Baldimore

Alabasta.

The great war that took place in this country has ended, but its impact on the country is far from over.

"Those bastards in the government!"

In the royal palace of Alubarna, King Cobra was raging, shouting, "What kind of punishment is that, so weak and ineffective?"

The government's punishment for Akainu has been announced.

Yes, an internal system warning plus a one-month salary suspension.

According to the government, Akainu's actions were also aimed at fighting the vicious Black Wolf's crew, and if the strategy succeeded, then all the sacrifices would be worthwhile.

Although the operation ultimately failed, it cannot be said that his choice at the time was wrong.

After all, compared to a princess of a country, defeating the villainous gang known as the Pirate Emperor is of course more important.

Cobra, of course, could not accept this outcome. His only daughter had almost been killed by the Navy! She was his only family member in the world!

Unfortunately, although the King of the Affiliated Nation held high positions within the government, they did not have the power to directly interfere in the government's work.

Apart from the Reverie held every four years, all they need to do is honestly pay the annual Heavenly Gold and franchise fees.

This esteemed King could do little more than hurl insults in his palace.

"Father is still angry."

In a corner of the palace, Princess Vivi is playing with her friends.

"Of course,"

Despite the magnitude of the incident, Koza didn't rush back to Yuba. He lamented, "The World Government went too far! We were almost killed!"

"Exactly, the government navy is not even as good as Mr. Sirius and his men!"

Vivi nodded seriously, "When I grow up, I want to be a pirate like Mr. Sirius and the others!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Koza rolled his eyes. "You're the sole heir to this country! You're destined to be the Queen of Alabasta!"

"Why must I be the only one to inherit the throne?"

"Because it has always been this way, generation after generation."

"Is it always been this way? I haven't contributed anything to this country, so why should I be the one leading it forward?" the little princess asked.

Koza was somewhat speechless.

This is a question that his education cannot answer.

"Good question!"

But suddenly, someone laughed and said...

The young boy and girl turned their heads in surprise and saw someone materialize out of thin air in the wind. "This is not a question that an ordinary nobleman would ask. It seems that King Cobra is indeed extraordinary. My trip here has been well worth it."

Meeting the astonished gazes of the young boy and girl, the newcomer smiled and said, "Princess Vivi, could you take me to meet your father?"

Another place in Alabasta.

This is the dream city of Alabasta, the Rain Country.

At the Rain Dinners, the city's largest casino.

"That bastard--"

Crocodile, his body wrapped in bandages, sat on a large recliner, occasionally gritting his teeth and growling in a low voice.

That previous battle had a huge impact on him.

He once fought to a draw with Douglas Bullet, who was known as the successor to the devil, and then became one of the first Shichibukai to challenge Whitebeard.

How did we end up in a situation where we can't even defeat the emperor's own officials?

No, it wasn't even invincible; it was a relentless crushing defeat. I was no match for them at all.

The guy named Jack wasn't even Black Wolf's strongest subordinate; he was much weaker than White Wolf and that Mechanical Giant.

Even guys of that caliber beat me so badly I couldn't fight back at all!

Crocodile fell into self-doubt.

"Have I really been doing stupid things all these years?"

Crocodile muttered to himself.

Pluton is still nowhere in sight, with absolutely no clues, but he has indeed become weaker. More than a decade has passed, and instead of making any progress, he has actually regressed significantly.

"It's time to make some changes."

Crocodile said that.

The pursuit of Pluton cannot be abandoned, after all, it has been persisted for many years.

However, it may not be necessary for him to personally oversee Alabasta.

"It's time to set up a studio."

As for himself?

Soon after, the people of Alabasta received some very sad news: their guardian deity, Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, announced his departure from the country.

The Crocodile is returning to the sea.

However, everything that happened in Alabasta afterward had no effect on Sirius and his gang.

After leaving this Sand Country, Sirius and his companions' adventures continued.

They spent several more months hopping between the seven horizontal lines, landing on many islands.

On this day, they were still sailing in a certain sea area of Grand Line.

The sun was shining brightly, and everyone was sunbathing on the deck.

Sirius is telling everyone a story.

Entertainment options at sea are indeed quite limited.

The repertoire of stories about Sirius is almost exhausted.

However, not everyone listened with interest; Black was just spacing out.

Between stories, Sirius asked him, "Still not done?"

Black turned his attention back to the body, then nodded. "With our current knowledge, it is indeed difficult to design a better Power System."

These days he's trying to design a better Power System to increase the Sirius's range.

"There's no need to worry about it, right?"

Luo interjected, "Isn't that enough now?"

When it broke away from Alabasta, it carried them nearly a thousand kilometers in one go before calmly landing at sea.

Black shook his head. "It's certainly enough for everyday use, but it's far from sufficient for high-intensity combat!"

He said earnestly, "After entering the New World, there will be even more battles waiting for us, right?"

"Indeed."

Jack nodded in deep agreement. If the Sirius's sustained combat capability could be improved, Black would probably not be at a disadvantage even when fighting a monster like King Katakuri.

Just like the previous fight against Chaton.

There's no need to rush.

Yamato chuckled and said, "It's okay to have flaws, we're partners. We'll make up for Black's shortcomings."

Sirius smiled; he could be quite eloquent at times.

"That's true,"

Black's voice also carried a hint of amusement, "But since I can make up for it myself, I don't want to cause trouble for everyone, and I already have some ideas."

"Oh? You already have an idea?"

Sirius laughed and asked, "What is it?"

"We don't know yet."

"Have no idea?"

"But I think someone should know that the island we're about to land on has a country called Baldimore. Captain, you should know about that place, right?"

Baldimore?

Sirius's eyes lit up. "Of course I know."