Grand Line, Alabasta.
Inside the royal palace of the capital.
The rebel army had already broken through two gates. The sounds of battle were drawing closer, and everyone inside the palace could clearly feel that approaching killing intent.
This place, which symbolized the highest authority of the kingdom, was now soaked in blood. Countless guards lay dead, their bodies torn apart, and the vast palace had been slaughtered clean.
Only King Cobra and Princess Vivi remained, their arms pierced and pinned to the wall. Aside from them, there was Robin standing in the shadows, and Crocodile, who was calmly enjoying the scene.
After wiping out the palace, he did not rush to deal with the king and princess. Instead, he left them nailed to the wall and walked toward the outer ledge.
From above, Crocodile looked down at the capital, where fighting raged everywhere. He took a drag of his cigar and slowly exhaled.
"Hoo…"
His gaze lingered on the rebel army and the royal army clashing below. "What a bunch of annoying flies… but they'll all disappear soon enough…"
He turned and walked back toward the two pinned to the wall.
"A kingdom that has existed for thousands of years… and in this generation, only two members of the royal family remain. Before long, the name Alabasta will vanish from history forever. How pitiful."
With her arms pierced and fixed to the wall, Vivi struggled unwillingly.
"What exactly are you trying to do, Crocodile!
"As one of the Seven Warlords, attacking the royal family is a capital crime! The World Government and the Marines won't let you go!"
Crocodile glanced at her indifferently, then turned to Cobra. "The education of the Alabasta royal family is truly a failure… she can actually say something so foolish."
His gaze shifted back to Vivi. "Do you think I'll just say 'yes, of course' and let you go? There's a limit to how stupid someone can be. Really…"
He raised his right hand slightly. The ground in front of Vivi began to shift, and a sand spike suddenly shot up, piercing through her abdomen.
"Ahh!"
A cry of pain escaped Vivi as cold sweat poured down and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Cobra, already weakened from being pinned, barely had any strength left. But seeing his daughter treated like this, he struggled desperately.
"Stop! Crocodile! What do you want! As long as I can do it, I'll agree to anything! Just let Vivi go!"
Vivi, drenched in sweat, raised her head with difficulty.
"Father… don't—"
Clap, clap, clap…
Crocodile suddenly clapped, interrupting her. "What a touching father and daughter bond…"
There was a trace of disdain in his tone as he stepped closer. His tall figure cast a shadow that completely covered Cobra.
"I'll say this first. I never intended to let either of you live. When a kingdom falls, its royal family falls with it. That's only natural, isn't it?
"But before this kingdom, which has existed for thousands of years, disappears… there's something I need to ask you, the current king."
In the shadows, Robin shifted slightly, her expression growing more serious.
Crocodile stared straight into Cobra's eyes and spoke coldly. "Cobra… where is Pluton…"
Cobra's pupils shrank, his eyes widening uncontrollably.
Witnessing his reaction, Crocodile knew he was on the right track. His tone relaxed slightly.
"Pluton… the legendary weapon that can erase an entire island with a single shot. The most evil Ancient Weapon, bearing the name of a 'god.' It should be sleeping somewhere in this country… am I right, Cobra?"
Cobra shut his eyes tightly, then forced them open again and looked at Crocodile. "I don't know what you're talking about…"
Crocodile chuckled and turned away, gazing at the world before him.
The capital lay beneath them.
The palace was already built on high ground, and they now stood at its highest point. From here, looking out over everything stirred a sense of boundless ambition.
He seemed to enjoy it. Instead of pressing further, he said calmly, "My goal has always been that. Otherwise, why would you think I spent over twenty years playing the hero in this disgusting place… so long that I almost forgot I was a pirate. How revolting…"
He slowly closed his eyes and spread his arms, as if embracing the sky.
"With it, I can build the strongest military nation in the world right here. I will be its king. All those foolish pirates will fall under my command, strengthening my forces. One day, I'll gain power that surpasses even the World Government… I'll create a nation like a dream."
Cobra watched him and felt that this man had gone mad.
