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Robin turned around to see a towering figure standing before her. The golden hook on his hand exuded a purple poisonous mist, glinting ominously under the moonlight.
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Crocodile looked down at Robin from above, his eyes radiating obvious killing intent.
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"What are you doing here?" Crocodile demanded, his voice low and menacing.
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Suppressing her fear, Robin forced a calm smile and said, "Didn''t the boss send me to carry out a task?"
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"Is that so?" Crocodile sneered. "Does the mission from Baroque Works require infiltrating the palace?!"
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With that, Crocodile suddenly sprang into action, grabbing Robin by the throat and lifting her into the air with his right hand.
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Bloodshot eyes filled with rage, Crocodile roared, "Speak! What did you find in the palace? Is it the Poneglyph?!"
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Struggling to breathe, Robin''s face turned blue as she choked out, "Yes..."
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Crocodile, impatient and furious, shouted, "What does it record? Is it Pluton?!"
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Robin''s vision was blurring, but she firmly denied, "No... it only records... Alabasta''s history..."
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"You''re lying!"
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Crocodile violently threw Robin to the ground, causing blood to trickle from the corner of her mouth.
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"How dare you deceive me?!" Crocodile swung his golden hook, redirecting his anger at Noir onto Robin.
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As the hook came down, Robin quickly rolled to the side, but the sharp, poisonous tip still left a nasty wound on her pale waist.
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Blood gushed from the wound, and Robin clutched her waist, enduring the excruciating pain without making a sound.
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At this moment, Crocodile was clearly losing his mind.
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Today alone, he had gone through a series of drastic changes.
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First, a ridiculously strong newcomer discovered his secret. While he went out to catch the person, Noir had stolen from his home!
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Upon returning to the base, that guy had even destroyed his source of income right in front of him!
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Now, before he could recover, he found that another secret had been stolen by Robin!
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What he had been pursuing all this time had been snatched away, and Crocodile was now in a rage, wanting to rip Robin''s brain out.
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Then, he would see exactly what was written there!
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"Bastard! Die!"
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Finally, Crocodile could no longer restrain his murderous intent. Countless grains of sand gathered in his hand, forming a blade as he slashed towards Robin''s head.
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Severely injured, Robin couldn''t dodge and could only watch as the sand blade descended.
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As the despair of death loomed over her, Robin surprisingly felt a sense of relief.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
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Having hidden all her life, she ultimately couldn''t find the "companions" that Saul had spoken of...
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Robin gently closed her eyes, calmly awaiting the arrival of death.
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But just as she was about to resign to her fate, a loud crash snapped her back to reality.
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The sharp sand blade shattered into dust, and Crocodile was punched in the face, sending him flying.
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Standing before her was a man with cool, glowing, colorful sunglasses and a cigar in his mouth.
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His coat flapped in the wind, making a rustling sound, and his stern face was full of solemnity.
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Even the surrounding quiet seemed to change to the exclusive entrance BGM of Star Wars: Imperial March
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( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DGeLt6XXqs</a> )
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Robin opened her eyes wide in astonishment, while Crocodile, sitting on the ground, glared at the face he hated.
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Strangely, though, why was there music...?
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Robin speechlessly watched Noir make his dramatic entrance and said, "What are you mumbling about?"
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Holding a prestigious system-granted cigar, Noir, who was humming the BGM, awkwardly scratched his head and said, "A hero rescuing a beauty needs a bit of atmosphere..."
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Both Robin and Crocodile were left speechless.
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Seeing Robin''s bleeding wound, Noir quickly became serious, crouching down to ask, "Are you okay?"
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A warm feeling passed through Robin''s heart, and she shook her head.
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Noir nodded, stood up, and with a dangerous smile, said, "Nico-chan, step back, I want to have some fun with this guy."
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Robin knew her earlier feeling of gratitude was definitely misplaced!
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Crocodile wiped the blood from his nose and arrogantly asked, "What? Are you going to avenge her?"
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"Do you know what kind of person this woman is?"
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"She can betray me for her own goals, so she can betray you too!"
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"Tch..." Noir couldn''t be bothered to respond to Crocodile''s attempts to sow discord. He raised his fists, preparing for battle, and looked at him intently.
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Seeing that his provocations had no effect, Crocodile decided not to waste any more words.
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Time to settle accounts!
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Having been toyed with like a monkey by these two, Crocodile couldn''t bear it any longer!
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"Be buried beneath the sands!!"
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Crocodile activated his desert powers, and a sea of sand surged, blotting out the sky. Scorching sand rushed in, trying to drain the moisture from Noir''s body.
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Fearlessly, Noir charged into the center of the sandstorm, his left hand controlling sand and his right hand unleashing flames simultaneously.
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With both hands clenched, Noir tried to merge the two elements, soon creating a firestorm more intimidating than the sea of sand.
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The flame-infused sandstorm collided with the sand sea, but Crocodile used the blurred vision to swiftly approach, aiming his deadly hook at Noir.
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Noir dodged the hook, then drew his sword, slashing upwards, leaving a bloodstain on Crocodile''s face.
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Damn Busoshoku Haki!
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Crocodile, wary his power, quickly tried to touch Noir, hoping to turn him into a dried-up mummy.
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But black flames suddenly ignited on Noir''s body, forcing the quick-reacting Crocodile to withdraw his hand, allowing Noir to seize the opportunity to strike and scatter his body.
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Crocodile skillfully used his abilities to evade attacks, while Noir found himself frustrated.
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Previously, he hadn''t noticed this when sparring with Ace.
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But compared to Crocodile, who had trained with the Suna Suna no Mi since a young age, Noir''s use of his fruit abilities was pathetic.
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Despite having many Devil Fruit abilities, Noir, like a busy harem king, couldn''t excel at any single one, spreading his focus too thin.
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Noir felt troubled, while Crocodile grew irritated.
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This kid had too many abilities, like a hedgehog!
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Combined with his Haki, Crocodile couldn''t land a hit!
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As their battle reached a stalemate, Crocodile suddenly noticed Robin hiding in the distance.
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Immediately, Crocodile came up with a plan, evading Noir''s attack, and pressed his hand to the ground, shouting, "Desert Spada!"
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The sand dunes began to move, and hundreds of meters of ground instantly turned into quicksand, resembling a bizarre coffin, trying to drag everyone into the realm of death.
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As a Sand Devil Fruit User, Noir showed no fear. But when he turned his head, he saw Robin, heavily injured and unable to move, panic-stricken as she was slowly being swallowed by the quicksand!