Chapter 54: Necrolord Awakening
Behind the nearby rocks...
"Did we win?"
"There shouldn't be any more problems this time, right?"
"That was seriously scary just now."
Chopper emerged from behind the rocks, looking fearful, his little short legs carrying him forward.
The crew members who had been cheering moments ago immediately shrank back and hid again when Crocodile suddenly erupted.
Now that the opponent was truly down, they couldn't muster excitement, only caution.
Reiner didn't pause for a moment. He immediately tore off a piece of his clothing, wrapped it around his hand, then produced a spare pair of Seastone handcuffs he had prepared beforehand and cuffed Crocodile.
"Alright. This time, it's stable."
He called out to the others. Reiner slumped down where he stood, letting out a long sigh of relief, then pulled out a cigarette from the breast pocket of his blue shirt and lit it.
He looked with great interest at Crocodile lying on the ground. Powering up is good! If he hadn't powered up, I might have even looked down on this template a bit.
"Phew~~ I'm exhausted."
Seeing the situation resolved, Luffy immediately deactivated Gear Second, plopping down on his rear and leaning back, supported by his hands.
"So hungry! I need meat!" His face looked utterly drained. He simply lay down flat, looking half-dead.
Using Gear Second drained his stamina at an extremely rapid rate. Each use left him completely exhausted, and frequent use even carried the risk of shortening his lifespan.
Right now, his mind could think of nothing but eating meat.
Usopp also ran back from the distance, yelling boastfully as he came:
"How about that! How about that! Now you know how amazing this great Usopp is!"
Striding forward with joyful leaps, Usopp's face was filled with unconcealed pride.
Truthfully, he hadn't expected to actually hit Crocodile just now; even after firing, his hands wouldn't stop trembling.
Originally, seeing Luffy and the Blue and Red Ogres suppressing Crocodile, he had planned to just hide and wait for the battle to end.
It was only when Crocodile suddenly burst out, seeing Reiner in mortal danger, that he immediately drew his gun.
He barely had time to aim, simply pulling the trigger instinctively out of desperation.
Heh, it hit!
Even now, he felt it was a lucky shot, but naturally, he wouldn't miss the chance to brag extensively about it.
"Hahaha! Nice job, Luffy! And Reiner!"
Usopp ran up to Luffy, planted one hand on his hip, pointed at himself with the thumb of his other hand, and declared triumphantly:
"Thanks to my crucial shot, you guys defeated a Warlord! Now you know who calls the shots on this ship, right?"
"Shishishi! Awesome job, Usopp! We really owe you this time!" Luffy grinned back in response. Nami and the others also came out to regroup. Seeing Reiner busy collecting the template, they didn't disturb him, just sitting down nearby.
"Father!"
Vivi rushed into Cobra's arms, like a small child seeking comfort, tears streaming continuously from the corners of her eyes.
Such a crybaby girl, Reiner thought, though these are tears of joy this time.
"Vivi, you've suffered these past years," Cobra hugged Vivi comfortingly, gratified.
This daughter, who had left home for years, infiltrating underground organizations to find the real culprit... had actually, one day, truly saved this country.
After a warm reunion between father and daughter, Cobra looked up, scanning the members of the Straw Hat crew.
"And these people are?"
"Father, they are my friends."
Vivi wiped her face, drying her tears, and began introducing the Straw Hat Pirates to Cobra.
She recounted the entire sequence of events, the ceasefire of the Rebel Army, and everything else.
The more Cobra listened, the more shocked he became. He had ruled conscientiously for decades, yet his country had been thrown into chaos by Crocodile. Despite investigating secretly all these years, he hadn't uncovered the truth.
And now, unexpectedly, a group of pirates had arrived to save the collapsing nation, turning the tide against overwhelming odds?
However, Cobra was not a pedantic man. Pirates are pirates. For this country, they are benefactors.
A benefactor is a benefactor, regardless of whether they are pirates or Marines.
"Thank you all so much this time. However..."
Cobra's expression turned grave again. "We need to act quickly. Crocodile planted a bomb in the Royal Capital."
"A bomb?"
"Yes. According to him, the explosion's power will cover a radius of several kilometers."
"NANI!!!"
This revelation instantly made the Weakling Trio's faces turn pale. "What are we waiting for!? Let's run quickly!"
"No need to rush yet. The bomb is set to detonate tomorrow afternoon. Pell..."
Originally, Crocodile had planned for Mr. 2 to impersonate the king tomorrow morning, incite war with the Rebel Army, and then detonate the bomb during the ensuing battle to end everything.
Unexpectedly, the Straw Hat Pirates had landed in Alabasta only two days ago, the rebels had ceased hostilities, and Crocodile himself had been defeated.
"Your Majesty, your orders?" Pell knelt on one knee, despite his exhaustion.
He had been taken down by one of Crocodile's attacks early in the fight and had essentially been lying there uselessly until now.
"We will stay here and wait to interrogate Crocodile for the bomb's location."
Although Cobra looked battered, he still possessed the dignity of a monarch.
"Just in case, you and Chaka assemble the troops and prepare to evacuate the civilians. If..."
"No need."
A sexy female voice suddenly interrupted. Nico Robin walked forward, clutching her shoulder, and stated calmly:
"The bomb is hidden in the clock tower in the central plaza of the Royal Capital."
"Nico Robin?"
"Miss All Sunday!"
"Still an enemy! Luffy, get up!"
Everyone reacted differently upon seeing Nico Robin.
Luffy, still lying half-dead on the ground, stared at her for a moment, then said:
"Relax. She doesn't have any ill intent."
"Seriously? Luffy, can you really tell?"
Nami couldn't help asking. Although skeptical, sometimes Luffy did possess an inexplicable intuition.
"Trust me! I'm a good judge of character! Shishishi!"
Nico Robin, conversely, looked somewhat surprised at the laughing Luffy. A strange smile curved her lips, and she turned directly to leave.
"Consider it repayment for saving my life."
"Nico Robin! Why didn't you tell Crocodile?" Cobra couldn't help shouting after the departing Nico Robin.
As the royal family that had guarded the Poneglyph for generations, Cobra knew roughly what kind of information it contained, even if he couldn't read it.
The Poneglyph here did indeed record the location of an Ancient Weapon. Why had she told Crocodile it didn't?
"That has nothing to do with you."
Robin didn't turn back, simply waving her hand dismissively. "I'm not interested in that sort of thing either. You can rest assured."
Her words left the others baffled, but they didn't dwell on it too much. Cobra immediately sent Pell flying back to lead the army in search of the bomb.
"Fate truly works in strange ways," Cobra couldn't help but sigh. To think his country was brought to ruin by one pirate, only to be saved by another group of pirates...
"FUCK!!!"
Just then, a loud shout erupted from the distance. The voice, filled with shock and pleasant surprise, sounded like it came from Reiner's location. Wasn't he dealing with the undead?
Curiosity piqued, the group looked towards where Reiner was. However, the sight that met their eyes left them all stunned.
"Your head... it's emitting fire?!"
"What happened, Reiner!?"
"What are those flame clouds?"
"How did I Awaken?" Reiner himself looked bewildered.
Looking at the azure flame clouds swirling around his body, and the Devil Fruit information suddenly emerging in his mind, he was certain: his Devil Fruit had Awakened.
(End of this chapter)
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