Their journey continued.
What traveled far faster than the two of them was the "news."
The name of [Devil] Aiven Lindsey quickly spread across the sea, carried by News Coo.
The photograph on his wanted poster caused quite a stir.
Why?
The reason was simple enough.
The incident had happened so suddenly that even the nearly omnipotent official photographer had almost missed the shot.
In the end, the photographer only got his chance at the port, when Aiven Lindsey stood on the deck and roared at Garp on shore.
Click!
The photographer snapped a picture.
But here was the problem: the photo showed Lindsey not in his ordinary state, but in the combined form of [Earth Demon] and [Howling Wind]!
Dark green horns, scarlet skin, streamlined muscles, a hulking frame, emerald scales running down his spine...
All these elements came together to form a monstrous beast.
And the photo on the wanted poster captured the very instant that "demon" let out a thunderous roar!
For ordinary people, the photo was a little too horrifying.
Twisted, terrifying, horrifying...
No matter how you described it, words couldn't quite capture the feeling of seeing that picture for the first time!
And for the powerful figures across the sea, the wanted poster left an equally deep impression.
More importantly, this [Devil]'s initial bounty—
Six hundred and fifty million Berries!
It was simply outrageous.
For a time, undercurrents stirred among the various factions, rippling across the "world"...
Grand Line, New World.
"Mamamamama! Hey, what kind of species is this fellow named Aiven Lindsey? Is he the legendary [Devil]?"
"A Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit User? Mamamamama, I suppose that makes him a kind of rare beast!"
"I'd love to bring him into my Whole Cake Island..."
Reverse Mountain, at the entrance to the first half of the Grand Line.
"Hey, Beckman, did you see that? Another formidable person has set sail!"
"A bounty of six hundred and fifty million? That's pretty outrageous."
"Ha ha, I'd love to meet him sometime!"
"Everyone, stay sharp! We're about to enter the East Blue!"
Grand Line, Fish-Man Island, Dragon Palace Banquet.
"Gurararara! Old friend, who would've thought things would be so lively up at Sabaody Archipelago while we're holding a banquet!"
South Blue, the expedition camp.
"Orolo-lo-lo-lo! That form... Is it a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit ability?"
"I'd love to recruit him into my crew too!"
"Hey, Queen, go hurry King along and tell him to join us as soon as he can. I can't wait to get into a big battle!"
Navy Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku and Tsuru were both looking at today's newspaper and Aiven Lindsey's wanted poster.
"That unreliable fool, Garp!"
Sengoku furrowed his brow and muttered, "He let such a dangerous man get away..."
"I think Garp minimized the damage as best he could."
Tsuru sighed softly. "If he'd fought to the death against a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit User, half of Sabaody Archipelago might have been destroyed."
"..."
She was right, and Sengoku couldn't argue.
After thinking it over, all he could do was tell his people to keep an eye on Aiven Lindsey's movements, to prevent an even bigger disaster.
"And have Garp submit a full report. Otherwise, he'll never learn his lesson!"
"Don't worry. I'll remind him, too."
Tsuru shook her head and sighed helplessly. "The seas are only going to grow more chaotic. We Marines need to be ready..."
North Blue, the Donquixote Family's territory.
Donquixote Doflamingo!
At this point, Doflamingo had yet to claim a seat among the Shichibukai and was busy recruiting men.
This utterly unconventional pirate paid no attention to [Devil] himself. Instead, he focused on a hidden corner of the wanted poster.
There, he spotted a tiny patch of shadow—the corner of [Sand Crocodile] Crocodile's coat.
Others might have missed it, but Doflamingo wouldn't overlook a detail like that!
"Fufufufufu, the intel was right after all. [Sand Crocodile] really did leave Alabasta? Then don't blame me for taking advantage of the opening..."
"Come to think of it, now that you've been dragged into an incident this big, will the World Government really leave you alone?"
"You Marines had better not forget one thing."
Crocodile's expression was dark.
Even after all these days at sea, he had finally received an inquiry from the Marines.
They wanted to know why he had been at Sabaody Archipelago when the riot broke out.
Or why witnesses claimed that the ringleader, Aiven Lindsey, had left aboard his ship.
Crocodile simply reminded the Marine on the other end of the Den Den Mushi:
"I never asked you to make me a Shichibukai."
"The current Shichibukai were recruited because their strength was exceptional."
"So, do you have any proof that Aiven Lindsey and I are connected?"
"..."
Those few short sentences left the Marine on the other end of the call speechless.
Click!
The Den Den Mushi hung up, and Crocodile couldn't help letting out a long sigh.
He understood that the Marines had shown him some consideration.
If they had truly wanted to hold him accountable, the caller wouldn't have been an ordinary Marine. It would've been that troublesome [Chief Officer], Tsuru!
Crocodile looked toward Lindsey.
He hoped the "clue" this primitive man had brought him would be worth the "risk" he'd taken.
Alabasta was almost within reach...
A few more days passed.
At last, after a long voyage, the two men aboard the ship spotted land.
It was Alabasta, a superpower in the first half of the Grand Line!
"Phew..."
Crocodile drew a deep breath and finally felt a little more refreshed.
Compared to the damp sea breeze, he much preferred the atmosphere of a desert kingdom as a Sand-Sand Fruit User.
More importantly, the Poneglyph was close at hand!
But the next second, an incongruous sound cut through the air and struck the sea beside the ship.
Whoosh—BOOM!
The seawater exploded, splashing across the deck.
A cannonball!
Crocodile immediately shifted into battle mode.
Alabasta was supposed to be a peace-loving country, and its current king, Nefertari Cobra, was a real soft touch. So why was there cannon fire in its waters?
Pirates?
Following the cannonball's trajectory, Crocodile saw something even more baffling.
The shot hadn't come from a pirate ship, but from a tiny, battered fishing boat!
There were only two people aboard, an old man and a boy. They seemed to be cursing at the ship Crocodile was on.
"Hmph."
Crocodile snorted and raised a hand, forming a razor-sharp Grit Saber. He aimed it at their little fishing boat.
Whoever they were, they had attacked him. Retaliating was only fair!
Swish!
He swung his blade, ready to teach the two of them a lesson.
But before the Grit Saber could reach the fishing boat, Lindsey suddenly leapt from behind Crocodile and intercepted its path.
Earth Demon form!
Crocodile's strike wasn't very powerful, so Lindsey didn't fully transform. He changed only his right hand and easily blocked it.
As the fishing boat drew closer, Lindsey casually brought the two aboard and decided to find out what was going on.
The old man and the boy were clearly no pirates. So why had they attacked the ship?
Before Lindsey could ask, the grandfather and grandson spotted Crocodile and immediately recognized him.
"Sorry, sorry! We thought you were the enemy..."
The old man apologized again and again, afraid Crocodile would leave in a fit of anger.
"Mr. Sand Crocodile!"
The boy added earnestly, "I'm sorry. Our neighboring country is about to go to war with us, and Alabasta's temporarily closed its waters. We didn't know it was you. We're truly sorry!"
"..."
Crocodile looked the boy over, then at the old man beside him, then at Lindsey.
Finally, he looked back at the boy.
"?"
He hadn't quite understood.
But he had a feeling that an opportunity might have just presented itself...
That wraps up the transition. Now the main story begins!
Before you continue