I Want to Prove Myself

Sabaody Archipelago, dock.

Whoosh—

Boom!

A roar echoed from the nearby sea as a cannonball splashed into the water.

The people on the dock looked out and saw a small pirate ship firing cannons at another small boat.

Everyone was somewhat used to it.

It was the Great Pirate Era, and Sabaody Archipelago was a necessary route from the first half of the Grand Line to the New World, so it naturally attracted pirates.

Although many pirates chose to keep a low profile due to it being World Government territory with a significant Navy presence, there were always reckless fools who weren't afraid of death.

To show off their so-called "spirit," they even dared to plunder near the coast!

The outcome was usually one of two things.

The less interesting outcome was a successful plunder, followed by being caught by the Navy lying in wait and arrested.

The more exciting outcome was kicking a "steel plate"!

There were many interesting people on this sea, and there were always masters who liked to venture out alone, or even travel on a simple raft.

If those pirates encountered such a person, their fate would be far worse than just being arrested.

Today, which one would it be?

Several tourists who were fishing took out their telescopes and observed carefully.

A fight seemed to be happening on the deck of the pirate ship, and the roars of some unknown beast could faintly be heard by everyone.

It seemed to be the second scenario, the more interesting one!

"Hey, just in case, let's go find the Navy first?"

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

"..."

Before long, the fight on deck ceased, and several Navy personnel stationed nearby also arrived.

They observed with their binoculars and saw that the pirate ship was slowly approaching the shore, so they loaded their bullets and prepared for battle.

If it were those low-profile pirates, they might have been able to turn a blind eye, but the port was not an illegal zone and would not tolerate pirate misconduct.

The pirate ship slowly sailed closer.

When it was still two to three hundred meters away from the dock, a strange sandstorm suddenly whipped up around them.

Countless grains of sand swirled and eventually formed a human figure on the dock.

He wore a dark green fur coat, a cigar in his mouth, a golden hook in his left hand, and the head of a pirate captain in his right.

The pirate captain's skin was shriveled, and he was barely clinging to life, unable to utter a single word.

The man raised an eyebrow, surveying the crowd watching on the dock, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Tsk, so many people watching the show."

He was none other than the Shichibukai, Crocodile!

Mere ordinary pirates were naturally no match for him, let alone with Evan Lindsey, who was eager to try, by his side.

However, Crocodile was not here in Sabaody Archipelago to make an appearance.

So, he left Lindsey to pilot the ship to shore while he came ashore in advance to observe the situation near the dock.

He looked up and saw the Navy soldiers who were standing ready.

As Navy personnel stationed in Sabaody Archipelago, they were well-informed and immediately recognized Crocodile's identity.

"Shichibukai? Why are you here?"

"Sightseeing, is that not allowed?"

Crocodile couldn't be bothered to chat with these Navy soldiers and just wanted to get through this minor incident as quickly as possible.

With that, he waved his hand and tossed the half-dead pirate captain over.

Plop!

The pirate captain landed, too weak to even speak.

"This is the pirate who attacked us. Consider him a welcome gift to your branch here."

Crocodile took a puff of his cigar, his tone growing more impatient.

Seeing this, the captain of the Navy squad signaled his men to stand down.

He recognized the pirate captain; he was a troublesome character with a bounty of 29 million Beli, not easy to deal with.

But Crocodile could actually deal with him so casually. The strength of the Shichibukai is indeed not to be underestimated!

"Quick, take the person away!"

The captain commanded the other Navy soldiers while staying behind.

He sized up Crocodile, but ultimately couldn't figure out the other's thoughts, so he let it be.

As a dignified Shichibukai, he was naturally a man of rules and wouldn't cause trouble in the Sabaody Archipelago.

The Navy left, and the onlookers dispersed.

Although the Shichibukai were indeed rare to see, they were pirates after all, and ordinary people were unwilling to provoke them.

Crocodile leaned against the railing, smoking a cigar, and silently watched the pirate ship gradually approaching.

His luck wasn't bad.

Although there were ships for sale at the Red Line port, the prices were extremely high, and no expert would buy a ship there.

Therefore, the small wooden boat he had bought earlier was just a temporary means of transport.

Under normal circumstances, those familiar with the sea conditions here would choose to buy a ship in the Sabaody Archipelago to continue their journey.

But since a pirate had specifically come to "deliver" a ship to him, refusing it would be impolite.

Crocodile was currently in need of money.

He planned to secretly establish an organization in Alabasta called "Baroque Works" to carry out his plans.

