"You damn woman—go to hell!"
"Desert Diamond Blade!"
With fury and desperation on his face, Crocodile waved both arms, summoning a vicious sandstorm tornado and several massive sand blades that howled toward Esdeath.
But Esdeath only smiled, exhilarated by the violence.
"Now this is the kind of fight I live for! Ice Lance!"
Her icy spear shattered the Desert Sword like brittle glass and tore straight through the sandstorm.
Esdeath's figure streaked behind it, graceful and deadly, closing the distance in an instant.
"D-Damn it!"
Crocodile's expression turned to horror.
He had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he allowed his body to dissolve into sand, escaping into the ground—leaving behind only a bloodied, frozen stump of a leg.
"Ran away?"
Esdeath's battle-crazed smile faded, replaced by a cold, disappointed scowl.
"So much for the mighty display. Running away without even being defeated... how pitiful."
Even with his title as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile was still just a pirate. In the end, all living things seek benefit and avoid harm—pirates more than most.
Unlike Esdeath, he didn't have the resolve to gamble everything in battle.
"Mahāpadma!"
With a flick of her wrist, Esdeath froze the very space around her.
She narrowed her eyes, locking onto a spot deep beneath the sands, and swung her right arm downward.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Conical icebergs crashed from the sky like spears.
BOOM!
The desert shook violently. Ice and sand exploded in every direction.
When the dust settled, a massive crater remained where the impact had struck.
At the bottom of the pit lay Crocodile—his body broken and scattered, blood leaking from his mouth as he barely clung to life.
Esdeath leapt into the crater and landed in front of him, looking down with a sneer.
"Hah. Pathetic."
She drew a western sword wrapped in Armament Haki and, with one swift motion, brought it down.
One clean beheading.
[Ding! Esdeath has defeated the Transcendent Crocodile. Doomsday Approaches!]
[Congratulations! Esdeath receives 100,000 Doomsday Points. Nanashi: 10,000. Nami: 10,000. Vivi: 10,000. Kisara Tendo: 10,000.]
Raising an eyebrow, Nanashi muttered under his breath, "So this is what it feels like to earn rewards without doing anything…"
It was a first for him.
"It's over," Esdeath said flatly.
"Disappointed?" Nanashi asked.
"Tch. Running away in the middle of a fight…"
Even though it was a one-sided beatdown, Crocodile's retreat still left a bad taste in her mouth.
"Haha. Next time, I'll suppress myself to your level and fight you properly. Give you a good match."
Esdeath's eyes sparkled. "Then I'll look forward to it. I'll first."
"You're leaving already?" Kisara blinked, a bit stunned. "It's still early."
Nanashi turned to her. "And you? Want to stick around, or… planning to pay me back now?"
"I…"
Kisara blushed. She didn't care about much, but the only way she could repay him was, well… with herself.
However, after glancing at Nanashi and Nami in their matching outfits, she decided now wasn't the time.
She gave a sheepish laugh. "I'll head back too."
And just like that, both women disappeared.
Robin stared, wide-eyed.
She didn't understand it at all.
That woman—the one who easily defeated a Warlord of the Sea—she wasn't just capable of controlling ice like a Marine admiral, she could also vanish without a trace.
So could the other woman.
Or… could all four of them do that?
Was it the same Devil Fruit ability? Or was someone else behind the scenes using a power that affected them all?
Robin could only speculate based on what little she understood.
Nami clung to Nanashi's arm and said brightly, "Nanashi, let's not rush back just yet."
Nanashi gave a small nod.
"This is Alabasta—the kingdom on the Grand Line. Let's take a stroll and explore, shall we?"
"Let's do it!!"
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. She was clearly intrigued by this legendary kingdom.
"Um... I'm sorry..."
Vivi spoke hesitantly, sadness clouding her expression. "Our country has been nearly swallowed up by desertification because of Baroque Works. It's sand, everywhere you look..."
"Crocodile is dead now," Nanashi said. "That means it's time to either adapt or rebuild. Change won't happen overnight. I just want to study the terrain and the surrounding ocean currents."
Nami added, "Yeah, this'll help with my map-making. Understanding the Grand Line's geography and currents is important for drawing accurate nautical charts."
"Thank you... truly!" Vivi bowed deeply.
"You should thank Esdeath," Nanashi replied, his voice calm. "We didn't really do anything."
He didn't accept rewards for things he hadn't earned. That was a line he wouldn't cross.
"Miss Esdeath..."
Vivi hesitated. She wanted to bring up the chat group but couldn't find the words.
Nanashi, sensing Robin's presence nearby, subtly sent Vivi a private message:
Nanashi:There are outsiders present. Don't mention the chat group openly. If you have something to say, use the group chat or speak to Esdeath directly.
Vivi:Got it.
Vivi:Mr. Nanashi... Everyone in the group says you're incredibly powerful. That you even saved a world covered in ice and snow. Could you... save Alabasta from becoming a desert?
More than 90% of Alabasta's land was already desert. The spread seemed irreversible. Planting trees had long lost its meaning. It was now just a race against time.
"If you have something to say," Nanashi said aloud, looking straight at her, "say it directly."
"Oh—!" Vivi's face turned crimson. She'd completely forgotten he was standing right there.
"Um... Mr. Nanashi, do you have a way to stop Alabasta's desertification?"
Her voice was soft but full of hope. It was obvious she truly cared for her homeland.
Robin listened silently.
There was sorrow in her heart.
A desertified country can't be restored by human effort alone.
Yet no one mocked Vivi's hope. The concern she showed for her people—for her home—deserved respect.
Home… The word left a bitter taste in Robin's mouth. A word she could never forget.
