"Is that a dragon? Did the World Economy News mention a dragon?"
Watching the little dragon that had been summoned in advance descend from the night sky, Robin looked astonished.
A creature of myth—this was her first time seeing one.
"Yeah… we call him Xiaobai."
Karl patted the little dragon's head, then the two of them and the dragon left Rainbase and entered the desert.
Where no one was around, under Robin's widened eyes, the little dragon transformed into the great Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Seizing the moment before Robin recovered, Karl scooped her up in a princess carry, leapt onto the dragon's back, and took off.
With a single beat of its wings, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon soared into the heavens.
The cold night wind swept over them, and Robin's body shivered on instinct.
Then that chill was pushed away by a warm flow.
Looking up at Karl's straight gaze ahead while leaning in his arms, Robin felt no discomfort.
Her hidden wariness, too, gradually dissolved under that aura.
Years of flight had honed her eye; this new captain seemed different from all the captains she'd known.
"Robin-nee, I'll need your cooperation in a bit…"
Sensing Robin's gaze, Karl lowered his head to meet her eyes and told her the plan to come.
When she heard what Karl intended to do next, the shyness beneath Robin's veil vanished, replaced by shock. "So that's why you came from the Sabaody Archipelago?"
"Exactly." Karl nodded.
"The Nefertari royal line might have a method or tool to pass Devil Fruits down through inheritance… what a bold idea."
Robin first murmured in awe, then frowned in thought. "But that reminds me of something."
"Alabasta has two guardian spirits—the jackal and the falcon. They've existed for four thousand years."
"Two Devil Fruit users who have always served as captains in the Alabasta military."
"Captain, your conjecture may really hold water."
There, Robin's eyes also brightened with excitement. "Aside from its history, Alabasta may have a secret of this sort as well."
"The history—that's why you're working with that sand crocodile?" Karl asked deliberately.
"Yes. So the captain knew."
To Robin, Karl seemed wrapped in a veil of mystery.
Her relationship with Crocodile was unknown even to Baroque Works' senior agents.
How did a bounty hunter from the East Blue know any of this?
A Dragon Knight who had tamed a mythic creature—just how strong was he?
The scene of Karl shrugging off her attack replayed in her mind.
"My perception is strong. The ability is common in the New World—it's called Haki."
Karl offered a casual cover. "Sail with me and you'll learn soon enough."
"Very well. I'll look forward to it." Robin answered with feigned anticipation.
Karl rolled his eyes inwardly.
Women really are born actors.
As they spoke, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon reached their destination.
Seeing the vast city ahead and below, Karl had the dragon descend to the desert, shrink back for the moment, and depart, while he and Robin entered Alubarna on foot.
"The next bit will be fast—bear with it."
It was late. Aside from patrols of the standing army, few walked the streets.
Gazing at the royal palace rising in the city's center, Karl once again lifted Robin in a princess carry.
Before the question mark could pop on her brow, the gale from their earlier flight seemed to strike again.
Karl, holding someone in his arms, sprinted toward the palace at a speed the naked eye could not track.
Everything to left and right blurred into afterimages.
After learning Life Return, Karl's speed had reached a true extreme.
That extreme wasn't just fast.
His power delivery and bodily control had become perfect. He no longer had to restrain himself, fearing he'd shatter the ground with a step.
At his present speed, even those with strong dynamic vision could only catch a fading silhouette.
Without hawk-like eyes, or Observation Haki, anyone who fought Karl would lose—or die—without ever knowing how.
That was how those tailing gamblers had dropped.
Once they slipped into the palace, Robin—for the first time witnessing Karl's godlike speed—felt unparalleled shock.
She had seen the freezing might that sealed all things, and the desiccating force that withered all…
But those were the calamities of Logia users.
She had never seen a human's speed reach something this unbelievable.
Even the resistance from running alone made it hard for the person lying in his arms to breathe.
So what level of physical toughness did Karl possess to generate—and withstand—that drag?
A monster.
Like Rayleigh and Lucci before her, Robin reached the same verdict in her heart.
In truth, those who had seen Charlotte Linlin's childhood strength had said the same.
Born destroyers like Karl and Charlotte Linlin could only be called monsters.
As a certain nun had put it—
Born strong—fit to be a Fleet Admiral if he joined the Marines, the strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons if he entered Cipher Pol—fated to stand at the top of the world.
Charlotte Linlin's defense and raw power could make most despair; Karl's speed and power could make most despair just the same.
"…Who's there?"
After infiltrating the palace, Karl took Robin through a balcony and into Princess Vivi's boudoir.
Seeing two strangers step in from the balcony, the princess—clad in a nightgown—blanched.
"No need to panic, Your Highness. We're not bad people."
Karl smiled as if among friends.
