Chapter 534: With Meiser’s Strength, Handling a Marine Admiral Shouldn’t Be a Problem

Chapter 534: Chapter 534: With Meiser’s Strength, Handling a Marine Admiral Shouldn’t Be a Problem

"Hey, what is that over there?!"

Usopp pointed toward a massive plant-like shadow in the distance and said, "That looks just like a giant rose!"

"My, my~"

"It is quite lovely~" Nico Robin chuckled.

Usopp: "??"

What do you mean, quite lovely?

Is now really the time to be admiring the scenery?

"Hey, Law." Usopp glanced at Law. "Is this Green Bit?"

"It looks like a massive primeval forest."

As he spoke, Usopp recalled his previous experiences on the Boin Archipelago. The vegetation on that island had been absurdly huge as well.

"This is indeed Green Bit," Law said.

The location was undeniably correct, though it was his first time seeing the island’s landscape in person.

"Hey, Joker!" Caesar suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs. "It’s me! Hurry up and save me!"

"Shut your mouth."

Law raised Kikoku, pointing it directly at Caesar. "It isn’t the agreed time or place yet. Doflamingo won’t show up."

Law paused, glanced toward the southeast, and continued, "Once three o’clock arrives, Doflamingo will naturally go there to rescue you."

Hearing this, Caesar pursed his lips. That was true enough, but... who wouldn’t want to be saved a little sooner?

Just then, Usopp pointed toward the distant forest and yelled, "Hey, look over there!"

"Isn’t that a Marine Warship?!"

"Looks like it was washed directly onto the island... Just what kind of force could throw a warship that massive into the forest?"

Could it have been rammed up there by the Fighting Fish?

Come to think of it, that wasn’t entirely impossible.

"Let me see."

Nico Robin peered through a pair of binoculars, her expression turning grave. "Judging from the fresh breaks on the crushed vegetation, this warship arrived on the island not long ago."

"Just arrived?" Usopp gasped in shock. "You mean those Fighting Fish attacked us only after they finished attacking that warship?"

"Perhaps," Nico Robin said. "However, the warship doesn’t appear heavily damaged, so I can’t say for sure whether it was attacked by Fighting Fish."

Under normal circumstances, an attack by a school of Fighting Fish wouldn’t leave a warship with so little damage.

After a moment of thought, Nico Robin turned to Law, whose face had darkened. "What are you thinking?"

"I’m thinking about what Sunglasses-ya said earlier."

"You suspect that Marine Admiral came here?" Usopp instinctively swallowed hard, then said agitatedly, "Then why are we still bothering with the trade?! Let’s get out of here right now!"

"Yeah, exactly!"

Caesar chimed in frantically. "Marines showing up means the deal might be blown! What are we waiting around for?!"

"Lower your damn voice, you idiot scientist!" Usopp grabbed Caesar. "And why the hell are you getting so worked up?!"

"Because I’m a wanted man too!" Caesar squealed. "Now that Joker is no longer one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, the law doesn’t protect me anymore!"

If that was the case, the Marines here would definitely arrest him!

And once caught, he would be thrown straight into that horrifying place—Impel Down.

The mere thought made Caesar panic even harder.

"I—"

"I told you to keep it down, you idiot scientist!" Usopp roared, shaking Caesar.

Unfortunately, scolding did nothing to calm Caesar down.

Nico Robin remained silent, merely keeping her eyes on Law to see what he planned to do.

Law pondered for a moment, then said, "The trade proceeds as planned."

"Huh?!"

"Did you not hear a single word we just said?!" Caesar screeched.

There were Marines on the island right now, and possibly even a Marine Admiral!

Under these conditions, he still wanted to make the trade?

Did Law have a hole in his head?

Usopp also stared at Law in disbelief. Was there really any need to go through with the exchange at a time like this?

"The presence of a warship doesn’t mean an Admiral is here," Law said calmly. "Don’t forget what Sunglasses-ya told us."

"The Admiral most likely went after Ace-ya and the others."

Caesar: "??"

