Really?!
The moment Gawain finished speaking, Cobra's beard stood on end with delight.
He quickly stood up and solemnly asked Gawain.
"Saint Gawain, can we finally set off?"
"It's definitely possible!"
Gawain nodded slightly.
After receiving the correct answer, Cobra took a long breath.
"This... this is wonderful!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cobra excitedly picked up Vivi and Igaram, who was standing behind them, also shed tears of emotion.
Six days! A full six days! Do you know how they've spent these six days?
For six days, they enjoyed the sumptuous feasts on Gawain's ship.
But they couldn't taste any flavor in any of the fish!
As a responsible king, leaving his people alone in the country during a rebellion put immense pressure on Cobra!
Although Cobra knew he had come out to seek help, he dared not even think about how his people would view him at this moment!
Even if he had left a message asking for help, his people had already rebelled. Would they still believe that the king had truly gone out to seek reinforcements?
The more he thought about it, the more excited and agitated Cobra became.
Just like novels that feature characters showing off and getting their faces slapped in the face, they will always be popular with a large number of readers.
Cobra had already foreseen everything that was about to happen!
When his people all felt that he had abandoned the country and fled abroad.
He returned in glory as a king, carrying the majestic Dark Bird Ship and the freshwater that could solve his immediate crisis.
Just imagining that scene makes Cobra incredibly excited!
As Cobra watched with excitement, the Dark Bird Ship, following Gawain's command, slowly began to move.
People who went to Sky Island and the forests of Jaya to collect supplies gradually returned, and one after another, the Little Dark Bird returned to the cabins of the Big Dark Bird.
Even Pell, who hadn't officially joined yet but had already started learning how to raise birds from Shakky and Lucci, felt the gradually enlivening atmosphere on the Dark Bird Ship.
Three and a half hours later, the enormous Dark Bird Ship finally started moving. After all, the Dark Bird Ship was too big, and its speed of travel and preparation was many times slower than that of small ships.
As a result, it took three hours of preparation before Gawain finally officially set sail after issuing the departure order in the morning.
When Gawain and his group left, the Shandia survivors and the combined forces of Cricket's Saruyama Alliance all stood on the shore to see them off.
As he saw Gawain, Shandia warrior Wyper rubbed his head in bewilderment.
He couldn't help but ask the people around him.
"Gawain just left like that?"
Is he really that trusting of us?
I thought they would continue to rule us!
They even kept a considerable portion of the gold!
At this point, Wyper couldn't help but look towards the center of the newly built Golden Town in the distance.
At the heart of this town currently under construction lies the Golden Bell, which Gawain finally rang after four hundred years!
Looking at the clock, and the materials around Golden Bell that had been processed into gold leaf, ready to be used to gild the Golden Town.
Wyper took a deep breath.
"How magnanimous this lord is! We've only met a few times and he's given us a few orders, yet he trusts us so much!"
"What are you worried about?"
As Cricket, standing beside Wyper, waved to the departing Dark Bird Ship with a smile, he spoke to Wyper in a seemingly casual tone.
"Don't forget, there are more than just our two teams on Jaya."
Gawain sent one of his squad leaders, a man named Jabra, to maintain order on Jaya.
In fact, what they were mainly guarding was the gold on the island.
Although they need to be wary of mostly tourists who have recently arrived or are about to arrive on Jaya.
But while they're watching the tourists, won't they also keep an eye on us?
Moreover, Gawain has established patrol routes on Jaya leading to Long Ring Long Land and Water 7, and other members of the Black Ice Terrace will occasionally patrol among our islands!
Gawain is not the magnanimous fool you think he is; he is simply too kind to place the pressure on us.
He dumped all the pressure on his land, where we could all live well as long as we didn't break his rules.
Thinking about it this way, wow, we've really encountered a rare and benevolent king!
Meanwhile, in Alabasta...
Since King Cobra left with Princess Vivi and three main captains of his guard more than ten days ago.
Crocodile carried too many burdens on his shoulders.
He actually wants to be in charge of the security and defense of the entire Alabasta country after Cobra leaves!
It's absolutely ridiculous...
Long ago, when Crocodile was not yet twenty-four years old, he traveled Four Blues, crossed the Grand Line, and finally arrived in the New World, where he stood before Whitebeard!
