"White Knight Gawain with the bounty of 248 million Belly."
"Within just one year of debut, he has made his way from the East Blue to the Grand Line."
"First, he defeated the Marines in East Blue that opposed him, then he defeated the former Warlord, Hanafuda, in Loguetown, and finally, even the former admiral, black arm Zephyr, who came to capture him."
"Even the World Government has acknowledged his great power."
"He's full of vigor and ambition..."
Crocodile told Gawain's achievement in a leisurely manner, with a hint of uncontrollable admiration in his tone: "Yes, it really is."
"Twenty years ago, I did the same thing, fighting my way through the Grand Line until I met the monster standing at the top of the world in the New World."
Whoosh!
Crocodile suddenly clenched the bounty in his hand, his eyes revealing an immense sense of frustration and a hint of deep resentment.
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Then he leaned back in his chair and sighed: "This world is too big. It is far from enough to conquer those monsters at the top with the power of an individual alone."
"But humans are not animals after all. They know how to seek benefits and avoid harm and how to use tools. As long as I have Pluton in my hands, even if I have to face Whitebeard, what do I have to fear?!"
"Whitebeard taught me this truth, so I will teach you this truth, which can also be regarded as a kind of inheritance."
"Am I right, White Knight Gawain!"
When the sound falls to the ground.
Crocodile was no longer in the office.
A sandstorm started again outside, more violent than before.
So much so that just a bit of flying sand hitting the face of a civilian in the small town could leave a bloody mark.
So the civilians who had just walked out of the storm shelter to clear the sand on the road hid back into the house with scars all over their bodies amid bursts of screams.
They even saw the yellow sand blowing outside the window, completely tearing a small building apart.
"This is the power of nature!"
In the castle, an old man wearing sunglasses looked out the window at the natural disaster-like scene, his eyes revealing great awe: "Humans have ruled the world for countless years but have never truly conquered nature."
"Tens of millions of years have passed, and earthquakes, storms, and volcanic eruptions are still disasters that cannot be stopped by human power, just like the sandstorm that dragged the entire Alabasta into despair."
"Humans are ultimately too insignificant and too arrogant."
At the other end, Robin pushed open Crocodile's office door and saw only a crumpled bounty on the table.
She couldn't help but stretch out her hand and slowly unfold the bounty, and then a handsome face appeared in front of her.
"White Knight Gawain, known as the most righteous man in the East Blue?!"
Between her words, there was a hint of scrutiny in Robin's eyes.
After wandering for nearly twenty years, she has already witnessed the evil hidden in the deepest part of human nature, so it is impossible for her to trust others easily.
Even Crocodile, who temporarily provided her with shelter, only took a fancy to her ability to interpret the historical text.
But even so, she still longed for a place to stay, a place where she could truly sleep in peace and a group of people who could be called companions.
It is better to say that the lonelier a person is, the more they desire recognition and companionship.
And she has been alone for more than twenty years since the destruction of Ohara.
"Is there a man who can make Crocodile angry?"
"It's really interesting..."
Robin sat down slowly and supported her chin with one hand: "I really want to see if you are really, as the rumors say, willing to prepare a final shelter for a companion who has lost their usefulness."
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"Hehehe."
At the same time, somewhere in the sea on the Grand Line.
The seawater was undulating, extending all the way to the end of the sight. Several sea beasts jumped out of the water but were frightened away the next moment.
This was because there were several islands flying in the sky, slowly passing over the sea, almost blocking out all the sunlight.
That is the floating island, which is also the base camp of the Golden Lion Pirates; it is a mass of land kept afloat by Shiki's powers, with high trees as masts and long oars rowing at its sides.
At this moment, in the center of the floating island, there is a palace in Wano Country style.
Golden Lion looked down at Spandine in front of him and said calmly: "Do you know about Pluton?"
"That's right."
Spandine nodded repeatedly, with indescribable awe flashing in his eyes.
When they first met, he tried his best but couldn't stand up straight in front of Shiki.
At that moment, he realizes clearly that even though twenty years have passed, even though Golden Lion is no longer at his peak, even though he is already old and frail, he is still the king who can shake the world.
A king who once competed with Roger for supremacy but was ultimately defeated by the unpredictable weather. He is also the legendary overlord of the sea!
Spandine bent his knees, just like how he once kowtowed to the Celestial Dragons.
And the bold words he had spoken to his son Spandam within the CP organization were completely forgotten.
Any power or strength seems too insignificant in the face of a life-and-death crisis.
There is hope only if you live!
Spandine knew this, and he also knew his only value to Golden Lion:
"Shiki-sama, I can give you the information about Pluton, but the condition is that you provide me with shelter."
Golden Lion sneered, revealing his disdain almost without disguising it.
Spandine, who was kneeling on the ground, had no reaction to this. After all, he had long been accustomed to kneeling, so why would he care about this little bit of dignity?
Seeing this, Golden Lion became somewhat interested.
Clatter!
The sound of the sword piercing the ground made Spandine's scalp tingle.
He looked up and found Golden Lion had come closer to him.
"Tell me more about it."
Spandine gritted his teeth and said: "In a certain kingdom in the world, there is a historical record of the whereabouts of Pluton."
"Are you kidding me?"
Shiki's expression turned cold.
The surging Conqueror Haki poured out in an instant, overwhelming everyone in the palace.
Spandine, who was bearing this Conqueror Haki head-on, was completely unable to breathe and was pressed directly into the ground.
"Ohara was destroyed more than a decade ago. Even if we get the historical text, no one can decipher it. It is just an ordinary piece of stone."
Golden Lion raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone revealing a bit of annoyance but also an indescribable regret: "If that bastard Roger had agreed to my proposal, this world would have been ours long ago."
"Well."
"If that guy, Roger, really agreed to my proposal, he wouldn't die."
For a while, the wild and unruly laughter echoed throughout the entire palace.
The violent Conqueror Haki was like an endless torrent, pouring down in all directions, and the walls of the palace started to crack.
Spandine felt as if his body was under a thousand-pound weight, and his consciousness was about to blur.
But the last remaining desire to survive in his heart forces him to stay awake and spill all the information he knows.
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