What the hell?

Why didn’t I know about this?

Wait, just what happened while I was knocked out?!

"But if it’s not an Admiral, how could a warship make it here through that swarm of Fighting Fish?" Usopp asked, frowning.

He still felt the probability of an Admiral being here was far higher.

"A Vice Admiral could easily handle those Fighting Fish," Law explained. "So it’s not surprising that this warship made it here safely."

"And a Vice Admiral-level opponent poses no threat to us."

To him, someone of a Vice Admiral’s caliber was practically no different from fodder.

After all, killing Vergo hadn’t been particularly difficult.

Law didn’t consider a Vice Admiral a match for him.

"What if..." Usopp pressed, "what if a Marine Admiral is here?"

"Doflamingo’s cooperation with the Marines is predicated on dealing with Fire Fist Ace. That target doesn’t include me," Law said. "So I don’t believe an Admiral would come here just to corner me."

On this point, his reasoning aligned with Sunglasses-ya’s.

"How can you be so sure?" Usopp asked. "Aren’t you worried you’re on their hit list too?"

"Did you forget that I’m still one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea?" Law countered. "As long as I retain that title, the Marines won’t act against me rashly."

Even if Doflamingo had struck a deal with the Marines and asked them to join forces against him, the Marines wouldn’t necessarily let Doflamingo pull their strings.

After all, why would someone who was no longer a Warlord have the authority to order the Marines to attack an active one?

Especially when a Marine Admiral was involved!

And most importantly... he could not afford to pass up this opportunity!

Law knew very well that this was his last chance in life to claim his revenge. He refused to give it up!

Usopp pursed his lips. The logic sounded sound, but an unsettling dread still lingered in his gut.

Nico Robin spoke up. "Law, did you forget this morning’s newspaper?"

"I know about that, of course," Law replied. "At most, the Marines will question me about the situation. They won’t immediately revoke my Warlord status on the spot."

"At least, not that quickly."

Law paused briefly before continuing, "Besides... I don’t think I’m as important in the Marines’ eyes as Ace-ya."

He was merely an ordinary Warlord; his significance was nowhere near that of the Pirate King’s scion.

At least, that was how the World Government saw it.

Therefore, the likelihood of an Admiral ambushing Fire Fist Ace was far higher.

Nico Robin considered this and found that Law’s reasoning made sense.

After all, that was the son of the Pirate King!

In such circumstances, the World Government would almost certainly order an Admiral to capture Fire Fist Ace.

Still, a strange sense of unease gnawed at the back of her mind, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.

After a moment’s reflection, Nico Robin said, "What you’re saying makes sense. But... could it be possible that two Marine Admirals were deployed?"

"Impossible."

Law sounded utterly certain. "Ace-ya may be of paramount importance to the World Government, but he hardly warrants dispatching two Admirals."

Ace’s lineage as the Pirate King’s son certainly made him capable, but not to the extent of requiring two Admirals.

After all, an Admiral was a powerhouse capable of clashing with the Four Emperors without losing!

Against just Fire Fist Ace?

He truly wasn’t worth sending two Admirals.

Nico Robin mulled it over and agreed.

A monster of an Admiral’s caliber—one was more than enough.

With that thought, Nico Robin relaxed slightly.

"However, to be safe, we must still prepare for the possibility of powerful foes being here," Law said after thinking it over. "I will head to the southeast coast as planned to wait for Doflamingo. The two of you will enter the forest to gather intel."

"The forest..."

Looking back toward the dense woods, Usopp’s face was full of reluctance.

Even if the odds of an Admiral being here were slim, he still didn’t want to face the Marines.

Seeing Usopp’s hesitation, Law had no choice but to add, "We need to confirm who is lurking in the forest."

"What if a Marine Admiral is there?" Nico Robin asked.

"Run!" Law said firmly. "If you spot an Admiral, your only priority is to survive!"

Nico Robin went silent for a beat, then nodded. "Understood."

"If we encounter someone formidable, we’ll signal you."