"Reversing desertification?" Nanashi said at last. "That's a minor problem."
For someone like him, reshaping an area's terrain was simple. He'd altered the climate of an entire planet before.
"Really?!" Vivi's eyes lit up. "Please, save this country!"
"Are you sure about that?" Nanashi raised an eyebrow. "Have you considered what would happen if I did? If I turned the desert into an oasis overnight... don't you think people would notice?"
"...!"
Vivi froze.
Her excitement vanished in an instant. She hadn't thought of that.
A sudden and miraculous transformation would draw eyes from every corner of the world.
Even Crocodile had spent years slowly turning Alabasta into a desert. A reversal of that scale would cause an uproar.
The abnormal Doomsday Event in this world had yet to fully reveal itself. Nanashi had no intention of interfering too heavily until he understood what he was dealing with.
If the anomaly was human, it would eventually make itself known. But there were many types of Doomsdays—some weren't caused by people or even living things. It could be a game, a concept, a phenomenon without form or logic.
Worse, if he intervened too much and the Doomsday turned out to be nothing, he'd be left having upended a world for no reason.
He couldn't risk destroying this world and relocating Nami, Vivi, or the others elsewhere.
For now, the wisest path was patience—waiting for the future Doomsday to show itself and then acting decisively.
Private Channel
Nanashi:We'll revisit the Alabasta issue once the abnormal Doomsday appears—and we've resolved it.
Nanashi:For now, at least one of your biggest threats is gone.
Vivi:Yeah… I understand.
She felt disappointed—but didn't dwell on it. Determination quickly replaced her doubt.
Vivi:Then I'll do everything I can to help my country until that day comes!
Nanashi smiled. "Then let's get started. Show us around your kingdom."
As the princess of Alabasta, it was only natural for Vivi to take the role of tour guide.
"Okay!" she beamed.
Robin said nothing.
She couldn't tell which parts of this were truth and which were simply unspoken riddles.
Can someone really turn a desert into an oasis?
But one thing was certain—Nanashi and the others held power beyond even the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
And most importantly... he had said he wasn't interested in her identity as the Devil's Child.
Robin clenched her fists. In this world, power was the only guarantee of survival.
"I want to join you."
"Huh? Nanashi, she says she wants to join us..." Nami blinked, confused.
Can someone just ask to join the chat group like that? she wondered.
Nanashi rolled his eyes. "Idiot, she thinks we're a faction."
Then he looked at Robin. "Why?"
Robin lowered her gaze and murmured, "I want to live…"
From childhood to now…
She had wandered, been hunted, and betrayed again and again—all just to survive.
That desperate desire to keep living was the only thing that kept her going.
"...Joining us directly is unlikely for now."
It wasn't clear whether he meant the chat group or something else.
Robin gave a bitter smile. She had expected as much.
Another lonely journey, then...
But then Nanashi's voice broke the silence.
"But you can become my subordinate."
"…Is that really any different?" Robin asked, lifting her eyes.
"There's a difference," Nanashi replied, his voice firm. "As my subordinate, betrayal isn't an option."
Betrayal.
It wasn't a pleasant word.
But she had grown used to it. Betrayal had become part of her life.
So how do you make someone who's used to betrayal... incapable of betraying again?
"Of course," Nanashi said calmly, "what I can guarantee you is this: if you become my subordinate, you'll live well—and the World Government won't be able to touch you."
"!!!"
Robin froze.
He just said... the World Government couldn't do anything to her?
That was the World Government.
The most powerful force in the world.
The same World Government that even the Four Emperors of the New World hadn't been able to overthrow.
Who could stand against that?
Robin didn't believe him. She couldn't.
Nanashi saw the disbelief in her eyes and shrugged. "Suit yourself. Let's go."
He turned to leave—
"I agree!"
Nanashi paused.
He turned back, eyes narrowing slightly as he focused on her.
Robin clenched her fists. "I agree to be your subordinate."
This time, she chose to trust her gut.
"As you wish."
As he spoke, a glimmer of starlight flashed in his eyes—just for an instant.
And Robin suddenly understood what he meant by "you won't be able to betray me."
"This is really…"
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
Escaping one tiger's den, only to fall into another. But this time, she wasn't just caught—she'd willingly stepped in.
And now, she followed silently as the group wandered through Alabasta.
…
They had almost finished their tour of the city when Nanashi and Nami decided it was time to return.
Just another jump back to their home base.
The return location was still Nami's house.
Only this time, there was one more person.
Robin.
She barely had time to take in her new surroundings before the scene in front of her made her frown.
Nanashi and Nami stopped in their tracks, stunned.
Lying across the bed where they had once been... was Nojiko—Nami's sister.
Completely naked.
Her hands rested lazily in two different positions, as if she'd fallen asleep playing with something between her fingers.
Nanashi and Nami exchanged a look.
The faint, telltale signs beneath her body—clear, personal, unmistakable—had not been left by Nami.
So...
It could only have been Nojiko.
"Uh…"
Nanashi opened his mouth to speak—
Just then, Nojiko rolled over lazily, half-opened her eyes in a daze... then shut them again.
She thought she'd seen three people.
Wait—three people?!
Her eyes snapped wide open. Any trace of sleep or fatigue vanished instantly.
Her heart raced. Her breath caught.
Panic and shock overtook her.
There they were—Nanashi, Nami, and a woman she'd never seen before—all standing in front of her bed, each with their own stunned expression.
Nojiko quickly withdrew her hand from... that area. She tugged the blanket over herself, feigning calm despite the prickling on her scalp.
"Aha... Haha... You're back," she said, trying her best to sound casual.