Secrets Beneath the Royal Tomb

Snap snap!

A soft clapping sound came from beside him, causing several veins to bulge on Crocodile's forehead.

"Quiet!"

Cobra on the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "?!"

"No, I wasn't talking to you."

Crocodile rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

The relationship he had cultivated with Cobra was close to that of "old friends," so speaking was relatively convenient.

"In short, everything can wait until I get to Alubarna."

"Understood. Be careful on your journey."

Click!

Cobra hung up the Den Den Mushi.

The next instant, Crocodile sent a Grit Saber directly at Lindsey.

Lindsey reached out to block, activating his Earth Demon Form, and effortlessly crushed the blade.

"Aha!"

The Kun Trigram appeared in Lindsey's pupils, and he said excitedly, "This move is almost there, give me something new!"

"..."

"Tsk!"

Crocodile waved his hand but made no further moves.

It wasn't that he had calmed down, but rather that he had long realized something terrifying upon deeper thought.

He had only used Grit Saber a few times on Aiven Lindsey, but the results were different each time.

The first time, he could barely scratch him.

Starting from the second time, Aiven Lindsey could deal with it without taking damage.

And now, he could crush Grit Saber with his bare hands before even fully activating his Devil Fruit ability!

Had he completely understood this move?

It was truly... terrifying.

Crocodile rarely used that adjective.

Even when facing Whitebeard, who was known as the "strongest," he only felt the man was troublesome.

But Aiven Lindsey, this person, truly gave Crocodile a "terrifying" feeling!

His unfathomable "potential," and his extremely adaptable "learning ability."

To deal with someone like this, unless you could crush them in one go, if they ever came back and figured out your patterns, the outcome would be uncertain!

Therefore, Crocodile had no intention of "feeding moves" to Lindsey anymore.

Just that one move, Grit Saber, was fine to use occasionally to vent his anger!

Moreover, although Aiven Lindsey had heard that he was making things up, he hadn't stopped him, which meant he was actually interested in the Poneglyph.

That was enough.

Lindsey indeed had no intention of stopping Crocodile.

The reason was simple.

Since he had come all the way to Alabasta, he had to see the country's "secrets" to make it interesting!

Furthermore, faintly, Lindsey always felt that something in the direction of the royal capital, Alubarna, was "attracting" him.

It was a feeling, hard to describe or explain.

As for why Crocodile knew the "secret" of the Poneglyph, it might also be related to the "butterfly effect."

If everything had developed normally, Crocodile wouldn't have known the whereabouts of the Poneglyph until Luffy's arrival.

It was Nico Robin who learned information about the Poneglyph in the underground world, which allowed her to pinpoint its location.

But now, Crocodile knew the whereabouts of the Poneglyph in advance, having obtained the information from the underground world during this voyage!

And this event must have happened before Lindsey woke up, otherwise, he wouldn't have paid so much attention to Aiven Lindsey.

Was this also a part of "fate"?

He just didn't know what kind of "fate" would cause that good-for-nothing King Wapol to actively provoke Alabasta...

The two moved at an extremely fast pace.

A journey that would normally take ordinary people several days was completed in just half a day.

Alubarna, the royal capital of Alabasta, was now in sight!

The people here were also on high alert.

It wasn't a feeling of panic, but rather a hidden "rage," with everyone wanting to vent their anger on behalf of their homeland!

From this, one could tell that King Cobra was deeply loved by his people.

And if one were to walk past the residential areas and arrive at the main gate of the royal palace, the reason for his popularity would become clear.

The vast royal palace's most prominent display of royal status was surprisingly its ancient, rustic decorations left by history.

All other furnishings were extremely simple, indistinguishable from those in the residential areas!

This was indeed Nefertari Cobra's style.

The current king, who loved his people like his own children, would cut back on the royal family's living expenses to ensure the lives of people in disaster-stricken areas.

"Mr. Crocodile, we've been expecting you."

Greeting the two was the captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard, a middle-aged man with large curly hair – Igaram.

Accompanying him were the vice-captain of the guard, and two users of Zoan-type Devil Fruits –

The Falcon-type "Bepo," and the Jackal-type "Jaka."

The Falcon-Falcon Fruit, Model: Falcon, and the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Jackal.

These two were renowned together as the guardian deities of Alabasta!

"Mm."

Crocodile nodded to them.

As a national hero, Crocodile outwardly had an excellent relationship with these three, so no pleasantries were needed.

"Where is Cobra?"

"His Majesty is in the conference room."

Igaram led the way, with Bepo and Jaka accompanying them.

But for some reason, these two powerful Zoan Devil Fruit users felt a chill run down their spines, shivering repeatedly.

Why?

Although Crocodile was grim, he had never given them such a feeling.

