Dig

Abel arrived at the location Mr.2 gave him but didn't see anyone. Abel gritted his teeth as he started thinking. ' He wasn't lying. So they are not here anymore?' Abel walked around for a few minutes while dragging his huge pouch and Barbossa with him. Abel walked and walked but only saw an endless amount of sand. Abel kicked the ground in anger but his feet surprisingly got hurt. Abel sat down and started digging the ground intently. After several minutes he saw a part of the house which was buried in sand. ' That sandstorm... They can't be that unlucky, right?'

Abel cursed their luck as he started digging the ground in hopes of finding his crewmates. None of the den den mushis were working so this was his only solution. Barbossa finally could stay on his feet after Abel gave him one of the healing pills. He could barely walk though. Barbossa looked at the distance blankly as Abel tried to find a clue regarding his crew. Abel looked at Barbossa and got annoyed.

'' Fuck! İf you can walk, help me out. What are you looking at!?''

Barbossa gulped and then spoke.

'' Captain... İsn't she the vice-captain we were searching for?''

Abel turned around immediately and saw Robin who was watching him warily. Since Abel also wore a mask like Cp-9, she assumed Abel was one of them. Abel looked at Robin and sighed. He already learned from Mr.2 that she was here so he wasn't very surprised. ' I thought I was playing with fate and shaping it but was it fate that was playing with me? I made a plan to get her without messing with cp-9 yet they both found me themselves in the end.' Abel stood up and saw Robin took a defensive pose immediately. Abel took his mask off and started speaking.

'' I am not one of them. I am too handsome to join them, you don't need to worry.''

Robin frowned as she looked at him.

'' Who are you?''

'' Abel. Why are you here at Alabasta? Did you search Crocodile for shelter?'' Abel answered her question and then asked the question in his mind. Abel knew he messed the canon but he didn't know how things ended up like this. He had some guesses thanks to his canon knowledge though.

'' You know me?'' Robin asked warily.

'' Most people do.'' ' you are wanted after all.'

Robin sighed and decided to explain herself. She was already very injured and didn't have any strength left to fight back.

'' I wanted to use his influence to hide from government. But it is impossible now. They sent that person after me. He is invincible in first half of grandline and he never failed a mission before. I advise you to stay away from me or you will be involved as well.'' Robin turned around to leave after saying this.

Abel frowned and stopped her immediately. ' There is no way I am letting a major character go away like that. I also need her to read road ponegliphs.'

'' I think I can protect you better than that Crocodile.''

Robin looked at him doubtfully.

'' You are too arrogant. Crocodile is one of the strongest people in this half of grandline. But even he has no chance to protect anyone from that person. Also, why would you help me? I don't know you.''

Robin was already 22 years old and experienced many betrayels. She wouldn't blindly trust anyone. Abel smiled at her and spoke casually.

'' You can't escape the country on your own. So you are not taking a loss even if you cooperate with me. As for why I am willing to help you... I want you in my crew.''

Robin looked at Abel blankly.

'' You... want me to join your crew? Aren't you scared that I will betray you?'' Robin before joining the straw hats was famous for betraying organisations and anyone who heard of her also heard her fame for bvetraying the other organisations. Of course the main reason was these organisations planned to betray her in the first place, Robin was just the first one to do it.

Abel looked at Robin disdainfully. 'Girl, even if you are smart, no one in my two lifes succesfully betrayed me and stayed alive to tell the tale!'

Abel gave Robin a warm smile.'' İf you can succesfully betray me without dying, I will respect you...'' ' And then I will plan your death.' Abel silently completed his sentence in his mind. Abel continued before giving a chance for Robin to cut him.

'' Also, I am very confident I can protect you better than Crocodile. Since I am more hands- I mean, since I am the one who killed him.'' Abel continued casually. Robin was stunned after she heard Abel killed Crocodile. She was doubtful but had no better alternative so she agreed for now. Robin looked at Abel and then asked with a resigned smile.

'' So, what are we doing... Captain?''

Abel smiled satisfied. '' Don't call me captain yet. İf I can't manage to save you... I will ditch you and escape with my crew.''

Robin who just accepted her fate looked at Abel blankly. ' You just invited me, yet already thinking of ditching me?' Even though the situation seemed ridiculus, Abel realised from Robin that there was a person much stronger than Norris here. He was probably the previous captain of cipher pole before Lucci took the position. Abel was not a match for him even when he was healthy much less when he was only staying awake thanks to the pill he took. Even if he activated all his op stats he still wouldn't be able to beat that person with his current condition. So Abel decided to abandon Robin if it meant his crew would die. Even though he wanted Robin, he wouldn't sacrifice his crew over her. There was still Puding who can read the ponegliphs, Abel would at most kidnap her from Big Mom in the future.