If an insurmountable enemy appeared, she would use her Devil Fruit ability to alert Law so he could withdraw immediately.

"Good. I’m counting on you two."

Law nodded, then led Caesar off toward the southeast coast.

Watching his figure vanish into the distance, Nico Robin turned to Usopp. "Let’s go. It’s time for us to move."

"Do we really have to go in?"

Usopp stared apprehensively at the forest ahead. It looked like the gaping maw of a colossal beast—stepping inside felt like marching to his death!

At the thought, Usopp instinctively took a step backward.

"Things have already reached this point; we can’t back out now," Nico Robin said. "Besides... even if we run into a Marine Admiral, we have a way to deal with him."

"What way?" Usopp asked curiously.

Since when did they have a way to deal with an Admiral?

"By using a Den Den Mushi to call for backup," Nico Robin said with a chuckle. "When the time comes, I’ll just summon Meiser over."

With Meiser’s strength, protecting them and helping them escape wouldn’t be an issue.

As for the risk of exposure?

According to Meiser, as long as he didn’t encounter Marines who had seen his face before, there would be no problem.

"But Green Bit is pretty far from Dressrosa..." Usopp said with a bitter grimace.

"At his speed, it won’t take him long to get here."

Leaving no room for further complaints, Nico Robin turned and walked directly toward the forest.

Seeing this, Usopp sighed in defeat. "Sigh, fine."

If Robin put it that way, what else could he say?

He might as well follow obediently and gather the intel.

Shaking his head, Usopp hurried to catch up with Nico Robin.

"Hey, wait up!" Usopp called out. "It’s dangerous here! Don’t get too far from me, or I won’t be able to protect you!"

Despite his brave words, the cautious, jittery way he scanned his surroundings made it obvious he was terrified.

"Hehe, your words are so reassuring, Usopp~" Nico Robin teased.

Usopp cleared his throat awkwardly. Was that sarcasm?

"Alright, keep up."

"Coming, coming!"

Catching up to Nico Robin, Usopp surveyed the dense surroundings. "In a forest this huge, where are we even supposed to find the Marines?"

There were less than twenty minutes left until three o’clock. Was that really enough time to track anyone down?

He had serious doubts.

"We’ll search steadily," Nico Robin said without looking back. "It’s better than doing nothing."

Since the Straw Hat Pirates had decided to help Law carry out this plan, they had to see it through as best they could.

Usopp merely nodded and kept quiet.

Soon, the two slipped through a breach in the foliage and ventured deep into the forest, searching for traces of the Marines.

Right then, a man’s shout echoed from a distance.

"Who’s there?!" a Marine yelled. "Is that the Straw Hat Crew?!"

"Are we busted?!" Usopp gasped.

Had the Marines spotted them first?

"Shh—"

"It doesn’t look like they’ve noticed us," Nico Robin whispered, watching the Marines in the distance. "Rather... it looks like they’re confronting an enemy."

"An enemy?"

Usopp blinked. Weren’t the two of them the only members of the Straw Hat Pirates here?

Then, an idea struck him, and his eyes lit up with hope. "Could Meiser have arrived already?"

Nico Robin shook her head. "Meiser wouldn’t come here on his own. Dressrosa is his main stage."

His mission over there wasn’t finished yet; why would he come here unprompted?

Usopp: "..."

Usopp’s face fell completely. Could you not crush my hopes the second they appear? Robin, that’s really uncalled for...

"Damn Straw Hats, come out right now!" a Marine shouted nervously. "Lay down your arms and surrender quietly, and we might let you live!"

"That’s right, come out, or we’ll shoot!"

The Marines scanned their surroundings with mounting tension, their fingers tightening around their Flintlocks.

The moment they caught sight of the Straw Hats, they would open fire!

"I’m not with the Straw Hats," Leo declared. "I am Leo!"

As he spoke, Leo and his companions crept silently toward the Marines across the forest floor, clearly poised to strike.

And from start to finish, the Marines had failed to detect the slightest trace of the Dwarf Tribe!