One Piece: Kurumi Tokisaki, Admiral of Time

Then, Robin pulled out the Jokers from the deck, took five pairs and a single card, and began to deal. Watching Hera holding her hand so seriously, she found it somewhat amusing.

She then asked, "You still haven't answered my question. Is it really okay to just let this group of pirates be?"

Hera's focus was entirely on the cards. "Of course it's fine. There are more important things to do right now, don't you think, devil child?"

Robin was shocked to hear that familiar title, and she almost couldn't hold her cards. However, she managed to steady her nerves. "How do you know that? Are you going to capture me and take me back?"

Hera shook her head. "I'm not going to take you back. I'm mainly here to meet a few people. If possible, I'd rather not get involved."

"Besides, there are a few things I'm curious about."

Robin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Hera wasn't there to capture her. She then became interested in what Hera was curious about and asked while drawing a card, "What things?"

Hera thought for a moment. Robin had been with Sir Crocodile for a long time, so she might know something. She asked, "You've been with Sir Crocodile for so long, have you noticed anything off about him?"

Robin frowned. As she played a pair from her hand, she asked, "Anything off?"

Hera said mysteriously, "I also heard this from a friend in the Revolutionary Army. Is it possible that Old Croc is actually a woman, and he's like this now because he had a sex change from Emporio Ivankov, the Okama King?"

Hearing Hera's outrageous speculation, Robin's face couldn't help but twitch a few times. She then asked, "Where did you hear such a wild rumor?"

Seeing Robin's reaction, Hera was a bit disappointed. "Nothing feels off? So it's not true?"

While Hera and Robin were leisurely playing cards, Luffy and Sir Crocodile had already started fighting.

Sir Crocodile watched the hand attacking him and elementalized to dodge, but a moment later, a black fist struck his face before he could turn into sand, slamming him into the casino wall.

Sir Crocodile looked at Luffy's black fist in shock. "This is Armament Haki. Well now, I didn't expect a pirate in the first half of the Grand Line to know Armament Haki."

Luffy picked his nose dismissively. "My big sis said that to deal with Logia bastards like you, I have to use attacks infused with Armament Haki."

The gamblers in the once-bustling casino fled in a panic upon seeing someone challenge Sir Crocodile. Some who were slow and about to be caught in the crossfire vanished from the spot and reappeared elsewhere the next second.

Hera tensely watched the three cards in her hand while using the spread-out City of Devouring Time to rescue those who couldn't escape in time.

Hera had specifically chosen a corner when she sat down, and with the shadows of the City of Devouring Time, the two in the middle of the intense battle hadn't noticed that two people were still sitting there.

Hera observed Sir Crocodile and shook her head. "Old Croc, you're not cutting it. Where is your Two-Color Haki? Can this level of strength really put pressure on Luffy?"

Seeing that Luffy had mastered Armament Haki and feeling that he couldn't take advantage of the terrain in his casino, Sir Crocodile turned into a sandstorm and fled outside. Luffy immediately gave chase.

Taking this opportunity, just as Robin successfully avoided the Joker and got a pair, Hera threw her cards on the table. "No more playing. I'll take you outside to watch their fight."

Robin nodded and stood up with some regret. She was about to win, but unfortunately, Hera had cheated to end the game.

Sir Crocodile flew into the desert and looked at the pursuing Luffy. "So what if you have Armament Haki? This is the desert. No one can beat me, a Sand-Sand Fruit user, in this terrain. 'Desert Spada'!"

As he spoke, his arm turned into a sand blade and slashed toward Luffy. Seeing the heavy blow, Luffy didn't dare to take it head-on and jumped to the side to dodge.

Then, Sir Crocodile's arm turned into a giant crescent-shaped sand blade, 'Crescent-Cut Dune', slashing at Luffy who had jumped into the air.

This attack was extremely dangerous; even if blocked, one would die from having the moisture in their body sucked dry by the sand. Luffy extended his hands, grabbed a rock on the ground, and dodged.

The desert was undoubtedly Sir Crocodile's home turf. For a while, Luffy was forced to dodge all over the place.

Feeling that his speed couldn't keep up, Luffy decided to use a new technique he had developed. He suddenly stood on a rock and used his legs as pumps to increase blood flow, enhancing his physical strength. "Gear Second."

With the activation of 'Gear Second', Luffy's skin turned bright red and emitted steam, as if he were using stimulants, and his speed increased significantly.

Now, Luffy's punches were even faster. "Gum-Gum Jet Whip!" His leg, infused with Armament Haki, extended and kicked Sir Crocodile at extreme speed. Sir Crocodile didn't even have time to react before being hit.

The kick infused with Armament Haki sent Sir Crocodile spitting blood. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze becoming increasingly fierce.

Hera was still commentating on the side. "Luffy can use 'Gear Second' already? It seems his training has been much harder than before."

Her gaze toward Sir Crocodile was full of doubt. "How did he even fight Whitebeard? Can't he even use Observation Haki anymore?"

Then she lamented, "Blindly pursuing external power really is a crooked path."

Standing to the side, Robin's gaze toward Hera became increasingly curious. She could tell that Hera seemed to know what Sir Crocodile was after, and she was curious how Hera knew so much.

Hera felt Robin's curious gaze but didn't look back. She just muttered to herself, "Why are you looking at me? Look at Luffy! I hope she doesn't end up deciding not to join the crew."

Then she asked Robin, "What do you think of Luffy?"

Hearing Hera's question, Robin shifted her attention back to the battlefield, watching Gear Second Luffy suppress Sir Crocodile, forcing him into a steady retreat.

Under the dense barrage of Armament Haki attacks, Sir Crocodile didn't even have time to elementalize and was being pummeled.

However, Robin still saw through Luffy's situation. "A wounded crocodile is the most dangerous, and that's exactly how Sir Crocodile is. Besides, Luffy's current form can't last very long, can it?"

Hera nodded. "As expected of a scholar, you're very observant. You're right. 'Gear Second' strengthens physical attributes by accelerating blood flow, so it indeed can't be sustained for long."

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