Blond hair, blue eyes, and a sunny, handsome smile—an effortless warmth radiated from him, making Vivi freeze, relax her guard by reflex, and feel a sudden curiosity toward him. "Really?"
"Of course." Karl grinned.
If his knight's armor hadn't been shattered before, he might have won more than just Vivi's goodwill.
Strong men carried personalities that drew others in; even the innately wicked Doflamingo—or Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach—were no exception.
Confidence was its essence.
So too with Karl.
Confident in his strength, he rarely hid his hand and always advanced head-on.
After awakening Haki, he acted even more as he pleased, his presence growing ever bolder.
In time, that presence became a special aura—like Haki—that easily swayed others.
That was part of why Robin and Vivi relaxed without noticing.
Of course, the bigger reason was simply that Karl was—handsome.
Looks are justice.
Someone so handsome couldn't be a bad guy.
Had it been Blackbeard, it might have gone differently.
"Then why break into my room?"
Though Vivi's guard had dropped a little under Karl's warmth, her body stayed taut as she asked.
"A transaction."
Karl got straight to the point. "Has your royal family noticed that the so-called Green City, Erumalu, has been drying up, while Alubarna gets a heavy rain every few days?"
"Yes—do you know the reason?" Vivi's eyes lit as she fixed on Karl.
"I do."
Karl said something that made Vivi's face change at once: "Because someone in Alubarna is frequently using Dance Powder."
"How vile—someone is using that banned powder!"
Vivi believed him. Anger flashed first, then she looked at Karl with hopeful eyes and bowed deeply. "Sir, thank you for this information. Please tell me who is using that powder—I will inform my father at once to investigate and arrest them. If your information proves true, I will see you rewarded by the king!"
"I can't handle it alone."
Karl's smile turned meaningful. "So I came to you first to give advance notice."
"I will help you eliminate that person—and gather proof of the purchase and use of Dance Powder."
"As the price, when I return, please pay a reward of equal value."
Karl dipped a courteous bow in return, his smile bright. "Then I'll take my leave. Please inform King Cobra to await my good news."
With that, Karl gave Vivi no chance to ask his name. He took Robin and left by the balcony.
By the time Vivi came to and hurried out to see them off, there was no trace of Karl.
"You're going to take action against Crocodile?"
Leaving the palace, Robin looked at Karl and asked.
"That's my biggest reason for coming to Alabasta." Karl nodded.
His three objectives were to recruit Robin, seize any method the Nefertari line might have for passing down Devil Fruits, and fight a fifty-fifty match against a pirate of renown.
"The desert king… I'm eager to see how much I can grow fighting in the sands."
Karl's eyes burned with battle-lust as he looked at Robin. "Robin-nee, tomorrow please help lure him into the desert."
"I'll do what I can. But are you really going to fight him in the desert?"
Robin first nodded helplessly, then warned him. "Crocodile's Logia— the Sand-Sand Fruit—not only grants immunity to physical attacks, but in the desert his powers are vastly amplified. His stamina drain is greatly reduced. Only water is his weakness."
Though they'd known each other less than an hour, Robin appreciated this new boss.
Between Crocodile and Karl, she chose to aid Karl.
Of course, that aid was limited to information on Crocodile.
She hadn't fully trusted Karl; this was a small investment to gain his trust.
After experiencing his godspeed, she marked Karl's strength with a question mark.
Her old and new bosses crossing blades would decide where she went next.
Leave Baroque Works and join Karl's crew, or remain its vice president and help Crocodile usurp Alabasta—the choice hinged on Karl's power.
"The stronger he is, the happier I am."
Karl grinned, saying something Robin couldn't parse: "This was an unfair fight to begin with—but choosing the desert makes it fair."
"Don't disappoint me."
Hearing Karl speak of Crocodile with such disdain, Robin's curiosity only deepened.
How confident in his own strength did a man have to be to give his opponent home-field advantage and call that fair?
His foe was a Warlord of the Sea whose might matched a nation's—a legally sanctioned great pirate, one of only seven in the world.
There, Robin couldn't help feeling a keen interest in tomorrow's battle.
"So you won't name your price? Aren't you afraid that after defeating Crocodile and handing the evidence to the Nefertari line, they'll refuse to pay what you ask?"
"Don't worry. They won't."
Karl flashed a harmless smile. "This transaction is essentially coercive. If they really tried that, I'd give them a reason they couldn't refuse."
If he could obtain what he wanted by a deal, that was best.
If not…
Then, for the sake of his plan, Karl would let the Nefertari line—wardens of the secret of Pluton through the ages—witness power on the level of an Ancient Weapon.
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I have published a new novel. You can check it out on my profile. The title is:
Naruto: I'm an Uchiha, But My System Wants Me to Revive the Senju
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