Valentine came plummeting toward Zoro.
But Zoro barely moved. His eyes remained locked on Luffy, who had landed a short distance away—now standing up with an unconscious Mr. 5 slung over his shoulder. "Now’s not the time to dodge," Zoro muttered under his breath.
Meanwhile, aboard the Going Merry, Jack sat at the table, casually eating some food he had thrown together from the ship’s supplies. As he ate, he noticed his condition improving slightly. That’s when he suddenly remembered—he had a potion in his backpack specifically designed to restore stamina and vitality.
He rarely relied on external aids, preferring to rely solely on his own strength in battle. However, when it came to recovery, it wasn’t a bad option. Without hesitation, he downed a bottle of life potion, then polished off two chicken legs and a plate of fried rice. His vitality and stamina were nearly back to full—only his chakra remained depleted.
However, Jack had no intention of using pills to restore his chakra. Regenerating chakra was, in essence, a form of training. The best method was to deplete it entirely before allowing it to replenish naturally through practice.
"Time to check in on our lovely princess," he muttered to himself. With his hunger satisfied and his body feeling better, Jack disembarked from the ship and made his way toward the island.
"Heh~ Let’s see who’s stronger—a swordsman or a brawler."
By the time he arrived, he found Luffy and Zoro locked in a heated duel. However, before he could get any closer, he spotted Nami approaching. That little devil had a way of keeping everyone on the ship in check, and he decided he wanted no part in whatever chaos she was about to stir up.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the coastline. "If I remember correctly, Robin should be making her entrance around this time..."
Meanwhile, after Nami had thoroughly "handled" Luffy and Zoro, the group sat down to talk. Vivi finally opened up about her situation, explaining the civil unrest in Alabasta. It didn’t take long for Nami to put the pieces together—this princess, despite her royal status, had no money to pay them the hefty one billion berry fee.
"Ah? Then who’s the boss of Baroque Works?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
Vivi frantically waved her hands. "I can’t tell you! No way! That’s the one thing I absolutely can’t say. If I do, you’ll all be in serious danger!"
"We don’t need to hear it either. Anyone capable of seizing an entire kingdom must be incredibly powerful," Nami said with a smirk, shaking her head.
"That’s right. Even though you guys are strong, there’s no way you could defeat Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!" She added seriously, nodding slightly.
A brief silence followed before Zoro sighed. "Didn't you just say it out loud?"
Realizing her mistake, she immediately looked flustered. "Ah! It’s fine, it’s fine! No one else heard, right? Let’s just pretend you didn’t hear anything!"
Nami, who had just felt like she was on the verge of a crisis, instantly snapped back to life. But before she could respond, the sound of flapping wings drew her attention.
She turned to see an odd sight—a sea otter perched on a vulture. "What the hell is that? What’s a bird and a sea otter doing together?" she asked curiously, pointing at them.
"That’s one of our boss’s informants—they report back to him!" he replied, looking equally surprised.
Nami’s face darkened. "Wait, are you telling me that thing is about to snitch on us?!"
Panic set in. Why did she always end up in situations like this? She completely forgot that she had been the one who strong-armed Zoro into saving Vivi in the first place.
Vivi, realizing the severity of her slip, could only bow repeatedly. "I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!"
"Forget it, I'm leaving first. This may have been brief, but I appreciate your care. After this, we’ll go our separate ways," Nami said as she walked toward the port alone.
"Where are you going, Nami?" Luffy asked, confused.
Without turning back, she replied, "We should escape while they still don’t know what we look like."
Just as the words left her mouth, the vulture and sea otter that had flown off earlier returned. Right in front of Nami, they began sketching on a sheet of paper. Once they were done, they looked at her meaningfully before flying off again.
A moment later, Nami returned, looking utterly defeated. In the otter’s hands had been perfectly drawn portraits—of her and the others.
She slumped into a corner, despairing. "Now there’s no escaping. My life is miserable! I barely made it into the Grand Line, and I’ve already pissed off one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. I can’t live like this anymore!"
Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro were deep in conversation, excitedly speculating about what kind of person Crocodile might be.
Elsewhere, Jack arrived at the coastline. With a quick step, he launched himself into the air, soaring high with Geppo. Scanning the waters, he soon spotted his target—a massive turtle with a tall woman seated on its shell.
Smirking, he descended slowly onto the turtle and greeted her with a playful tone. "Hey there, beautiful. What’s a lady like you doing out here all alone this late at night?"
Robin, her wide-brimmed hat casting a shadow over her face, turned to Jack with a calm smile. "And why, may I ask, are you boarding someone else's ship so casually?"