Just like every young pirate's dream, besides wanting to become the Pirate King, Crocodile also wants to defeat the World's Strongest Man, Whitebeard!
Unfortunately, Crocodile did not Awakening any special abilities that could reverse the battle in the face of Teacher White's Quake Shock and Sea Quake.
He failed to learn how to Future Sight, how to master the art of Ryuo, and how to Advanced Conqueror's Haki.
Poor Crocodile, he never encountered a single decent teacher in the first half of his life...
At the same time, the Devil Fruit he ate was just a simple Suna Suna no Mi.
Even though he had half his head smashed by Whitebeard, he barely survived thanks to the rescue of the Okama King.
He also failed to awaken his Logia Suna Suna no Mi Awakening Zoan Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Desert Emperor form.
In short, after that, Crocodile's dream for the first half of his life was completely shattered!
Having failed to Awakening any special abilities, he witnessed the strength of monster-level powerhouses like Whitebeard.
He finally understood why those powerful individuals were called monsters!
His Three Types of Haki are flawless; no matter what ability they are, they cannot cause them any harm until their stamina is exhausted!
Even with his superior Observation Haki, Crocodile struggled to hit Whitebeard, whose body was enormous.
Every monster-level powerhouse is comparable to a true war machine; they are magical beasts that can fight continuously for days and nights without ever getting tired.
Before they were exhausted, each of their attacks was far more powerful than the ultimate moves of Shichibukai!
When he was utterly powerless to fight back, losing to Whitebeard more than ten times in a row with almost instant defeat, and even being humiliated by Whitebeard's words that he wanted to take him as his son...
Crocodile couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation.
He went from being an arrogant brat who thought himself invincible after just obtaining the Suna Suna no Mi to a middle-aged man covered in scars, missing a hand, and losing his initial dream.
After that, Crocodile really didn't know how to continue improving himself. He had a little bit of Haki and a little bit of Observation Haki, but he was far from being able to do it without a teacher!
At the same time, his proud personality prevented him from humbly seeking advice from others.
Thus, after being defeated by Whitebeard, Crocodile remained in a state of despair for several years.
Until he discovers a clue about Dark King!
As he wandered aimlessly through the Kingdom of Alabasta with his remaining troops, whom Whitebeard had spared.
He learned of a legend from within Alabasta.
It is said that a Poneglyph is hidden beneath the royal palace in Alabasta!
Many people know about Poneglyph; after all, they're huge and placed in many prominent locations.
Furthermore, no one in the world could decipher the Poneglyph; at least after the destruction of Ohara, there were virtually no scholars in the world who understood Poneglyph.
Therefore, many Poneglyph have been passed down through the world in the form of legends.
Most people, upon hearing the legends in the Poneglyph, would probably just laugh it off and then ignore it.
The attitude of people in the Pirate World towards the Poneglyph is probably similar to the attitude of people in the world before Gawain's arrival towards the Sanxingdui artifacts.
One rumor says this artifact looks like an astronaut, while another says it looks like an Angry Bird.
But as the story spread, no one took it seriously; people just listened for amusement.
Most people in the Pirate World just treat the Poneglyph as entertainment.
It's not that they're ignorant, but rather that all the information they have access to tells them that the Poneglyph is just a joke.
Anyone who claims that the Poneglyph are reasonable is simply engaging in pointless conspiracy theories.
Therefore, most people wouldn't take the legends of Alabasta to heart at all.
But at that time, Crocodile was in a desperate situation, trying anything he could find!
Especially when Crocodile heard that the Poneglyph inside Alabasta were guarded by the Nefertari family, descendants of the Twenty Kings, and were related to the Poneglyph Ancient Weapon Pluton.
Crocodile immediately set his sights on the Poneglyph!
In Crocodile's view, training alone was no longer enough to bridge the gap in strength between him and Whitebeard.
In his view, people are born unequal, and the talent one is born with almost determines the upper limit of each person's ability.
Just as even a powerful being like him, who had eaten Logia, couldn't understand why Whitebeard was so ridiculously strong.
Therefore, Crocodile set his sights on Pluton, and at the same time, he also focused on wisdom and strategy!
Since you're not as strong as others, be smarter than them and use your intellect to bridge the gap in strength!
And so, fourteen years ago, Crocodile resolutely disbanded his pirate crew, which was now reduced to a ragtag bunch!
