He's in One Piece, but he's also part of the Phantom Troupe.

Chapter 123 A Coincidental Encounter

Chapter 123 A Coincidental Encounter

"Click"

"call out""

Lightning continued to strike the sky...

Kulik, Robin, Little Drop, Machi, and Peeling Lev walked in the center of the rainforest.

According to the records of the Kulik ancestors, the Golden Village should be located in the southwest of the island, where there are ancient ruins, so their direction is directly southwest.

only..

The lightning seemed to have eyes, constantly striking around them, as if driving them to work harder. "Is this... that guy who claims to be a god, the one the captain mentioned, driving us?"

Based on her intuition, Machi was the first to analyze the truth.

"It seems that's the case~" Robin said, resting her chin on her hand in thought.

"But what was his purpose in doing this?"

"If they really wanted to stop us from finding the Golden City, they should have attacked us directly. Instead, what they're doing now... seems like they're trying to spur us on to speed things up."

Then Robin and Machi exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously discovered the truth.

"He wants to find the Land of Gold with our help!"

"That's right."

The commander had said long ago that the enemy they were about to face possessed extensive mind-reading abilities, and therefore already knew the purpose of their mission.

"So what should we do next? Should we continue moving forward?"

""

Robin hesitated, wishing that all their hard work in finding ancient ruins and historical texts would be destroyed by others.

She didn't think that arrogant men who claimed to be gods would cherish something like the Poneglyphs.

"My suggestion is to suspend the operation and wait for Kuroro to decide the outcome before heading to our destination. Otherwise, we are very likely to encounter the enemy first."

Machi thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No, the captain's orders are absolute..."

'

"These are the rules of the guild, and since you've joined, you have to abide by them."

"As for other issues, those are not your concerns."

Machi's expression was resolute.

The numerous incidents that had occurred on the island in the middle of the lake in the past had already taught the veteran members of the Phantom Troupe that Kuroro's orders were beyond question and required no consideration.

All you need to do is believe.

Everything he arranges, even if it seems unreasonable at first glance, will ultimately prove to be correct!

Since the commander told them to ignore everything else and focus solely on finding the Golden City, then all other issues were no longer within their purview...

Robin gazed thoughtfully at Machi's resolute profile. What kind of past could someone have gone through to be so... even to the point of blindly trusting another person...?

She couldn't help but feel curious. Then, recalling her experience in Alabasta, she seemed to temporarily agree with Machi's statement, nodding and smiling, "Then let's continue on our way as you say~"

The group walked into a dilapidated forest of steles, with various stone structures scattered on the ground. Robin exclaimed excitedly, "We've arrived!"

She then quickly stepped forward to examine what was recorded on the stone tablets, only to discover that it was not the original historical text, but rather another ancient script.

Robin stroked the stone tablet and said, "The writing on this is mostly based on animal pictographs, so it seems to be the work of some ethnic minority."

Kulik, standing beside him, nodded and slowly began to speak, "According to the records in the ancestral diary, these should be the script of the Shandian people, and they should record the heritage of their tribe."

Robin looked disappointed.

"but..

'

Kulik changed the subject, a smile spreading across his face. "Now that the Shandian tribe's ancestral land has been found, the Golden Land they've guarded for generations must be just around the corner."

Robin's eyes lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's continue exploring!"

Just as she turned to continue walking towards the Stele Forest...

A few people slowly emerged from the woods to the north of the group, their expressions suddenly frozen.

The leader, with an ambitious smile on his lips, revealing his gap-toothed front teeth, and his fingers adorned with jeweled rings... it was Teach!

Behind him... Van Augur calmly looked away, Lafayette leaned on his black cane, Doc Q was still slumped on his horse in his usual dead state, and Hisoka was fiddling with cards.

Upon seeing this scene, Robin seemed to freeze in place. As someone who had spent years wandering among underground organizations, Robin immediately recognized the identities of the group of people in front of her.

The entire Blackbeard Pirates, whose total bounty exceeds 7 million, are now infamous.

And she had heard Nami mention that... the other party seemed to have a grudge against the Phantom Troupe.

"The situation is not good..."

""

Teach noticed the other members of the Phantom Troupe were equally surprised. He then looked at Machi and Shizuku, his brow furrowing as if recalling some unpleasant memory. After carefully surveying his surroundings and not finding Chrollo, he looked back at Machi and the others, a sinister smile creeping across his face. "We meet again... What a coincidence~"

"Looks like that man from last time isn't with you."

Teach's face turned cold, staring at Machi with an expressionless expression, exuding killing intent. "Then we can settle the score for Burgess's death last time."

Robin's expression changed, and he was about to raise the compass tattoo on his wrist. This was the one that Chrollo had imprinted on their wrists before they set off. By transmitting emotions to the compass, Chrollo, who was far away, could sense it and come to their aid!

However, just as she was about to raise her hand, she was stopped by Machi beside her.

"The commander is probably preparing to deal with that guy who uses lightning. Don't disturb him until the situation becomes extremely critical."

Then Machi looked up in the direction of the Blackbeard Pirates, her expression cold, "Besides..."

""

"I also have something to settle with them about~"

Machi walked expressionlessly toward her previous opponent—"Devil Sheriff" Lafayette.

She didn't want to experience that feeling of helplessness again.

She wanted to know just how far she was now capable of achieving.

She must wash away the shame—

In contrast to Machi's cold face was Lafayette's mocking expression, a contemptuous smile on his face: "It hasn't been long, and you're already trying to attack me instead of running away?"

"Looks like the lesson from last time wasn't enough—" Lafayette's smile gradually twisted into a grimace. "How about this time I tear you to pieces!"

"This time, no one's coming to save you!"

Machi lifted her foot, her expression icy, and instantly charged towards Lafayette. "Heh..."

"7

You're right...

"This time, I will personally tear you to pieces," Shizuku said, charging towards Doc Q, who had hurt Nami in the past.

Having witnessed their previous encounter, her keen combat instincts told her that she could control this person's abilities.

Meanwhile, Lev, with the bandages wrapped around his body slowly coming off, walked slowly toward Van Oka in a shrill voice.

"Last time our combat personnel were absent, and you took advantage of the situation. This time, I will be your opponent."