Hearing that familiar yet distant voice, Robin stiffened. She stared blankly at the person in front of her, her mind going completely empty.
Even though the face was different, that voice… it was the one she knew best, the one she could never forget.
Robin's thoughts stopped, and she muttered softly, "Mr. Lorca..."
Carlo, still using Lorca's voice, walked up to her. "It's ."
He raised his hand and gently placed it on her head.
Feeling that familiar warmth, tears began to fall from the corners of Robin's eyes. Her body trembled slightly as countless words surged in her heart.
When she tried to lift her head, the voice in front of her spoke again.
"Rest for a while."
Robin only felt a light touch on her neck, and her consciousness instantly fell into darkness.
Looking at the sleeping girl, Carlo let out a faint sigh. This was not the place for a reunion. It would be better to explain everything after returning to headquarters.
Behind them, Sabo, still being held by the throat, felt a deep chill spread through his entire body.
An indescribable fear filled his mind. Robin's reaction had already explained everything. As he looked at the man turning back toward him, he struggled to speak, "Industrial... revolution..."
The origin and ideas of the Industrial Revolution had never been hidden. Robin had clearly said they were all taught to her by a man nad Lorca.
But that man was said to have been killed by the Marines in Alabasta.
And now, the very person whose ideas had built the foundation of the Revolutionary Army, the man who was supposed to be dead, had appeared again as a Marine.
Sabo recognized him at once.
The Revolutionary Army's intelligence was not useless. This man was Sakazuki's most trusted subordinate, Carlo.
Carlo... Lorca... Carlo... Lorca...
A terrifying realization struck him. It felt like he had uncovered a massive conspiracy.
Carlo nodded. "That's right. I taught Robin. But..."
What ca next made Sabo's vision spin, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
"The book on the Industrial Revolution was written by Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. And your Revolutionary Army's core doctrine, Oppression and Resistance... that was also written by him."
Ignoring the shock and growing fear on Sabo's face, Carlo raised the Devil Fruit extractor in his hand. The seastone needle pierced into Sabo's abdon, sealing his ability.
"I didn't expect this kind of bonus. I only brought one extractor. I'll take you back to HQ and recover it later."
Carlo raised a finger and lightly tapped Sabo's heart. In that instant, his heart stopped and his consciousness faded away.
Soter manipulated the sand, bringing Robin over as she floated, then glanced at the massive Poneglyph. "Should we take this with us?"
Carlo shook his head. "No need. Let's go."
No one else could read it anyway, and its location was already known. Once the pirates were dealt with, they could retrieve Pluton. After that, this stone would be useless.
He placed his hands on the shoulders of the two n carrying Sabo and Robin.
Whoosh!
They vanished instantly from the underground ruins.
Only the last king of Alabasta, Cobra, and Crocodile's broken corpse remained behind, waiting to be discovered.
* * *
Alabasta, sowhere in the endless desert.
Under the scorching sun, the Straw Hat crew ran forward, following the direction indicated by Sabo's Vivre Card.
In Luffy's hand, the card had already burned away by one third, making everyone tense as they rushed ahead at full speed without daring to waste a second.
But soon, they stopped.
The Vivre Card in Luffy's hand stopped burning. Then suddenly, it changed direction, then again, and again, as if it could no longer sense anything at all.
With only two-thirds remaining, the card trembled faintly and could no longer point the way.
Luffy looked at the Vivre Card in his hand, puzzled. "Did this thing break?"
Zoro's expression turned serious. "No. That guy is probably no longer in Alabasta."
When Sabo had explained how Vivre Cards worked, everyone had listened. Everyone except Luffy, who never rembered things like that.
This kind of situation ant only one thing. The distance was too far, and the card could no longer guide them.
"What exactly happened..."
* * *
New World, New Marineford.
Soter had already returned to the battlefield in the New World, while Bullet still had another mission to carry out. He needed to wait a bit before moving.
Inside Carlo's residence.
Pfft!
A new Devil Fruit extractor pierced into Sabo's body. Bullet tightened his grip on the man's neck, and a crisp crack echoed as the life in Sabo's body rapidly faded.
Inside the extractor, a Devil Fruit slowly began to take shape.
Once it was fully ford, Carlo pulled out the extractor. Bullet carried the corpse to the window, held it outside, and took a slow breath.
Dense Armant Haki flowed along his arm.
Boom!
An invisible force struck the entire body. It trembled for a split second, then shattered into a cloud of blood mist.
Bullet exhaled. "Phew…"
The air in his lungs burst out like a violent wind, blowing away the blood mist and bone fragnts until they disappeared without a trace.
* * *
South Blue, Revolutionary Army Headquarters.
Dragon sat alone in a room, holding Sabo's Vivre Card, waiting uneasily. From ti to ti, he picked up a Den Den Mushi and tried to call.
In the afternoon, the card had suddenly started burning, and from that mont, he had a bad feeling. After it stopped burning, he waited for a long ti before trying to contact Sabo.
There was no response.
The Revolutionary Army branch in Alabasta had been fully mobilized, yet after hours of searching, they still found no trace of Sabo or Robin.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the remaining two-thirds of the card burst into flas.
In an instant, it burned completely to ash and slipped through Dragon's fingers.
His eyes widened in fury and pain.
"Sabo!!!"
Boom!
Dark clouds gathered above the island. Lightning raged wildly across the sky.
* * *
Evening.
New World, New Marineford.
Marine Hospital.
Inside the top-floor ward, Robin slowly opened her eyes. She looked at the white room and the familiar scent of dicine, her mind blank.
Her brows furrowed as she recalled what happened before she lost consciousness, and her eyes widened suddenly.
"Mr. Lorca!"
She threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and rushed to the window.
The mont she looked outside, she froze.
Massive fortress-like structures stood tall across the island. Though this wasn't the highest building, it was still high enough to overlook everything clearly.
Robin could see Marines moving about, carrying out their duties, and in the distance stood the iconic central fortress.
"This is... Marine Headquarters..."
Gazing at the scene before her, Robin's thoughts fell into chaos.
Everything that had happened in such a short ti had overturned her entire life. One revelation after another, each more shocking than the last.
Soone who was supposed to be dead was alive, and not only alive, but a Marine.
A heavy shadow settled over Robin's heart. For now, while no one was around, she needed to think.
She had to piece everything together.
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