Outside Rainbase City.
As time passed, Nami had finished mapping out the area around Rainbase, and they were preparing to move further.
By now, it was nearing noon, and everyone was starting to feel parched.
"Whew~~"
"This desert heat is no joke. It's really hot here," Daisy said as she climbed into the carriage and loosened her stifling cloak.
"Great job, everyone. Drinks are on me!" As soon as Nami got in, she pulled out a bunch of chilled drinks from a pocket dimension.
"Hehehe~~~"
"No need to thank me—we're teammates, after all," Leah said with a grin.
She then helped Nami hand out the drinks to everyone.
"Exactly~"
"But wow, this heat is something else. I envy Ryuen—he doesn't seem to feel it at all," Anya, the cook, grumbled, casting a glance at Ryuen.
With this desert climate, even someone used to working in a hot kitchen like her was struggling.
"Heh~" Ryuen glanced at her but didn't say anything.
"Here you go, Sister Robin. This is your iced juice," Leah said, handing Robin a cup of orange juice.
"Thanks~" Robin softly expressed her gratitude.
She took the juice from Leah and began sipping on it.
—
While Robin was enjoying the juice with the Dream Exploration Team, one of her colleagues wasn't having such a good time.
Upon arriving, Bon Clay immediately noticed that Mr. 9's group was missing, and he sensed that something was wrong.
Just as he was about to report to Mr. 0, he received urgent news from the lower-level agents.
The Marines had landed in Alabasta, and leading them was none other than the Marine hero Garp!
This shook him to his core.
After reporting this to Mr. 0, Bon Clay quickly led the commanders toward Rainbase.
Inside Rainbase Casino.
Crocodile's face turned dark as he listened to Mr. 2's report, his expression so grim it looked like water could drip from it.
With Garp now in Alabasta, even though there was no concrete evidence that he was here for Crocodile, Crocodile had to be on guard.
From the moment the Dream Exploration Team landed, to the disappearance of the punished agents, and now Mr. 9's team going missing, everything seemed connected.
Crocodile couldn't shake the feeling that these events were somehow linked.
"Ha~ Ha~ Ha~ Ha~~~"
"The Marine hero Garp, this is my turf. Who wins and who loses is still up in the air~~~," Crocodile said coldly.
Sassy ignored Daz Bonez's comment.
"Should we take action against the survey team in advance?" Daz Bonez asked, his expression unchanged.
A poker face?
"Ask Miss All Sunday, see where the survey team is right now..." Crocodile said coldly.
Daz Bonez didn't respond. He quietly left and started contacting Miss All Sunday.
The transport was now not far from Rainbase.
Inside the land-and-water turtle vehicle, the group no longer felt the heat and started talking about funny stories from the sea.
"Bububu~~~"
Suddenly, a phone snail rang, interrupting the lively atmosphere in the vehicle. The phone bug belonged to Robin.
"Sorry, I need to take this call," Robin said apologetically.
The land-and-water turtle immediately stopped, and Robin stepped out of the vehicle with an apologetic expression.
At that moment, Nami's phone bug rang as well, which surprised everyone in the Dream Team.
"Hello?"
"Hahaha~~~"
"Is this Nami? It's Garp, it's Garp! I'm getting close to Rainbase now, where are you guys?" As soon as Nami picked up, Garp's loud voice came through.
Ryuen grabbed the phone bug and shouted, "Hey! Vice Admiral Garp, you're in Rainbase, but you're not going after Crocodile? Why contact us?"
"Oh?"
"It's you, Ryuen? Well, it's nothing really. I'm just worried that you're also in Rainbase. If we fight and accidentally hurt you, that wouldn't be good."
"After all, you guys are the World Government's precious darlings now," Garp said calmly from not far outside Rainbase.
"Heh~"
"Vice Admiral Garp, don't think I don't know what you're up to. You go ahead and catch your pirates. Be careful not to get caught in your own trap," Ryuen replied nonchalantly.
*Click*
With that, Ryuen hung up the phone.
"That's strange. What did Vice Admiral Garp mean by calling us?" Daisy asked, confused.
"I think he probably wants us to go back. After all, we've been avoiding him for years. It's been a long time since we last saw him," Nojiko guessed.
At this moment, Robin returned.
"Sorry, everyone, I might have to leave," Robin said apologetically as she entered the vehicle.
She seemed visibly scared and uneasy, and the Dream Team could clearly feel her wariness toward them.
"Robin, that was probably Crocodile calling you, right? So now you should know that Vice Admiral Garp has arrived here.
To be honest with you, Vice Admiral Garp is here for Crocodile.
So, Robin, I think you shouldn't go back," Nojiko said seriously, looking at Robin.
"Just as I thought, you came here because of Crocodile~~~" Robin said quietly.
"No, this is Princess Vivi's request, or Miss Wednesday, as you know her. We were just helping her contact Garp."
"So, Robin, if you go back now, Garp will catch you on the spot.
Are you still going back?" Ryuen said softly, looking at Robin.
"She's actually Princess Vivi? No wonder Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday weren't around during the mission today.
But, Ryuen, little brother, why do you think I would walk into Rainbase and get caught?"
"I can leave Alabasta anytime," Robin said, smirking.
---
At that moment, outside Rainbase...
The casino was surrounded by the Marines Garp brought with him.
The onlookers stared in disbelief, not understanding why the Marines were here to capture their hero!
Some of Crocodile's crazy fans even thought about taking action against the Marines.
"Warlord of the Sea Crocodile, you've caused trouble. Now, will you come back to Impel Down quietly, or will you try to resist?" Vice Admiral Garp hadn't arrived yet, and a Marine Lieutenant Commander was handling the situation.
"Ha~ Ha~ Ha~ Ha~"
"Is this what the Marines are like now? You think a few words can make me surrender? Who do you think I am?" Crocodile shouted in a deep voice.
"Wahahaha~~"
"Am I wrong? A person like him can't be persuaded by just a few words," Garp's figure appeared with his aide, Bogart, from a distance.
"Garp!"
When Crocodile saw Garp, his gaze immediately focused on him.
---
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