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"Well, this is the first time we've spoken, Mr. Crocodile," Ikki said, taking the Den Den Mushi from Robin with a smile. "As the saying goes, seeing is better than hearing. I wonder if our Mr. Crocodile would share your location? So that I, as an admirer, can visit you in person."
Although the current situation differed slightly from his plan, Ikki wasn't too worried. Alabasta might be vast, but if he truly wanted to find someone, he didn't think someone like Crocodile could stay hidden for long. Moreover, he could later use Alabasta's troops to locate Crocodile if necessary.
"Haha, you must be Ikki. If you managed to convince Nico Robin, you must have some skills," Crocodile replied. "I'd like to know how you made Nico Robin betray me and help you."
Hearing Ikki's voice, Crocodile took a deep breath to prevent himself from crushing the Den Den Mushi to dust in anger.
"Well, it's probably because I'm handsome, so she fell in love with me," Ikki said, touching his chin while glancing back at Robin.
Robin maintained her smile, her expression unchanged by Ikki's joke.
"Are you mocking me, Ikki?" Crocodile asked with a frown.
"Hey! You actually realized I was joking! That's strange—I heard the Sand Crocodile was quite dull-witted. Could it be that the person on the other end of this Den Den Mushi isn't Crocodile himself?" Ikki feigned surprise. "Robin, listen carefully and verify if that voice really belongs to Crocodile."
"You bastard! Do you really want to piss me off?" Crocodile growled, veins popping on his forehead as he stared at the Den Den Mushi.
"So, what happens if I piss you off?" Ikki continued. "Are you coming to kill me, Crocodile? I didn't ask you to find me—I offered to come to you. As long as you tell me your location, I'll personally deliver your defeat. You must really want to kill me, so why wait? The famous Sand Crocodile shouldn't be afraid to reveal his location just because he fears me."
"Wait, something doesn't seem right," Ikki said, walking to a nearby wall and leaning against it. "Robin, do you think your former boss got word that I was coming to Rain Dinners and knew he couldn't defeat me? So he chose to escape and hide in a sewer, becoming a sewer crocodile?"
Based on his understanding of Crocodile's character from the original story, Ikki knew that even if Miss All Sunday had betrayed him, Crocodile would kill his subordinates in anger. When faced with Sanji provoking him via Den Den Mushi, Crocodile had planned to rush over and kill him personally. With this knowledge, Ikki was confident these provocations would draw Crocodile out.
"Hehehe... Hahaha, HAHAHA!" After a moment of silence, a burst of maniacal laughter erupted from the Den Den Mushi. The laughter continued for nearly a minute, causing Ikki to raise an eyebrow.
He turned to Robin. "Robin, you understand Crocodile better. Has he lost his mind?"
Robin covered her mouth and chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "I think he must be furious."
She was also quite interested in seeing how Crocodile would react to such provocations.
"Haha, you want to know my location, Ikki?" Crocodile finally spoke. "Very well, I'll tell you. I'm currently on the road between Katorea and Alubarna, the one the rebels must use. They've just passed by me, and Princess Vivi with your two female companions will arrive here soon."
"Come here, and when you do, I'll be happy to introduce you to the bodies of your female companions. As for Princess Vivi... Haha, don't you want to help her? Don't you want to help her resolve the kingdom's civil strife?"
"Try to stop the rebel army if you can. But then you won't be able to save your friends. Haha! I'll keep Vivi alive and let her witness Alabasta's miserable state. I'll show her how incompetent the man she trusted truly is."
"By the way, I forgot to mention," Crocodile continued. "I've arranged for Baroque Works agents to position a massive bomb somewhere in Alubarna. When noon arrives, it will be fired. By then, the rebel army will have reached Alubarna and engaged with the royal army. If you ignore Alubarna's rebellion, they'll all be blown away by the bomb. But if you try to stop it, you can't rush to save your friends."