That was why he needed to come to the Sabaody Archipelago for transactions to obtain the vast funds required to establish the organization.

"If Evan Lindsey can't decipher the Poneglyph, then I'll have to find her."

Crocodile's gaze deepened as he pondered his next move.

"Nico Robin, the sole survivor of Ohara..."

"Speaking of which, that Primitive Man was also salvaged from the seabed of the Ohara ruins by Caesar. Has Nico Robin met him?"

"Heh, Primitive Man..."

Crocodile muttered, suddenly feeling something was wrong.

He seemed to have focused too much on acting discreetly and forgot a fundamental question—

"Can that Primitive Man even sail a ship?!"

Crocodile immediately looked up, but the scene he feared did not appear.

The pirate ship was docking steadily, even more smoothly than many veteran sailors!

Looking closer, he saw Evan Lindsey holding the ship's wheel with one hand, while holding an introductory sailing manual with the other.

He laughed excitedly, "Great, I know how to steer now!"

"..."

Crocodile watched this scene, unsure whether to be scared or speechless.

Evan Lindsey's learning ability was terrifying. Once he got the hang of anything, he would most likely master it in a short period.

"It seems I need to be wary."

His devil fruit ability had some similarities to Lindsey's, so if they became enemies, the situation would be extremely tricky.

"But fortunately, that Primitive Man still has some common sense."

At the same time, Lindsey had perfectly docked the pirate ship in an empty spot at the port.

This way, all they needed to do was replace the black flag on it, and they could sail directly to Alabasta without buying another ship.

Crocodile strode forward.

He wanted to give Lindsey another instruction, but just as he was about to speak, Lindsey suddenly made an incomprehensible move.

Evan Lindsey leaped from the deck onto the port dock.

Immediately, his devil fruit ability activated.

Earth Demon Form!

Lindsey's body began to swell, becoming grotesque and distorted.

He clenched his crimson fist and smashed it into the hull of the pirate ship, creating a large hole.

Then, with a forceful push, he overturned the small pirate ship into the sea, causing it to sink completely.

This scene was astonishing and drew everyone's attention.

The crowd at the port gathered, looking at Lindsey.

"Little Crocodile, done!"

Lindsey slowly retracted his zoan transformation, revealing his perfect muscle definition and shamelessly showing off his physique to everyone.

Like a master-level sculpture, not a single flaw could be found in any of his movements!

Almost everyone was marveling, except for one person--

Crocodile: "..."

Crocodile: "What are you doing?"

He asked, confused.

Lindsey replied frankly, "Okay, I got it!"

Crocodile's expression grew more bewildered as he watched the pirate ship completely sink.

"Got what?"

Lindsey smiled, "Before, at the Red Line dock in the New World, you destroyed the small boat and told me to come up with my own reason."

"Now I've thought of one!"

Lindsey stretched his arms, grinning, "So, I was just learning."

Crocodile: "..."

Crocodile: "..."

Crocodile: "..."

Crocodile: "?"

Nonsense!

Aiven Lindsey was a Primitive Man, not an idiot!

He must have realized that Crocodile destroyed the small boat to prevent Caesar from finding their tracks.

Therefore, what Lindsey was saying now was just a flimsy excuse.

"Or let me put it another way."

Lindsey also noticed Crocodile's gaze, shrugged, and explained, "Beings have an instinct to seek advantages and avoid harm, but they also follow their own nature."

"I slept for too long."

"So, no matter when or where, I don't want to be forgotten."

"Whether it's a 'monster' out of control on the Red Line, or a 'master' who took down pirates at the port, it doesn't matter!"

Lindsey spread his arms and said excitedly with a laugh, "I just want to leave some mark of my own on this vast ocean!"

"I want to prove one thing--"

A strange red light flickered in the depths of Lindsey's pupils, and even the ground beneath his feet began to tremble slightly.

He said slowly, "I want to prove that I lived!"

"..."

Crocodile was speechless.

He couldn't deal with Aiven Lindsey's personality and didn't seem to want to argue about the reason for sailing.

Finally, he just turned around, frowning as he walked away, "Don't get carried away!"

Hearing this, Lindsey laughed even more happily, strode to catch up with Crocodile, and roared with laughter, "I'm going to get carried away!"

After thinking for a long time, what kind of person is Aiven Lindsey?

After much thought--

He's probably someone like Gojo Satoru.

Not the so-called "crazy type," I feel that's just a superficial internet interpretation.

One part innocence, three parts humanity, five parts Pure, plus one part divinity.

Aiven Lindsey is that kind of person.