On the small island in front of her, Nico Robin had a puzzled expression. her Observation Haki had detected groups of people surrounding her they were armed with cannons and firearms and seemed ready to act at any moment.
Robin couldn't help but notice that their demeanor didn't seem very friendly.
It seemed like her identity had been exposed, probably due to a letter from Crocodile. She hadn't anticipated Crocodile's quick response. However, she decided to confront them directly.
"Boss, Nico Robin has shown up! She's with the Straw Hats and they're here at Whiskey Peak," A woman informed her new superior, holding up a Den Den Mushi.
She was a tall young woman, with short blonde hair and dark eyes, she was wearing a yellow and orange hat, as well as a yellow dress with a lemon-like print, lemon earrings, and white high-heeled shoes.
She is Miss Valentine one of the agents of Baroque Works and was the user of the paramecia-type devil fruit Kilo Kilo no mi.
She had once been in contact with Nico Robin, but now she considered her a traitor. Leadership had changed hands and Miss. Valentine harbored murderous intent in her eyes.
Having worked tirelessly for Baroque Works in the past, she now couldn't help but feel grateful to Nico Robin.
"Is that so? What is she doing?" Crocodile's deep voice came through the Snail Transponder.
"She's not sitting; instead, she's standing on a boat, looking at us like we're strangers boss, should we act?" Mrs. Valentine asked."It seems that she has no intention of returning peacefully. Do you want me to deal with this trash and defeat them?".
"Miss Valentine, do it. Eliminate them all." Crocodile cut the call, a hint of frustration in his eyes. Unexpectedly, Nico Robin had decided to rebel against him and had gathered this pirate group around her. In her opinion, this group was just for show, an insult to her abilities.
A group of novice pirates just out to sea.
"Nico Robin, you're not taking me seriously," Crocodile muttered to himself, his expression darkening as he looked at the rewards on the table. The reward offered by the deputy captain was even higher than that of the captain, which seemed quite insignificant to him.
"A group of people playing pirates at sea. This is beneath me, an affront to my abilities." At that moment, Crocodile could not hide the rage brewing within him.
"Boss, why don't you let me take care of them?" A figure lurking in the shadows spoke and slowly stood up. Daz Bonez's face remained expressionless, but he broke his neck, producing audible cracks in the bones.
Although he didn't make any other moves, he exuded an aura of menace. Bonez seemed ready to exterminate two pests, without taking the Straw Hat crew seriously.
"Leave them alone. Our priority now is to conquer Alabasta," Crocodile replied.
"I suspect that Nico Robin received information and returned in a hurry. But what can she and the group she brought achieve?" Crocodile's interest in Nico Robin had waned. His objective was to achieve the surrender of Alabasta and obtain the historical text. The Nico Robin matter could be postponed.
First, they needed to take advantage of the historical text. Crocodile couldn't believe that no one in the world could decipher it. Furthermore, he had heard that Charlotte Linlin had someone who could interpret those things. If necessary, he could eliminate Charlotte Linlin and take the performer.
Furthermore, Charlotte Linlin also possessed a historical text. Crocodile possessed the prerequisites to reshape the world. He didn't want to be perpetually guided by Nico Robin. That wasn't his style and it didn't bother him.
Hearing that Crocodile was not interested, Bonez sat back down. He wasn't as arrogant as Crocodile; he simply looked for powerful opponents and did not worry about such matters.
"Boom!" After concluding her phone call with her new boss, Miss Valentine wasted no time issuing the attack order.
The cannons and artillery on their ships were swiftly aimed at the Merry, their firepower ready to rain down upon it.
"It can't be stopped at all!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes scanning the incoming shells from all directions.
Even with his rubber abilities, he couldn't hope to stop such an overwhelming barrage.
"Hateful!" Sanji and Zoro found themselves on opposite sides of the ship, unable to effectively counter the massive coverage of enemy firepower.
As the projectiles closed in, a visible trace of electric arcs danced across the ship.
To everyone's astonishment, the shells and bullets that were about to hit the Merry stopped dead in the air, suspended by an unseen force.
It was as though an invisible hand had taken control of the situation.
Miss Valentine furrowed her brow in confusion at this unexpected turn of events.
The projectiles and bullets hung in the air, defying gravity. Could there be individuals aboard the Merry with unique abilities?
