"Nami, I'm leaving a few of the officers to you!" Ryuuto said with a light chuckle, looking at the slightly haughty Nami.
"No way, Captain! I'm just a navigator!" Nami's face went pale with fright as she waved her hands in refusal.
"Gahahahaha~" Seeing the two still in the mood to joke, Bello Betty felt her own spirits lift, letting out a series of hearty laughs. It seemed Ryuuto wasn't worried about the impending battle at all. After their introductions, Bello Betty had learned everything Ryuuto had done for the people of Erumalu, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of approval toward him.
Following this, Bello Betty led Ryuuto and Nami into a dimly lit room. The decor was simple, with a number of Den Den Mushi arranged on a single table. Seated in the middle was a woman in a purple outfit and a cowboy hat. It was Nico Robin.
It turned out that the person Bello Betty mentioned who could lure Crocodile out was Robin herself. As the Vice President of Baroque Works and the organization's second-in-command, Robin had the authority to command all the agents and could report directly to Crocodile. At present, she was stationed here to monitor the movements of the rebel army.
*Bzz… Bzz… Bzzz!*
"This is Crocodile. Robin, do you have something to report? What's the situation in Alubarna?"
"Mr. 0, I was just about to report! I have confirmed intelligence that the leader of the rebel army plans to attack Alubarna in three days!"
"Kukuku... The day has finally come!"
"When the time comes, give the rebels a little help. Let Cobra feel true despair! Then it will be my time to take the stage!"
"Understood, Mr. 0. See you in three days!"
The Den Den Mushi cut off with a click. Robin nervously wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Betty, it's all up to you now," Robin said, her eyes turning to Bello Betty, Ryuuto, and Nami.
"Gahahahaha, now it's time for our show!" Bello Betty took a deep breath and stretched her arms back. The soft curves of her chest instantly broke free of their constraints, spilling out completely.
Just as Ryuuto was about to offer some pointed criticism, a slender hand covered his eyes.
"Robin, our captain will take care of things, too!" Nami said with an awkward smile.
"Nami, let me go!" Ryuuto said in exasperation, grabbing Nami's hand to pull it away from his eyes.
"Hee hee hee~" Nami said nothing, only giggling awkwardly.
After Bello Betty's introductions, Robin got to know Ryuuto and Nami as well.
"Robin, would you like to join us?" Ryuuto extended an invitation.
"Let's talk after Crocodile is defeated," Robin said softly, tucking a stray strand of hair back from her forehead.
Robin's primary reason for joining Crocodile was to use his resources to find the Poneglyphs and uncover the truth of the Void Century. The relationship between her and Crocodile was one of mutual exploitation. Robin used Crocodile's status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea to evade pursuit from the World Government, while Crocodile used Robin's abilities to build his reputation as a hero and plot his takeover of Alabasta.
Now that she had met Bello Betty, Robin had a new plan. She would use Bello Betty's power to defeat Crocodile, find the Poneglyph in the royal palace, and then join the Revolutionary Army. After all, the Revolutionaries were a force powerful enough to oppose the World Government. Not only could they solve her identity problem for good, but they could also make it much easier to find the other Poneglyphs scattered across the world.
Because of this, Ryuuto's invitation wasn't even something she would consider.
"Alright, Robin. No matter what, I'll respect your choice," Ryuuto said. He had a faint guess as to her intentions and didn't press the matter further.
After a bit more discussion, Ryuuto gained a clearer understanding of Crocodile's forces. He then bid farewell to Robin and Bello Betty and began to organize his own people.
"Darola, go and pick ten strong warriors from the crowd!" Ryuuto ordered as soon as he returned to their base in Erumalu.
Ryuuto looked into his inventory. He now had thirteen Bean Soldiers.
"Retrieve!" he thought, and ten gleaming yellow beans instantly appeared in his hand.
"Captain, what are your orders?" A short while later, Darola and nine others stood before him.
Ryuuto looked them over. Two of them were very familiar; they seemed to be the same residents who had initially tried to rob him of his water. Most of the ten were empty-handed, with only three carrying weapons: Darola, one of the men who had tried to rob him, and another resident dressed as a farmer. They carried a flintlock pistol, a wide-bladed cutlass, and a sickle, respectively.
"There will be a great battle here in three days. I have ten Bean Soldiers, one for each of you. When the battle begins, use them immediately!"
"Once you use it, you will transform into a powerful Golden-Armored Warrior!" Ryuuto instructed, handing the Bean Soldiers to them.
"Captain, how do we use this?" The men looked at the beans in their hands, which looked like ordinary soybeans.
"It's very simple to use. When the time comes, just hold it in your hand and think the word 'use' in your mind," Ryuuto explained in detail.
"Understood, Captain." The men carefully put their Bean Soldiers away.
Once the ten warriors had dispersed, Nami immediately ran up to Ryuuto. "Captain, how come I've never seen you use one of those?"
"Nami, think about the captain's strength. He definitely doesn't need them," Crocus said with a chuckle.
"Oh, right!" Nami had a moment of realization, but then a mischievous thought struck her. She looked at Ryuuto and said, "Captain, I could use one! Do you have any more? Give me a few!"
With that, Nami held her fair hand out in front of him.
"You? You get none!" Ryuuto said irritably, tapping Nami on the head. "Have you mastered your Clima-Tact? How's the development of your Devil Fruit powers coming along?"
"Ow! That's mean!" Nami cried out, rubbing her head. "Stingy captain!" she pouted, glaring at him.
"Hahahahahaha~" Seeing the two of them fooling around, Crocus was in a great mood, stroking his beard as he laughed heartily.
"Don't worry! Old Crocus will be watching over you," Ryuuto said, rubbing his face as he tried to console Nami.
"Old Crocus~" Nami immediately turned to Crocus, putting on a cute, pleading act.
"Nami, you'll have to rely on yourself! I might be too busy to look out for you!" Crocus said with a grin.
Crocus understood Ryuuto's plan. Nami had never been in a real battle before, and this was the perfect opportunity to train her.