"The World Government will never allow something like that. You—"
Crocodile's expression darkened as he turned around and cut him off coldly. "Exactly. That's why I need it. Pluton… a single shot is enough to turn an island into dust."
Cobra shook his head. "I don't know where you heard that name. But even I don't know where it is. I'm not even sure if such a thing truly exists."
Crocodile stared at him. "I've already considered that. I can't confirm whether the information is true. But there is something that must exist.
"So… hand over the Poneglyph hidden in Alabasta, Cobra. As one of the descendants of the Twenty Kings, don't tell me you don't have it. That information, I'm certain of."
A chill spread through Cobra's heart. He knew it was over.
He took a deep breath and looked at the man before him. "If I tell you where it is… can you—"
But seeing the slight smile forming on his lips, he stopped mid-sentence. Unwilling, he closed his eyes.
"Fine… I'll take you there."
Crocodile let out a low chuckle. "As expected of a king. Very wise. If you had finished that sentence just now, then in twenty minutes a specially made bomb with a five-thousand-meter blast radius would have struck the center of the capital.
"In the capital, there will no longer be any rebels or royal army. I will deal with everything myself.
"You should be grateful you came to your senses at the last moment. Otherwise, just a few careless words from the 'benevolent king' Cobra would have decided the lives of tens of thousands…"
A cruel smile spread across Crocodile's face as he looked at the terrified king. He clearly enjoyed toying with people like this.
In truth, it was all a lie. Whether Cobra continued speaking or not, in twenty minutes, every last one of those annoying 'flies' below would be blown to pieces.
Telling him the truth at the very end of his life would surely be interesting.
The smile on Crocodile's face did not fade. He controlled the sand and forcefully pulled Cobra down from the wall.
"Lead the way."
Then he lifted Robin as well. Following the direction indicated by the king, the three of them were carried away by the sand.
Looking at Crocodile, Robin suddenly thought of something.
'The more one fears someone, the more they move closer to becoming like them…'
From the corner of her eye, she glanced back at the palace growing farther away. Her little finger moved slightly.
Back at the palace, Vivi, who had been nailed to the wall, was suddenly freed by four arms that sprouted out of nowhere. They caught her, then turned into petals and vanished…
* * *
At the same time, at the port of Alabasta.
The Going Merry had just docked in a hurry. Sabo took out a Vivre Card, turned into a cloud of snow, and drifted off into the distance, leaving the Straw Hat crew completely confused.
"Where's the capital?!"
* * *
Inside a tall building somewhere in the capital.
Carlo, Bullet, and Soter leaned by the window, silently watching Crocodile's performance from start to finish.
A hint of interest appeared on Bullet's face. "A specially made bomb with a five-thousand-meter blast radius… with something like that, why even need Pluton?"
Some islands weren't even five thousand meters across. With that, one shot could wipe them out. If mass-produced, what use would Pluton even have?
Carlo smiled and shook his head. "Wait a moment."
He spread out his Observation Haki and searched briefly. In an instant, he vanished.
On a nearby tower, two of Crocodile's subordinates lost their lives.
In the next moment, he reappeared, now holding a shell.
Carlo tossed it to Bullet. "Take a look."
Bullet weighed it in his hand, then enhanced it with the ability of the More-More Fruit. The shell grew larger. After sensing the feedback of its power, his expression turned strange.
"This thing… the sound might reach five thousand meters, but it probably couldn't even kill a Zoan user."
He tossed it to Soter. Catching it with a smile, Soter added the power of the Float-Float Fruit and threw it out the window.
"Should we follow now?"
Carlo nodded. "Let's go. Just trail behind them."
If they had Enel's massive Observation Haki, they could sense Crocodile and teleport directly. But now… they could only follow from behind.
Buzz!
Meanwhile, the shell, amplified multiple times by the More-More Fruit, swelled again, turning into something the size of a house as it floated outside the window.
The three of them jumped onto it. Soter raised his hand and activated his power. The shell shot upward into the sky.
High above, among the clouds thousands of meters up, they trailed far behind Crocodile's group.
Waiting to hunt that crocodile…
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