If someone had the power to resist all attacks, what kind of skill set did they possess?
"Aren't they making too much of a fuss?" A figure stepped forward, positioning themselves protectively in front of Nami and Robin.
With a casual squeeze of their palm, the suspended bullets and shells changed direction slightly.
Ron took control of an iron ball from the air, holding it effortlessly in his hand.
In the next moment, the remaining bullets and shells followed suit, reversing their course.
With swift precision, Ron redirected the incoming projectiles back toward the Baroque Works agents.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The money they had spent on those bullets and shells suddenly seemed like a terrible investment.
Now, the members of Baroque Works would give anything to take back their misguided attack.
Panicked, the agents of the Baroque Works Agency scattered in all directions, desperate to avoid the lethal rain of projectiles that they had unleashed.
For if those bullets were to strike them, there would be no chance of survival.
"Booger fancy cannon!" Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the air.
A dark object hurtled towards the Merry, its nature and intent shrouded in mystery.
"What is this?" Luffy wondered aloud, reaching out a hand to intercept the small, black projectile as it closed in.
"Slap!" The object adhered itself to Luffy's fingertips, leaving the entire crew on edge.
The next moment, a deafening explosion erupted at the bow of the ship, engulfing Luffy in billowing clouds of black smoke.
"It's a booger!"
"That's right, it's a booger!"
"Who would've thought it was an exploding booger?"
"Luffy's mental fortitude is truly something else!"
Standing at a cautious distance, the crew members watched in amazement as Luffy fearlessly confronted the explosive projectile.
They had instinctively known not to touch it the moment they heard the name.
The sea was indeed vast and full of wonders, capable of turning even the most innocuous things into weapons.
The fact that boogers could explode was a revelation that challenged their preconceptions.
Ron couldn't help but marvel at Luffy's audacity. Who else would dare to do such a thing?
Hadn't they all noticed that everyone else had nearly cowered into a corner?
Only someone as fearless and unorthodox as Luffy would willingly confront such a bizarre threat.
"So what do we do with this snot-loving pirate?" Usopp asked, pointing out the imminent threat. It was a tall, dark-skinned, black-haired man with short, spiky dreadlocks. He wears a brown trench coat with a pink tie and a pair of sunglasses, regardless of the time of day. Like the other agents, his number is displayed on both his clothing and his body. He has a "5" on his coat; This number is also tattooed on her right shoulder.
He is Mr. 5, the companion of Miss Valentine and the user of the Bomu Bomu no mi.
Nico Robin gave a slight smile, having a good idea who was responsible.
"These should be Miss. Valentine and Mr.5," she said. "I never expected to find them here."
She was very familiar with the agents under her command, considering that Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 would be the lowest-level agents. Her incompetence was due to their inability to exercise their Devil Fruit abilities effectively, as they lacked the creativity to develop their Devil Fruits.
"Is that a Devil Fruit ability?" Nami asked hurriedly. Vivi, standing next to her, shared a similar concern.
Both Miss. Valentine and Mr.5 possessed Devil Fruit abilities and were highly trained agents.
"Booger Fancy Cannon!" Another projectile came hurtling towards them.
Zoro, who had drawn his three swords, grimaced at the sight. He didn't want to sully his blades by cutting booger bombs. It was an unbecoming task for a swordsman of his caliber.
Sanji shared Zoro's disdain, unsure of how to deal with the incoming threat.
"Usopp, knock that booger away," Sanji urged, grabbing Usopp's attention.
"Alright, Alright," Usopp responded, reluctantly preparing to use his slingshot to intercept the booger. however, lacking Observation Haki, he struggled to target the swiftly moving projectile.
"Are you making a fuss over a Booger?" Ron stepped forward, holding an iron pellet in his hand with arcs of electricity weaving around it. He seemed to have reversed half the gravity, causing debris to hover in the air.
The pellet shot forward like a laser, effortlessly piercing through the booger and causing a massive explosion.
"Boom!" The explosion created a deep crater on the island's surface, with a figure standing upright at its center. The iron pellet Ron had casually thrown had pierced through MR.5's heart, ending the threat.
The crew on the Merry remained frozen, still processing the lightning-fast events. They had scarcely seen what had happened.
As for the booger man, he now lay motionless on the ground.
"Do you understand what an electromagnetic gun is?" Ron asked with a grin.