Starting from One Piece: Multiverse Simulation

Over the years, Robin had put in a great deal of effort to win Wood's affection.

In terms of looks, figure, and various other qualities, Robin considered herself highly competitive among the women Wood knew.

Yet, despite this, after more than ten years and numerous attempts to offer herself to him, she had been repeatedly rejected, leaving her feeling defeated.

At one point, Robin even began to wonder if Wood might have... some "issues." Subtly, she had even suggested taking a vacation to the medical nation of Drum Island.

However, during an accidental discovery, Robin found out that Wood didn't have any issues at all. It was simply that he had no romantic interest in her!

As Wood's personal secretary, Robin usually accompanied him everywhere. But one time, when the factory's translation work reached a critical point, Uncle Ruth went with Wood on a business trip instead to avoid delays in production.

It was only later that Robin learned Wood and Ruth had gone to meet none other than the Golden Emperor, Gild Tesoro.

As the richest man on the seas, Tesoro had even built the world's largest entertainment city, and naturally, he would spare no expense to welcome an old benefactor like Wood.

Following that trip, Ruth would often boast to the crew about how amazing Tesoro's Golden City was. Not only was it a paradise of debauchery, but the number of beautiful women in the entertainment district was unmatched. Ruth proudly claimed he had been able to handle three dancers in one night.

But even Ruth admitted that compared to their young and vigorous captain, Wood, who had handled a full ten dancers, his performance paled in comparison.

When Robin heard this, she was furious. Knowing that Wood wasn't lacking in capability but was choosing to entertain himself with random women rather than her made her lose her temper entirely.

Eventually, after some intense "interrogation," Ruth spilled the truth. He confessed that there hadn't been ten women—only three, and that even Wood had only been with three, not ten as the rumors said.

But the point wasn't the numbers. What truly mattered was that Robin now knew Wood was perfectly fine in that regard, perhaps even more capable than most!

Realizing that waiting around would get her nowhere, Robin, who had waited from her teenage years to nearly thirty, decided to take action. She wasn't going to wait any longer until she turned from a ripe peach into a spoiled one.

Thus, after some serious thought, Robin resolved to make her move and find an opportunity to seize the initiative!

Wood's daily life was rather leisurely. He had no intention of working, so when he wasn't training, he was just lazing around at home, making it difficult for Robin to find the right moment.

However, this time, Wood had surprisingly announced he was going on a vacation. Even though his choice of Alabasta, a desolate desert kingdom, was odd, Robin wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by.

After verifying the weapons shipment, the members of Baroque Works paid the bill promptly.

Although their boss was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, they dared not shortchange a powerful underworld figure like Wood—especially since he was right there in front of them. None of them had the courage for that.

Yet, after the transaction was completed, Mr. 12 was shocked to see that Wood and Robin had no intention of leaving. A sense of panic crept over him.

Although he dismissed the idea that Wood was planning to rob them, having such a powerful figure lingering around made Mr. 12's heart race with anxiety.

"Is there a problem with the payment, Lord Wood?" Mr. 12 nervously asked, his unease growing as Wood and Robin continued to follow them.

"No, there's no problem. In fact, your boss was quite generous, even paying 5% above the asking price for our weapons," Wood replied calmly.

The weapons from Wood's factory were in such high demand that immediate purchases were impossible. Typically, orders had to be placed and delivered later. But since Crocodile planned to turn on the Alabasta royal family soon, he had paid extra to secure a stockpile from Wood's current inventory.

"So... if the payment is fine, why are you both still following us?" Mr. 12 asked, his unease palpable.

Once the payment had been confirmed, the rest of the crew had returned to the ship and left. Robin didn't want anyone interfering with her private vacation with Wood, and besides, Alabasta's harsh desert environment was pure hell for the Fish-Men.

"That's a strange question," Wood remarked with a smirk. "Even if Crocodile does manage to conquer Alabasta, do you think he could stop me from stepping foot on this island? We're new here, and if we get lost in the desert, we might not make it to the nearest town. So, of course, we'll follow you until we're somewhere more familiar."

With Wood's statement, Mr. 12 couldn't argue. Even if he had objections, what could he do? Wood was far too powerful.

Arms cannot twist against legs, and in front of Wood, these men were more like fingers at best—not even arms.

"Wood, I still don't understand," Robin interjected. "Alabasta does have a unique landscape, but there are so many more beautiful places in the New World. Why did you choose to vacation here?"

As Robin looked around at the scorching heat and endless sand, she truly couldn't understand why Wood had chosen such a barren place.

With her intelligence, Robin knew that Wood wasn't really here for a vacation. But she couldn't fathom what Alabasta, a kingdom so poor that it had nothing but sand, could offer him.

"What do you think of Crocodile?" Wood asked, changing the subject.

"According to our intelligence, Crocodile was one of the more infamous pirates in his early years, though his bounty before becoming a Warlord was only 81 million Berries.

"That low bounty actually highlights his abilities. Though we don't know much about him, Crocodile is known to be highly ambitious and cunning. Compared to pirates who rely solely on brute strength, he's much more dangerous," Robin replied thoughtfully.

