Chapter 90

Another Seven Warlord dead?

The other four elders all changed color.

The white-haired, long-bearded Five Elder Marcus Mars distributed the latest intelligence in his hand; after the few of them read it, the conference room fell into silence once again.

After a long while, the blonde Five Elder said with a dark face:

"Regardless, the Seven Warlord system cannot be shaken because of this; the top priority now is to fill the vacancy."

The kimono-wearing Five Elder Nasujuro narrowed his eyes slightly: "What do you mean?"

"Rather than letting him continue to create chaos, it is better to try to win him over."

The blonde Five Elder closed the file, "The Seven Warlord system was originally established to balance the forces on the sea."

"Since he can defeat the Sand Crocodile and Hanafuda in succession, it proves his strength is among the best even among all the Seven Warlords; if we can recruit him as a Seven Warlord, he would be a more useful pawn."

"This guy won't bow his head so easily."

Saturn frowned, "In just over a month, he has committed so many evil deeds; he must be an ambitious and arrogant person. The Seven Warlord invitation is something most pirates would beg for, but for this person, I'm afraid it doesn't have much appeal."

"Precisely because of that, he needs to be controlled even more."

Nasujuro pushed his glasses slightly, "I agree with Saturn's opinion. Currently, the situation in the New World is tense, and we need Marine Admirals on standby at all times. As for Enies Lobby, we also need a large amount of manpower before reconstruction is complete."

"Marine Headquarters cannot fully encircle and suppress him in the short term, and leaving him outside will only make the situation more out of control. If we can restrain him with the position of a Seven Warlord, we can at least stabilize the situation for now."

"What if he refuses directly?" Saturn asked coldly.

"Then let CP0 move out to fill the manpower gap and cooperate with the cleanup."

Nasujuro said indifferently:

"Even if we can't capture him, at the very least we must force him into the New World; we cannot let him continue to run rampant in Paradise. Hanafuda was a friend of Kaido's; upon hearing the news of his appearance in the New World, the Beasts Pirates will never let him off easily."

"That is a reasonable point, so I second it."

"I also second it."

"Seconded."

"Once the Seven Warlord covenant is drafted, who shall be sent to deliver the letter?"

"Let that guy go for a trip..."

In the conference room, the lights flickered.

The five of them exchanged words, and soon reached a consensus tacitly.

————

At the same time.

Alabasta, palace side hall.

"Uncle Cobra, thank you for your generous hospitality tonight."

"What is a mere banquet? We are the ones who should be thanking you."

Cobra leaned against the head of the bed, his voice somewhat weak, but his gaze toward Siano was sincere and earnest:

"If not for your group's intervention, the tragedy at the mouth of the Sandora River would likely have been unavoidable; you saved those merchant caravans and the people along the riverbank, and also preserved the dignity of our royal family."

"Besides that, regarding Crocodile, we also have to thank you all."

Cobra gave a bitter smile, "That man, he was clearly plotting a conspiracy to overthrow the royal family, yet I never noticed..."

Hmm?

Siano was a bit surprised: "Uncle, you already know?"

He hadn't even opened his mouth yet.

To prevent it from being just his word, when they first arrived in Alabasta, the Luomu had specifically stopped at Nanohana port for a night.

One reason was to return Banchi—that's right, Robin's sea turtle was rented from a travel agency in that port city.

Secondly, Robin's private base was also there, containing some contact records with Crocodile; taking them to give to the royal family would be enough to expose the other party's true face.

However, it seemed there was no need to take out this evidence now.

"Yes, Mr. Siano."

Cobra nodded slightly, a complex look flashing in his eyes, and sighed:

"Yes, in the past two days, the guards searched the entire area around the royal capital and the areas where Crocodile was once active in Rainbase, discovering many hidden bases; the various criminal evidence inside... the true face of that man revealed by them is simply chilling."

"If not for his defeat at your hands, Mr. Siano, I fear the entire nation of Alabasta would have been kept in the dark by him; the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Oh, no wonder.

The royal army's efficiency is quite high.

Also, in the current Alabasta, the rebellion and civil war have not yet begun, and Cobra's control over the country is still at its peak.

Of course, if Crocodile were still alive, the things in these secret bases would never have been found by the guards; they would have been moved at the first sign of trouble.

Moreover, out of trust and affection for this "national hero," Cobra would never have had the thought to search.

But Crocodile is dead.

And he died very suddenly; when he went to Whiskey Peak to ambush him, he probably thought it would be an easy task and he would be back in no time.

Yet he never returned, causing a large amount of evidence to remain uncleaned, eventually being unearthed one by one by the kingdom's guards.

"So, Mr. Siano, you have saved our country twice from disaster!"

