The Beginning Storm

Crocodile recognized that face.

And honestly, how could anyone who had spent any time at sea not recognize him?

He was tall, broad-chested, and muscular.

His short hair was gray and white, and he wore a full beard. A standard-issue Marine justice coat hung over his shoulders.

He was none other than the legendary Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, known as the Navy Hero!

In an instant, beads of cold sweat appeared on Crocodile's forehead.

He wasn't one to show weakness.

Quite the opposite. Crocodile was an arrogant man, or he never would have challenged Edward Newgate, Whitebeard, who was known as the strongest.

But Crocodile's arrogance wasn't blind.

When facing a legend from the previous era, even Crocodile wouldn't dare provoke him without proper preparation!

After weighing his options, Crocodile decided to keep Garp calm for now.

As one of the Shichibukai, he knew Garp couldn't just attack him without a reason!

"Heh heh heh..."

Crocodile chuckled under his breath, then asked with feigned confusion, "Why is the Navy Hero here?"

"Brat, you still haven't answered my question."

Garp wasn't swayed. His blue eyes remained fixed on Crocodile as he repeated,

"Are you involved in the trouble on Sabaody Archipelago?"

"Heh heh heh..."

Crocodile chuckled again. He partially turned into sand and wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead, gradually regaining his composure.

He had enough time to sort out his thoughts and bargain with Garp, probing for more information.

"According to the agreement I signed with the World Government, you don't seem to have the right to question my actions."

Crocodile had no intention of answering Garp directly unless the other man offered more useful information.

But Garp merely picked at his ear, looking exasperated.

"Oh, dear. That's a problem, since it seems a Celestial Dragon has died..."

"Nothing to do with me."

Before Garp could finish, Crocodile cut in calmly. "Whatever happened on the island had nothing to do with me."

As he spoke, a fresh sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead, and he couldn't make it go away.

What had he just heard?!

A Celestial Dragon... had died?!

He'd already suspected that Aiven Lindsey, that Primitive Man, might cause a commotion, but this was far beyond what he'd imagined!

"I'm just waiting for someone here."

Crocodile spread his hands to show he meant no harm, then gave a sinister smile. "Besides, as one of the Shichibukai, I have no reason to attack a Celestial Dragon, do I?"

"Maybe?"

Garp scratched his head, frowning. "I thought the source of the trouble was right in front of me, but I guess I'll have to go to the island and look."

"Hey, you sand-using brat. Don't cause me any trouble, or you'll have to taste my iron fist."

With that, Garp stopped paying attention to Crocodile. He went to the bow and began searching for a Den Den Mushi to contact the local forces.

He had been unhurried the whole time.

As for the "Celestial Dragon attack," most Marines handled it as a matter of duty.

For example, when Luffy punched Saint Charlos in the future, the Admiral who was sent to deal with it, Borsalino—Kizaru—had reacted in much the same way.

Aside from Kizaru's own "uncertain justice," it was largely because the Celestial Dragons weren't the Marines' direct superiors.

The Marines' job was to deal with the criminals, not protect the Celestial Dragons.

Buru buru buru...

Buru buru buru...

Buru buru...

The Den Den Mushi rang for a long time, but no one answered.

"That's strange."

Garp scratched his head and looked back at Crocodile. "Hey, crocodile brat, do you know what's going on?"

"How would I know!"

Crocodile's eye twitched.

He understood now. This Navy Hero was the same sort of person he could never handle—and might be even more troublesome than that Primitive Man!

The next moment, something unexpected happened.

Whoosh—BOOM!

A violent explosion rang out from the island beyond the harbor. It was unmistakably the sound of cannon fire.

Then cannon blasts sounded all over Sabaody Archipelago, mixed with the terrified cries of civilians.

Civilians, slaves, gladiators, and nobles all fled for their lives. The chaos spread to the harbor, where everyone desperately searched for a ship to take them out to sea.

"Quick, run!"

"I have money! I'll pay you—sell me your ship!"

"Forget going back for your money. Your life matters more..."

"..."

"Hmm."

Garp narrowed his eyes, his expression growing serious. He turned to Crocodile and said in a low voice, "Crocodile brat, you noticed it too, right? This looks like a serious mess."

"Yeah... No, wait!"

Crocodile's mouth twitched. "Why would I have noticed anything? This has nothing to do with me!"

But before he could finish speaking, Garp leapt away and vanished from Crocodile's sight.

"..."

A few veins bulged on Crocodile's forehead.

What was wrong with that man?!

Just then, a few people tried to seize Crocodile's ship and escape to sea.

He casually whipped up a sandstorm and dealt with the fools. After thinking it over, he decided to keep watching from the sidelines.

Honestly, Crocodile was curious too.

Would Aiven Lindsey, that Primitive Man, manage to get out of Sabaody Archipelago with the legendary Navy Hero on his tail?

Or how far would the Navy Hero make that Primitive Man "evolve"?

Whoosh—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The bombardment continued!

"Hey!"

The Marine captain grabbed a CP Organization guard by the collar and growled, "Why are you CP agents using Marine artillery? Who gave you the order?"

"I did!"

Nearby, Saint Lolowim shrieked, "I gave the order. Do you have a problem with that?"

"..."

The Marine captain glared at Saint Lolowim.

Saint Lolowim bared his teeth and roared, "You useless Marines! Someone killed my big brother, and you're still worrying about those commoners! Do you even understand what it means to let that dangerous criminal escape?"

"Tsk..."

Helpless, the Marine captain released the CP agent's collar, then turned to the other Marines and ordered, "Everyone, pursue them!"

"Yes, sir."

The Marines acknowledged the order and set off with their captain.

Only after they had gone some distance did the captain issue another command.

"First, cover the civilians and get them away from the shelling. Pursuing the criminals comes second."

"..."

"Yes, sir!"

After a brief silence, the Marines acknowledged the order again.

Their voices were a little louder this time.

And so—

More and more people were drawn into the "chaos."

Slaves, nobles, gladiators, civilians;

Marine soldiers, CP Organization agents;

Celestial Dragons, the Navy Hero, Fish-Men, the Shichibukai;

And Aiven Lindsey.

In the distant future, the "chaos" that erupted in the middle of the Grand Line would be given another name by the world—

The Beginning Storm.