Even though his remaining crew missed him terribly, he, whose pirate dreams had been shattered by Whitebeard, only felt that his weak subordinates were a burden!
And so, the Desert King Pirates, once renowned throughout the West Blue and the Grand Line, vanished completely from history.
After disbanding the Desert King Pirates, Crocodile, after much deliberation, found what he truly desired...
A way to get Pluton, the god of the underworld, or even to simply take over the entire Kingdom of Alabasta!
He named his method the Utopia Plan!
So, starting fourteen years ago, Crocodile, all alone, settled permanently in Alabasta!
At first, the people of Alabasta were quite afraid of Crocodile, who was a pirate, but as they spent more time with him, Crocodile's image as a benevolent man was almost universally welcomed by the common people of Alubarna.
At the same time, Crocodile single-handedly resolved the piracy crisis that had arisen in Alabasta due to the Great Pirate Era!
In an instant, news of peace brought to Alabasta by Crocodile, the retired pirate, spread throughout the old seas and even reached the Reverie eleven years ago.
It was during that Reverie that King Cobra expressed his admiration for Crocodile, a prodigal son who had turned over a new leaf!
At the same time, King Cobra raised a topic at the Reverie that year, calling on all nations to recruit as many good-natured and adventurous pirates as possible.
Cobra believes that this action can help more pirates like Crocodile who have accidentally embarked on the path of piracy to see the error of their ways and become a shield for the various Affiliated Nation.
Of the fifty nations attending the Reverie, seventy percent of the kings expressed their approval of Cobra's proposal.
They didn't actually have a good impression of pirates; they just felt that if their country could be more stable, they could ask the World Government for less aid and pay less in Heavenly Tribute!
Therefore, when this news reached the ears of the Five Elders, they made a decision without hesitation!
The Reverie wasn't even over yet, Shichibukai policy was already officially announced!
Eleven years before Gawain's arrival, Crocodile became the world's number one Shichibukai, setting a benchmark for others!
Many people may think that the Shichibukai are a helpless measure taken by the World Government due to its lack of military force to suppress pirates.
Alternatively, the Shichibukai represent a major decision by the World Government to divide the pirates and allow them to weaken each other.
In reality, the Shichibukai is a policy that prevents pirates from returning to a stable life through the channels of Affiliated Nation!
After the Shichibukai policy was introduced, veteran pirates who had been living in seclusion in various countries around the world were also targeted for assassination.
The Five Elders want to tell all the pirates on the seas that even if you want to retire from the pirate world, you must obtain the position of Shichibukai through the World Government's channels, or live in seclusion under the World Government's surveillance!
The Affiliated Nation cannot provide a reliable support for reclusive pirates!
Just like Rayleigh also had to live in the Sabaody Archipelago right under the World Government's nose...
The Five Elders will not give Affiliated Nation any chance to grow stronger; they even take away their chance to recruit pirates.
When the regulations for the Shichibukai were first promulgated, the Five Elders did not grant them the power they have today. Back then, the Shichibukai essentially just a get-out-of-jail-free card and a certificate of immortality.
Crocodile, the first Shichibukai in the world, thus became a model citizen among pirates, a little red flower winner in kindergarten.
He even became... a national hero of Alabasta!!!
Even before Cobra left Alabasta and went to Jaya to see Gawain, he, as king, made a special trip to meet Crocodile.
Crocodile, a national hero who protected Alabasta for fourteen years and defeated more than eight hundred pirate crews, had long been recognized by King Cobra and the people of the entire nation.
So, after Cobra left, Crocodile was actually in charge of Alabasta...
How ridiculous!
Despite his comical words, Crocodile actually did a really good job.
He rushed to Yuba immediately and, under the watchful eyes of all the civilians, resolved the first civil unrest in Alabasta.
Amidst the cheers of national heroes, Crocodile returned to his residence.
Sitting on the sofa, listening to the sounds around him, he revealed a smug smile.
This was his plan: to use his status as a hero to succeed Cobra and take control of the future of Alabasta!
As long as he continues to let the Drought persist and keeps smearing Cobra!
One day, he will go from helping Cobra suppress the rebellion to leading the Rebel Army to conquer Alubarna and end the Nefertari Family's rule over Alabasta!
He will definitely succeed if he gains more recognition!
This is Crocodile's Utopia Plan!