Jack remained unfazed, his gaze steady. "Oh, don’t mind me. I was just curious—curious about what makes you so special that Vice Admiral Saul was willing to sacrifice his life for you… Nico Robin."
At the mention of Saul's name, Robin visibly flinched. But seeing that Jack made no threatening move, she held her ground, subtly raising her hands to activate her devil fruit powers.
"Who are you?" she asked, her eyes sharp with suspicion.
Jack waved a hand dismissively. "Just an injured man who happened to be saved by a rather interesting crew of pirates. When I noticed you were here, I figured I'd drop by to say hello."
Robin narrowed her eyes. "Just a greeting?"
"That’s right. Seeing you safe puts my mind at ease. After all, the world wouldn’t be the same without you." Jack smiled, his words layered with meaning.
Robin remained wary. "What is it that you really want?"
Jack chuckled. "Relax, I meant what I said. My only purpose was to say hello. And with that, my time’s up. I'll be off now—until we meet again."
With that, he leaped into the air, disappearing into the night.
"Geppo? A government agent?" Robin muttered, her eyes narrowing as she watched Jack disappear into the night.
Meanwhile, on the coastline, Luffy and the crew stood waving as they bid farewell to Igaram. He had just set sail when, without warning, an explosion engulfed his ship in flames, turning the surrounding sea into a blazing inferno.
The smiles vanished from the crew’s faces. A heavy silence fell over them until Luffy clenched his fists, his expression darkening. "Alright. I won’t forget this."
"Luffy, wake the others. We need to move—now. Our pursuers won’t be far behind," Zoro said grimly.
Nami turned to Vivi, who stood frozen, staring at the burning wreckage. "Vivi, we have to go! If we stay here, everything will be for nothing!"
But Vivi remained still, biting her lip in silence. Seeing her like this, Nami felt a pang of sympathy—she recognized the strength it took to hold back pain.
Gently pulling Vivi into an embrace, Nami whispered, "It’ll be okay. Luffy and the others are strong. They’ll get you to Alabasta safely. Do you know what they did? With just four people, they took down an entire fleet in the East Blue. A mere Warlord of the Sea? He’s got nothing on them."
With determination slowly returning to her eyes, Vivi nodded.
Soon, with the crew fully assembled, the Going Merry set sail once more. After a brief explanation from Nami, even the usually boisterous Usopp and Sanji lay silent on the deck, their expressions solemn as they braced for what lay ahead.
"Watch your steering—don’t crash into the rocks. We just managed to escape our pursuers, after all."
An unfamiliar voice drifted through the air. Sitting casually on the Merry’s railing, Robin greeted Luffy and the others with a faint smile.
"Who are you?" Everyone, except Vivi, blurted out in shock.
Vivi, however, glared at Robin with suspicion. "Why are you here... Miss All Sunday?"
Robin rested her chin on one hand, her expression unreadable. "Oh, I just happened to pass by Mr. 8 earlier."
Vivi’s eyes darkened. "So... you killed Igaram." Her voice trembled with restrained anger.
Nami, watching the exchange, frowned. "Wait—who is she? And what’s with the codename? Whose partner is she?"
Vivi didn’t take her eyes off Robin. "She’s Mr. 0’s partner. In fact, she’s the only one who knows his true identity."
Robin let out a soft chuckle. "To be precise, I led you to him on purpose—so you could uncover his identity for yourself."
Luffy crossed his arms, pouting. "Oh, so you're a good guy, then?"
Vivi’s expression hardened. "Oh, I see. And I bet you went ahead and told Crocodile that we know who he is, didn't you?!"
Luffy gasped. "Ah? So she’s a bad guy again!" His ability to judge morality remained as whimsical as ever.
"What is your purpose?!" Vivi shouted at Robin, her voice filled with anger.
For a moment, Robin hesitated—she had asked the same question of someone else just moments ago.
Shaking off her distraction, Robin gracefully flicked her fingers, using her Devil Fruit ability to disarm Usopp and Sanji, who had just woken up and instinctively aimed their weapons at her. She smiled. "Now, now—don’t point such dangerous things at me."
Sanji, catching sight of Robin's face for the first time, immediately forgot all caution. "Ah~ So you're a beautiful lady!" His eyes turned into hearts, and any intention of hostility vanished. Had he known earlier, he never would have raised a weapon against her.
Robin chuckled softly. "Relax. I haven’t received any orders to kill you. You’re just incredibly unlucky—you happened to pick up a princess being hunted by Baroque Works."
A confident voice interrupted her. "Unlucky? Funny, I don’t see them as unfortunate. If anything... I’d say it’s Crocodile’s misfortune to have made an enemy of them."
The cabin door creaked open, and a familiar figure stepped into the light, catching the attention of Luffy and his crew.