"I will keep this kindness in my heart; from now on, you and your partners are the eternal benefactors and dear friends of the Kingdom of Alabasta."

Cobra solemnly raised his right hand to his chest, bowed slightly, and performed the highest royal etiquette, "No matter when, as long as you need help, the entire nation of Alabasta will surely do its utmost to assist."

"You are too polite, Uncle."

Siano smiled, "But speaking of which, I do have something I'd like to discuss with you, Uncle."

"Please speak," Cobra said hurriedly.

Siano said frankly, "Before Crocodile died, in order to beg me to spare his life, he told me many things, including... the Poneglyph that you, the royal family, have been guarding all along."

"Besides wanting to overthrow Alabasta and establish his ideal kingdom, what Crocodile cared about most was actually that stone, right? After all, it records the location of the Ancient Weapon Pluton."

Cobra was slightly startled.

He subconsciously raised his head, and after meeting the clear gaze of the black-haired youth, he smiled bitterly and nodded:

"There is such a matter. It is normal for you to be interested, but I really cannot take you to see that legendary ancient weapon, because that Poneglyph only records the location; the true body of Pluton is actually not..."

"Actually not in Alabasta, but in Wano, under Kaido's control, right."

"Yes..."

Cobra nodded subconsciously, then couldn't help but be shocked, "Eh? How did you know?!"

This was a secret that their Nefertari family had guarded for eight hundred years!

Robin had been listening quietly, and at this moment, she finally couldn't help but turn her head and look at Siano.

"Oh, actually Pluton was found by Kaido long ago, otherwise he wouldn't have kept his headquarters right next to it, refusing to leave."

Siano blinked and said nonchalantly:

"Hanafuda told me this voluntarily before he died, in order to beg me to spare his life; after all, he is Kaido's good brother and has stayed in that place, Wano."

This was naturally a lie.

That Pluton is buried under Wano is something Kaido definitely knows by now; this is true.

But no matter what, he wouldn't easily tell Hanafuda, an outsider, and Hanafuda wouldn't tell him either.

However...

Someone has to be the scapegoat.

Anyway, the dead don't talk, and as for lying, he had been able to do it without blushing or skipping a beat many years ago.

"Kaido already knows?"

Cobra's face turned pale instantly; he struggled to prop himself up, his voice trembling: "This... how could this be..."

The true body of Pluton has been found; then what is the point of the secret they have guarded for so long?

Siano shrugged:

"That is the fact. In any case, when Pluton will appear in the future and how long you can keep guarding this secret, no one can say for sure. But keeping this stone in Alabasta will only keep attracting people who covet it, bringing disaster to this country. Why not cut it off at the source and just give it to me?"

"Hmm?"

Cobra looked puzzled.

An ambitious person like Crocodile would go to great lengths to find this Poneglyph, aiming for the information about Pluton recorded on it.

But this Mr. Siano already knew all these secrets clearly.

Then this Poneglyph itself is just a stone; what use could it have?

"Because I have no interest in Pluton at all; what I really want is the stone itself."

Siano seemed to see his confusion and laughed, "Uncle, don't you think something that can exist for hundreds of years and cannot be destroyed is a great training tool?"

"Training tool?"

Cobra was full of astonishment.

It was the first time he had heard someone use this term to describe a Poneglyph.

But thinking about it, it really seemed to be the case.

For a powerhouse like him who is already infinitely close to the pinnacle of the sea, no thick steel plate could satisfy him, so it's no wonder he took a fancy to the Poneglyph stele itself.

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment.

"I understand."

Cobra looked at Siano and said solemnly:

"If it really helps your strength progress, then please take it away. This certainly cannot repay your kindness, but this is the only thing I can do for you at the moment. If it can really help improve your strength, then that would be for the best."

Before this meeting.

The black-haired youth in front of him had already proven his character with his actions.

Talking so openly with him now further corroborated this point.

Otherwise, he could have just taken it by force; as a terrifying existence who had already killed two Seven Warlords, if he really wanted to do something, who in the entire Alabasta royal capital could stop him?

He was happy to see such a powerhouse become even stronger.

He would even naively hope that there could be more powerhouses like Siano.

Perhaps it couldn't bring much change to this era, but... for the people struggling to survive in this chaotic and turbulent era, it was ultimately a good thing.

————

Half an hour later.

Inside the underground palace of the Mortuary Temple.

In the dim stone chamber, a massive, square stone stele stood quietly.

Under the flickering firelight, the ancient characters on the surface of the stele glowed with a cold, hard metallic luster, as if telling of eight hundred years of vicissitudes.

Robin stood in front of the stele, her fingertips gently brushing over those familiar characters.

These characters, which she had seen countless times in Ohara's literature, were now truly presented before her eyes, giving her the illusion of a lifetime having passed.

