This was Belo Betty, commander of the Revolutionary Army's East Army and user of the Pump-Pump Fruit.
Under the power of her impassioned speech, everyone present felt a surge of inspiration. Their blood boiled as they clenched their fists, ready to charge straight into Rainbase, the heart of Baroque Works' operations.
Ryuuto's group had set up simple tents outside the city. As they listened to Belo Betty's speech, the people who had fled from Erumalu finally understood the full extent of the Baroque Works conspiracy. One by one, they stopped in their tracks, clenching their fists under Betty's influence.
"We wronged the king!"
"It was all Baroque Works' fault!"
Once they learned the truth, they were overcome with guilt.
Ryuuto walked alone into the small plaza, surrounded by the angry shouts of the citizens.
When Belo Betty saw him, her eyes instantly lit up.
"Gahahahahaha!"
Dragging her massive flag behind her, Belo Betty leaped in front of Ryuuto.
"Ryuuto, hello. I'm Belo Betty, commander of the Revolutionary Army's East Army."
Belo Betty let out a hearty laugh and extended her right hand.
"That fellow Dragon told me all about you. He thinks very highly of you! How about joining us?"
Belo Betty took a sharp breath, and a tremor ran through her chest. The red military uniform did little to conceal her soft assets.
"Hello, Betty!"
Ryuuto reached out and firmly shook her hand.
It was obvious to Ryuuto now that Betty had been sent to Alabasta by Dragon. It seemed his arrival in this world was having a significant impact, after all. None of this had happened in the original story.
"Ryuuto, we've formulated a plan, and we need your help!" Belo Betty exhaled a puff of smoke, then swung her right arm forward, pulling Ryuuto into an embrace.
Ryuuto didn't even have time to speak before he was caught off guard by a soft assault, a wave of pressure hitting his face again and again.
"Let go of our captain!"
Nami's voice suddenly rang out from behind. Seeing the scene, she furiously rescued Ryuuto from Belo Betty's grasp.
"Huh? Nami, what are you doing here?"
Before Ryuuto could recover from the attack, he found himself being pulled aside by Nami.
Belo Betty shot them a questioning look.
"This is our navigator, Miss Nami!" Ryuuto quickly introduced her.
"And this is Belo Betty, commander of the Revolutionary Army's East Army. Dragon sent her here to help Alabasta," Ryuuto then explained to Nami.
"Hello!" Nami finally greeted Belo Betty properly.
Nami now recalled that back in Loguetown, Ryuuto had promised Dragon he would come to Alabasta to help with a certain matter. The person in charge of that operation had to be this East Army commander.
Seeing that both women were smiling, Ryuuto continued, "Betty, what was that plan you mentioned earlier?"
"Gahahahahaha! We're planning to put on a show for Crocodile!"
Belo Betty looked at Ryuuto and Nami, letting out another boisterous laugh.
She then explained the plan to Ryuuto in detail. She had already earned the trust of the Rebel Army's leader, Koza, and the king, Cobra. After her explanation, Koza finally understood that the entire civil war was a conspiracy orchestrated by Crocodile. So, in three days, the Rebel Army and the Royal Guard would engage in a battle in the desert—a battle staged entirely for Crocodile to see.
Ryuuto understood.
But how would this plan lure Crocodile out? And once he was there, how would they defeat him? These were problems that needed to be solved.
"We have full confidence we can draw the Sand Crocodile out. You'll see how later! But as for defeating him, that's something we need to plan carefully."
Belo Betty took a final, long drag of her cigarette, her voice growing serious as she spoke to Ryuuto.
Crocodile was a Logia user who ate the Sand-Sand Fruit. His bounty was 81,000,000 Beri, and he was a famous pirate who had repeatedly challenged one of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard. He commanded a force of nearly two thousand subordinates, including nine Officer Agents, two hundred "Billions," and eighteen hundred "Millions." The strength of his officers was not to be underestimated.
Belo Betty relayed the intel she had gathered to Ryuuto, her tone grave. Among the officers were users of the Dice-Dice Fruit, the Wax-Wax Fruit, and the Bomb-Bomb Fruit.
Hearing her report, Ryuuto and Nami each fell into deep thought.
"Another Logia-type Devil Fruit?" Nami murmured. "A bounty of 81 million? The captain's bounty is already 70 million, but... is that enough to challenge one of the Four Emperors?"
Nami was skeptical. From what Crocus had told them, the Four Emperors were the rulers of the New World, with bounties reaching into the billions.
"81 million challenging several billion?"
"But I believe the captain can definitely beat this Sand Crocodile!"
Though Nami didn't understand Crocodile's true strength, she had absolute confidence in Ryuuto.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto was thinking along different lines.
"I just recently awakened Armament and Observation Haki, and now an opponent is being served up on a silver platter!"
"That man who lost his courage..."
"But the mid-tier combat strength on our side is definitely lacking."
"It's about time Nami got some training in!"
Ryuuto glanced at Nami, stroking his chin as he mulled it over.
"Ryuuto?" Seeing his prolonged silence, Belo Betty thought he might be worried.
"Don't be afraid. When the time comes, I'll handle Crocodile. You and your crew can take care of his officers!"
"That won't be necessary!" Ryuuto quickly refused. He was very much looking forward to a match with the Sand Crocodile.
"By the way, Betty, did you mention a Dice-Dice Fruit user just now?" Nami's eyes suddenly lit up as she asked.
"Yes. According to our intelligence, his name is Daz Bonez, codenamed Mr. 1 in Baroque Works. He's a Paramecia-type user of the Dice-Dice Fruit and can turn his entire body into sharp blades."
Belo Betty patiently explained, shifting the flag under her right arm, which caused another soft jiggle from her chest.
"Honestly..." Nami glanced at Ryuuto, and seeing no reaction from him, she continued, "Mr. 1, you say? If I remember correctly, our captain already cut him down back in Erumalu!"
"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Belo Betty's gaze shifted back to Ryuuto. She thought to herself, "It seems our intelligence was flawed. Ryuuto is even stronger than we imagined!"
Mr. 1, Daz Bonez, had once been a famous bounty hunter in the West Blue. Within Baroque Works, his strength was second only to Crocodile himself. And yet, he had already been defeated by Ryuuto.
Belo Betty began to look at Ryuuto in a new light.
As expected of the man Dragon saw potential in