'' As for what we are doing, we are digging. Dig with all your power. '' After the conversation Abel ignored Robin and kept digging diligently. Robin was stunned for a second but then used her power and 20 hands appeared around and started digging the ground hurriedly. Abel glared at Barbossa who was still standing dumbly.

'' Be useful or I won't give you any money for 6 months!'' Barbossa shivered after Abel's threat and knelt down with his injured body and started digging beside Abel. Barbossa looked at the huge pouch Abel carried all the way here weirdly but didn't say anything in the end. After 5 minutes of digging Abel managed to find Nana and Robin found Cavendish. After they coughed a lot of sand they started breathing. None of them could move though. Nana's legs were broken while Cavendish were injured enough to lie in a bed for a month. Abel helplessly gave each of them a healing pill like Barbossa. His 5 pills already became 1. Cavendish just glared at Abel for a second, somehow blaming Abel for his misfortunes, closed his eyes and slept on the ground. Nana was not much different and after muttering some nonsensical things she also fainted. Abel sighed as he looked at his crew who seemed more dead than alive.

' These cipher pole really messed with everything. At least they are alive. Now... Where is Bernard?'

'' AH!'' Just at that time Abel and Robin hurriedly turned back when they heard Barbossa's scream. After diligently digging for a while Barbossa managed to find a head buried in sand. But it was not a person he wanted to see in his life again.

After coughing a lot of sand Norris started screaming.

'' YOU BASTARD! I will definitely kill you this time! You pitiful bug! You can't escap-'' Abel kicked the back of Norris with all of his strength and ordered Robin.

'' Quick! Bury him back!''

Norris was a little dizzy after Abel's fierce kicks and he couldn't see him since all his body except half his face was buried. Robin looked at the situation dumbly for a second but then obeyed Abel and 10 hands appeared around the screaming Norris and buried him back diligently. Abel kept kicking Norris on the back of his head, Norris kept screaming and Robin diligently buried him back. After a while Norris was buried back and Barbossa carefully asked.

'' Captain... What are we going to do with him?''

'' Act like we haven't seen him!'' Abel declared and left immediately. He didn't want to fight with Cp-9 with his condition.

'' How smart!'' Barbossa flattered and immediately followed Abel. Robin also followed them speechlessly.

They kept digging the ground to find Bernard. Thanks to Robin's ability they could dig 20-30 times faster than normal. After several minutes Abel's eyes brightened as Robin finally managed to find someone.

'' Quick! This should be Bernard.'' After a while Bernard was finally revealed. He seemed like a sand monster. Sand sticked to his bood covered body so he seemed more like a sand creature than a human. However most surprising thing was that his two hands were gripping something fiercely. After Bernard was unburied he immediately coughed blood and sand for a few seconds. He saw Abel and greeted him.

'' BOSS! Watch me!'' Sand monster(Bernard) declared proudly and pulled the thing he was gripping with both of his hands under the dumbfounded looks of Abel, Robin and Barbossa. Bernard roared and pulled Blueno out of sand. The thing Bernard was fiercely holding on happened to be Blueno's horn-shaped hair. Blueno coughed out sand and spoke refleksively.

'' Thank you-''

Bernard's punch answered his thanks as Bernard ignored others and started to beat up the newly awoken Blueno. Abel's mouth opened wide as he watched Bernard in shock. ' We... already offended cp-9?'

Even though Barbossa told Abel he fought with them Abel didn't take him seriously. He didn't think the situation was already this bad. Abel immediately used scan and relaxed a lot when he saw Blueno's stats. He had around 800 doriki in the canon, right now it was at most 400 though. But it was still an extremely impossible feat for Bernard to handle him alone without dying. Bernard was just an ordinary person 3 weeks ago, yet he reached an inhuman level already. His talent and potential was exceptional. Abel watched Bernard who is repeatingly punching Blueno on the face thougthfully. ' He really is a hidden gem.'

Just at that time a sword attack came towards Bernard who is busy beating up Blueno. This sword attack was stronger than anything Abel saw before. Abel gritted his teeth as he took out Aranruth and blocked the ranged sword attack. Abel gritted his teeth as he resisted the ranged attack and managed to block it after taking several steps back to stabilise his body. A masked figure with a giant sword appeared with Norris whose head was bleeding and his clothes were burned until he was nearly naked.

Abel sighed as he watched Bernard who was happily punching Blueno on the face.

' Should I ditch all of these guys?'

Abel felt like crying but had no choice to ready himself for what's to come.