Chapter 79: Ryuunosuke—That's My Big Brother!
Once a kingdom of immense power, now reduced to this... all because of a Shichibukai.
Time really is something else.
It can take the weak and make them strong, and it can crush the mighty until they crumble.
"Hawkins, let's go. We've got company," Ryuunosuke said calmly as he stepped out of the corridor, with Hawkins following.
They exited through another path, and before long, a lone figure stood waiting in the desert ahead of them.
Even with dusk creeping in, the remaining light was enough to clearly make out the silhouette.
"The person we're looking for... Nico Robin, right?" Ryuunosuke said with a slight grin.
Nico Robin walked up to meet them.
"Captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates—Ryuunosuke," she said, her tone cautious. "And... Basil Hawkins. Former captain of the Hawkins Pirates, now one of your crew."
"I assume your appearance in Alabasta isn't just for sightseeing. What exactly are you investigating?" she asked, getting straight to the point.
Robin had been tracking movements across the seas. Escaping Crocodile wasn't easy, after all.
Most assumed Crocodile was just a cruel man with average strength. But Robin knew better.
His Sand-Sand Fruit ability, his command of Haki—he kept those well-hidden. She'd seen it firsthand during his training sessions. The man was far more dangerous than he let on.
With Crocodile still searching for Pluto, she had to be extremely cautious. The only way to get ahead was to understand the sea's shifting intelligence networks.
"Miss Sunday... or should I call you Miss Nico Robin?" Ryuunosuke said casually. "Not that it matters much."
"You've got knowledge about Pluto, don't you? I've got a Poneglyph here. I was hoping you'd translate it for me."
"And just so you know... I can help make your dream come true too."
He raised his hand and pulled out a massive Poneglyph stone from his system space.
"You... you're also after Pluto?" Robin asked warily. She stepped forward, then froze as her eyes fell on the Poneglyph.
"This one... it doesn't talk about Pluto. It's Alabasta's historical record."
Robin had meant to say more, but the content etched onto the stone completely stole her attention.
This was a piece of lost history. Information never seen on any other Poneglyph.
In that moment, Nico Robin forgot about Ryuunosuke, Hawkins, and even the desert lizard behind them. She was utterly consumed by the stone.
"She just ignored our captain..." Hawkins muttered.
"Let her be," Ryuunosuke said calmly, pulling out his blade, Ame-no-Habakiri, and starting his own training.
Hawkins sighed and leaned back. He was still tired from his earlier fortune-telling session.
After all, using Devil Fruit powers consumed a lot of stamina. If one's body wasn't up to par, overuse could leave you completely drained—or worse, suffering side effects like kidney failure.
So, Hawkins took the chance to rest.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Alabasta—
Luffy's ship had just docked.
He was starving. The kind of hunger where he couldn't even remember what life felt like anymore.
Back at Whiskey Peak, he'd eaten like a monster, but his fight with Zoro had drained him badly. Add that to the lack of food during their sea voyage, and Luffy was in a full-blown emergency.
The first thing he did upon hitting land?
He burst into a restaurant, eyes wild and stomach growling like a beast. In doing so, he sent two men flying—crashing through several walls in the process.
The room went silent.
The people eating stared, slack-jawed.
After all, the ones he'd just knocked over were not nobodies.
One was Portgas D. Ace, second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The other was Smoker, White Hunter from Navy HQ.
Neither of them were the kind of people you wanted to mess with.
But Luffy didn't care. He pounced on the food like a demon possessed, scarfing it down with zero regard for the worried shopkeeper.
"Ha! Luffy!" a familiar voice laughed.
Ace got up, brushing off some dust, and walked over with a grin.
He'd been planning to meet Luffy earlier, but he'd run into Ryuunosuke on the way. One thing led to another, and he ended up traveling with the Dragon Hunter Pirates for a bit.
Still, fate had brought the brothers together again.
"Ace!!" Luffy shouted joyfully, his mouth still full of food. "Wait... aren't you with Ryuunosuke?"
"Huh? You came here alone?"
Seeing Ace meant Ryuunosuke had to be nearby. And for Luffy, that was huge.
Outside of his crew, only a few people mattered that much to him.
Ace. Sabo. Ryuunosuke.
Garp didn't count—he was family, sure, but in a whole different category.
Sabo had disappeared long ago, presumed dead. So seeing Ace—and knowing Ryuunosuke might be here too—filled him with happiness.
"Yeah, Ryuunosuke's here too," Ace nodded.
"Straw Hat... what's your connection to that damn Dragon Hunter captain?" Smoker stepped into the room, still dusting himself off. His tone was sharp, and his eyes narrowed.
The fear... the trauma of dealing with the Dragon Hunter Pirates hadn't left him.
The last time they crossed paths, Ryuunosuke had stood toe-to-toe with Kuzan.
Only the combined force of Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Aokiji had managed to force Ryuunosuke to retreat.
Since then, Smoker knew better than to underestimate them.
"Ryuunosuke?" Luffy grinned, swallowing a chunk of meat. "He's my big brother!"
Smoker's eyes widened, his expression darkening.
He came here to chase after Straw Hat, but now things had taken a sudden, dangerous turn.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates were here.
And the situation just got a whole lot more complicated.
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