[Alabasta · Baroque Workshop]
Outside the house, the sun is scorching and the wind and sand are swirling.
The sand hit the window frame, making a rustling sound, as if foreshadowing the coming of some crisis.
The house felt like an icy cave.
Crocodile leaned back in a high-back chair, tapping the tabletop lightly with the golden hook in his left hand, again and again, as anxious as the countdown of fate.
Sweat broke out on his forehead, his cigar burned to the point where he didn't even feel it on his knuckles. Amidst the smoke, he stared at the intelligence officer with eyes that almost seemed to want to nail him to the wall.
"You said... who's coming?" he repeated in a low voice, his voice so hoarse that it was almost distorted.
The intelligence officer's lips trembled, and cold sweat broke out on his neck. "Confirmed... It's the Chief of Marine G-5—codenamed 'Xuanlin,' Vice Admiral Rogge."
"He left the port yesterday and is heading towards Alabasta... He is expected to arrive as early as this evening."
Crocodile's body shook slightly, and at that moment even the fine sand that had been floating around his shoulders stopped for a second.
He slowly stood up and walked to the French window. Looking at the sea of sand, he seemed to see the Vice Admiral in a white cloak leading an army.
"...Why did he come? Did he find out something? Or—"
He spoke in a low voice, with a hint of anxiety and uneasiness in his voice:
"Are you here for 'Pluton' as well?"
These words to himself made Nico Robin, who was sitting not far away, raise his eyes slightly, with a rare look of surprise in his expression.
She closed the ancient book in her hand and asked calmly:
"Are you scared?"
Crocodile was silent for a long time, then slowly turned back to look at her.
"Nico Robin."
His tone was slow, but unusually free of anger, "You may not yet understand what that guy represents."
"In this world, there are some people who can easily overturn the tide of war."
"If it weren't for Garp, Rogge would be the strongest Vice Admiral in Marine history."
"Even now—even though Garp is still a figurehead, the one who can truly control the entire New World Marine system... is only him."
"He's Sakazuki's nephew, but he's even more ruthless than Admiral Akainu."
"Even Sengoku, the core leader of the hawkish faction within the Marine Corps, admits that his operational judgment is on par with the Admiral."
"You think he's just here to patrol the desert? No, he even dares to hunt down Four Emperors Red-Haired Shanks."
The more Crocodile spoke, the more solemn his expression became. The metal of the hook blade in his right hand trembled slightly, but he didn't even notice it.
"...If he's coming for you, then you might not have a tomorrow."
Robin was silent for a moment. Although she was knowledgeable, this was the first time she heard such an evaluation from a Shichibukai.
For the first time, an involuntary thought emerged in her heart:
"...What kind of person is this man named Rogge?"
At this moment——
"boom!!!"
With a loud bang like thunder, the heavy door was kicked away directly, and the loud noise shook the entire sand building!
The wind and sand poured into the conference hall, like an overwhelming black wave, crushing down!
In the midst of the dust, a tall and slender figure walked in slowly, with a stern face and eyes like an eagle, sharp and intimidating.
Rogge Vice Admiral.
Behind him was Ain standing with a sword, his eyes cold and his aura as cold as ice.
Crocodile was instantly unable to move, sand rising silently as it surrounded the area for defense, yet it didn't dare to act rashly.
And Robin's heart suddenly tightened when those calm, almost indifferent eyes swept over her.
"Nico Robin."
His voice was very soft, but it exploded in her ears like a Shinigami whisper.
Robin's mind raced: "Recognized me? Was it intentional? Or was it a warning? ...No, is he here to kill me?"
Is it over?!
Her body leaned back almost instinctively, and her fingers had already slightly opened into the shape of petals.
Crocodile's mind was racing when he heard Rogge say his name:
Should I take action? No, I can't! Confronting this madman head-on is courting death!
But at this critical moment between life and death, Rogge simply withdrew his gaze, as if everything was not worth his effort.
He turned around and said in a tone that was neither light nor heavy:
"...Don't be nervous, I'll come over and take a look."