"So, how will you decide, Ikki? Will you betray Princess Vivi's trust and expectations to save your companions? Or will you save the people of Alabasta who mean nothing to you, disregarding the lives of your comrades?" Crocodile laughed again, pleased with himself.
"You're quite confident, Crocodile," Ikki replied, his expression serious. "Don't worry—we won't be forced to choose between our friends' lives and Alabasta's fate. We'll handle both, contrary to your plans."
"That's the only sensible thing you've said, Ikki. Your time is running out." With that, Crocodile hung up.
"Ikki, Crocodile is serious," Robin said. "Since he said what he did, he'll definitely follow through. The bomb must have been installed somewhere in Alubarna. I once heard him mention preparing such a weapon. Now that he knows I've betrayed him, he must have taken steps to prevent me from continuing to command Baroque Works agents."
Robin couldn't help feeling somewhat guilty. Ikki had helped her see the Poneglyph, but she now had no way to continue helping him as agreed.
"What do we do next?" she asked. "Crocodile must be waiting for Vivi and the others now. Although Vivi, Nami, and Nojiko have gained strength, they might still be no match for him."
"Don't worry, even that Sand Crocodile won't easily defeat my crew members," Ikki said, waving his hand dismissively. "Don't forget, Robin—both Nojiko and Vivi have mastered Water Breathing swordsmanship techniques. Plus, Nojiko, Vivi, and Nami all possess Armament Haki, which can damage elemental bodies. Combined with the weapons I gave them, it's not impossible for them to defeat Crocodile."
In the original story, Luffy had managed to defeat Crocodile. The current Vivi trio was certainly stronger than Luffy had been at that point in the story, even if Crocodile took them seriously from the beginning.
"That said, I still need to go help Nami and the others," Ikki added. "We also need to check on the situation in Alubarna; otherwise, Vivi will be devastated. Nico Robin, climb on my back this time—it'll let me move faster. After we reach Alubarna, we might need your help dealing with Baroque Works spies hidden among the royal and rebel armies."
Ikki squatted down slightly. Robin nodded, moved behind him, and laid her body against his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Up we go!" Ikki said, placing his hands under Robin's thighs to secure her position. "By the way, Robin, how old are you?"
"Huh? Why ask such a question suddenly? Besides, it's quite rude to ask a woman's age. Please, Mr. Ikki," Robin responded.
"No, you misunderstood. I was asking about your bust size," Ikki clarified. "To be honest, your assets are quite... substantial." (T/N: I think the sounding of asking age and bust size is same in Chinese.)
Hearing this, even Robin couldn't help but blush slightly, her composure momentarily shaken.
"Finally, I see you can get embarrassed, Nico Robin," Ikki chuckled. "Don't be shy—even at 28, you're cute when you blush."
As he spoke, Ikki stamped his foot on the ground and rushed eastward toward Alubarna.
Robin tried to respond, but Ikki's speed sent a cold wind into her mouth. In desperation, she moved closer to his ear and whispered:
"Mr. Ikki, even at a time like this, you're still teasing me. And how do you know my age?"
Feeling her warm breath near his ear, Ikki smiled. "Although our enemy is Crocodile, it's not something to be too serious about. It's fine to joke a little. As for your age—you were wanted when you were eight. Calculating from then, aren't you exactly 28 now?"
Robin fell silent, realizing her age was no secret after all.
"Since Mr. Ikki doesn't mind small talk, would you tell me how old you are?" she asked.
"I'm 25, though I'll be 26 in a few days."
"So I'm two or three years older than you. You mentioned before that you prefer my type. Do you like women who are older than you?"
"It depends on whether a woman is mature and attractive enough," Ikki replied. "But being two or three years older is actually quite nice. After all, I wouldn't mind having a caring 'big sister' figure who can look after me in all ways." He laughed lightly.
"In that case, Captain Ikki, why not take me on your voyage? Perhaps I could take care of you permanently," Robin suggested, her eyes brightening at the thought that Ikki might know the locations of more Poneglyphs.