Not everyone could become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and their strength wasn't determined by their former bounties.

For instance, the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock had a bounty of only 80 million Berries when she became a Warlord, yet no one would call her weak.

As the queen of Amazon Lily, a user of the Love-Love Fruit, and a master of all three types of Haki, Hancock was undeniably one of the strongest Warlords.

In fact, the lower a pirate's bounty when they became a Warlord, the more the World Government viewed them as a significant threat with immense potential.

The Warlords existed to balance the power of the Four Emperors and to deter other pirates. The government wouldn't pick just anyone for the role.

Countless pirates had higher bounties than Crocodile and Hancock, yet it was these two who became Warlords. Why? Because they had both strength and strategy.

"If you believe Crocodile to be both ambitious and highly capable, then why do you think he chose Alabasta?" Wood continued.

"With his strength and resources, he could have set his sights on any kingdom in the first half of the Grand Line. So why would he choose a barren place like Alabasta?" Wood asked.

Wood and Robin's conversation wasn't particularly quiet, and Mr. 12 and the others listened anxiously from the side.

These lower-ranked members had only recently learned that Crocodile was their true boss, and now, they were overhearing yet another shocking secret.

Mr. 12 and the others were scared out of their wits, but their curiosity overpowered their fear. They, too, wanted to know what Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords, had found in this desert kingdom.

Just as they strained their ears to listen, however, Wood stopped speaking, and Robin didn't press the matter further.

With a guide to lead them and Alabasta's famous fast-running ducks for transportation, Wood and Robin quickly arrived at a town, parting ways with Mr. 12's group.

As they watched Wood and Robin fade into the distance, Mr. 12 knew he had to report Wood's arrival on the island to Crocodile immediately.

Meanwhile, after several twists and turns, the Straw Hat Pirates had passed through Little Garden and Drum Island, replenished their supplies, and recruited the adorable reindeer doctor, Chopper. Now, they, too, were making landfall in another part of Alabasta.

Upon arriving in Alabasta, Luffy happened to run into his sworn brother, Portgas D. Ace.

Ace, who had set sail two years before Luffy, had once shared the same dream of becoming the Pirate King. However, he had since become the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Seeing each other again after so long, the two brothers naturally chatted at length. During their conversation, Ace took the opportunity to warn Luffy:

"Don't even think about challenging the powerful figures of the sea, like the traitor Wood, until you've become strong enough."

Once upon a time, Ace had been just like Luffy, brimming with overconfidence and arrogance.

However, the "Spade Pirates" that Ace had formed after setting sail hadn't lasted long before they ran into one of the strongest pirate crews on the seas—the Whitebeard Pirates.

As expected, the then-rookie Ace was no match for Whitebeard, and after getting thoroughly beaten, Ace was won over by Whitebeard's strength and charisma, eventually becoming the Second Division Commander.

Back when Ace and Luffy were still in Windmill Village, they both believed they would one day defeat all the formidable enemies of the sea and find the legendary One Piece.

But after venturing out into the world, Ace realized that the world was far larger and more dangerous than he had ever imagined.

As his experiences grew, Ace came to understand that those who had already made a name for themselves were anything but ordinary.

Though Ace didn't believe Wood could defeat Whitebeard, he did acknowledge that the Navy traitor was one of the most powerful figures on the seas.

In fact, Ace had once heard Marco mention that Wood had almost joined the Whitebeard Pirates himself, but Red-Haired Shanks had managed to recruit him first.

Because of that, when Whitebeard took a liking to Ace, he didn't hesitate to act swiftly, not wanting to miss the opportunity.

"Is Wood really as strong as Grandpa said? Even you can't beat him?" Luffy asked through mouthfuls of grilled desert crab as they traveled through the desert.

"He's incredibly strong, even stronger than Grandpa said. Although I haven't fought him myself, my current captain has met him. All I can say is that I'm nowhere near his level right now. Neither are you, Luffy," Ace replied with a somber expression.

A few years of pirate life had knocked much of the arrogance out of Ace. He now feared that Luffy, not knowing his limits, would challenge enemies beyond his strength and lose his life as a result.

After all, not every strong pirate was like Whitebeard, who spared his challengers and even took them in as sons.

Ace had come to Alabasta in pursuit of the traitor Blackbeard, and after passing through the desert, he parted ways with Luffy and his crew.

"Luffy, is your brother strong? Why don't we recruit him to help us take down Crocodile, and we can help him find that traitor in his pirate crew?" Nami suggested.

Though she hadn't known Ace long, Nami already found him to be far more reliable than her idiotic captain, the directionally challenged swordsman, and the perverted cook.

While Nami had confidence in the Straw Hats' combat trio, they were still up against one of the Seven Warlords, Crocodile, and Vivi had mentioned that Baroque Works had thousands of members. Just the few of them couldn't possibly sway the entire situation.

"Ace is really strong since I've never been able to beat him," Luffy admitted. "But this is our crew's mission. We promised Vivi that we'd help her, so I won't let Ace get involved."

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at [email protected]/Betek (@->a)