"Poneglyph..."

She murmured, her voice echoing in the empty stone chamber.

The pursuit she had dreamed of for over a decade, and now the first step was achieved so easily?

Although she had already learned most of the historical information recorded on it from the conversation between the captain and Cobra just now, and it basically matched up...

But.

This was the Poneglyph itself.

Was it something that could be collected so easily?

The dream that was once buried deep in her heart, which she felt she could never hope to achieve in her lifetime, now seemed not so unreachable.

She glanced at Siano opposite her and remained silent.

Siano didn't know the twists and turns in Robin's heart.

At this moment, he was standing on the other side, touching the smooth, cold surface of the stele, showing a look of great interest.

A texture he had never experienced before; the material was indeed very special!

Anyway, let's try it first.

He took two steps back, adjusted his breathing, clenched his fist, and Armament Haki instantly wrapped around it, then he threw a punch with all his might!

Bang—!

A dull impact sound echoed in the underground palace, the entire stone chamber shook violently, and dust fell in flurries.

However, the Poneglyph remained unmoved; let alone a dent, not even a single crack appeared on its surface.

Whoa!

Even though Siano was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but be surprised.

His punch looked ordinary, but the force was not small, and he had used the technique of internal destruction.

Even a thick steel plate would have been completely cracked from the inside under this punch.

And the result?

The Armament Haki that surged out from his fist was like a clay ox entering the sea, instantly swallowed without a trace, failing to have any effect on this big stone.

Siano grinned.

Good stuff!

This trip to the royal capital was not in vain!

Hanafuda, who transformed into a Tyrannosaurus, was undoubtedly a top-notch punching bag.

But in front of this Poneglyph, he was completely outclassed.

Clearly, for a long time to come, this thing would be fully capable of serving as a training tool, becoming an excellent tool for him to further improve the strength of his Armament Haki and temper his body.

To completely destroy it would be wishful thinking; even Imu probably couldn't do it.

Otherwise, these Poneglyphs left all over the world would have been destroyed long ago.

But whenever he could leave a visible mark on it, it would prove that his Haki and physical strength had undergone a transformation, reaching a more terrifying level.

"Tsk." He suddenly pinched his chin and sighed, "Such good stuff, why haven't I seen anyone else use it for the right purpose before."

Setting aside the training aspect for now.

Those strange Devil Fruit users, if they combined with the Poneglyph, should have a lot of room for play in actual combat, right?

Perhaps cutting it or something is impossible, but manipulating it to use as a weapon feels like it would be very fierce.

Like Shiki, if he prepared a few more Poneglyphs and had them floating around him, wouldn't that be the strongest armor? What attack couldn't be blocked?

Even if Garp and Sengoku teamed up to punch it a few more times, so what? Could they break the defense?

Siano pondered.

If he waited until his strength improved further and he could leave dents on it that were easy to grab with his hands, swinging it directly like a meteor hammer also seemed quite fierce?

But those were things for later.

The most important thing right now was to bring this thing back to the Luomu.

He squatted down, hooked his hands under the base of the stele, and his muscles bulged.

"Up!"

With a low shout, the entire massive Poneglyph was actually pulled up from its base by him and easily carried on his shoulder.

Hmm, it's not that heavy, at least not compared to Hanafuda.

From the royal capital to the riverbank, although the distance was not short—a full hundred kilometers—with his stamina, carrying it in one go was not a problem.

"Let's go, Robin!"

Robin looked at Siano's back as he carried the stele, then looked back at the empty stone chamber, and suddenly shook her head and smiled lightly.

When Siano invited her on board while on the back of the sea turtle, saying that he was also very interested in the Poneglyph and that their goals were the same.

She thought it was just a lie made up to comfort her.

Who could have expected that these words were actually true?

It's just that...

It's just that Siano's focus of interest in the Poneglyph seemed a bit absurd, and it was just a little bit different from hers.

Early the next morning.

The Luomu, under Cobra's personal farewell, left the heart of the kingdom and sailed toward the river mouth in the south.

The two sides waved goodbye to each other; Vivi and Nami cried the most sadly, waving their hands continuously, their little faces stained with tears.

"Nami! You must remember to call!"

"I know! You have to take care of yourself too!"

The two little girls shouted loudly across the river, their voices drifting away only after a long time in the morning breeze.

Siano looked on.

These two little ones slept together last night; he didn't know what they had exchanged, but their personalities seemed to match very well.

They had only been together for less than two days, and they had become best friends, even exchanging phone numbers and promising to keep in touch often.

On the other hand, Siano, the idol who was being pestered yesterday, was suddenly forgotten in the corner.

But that was exactly what he wanted; before the farewell was even over, he happily took a cup of coffee brewed by Robin and dived into the training room.