Chapter 90: The Cave
Jiang Qize thought of himself as a genius—
To come up with an idea like this? Even he was impressed by himself.
"Let's go, Ba Wang. You lead the way."
"Yes, sir."
Ba Wang responded with a low rumble and started walking ahead.
The passersby around them quickly stepped aside. That single punch Ba Wang had thrown earlier had shaken the ground, and it had scared them senseless.
They followed him, weaving through the streets of the city.
After about ten minutes, they stopped in front of a well at the center of a crossroads.
"It's down there. There's a huge space below," Ba Wang said in his deep voice.
"We'll come back at night," Jiang Qize said, glancing around at the crowded street.
"Mm." Crocodile nodded.
He didn't want anyone discovering that something as deadly as Pluton might be hidden down there—even if it wasn't confirmed yet.
Still, he had developed a certain degree of trust in Jiang Qize.
They memorized the location and left.
Time passed.
Before long, night fell.
As was typical for a desert city, once the sun went down, the streets emptied quickly. Most houses and shops were shuttered tight.
The moon hung high, spilling its cold light across the quiet streets. A chill wind swept through.
Tap... tap tap tap…
Soft footsteps echoed in the silence.
The four of them returned to the old stone well.
"Let's go in."
"I'll go first."
Crocodile stepped forward. As soon as he spoke, his body turned into sand and flowed into the well.
Jiang Qize smiled faintly and jumped down after him.
…
Splash!
Jiang Qize landed in an underground river, sending water flying everywhere.
Splash, splash…
Ba Wang and little Robin jumped down after him.
"Pfft." He surfaced, spitting out water.
Crocodile was already waiting nearby.
"Captain~!" Robin's voice came weakly from behind.
He turned and saw Ba Wang holding her up by the arm.
Robin's body was limp, completely without strength.
"Ugh…"
Jiang Qize smacked his forehead helplessly.
Of course—Robin was a Devil Fruit user. She couldn't touch water.
Even though this underground river had likely been filtered many times through stone and sand, there would still be traces of seastone in it. It was no wonder she had gone weak.
If it had only been partial contact, it wouldn't have been too bad—but she'd been completely submerged.
He sighed and climbed ashore.
Ba Wang followed, carrying Robin.
Robin coughed up a few mouthfuls of water before she slowly regained her strength, her face flushed pink.
Then they finally began to examine the cave around them.
The cavern wasn't very large. Aside from the faint light from the well above, the water itself glimmered softly. The underground river was about two meters wide, its waters crystal clear; under the moonlight, they could even see the stones at the bottom.
The ceiling was just over three meters high. Chunks of dark gray rock hung overhead, looking as though they might collapse at any moment.
On both sides of the river were solid rock walls—no paths at all.
"There's no way forward here! It's way too small—how could Pluton possibly be in a place like this?" Crocodile snapped, frustration rising in his voice.
"This isn't the path."
Jiang Qize rolled his eyes, glancing toward the underground river.
Young people were so impatient.
"You mean we're supposed to swim down the river?"
"What else?"
"Hmph… Fine. I'll trust you one more time."
Crocodile gave a cold snort and walked toward the river's exit, stopping at the edge.
"Not going in?" Jiang Qize raised an eyebrow.
"I… I'm a Devil Fruit user…" Crocodile muttered, his face faintly red. But in the dim light, no one else noticed.
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