Before leaving, he stopped and gave me a cold look that was not angry but suffocating:
"Sand crocodile—be more restrained."
"I don't care if you're a Shichibukai or not."
"But don't make me come a second time."
Pop.
He closed the door and left, his steps as steady as if nothing had just happened.
The air began to flow again only after he left.
Crocodile, sweating profusely, slowly sat back in his chair, while Robin remained pale.
At that moment, the temperature in the sand building seemed to have dropped to freezing point.
——This is "Xuanlin" Rogge.
Even if you don't take action, it feels like a mountain pressing down on you.
[Alabasta · Rainland]
The sun was setting, sand and fog were rolling, the streets were bustling with activity, vendors were shouting, travelers were walking by, but it seemed that they could not be affected by the two figures walking silently forward.
Rogge put his hands in his pockets, his cloak fluttering in the wind. He had a calm expression, and his eyes swept across the yellow sand street in the distance with a hint of thought.
Ain followed beside him, a hint of doubt still lingering on his face.
When the two of them were wandering aimlessly, they came to the end of a deserted alley.
Finally, she whispered:
"…Rogge Vice Admiral, why didn't you do anything just now?"
Rogge looked straight ahead: "I did it."
Ian pursed his lips: "But you only glanced at them."
"You're too young."
Rogge's lips curled slightly and he smiled softly, "Sometimes, just one look is enough."
Ian was stunned.
Rogge lowered his head, his eyes slightly deep.
"Nico Robin's reaction... I'm a little disappointed."
"She is not an ignorant person, but she hides so naturally next to Crocodile."
"This shows that she had already prepared for the worst and accepted that she was a tool being used—she clearly had the talent to survive, but she still chose to stay close to the shadows."
"We can't move her. First, her identity is too sensitive. One move could affect the whole body."
"As for Mariejois, if I take action now... it will only confirm some people's suspicions."
"As for the second one..."
Just as Rogge's thoughts were wandering, the air around him suddenly changed.
——The sand suddenly turned cold, frost appeared on the street corners, and the air was as solid as ice.
"Just come..."
At the corner of the street in the distance, a tall figure in a dark blue cloak walked out slowly, his hands in his pockets, leaving behind a string of ice crystal echoes.
Aokiji Admiral·Kuzan.
"...Rye."
His tone was calm, yet revealed a rare solemnity.
Ian subconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword, while Rogge stopped, looking at him quietly without changing his expression.
The two top Marine fighters faced off on the sandy streets of Alabasta.
The air was so quiet that it seemed like it would break at any second.
Rogge glanced sideways and said in a low voice, "I have no plans to do anything to her for now."
Kuzan sighed:
"Robin…she didn't do anything wrong."
"She's just a child who's been taken advantage of countless times by the world."
"She didn't do anything, she just wanted to survive."
Rogge was silent for a few breaths, then suddenly chuckled: "Are you pleading for her?"
"I'm not."
Aokiji shook his head, "I just... don't want you to make the wrong move."
Rogge's tone suddenly turned colder:
"I'm not interested in her for the time being, don't worry."
"But...if she does something like 'Pirates' in the future—I won't be like some people who choose to turn a blind eye."
When he mentioned "certain people", his eyes were sharp, pointing straight to the depths of Aokiji's heart.
Aokiji narrowed his eyes, his expression slightly stiff.
The auras of the two collided, as if the entire neighborhood was trapped in Ultimate oppression, and even the air turned into an invisible blade, surging between the two.
——The situation is tense.
…After a few breaths, Aokiji exhaled slowly and turned around.
"...Then I'll just assume you're not interested."
"But Rogge,"
Aokiji's tone suddenly lightened, but still carried the warning of an old friend, "Don't go too far."
"Sometimes it looks like you're dispensing justice."
"But take one more step forward and you will become another 'world'."
After saying that, he strode into the icy fog, his figure hidden at the junction of mist and yellow sand, leaving a lingering chill in the air.
Ion took a deep breath and looked back at Rogge.
Rogge just stared at the direction Aokiji left and whispered:
"Pedophile..."
"I'm here to put an end to this stupid Pirates 'world'."