Chapter 130: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

The Royal Capital, Alubarna.

Although Alubarna lacked the bustling prosperity of the port city Rainbase, it was imbued with the cultural heritage of Alabasta’s multi-millennial history, a pearl embedded in the boundless desert. Every corner of this ancient city was etched with the marks of time, and the Royal Palace, which had stood for thousands of years, exuded an aura of profound historical gravity. To the west of the palace lay a vast, magnificent, and open complex of ancient structures: the tombs of Alabasta’s past kings.

Nico Robin looked at these ancient royal mausoleums with a sense of sentimentality, then furrowed her brows and asked Garen, who stood beside her:

"Is the Poneglyph truly hidden within the royal tombs?"

"This choice of location seems a bit too conventional."

"There is no mistake."

Garen remained composed as he gave his word, continuing to play the role of a villainous schemer. "This is intelligence I pried from Vivi herself. That naive princess didn't harbor a shred of suspicion toward me."

"But..."

The meticulous Robin remained hesitant. "Why not wait until you marry the princess and become king before seeking the Poneglyph in a legitimate manner?"

"This..."

Garen paused for a moment, feeling somewhat troubled. He couldn't exactly tell her that he was worried about complications arising and wanted to lure Crocodile out as soon as possible to finish him off. Garen had told Robin about the Poneglyph two days in advance and had openly marched toward Alubarna with her, all to flush out the snake. He was certain that the ambitious Crocodile was lurking somewhere near the royal tombs, watching him and Robin through some hidden means.

"The matter of marrying the princess requires careful deliberation," Garen said, his expression becoming earnest as he explained to Robin. "With Nami in the picture, it’s actually quite difficult to manage."

"..."

Robin was speechless. The image of a villainous mastermind she had just begun to form of Garen was instantly shattered. However, based on what she had seen and heard while undercover by his side these past few days, this knight did not seem like a cold-blooded schemer who viewed emotions as nothing. On the contrary, he appeared to be an ordinary young man who cared deeply about his girlfriend's thoughts.

"Ahem."

Garen coughed twice and said in a deep voice, "Let’s not waste any more time."

"When it comes to something like an Ancient Weapon, the sooner it is in one's hands, the better."

Robin nodded and followed Garen as they stealthily infiltrated the forbidden royal mausoleum. Despite the "stealthy infiltration," the two did not encounter a single guard along the way; the tomb was so quiet that the only sound was the rustling of palm leaves. This was because Garen had already notified King Cobra of his plan to set a trap for Crocodile within the capital. While the King was slightly displeased by the idea of someone eyeing his ancestors' graves, he was even more eager to eradicate Crocodile, the thorn in his side, and thus approved Garen's plan.

As Garen and Robin reached a bright, open courtyard in the center of the mausoleum, Garen pointed to the solid, empty ground and said, "Vivi said the Poneglyph is hidden beneath this."

"But I don't know where the mechanism for the secret passage is."

"It doesn't matter."

A unique luster ignited in Robin's eyes; her usually calm and composed temperament gave way to a hint of excitement. She had spent three years playing along with Crocodile for the sole purpose of seeing this Poneglyph hidden beneath Alabasta. She paced back and forth across the plaza, her sharp gaze sweeping over every stone on the floor, occasionally stooping down to tap the ground lightly. Before long, she discovered the hidden mechanism concealed beneath the tiles.

The ground suddenly split open, and the entrance to a wide underground passage appeared before them.

"Impressive," Garen praised sincerely. "As expected of a professional tomb raider."

The excitement on Robin's face froze instantly, and she couldn't help but retort, "I am an archaeologist."

"It's all just digging up graves, same thing."

Garen's casual joke annoyed Robin significantly. She turned her head away in frustration, ignoring the light smile on his face, and plunged into the passage she had just opened. The wide tunnel extended deep into the earth, eventually leading them to a spacious underground palace. Pushing open the long-sealed doors, a square, golden stone covered in strange characters appeared before them.

"It really is here!"

Robin could no longer maintain her calm and composed demeanor. She rushed forward in a state of agitation, stroking the characters on the stone. "This is the Poneglyph!"

The Poneglyph she had pursued so bitterly was finally before her, and the goal of her maneuvering between Crocodile and Garen was finally realized. But Robin was a wanderer who had survived countless crises; she quickly recovered from her excitement and turned to look at Garen with a meaningful gaze.

Garen looked back at her with curiosity and leaned in. Robin pulled a notebook from her coat and opened it to the first page, where a message was already written:

"I am carrying a Den Den Mushi; Crocodile has been eavesdropping nearby."

"Now that the Poneglyph has appeared, Crocodile could show up at any moment."

"Please be careful."

Garen glanced at her with surprise, then took the pen attached to the notebook and wrote:

"Isn't it a bit too late to warn me now?"

Robin smiled without a word, took the pen back, and wrote:

"My goal has always been the Poneglyph. Only by finding it could I truly abandon Crocodile."

"Very well."

Garen wrote the final sentence in the notebook:

"Besides, my only fear is that Crocodile won't show up."

Robin frowned, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Hahahaha!"

"The Ancient Weapon Pluton is mine!"

Garen suddenly let out a loud, nonsensical laugh, speaking triumphantly to Robin, "How about that? Following a boss like me is more reliable, isn't it?"

"The Poneglyph that Crocodile failed to find after years of scheming, I’ve captured in just a month."

Garen feigned disdain as he mocked her former boss: "Looking at it this way, it's no wonder that a fool like him was easily deceived by me."

"Deceived?"

Robin understood Garen's intention and played along, acting as his straight man.

"That's right, hahaha!" Garen laughed wildly. "At first, I didn't know why Crocodile was so wary of me..."

"Later, I realized: this idiot must have seen me training with Mihawk and assumed I was some sort of peerless master!"

"What do you mean?" Robin continued to play along. "Are you saying you aren't as strong as he imagined?"

"Of course!" Garen laughed even more mockingly. "I was only able to block Mihawk's sword because my Devil Fruit ability is quite special."

"If that fool Crocodile had just attacked me from the start, I would have been killed long ago."

"But I never thought this silly crocodile would be such a coward, not even daring to show his face, just watching as I dug out his foundation... Hahahaha!"

Garen's laughter traveled clearly through the Den Den Mushi in Robin's pocket to the other end of the line.

"Damn you!"

Crocodile was so furious that he felt as if he were smoking from every orifice. He smashed the poor Den Den Mushi hard against the ground. "That shameless little wretch! I will tear him to pieces today!!"

Crocodile, who had been carefully considering how to seize the Poneglyph from Garen due to his concerns about his own strength, lost his mind in that instant. The residents of the capital heard a whistling sound from above, and a violent, abnormal sandstorm swept across the sky.