There was a saying among sailors:
A butterfly flapping its wings could stir up a storm thousands of miles away.
Metaphorically speaking, even the slightest change could affect the course of a major event!
Lindsey felt this deeply now.
If everything had gone as it normally would, Crocodile would never have left Alabasta.
He would have stayed here in hiding, cultivating his public image as the country's "national hero" while secretly building Baroque Works and plotting to find the Poneglyph.
Years later, when Crocodile was just one step away from completing his "usurpation" of the country, the Straw Hat Pirates would stop him, and he would ultimately be defeated.
But after "Caesar salvaged an ancient Stone Tablet" happened, everything started to change.
Crocodile learned about the ancient Stone Tablet and, after searching for the Ancient Weapon for so long, chose to leave Alabasta temporarily and head to the New World in search of clues.
After that, he witnessed Aiven Lindsey's resurrection and experienced the Sabaody Archipelago riot.
Now, as he returned to Alabasta with Aiven Lindsey, the two of them learned some astonishing news.
A neighboring country was actually going to war with Alabasta?!
Something was off.
Very, very off!
Crocodile puffed on his cigar and silently studied the grandfather and grandson in front of him.
They stared at each other.
He'd only been away from Alabasta for a little over a month. Why had war suddenly broken out?
Since he'd skipped the surrounding islands, Crocodile hadn't even heard about the "sea ban."
What in the world was going on?
Crocodile tried to ask for more details, but the grandfather and grandson kept talking over each other.
The two in front of him were indeed citizens of Alabasta, but no matter how he looked at them, they certainly weren't "King's Army" soldiers fit for patrol duty.
They had no combat discipline whatsoever and were even a little neurotic!
"Tch. Amateurs..."
Crocodile shook his head helplessly, told them to get their thoughts in order, then went to take the helm.
Meanwhile, Lindsey tied their little fishing boat to the larger ship and waited quietly for it to reach shore.
He couldn't help wondering what had happened in Alabasta, either.
It was a famous superpower on the Grand Line, covering over ten million square kilometers, with a standing army of six hundred thousand.
Even the World Government wouldn't dare to put pressure on a country of that stature. What kind of foolish "neighbor" would dare provoke it?
And Alabasta's current king, Cobra, was famous for loving his people like his own children. He would never let civilians set foot on a battlefield. So why had this grandfather and grandson volunteered to patrol?
Too many questions came to mind all at once.
Once the sailing ship reached shore, Lindsey finally set foot in Alabasta.
This was Nanohana, a port city famous for its perfume!
As soon as he stepped ashore, even Lindsey could tell that something was clearly wrong with Alabasta.
In Nanohana alone, a normally bustling port city, there wasn't a single vendor on the streets. There wasn't the slightest sign of life.
A few King's Army soldiers were stationed at intersections, most residents stayed inside their homes, and a handful of militia members patrolled the streets.
The whole place looked ready for war!
Meanwhile, the grandfather and grandson had finally caught their breath.
After Crocodile casually forgave them, they finally relaxed and began calling out to the residents around them.
"Hey, everyone! Mr. Sand Crocodile is back!"
"..."
At those words, people began stirring in their homes.
Before long, dozens of people had gathered, all talking at once, and several began cheering.
"Mr. Sand Crocodile, you're finally back!"
"Are you all right? Do you need to rest first?"
"Wonderful! With you here, the king will surely lead us to victory over the enemy!"
"..."
The noisy chatter made Crocodile furrow his brow.
He looked down on these easily swayed commoners, but his public image in Alabasta was that of a "national hero" who fought pirates, so he could only humor them.
Realizing he wasn't going to get any answers this way, Crocodile found an excuse to leave the crowd, then led a few King's Army soldiers into a nearby alley.
He also introduced Aiven Lindsey in passing.
"This is my... friend."
He put particular emphasis on the last word, sounding thoroughly reluctant.
Alabasta was the country he had his eye on, so Crocodile had to figure out who was behind this!
"So, what happened while I was away?"
"..."
The King's Army soldiers exchanged glances.
After a moment's thought, one of the captains stepped forward and replied, "To be honest, we don't know much ourselves..."
"Hm?" Crocodile raised an eyebrow.
But what the captain said next only deepened Crocodile's confusion.
Not long after you left Alabasta, the same flyer suddenly appeared all over the country.
"It was a declaration of war against Alabasta from the Drum Kingdom."
As he spoke, the captain took the "flyer" from inside his coat and handed it to Crocodile, then continued:
"The Drum Kingdom's king, Wapol, claimed a rebellion had broken out in his country. He said the ringleaders were now hiding in Alabasta and had even colluded with the royal family. He demanded that we hand over the criminals, or else we'd pay the price."
"But all our people believe His Majesty Cobra could never do such a thing."
"His Majesty Cobra also tried to communicate with the Drum Kingdom, but they never responded. There's been no word from them at all."
"On top of that, over the past month or so, quite a few Alabastan merchant caravans and fishing boats have been attacked by the Drum Kingdom. They haven't stopped provoking us, either."
"Everyone's furious. Quite a few people even volunteered to join the militia, which is how things ended up like this."
"..."
After hearing the explanation, Crocodile finally had a general idea of what had happened.
But that only made him more puzzled.
He'd investigated the surrounding countries long ago, so of course he knew about the Drum Kingdom and its current king, Wapol.
The former was a small country, and the latter was a complete fool.
An incompetent, foolish, and cruel fool!
Neither the "country" nor the "man" was worth paying attention to. Why had things turned out like this?
"Although there hasn't been a full-scale war, there've been too many scattered attacks. It's as if they're deliberately provoking us. We can't let our guard down."
The captain sighed. "So His Majesty Cobra sent us here mainly to keep the people calm."
"..."
"I see."
Crocodile nodded.
The King's Army soldiers in front of him didn't seem to know much, either. For the full story, he'd have to speak with King Cobra himself.
The journey to the capital, "Alubarna," began.
Along the way, they had to cross a vast desert.
Ordinary people would have needed to prepare thoroughly, but for two Devil Fruit Users, the journey only cost them time.
The desert scenery was quite nice, so Lindsey simply took in the sights as they walked.
Crocodile, on the other hand, was somewhat occupied.
After sorting through his thoughts, he took out a Den Den Mushi and contacted Cobra in the royal capital of Alubarna.
Buru-buru-buru...
Click!
Once the Den Den Mushi connected, Crocodile exchanged a few pleasantries with Cobra before getting straight to the point.
"I've also uncovered some useful information on this trip."
Crocodile smiled darkly, though his tone sounded completely sincere.
"I suspect the unrest in the Drum Kingdom has something to do with an object in your royal family's mausoleum."
Cobra sounded confused on the other end of the Den Den Mushi. "The royal family's mausoleum? What's there?"
Crocodile paused, seemingly putting a plan together in his head, then slowly uttered four words:
"The Poneglyph."
"..."
Clap, clap!
Lindsey watched the scene and couldn't help applauding.
He had to admit, little Crocodile was pretty good at making things up.
Before you continue