Therefore, the only key factor was the "person" beside him.

Tall, robust, with perfect muscles.

And judging by his expression, he seemed to be in high spirits, showing great interest in everything within the palace, like a tourist visiting the area!

Why would such a person make them feel "fear"?

But regardless, he was Crocodile's friend, and they only needed to treat him with courtesy.

Conference room.

Accompanied by the three royal guards, Lindsey and the other met Cobra.

The benevolent king, in his prime and full of energy, appeared somewhat troubled by recent events.

At the same time, Lindsey and Crocodile also saw another "tiny person," the little princess of Alabasta –

Nefertari Vivi.

Vivi was now around four years old, and since royal children were often precocious, she was already sensible.

She had tied up her sapphire-blue hair and was helping her father organize documents, looking like a little adult.

Upon seeing everyone, Vivi even bowed to them, without a single flaw in her etiquette.

"It's good that you've returned safely."

Cobra nodded to Crocodile, then noticed Lindsey beside him and casually asked, "And who is this?"

"Frie...nd..."

Crocodile forced out the word with difficulty, then changed the subject, "Has Alabasta been a bit off lately?"

"As you know, the Drum Kingdom has suddenly made some moves, and the people are very angry about it."

Cobra sighed softly, "But as king, I cannot rashly declare war for the sake of pride, as it would only lead to needless casualties, so I must investigate first."

To engage in a life-or-death battle after being provoked a few times is merely a sign of incompetence; such a person cannot lead a superpower.

Clearly, Cobra was not among them.

After much thought, Cobra got straight to the point and asked, "What exactly is this 'Poneglyph' you mentioned earlier?"

Crocodile surveyed the surroundings.

After all, it concerns the World Government's taboo, and having too many bystanders present would only increase the risk.

But Cobra shook his head and said, "No matter."

He absolutely trusted the kingdom's guards present, and Vivi would also not spread rumors.

Since that was the case, Crocodile began to explain the cause and effect of the matter.

Naturally, it was three parts truth and seven parts falsehood.

"As one of the Shichibukai, I have a portion of an intelligence network in the underworld."

"And over a month ago, I received word that a certain force in the underworld had instigated the Drum Kingdom to seek something from Alabasta."

"Upon hearing this news, I immediately set sail to seek more accurate intelligence, and eventually found a clue."

"That is the secret buried deep within your royal mausoleum—a Poneglyph!"

"..."

Crocodile's explanation caused Cobra and the others to widen their eyes in disbelief.

They had lived in Alabasta for most of their lives, yet had never heard of such a secret!

"There's actually something like that in Alabasta's royal tomb?"

"Hehehe, the underworld is unfathomable. Even if you are the king of a World Government member nation, you cannot possibly know everything."

Crocodile, holding an unlit cigar, chuckled sinisterly and revealed his true motive.

"To figure out the true purpose of that unknown force, I need to see that Poneglyph."

"This..."

Hearing this, Cobra visibly hesitated, appearing somewhat indecisive.

Crocodile, on the other hand, shrugged helplessly. "Don't worry, I'm just checking for clues. I'm not trying to decipher the Poneglyph. After all, I can't read ancient text..."

"Mm."

After much deliberation, Cobra finally nodded.

He actually didn't care about the so-called "Poneglyph"; only the "people" were Alabasta's most precious treasure.

He had to figure out why the Drum Kingdom was acting like this!

Moreover, the World Government heavily controlled Poneglyphs, and Cobra also needed to confirm if such "dangerous" things truly existed in Alabasta.

After some discussion, the group set off for the royal mausoleum.

In addition to the original five people, Cobra also joined them, and Vivi requested to accompany them as well.

Cobra thought it over carefully, but ultimately agreed.

Although Cobra was reluctant to part with her, Vivi's expression was truly serious.

She would eventually bear the heavy responsibility of the entire Alabasta, and there were things this little princess had to face. It wasn't a bad thing to experience more now.

Soon, Crocodile, based on the intelligence he had obtained, found a hidden entrance near the royal mausoleum.

The group descended the stairs into the underground, and a secret chamber, never before discovered, appeared before them!

And at the end of the secret chamber lay the huge, dark, square Poneglyph!

"It's this..."

Crocodile murmured, slowly stepping forward.

Unlike the ancient stone tablet Caesar had salvaged, this was Crocodile's first time seeing a real Poneglyph!

The things that looked like drawings on it must be ancient text.

Just as Crocodile was about to step forward for a closer look, another figure beat him to it, moving ahead of Crocodile.

It was Ivan Lindsey.

With a look of confusion on his face, he slowly reached out and gently touched the Poneglyph.

This was a perfectly normal action, but in the next second, a sudden change occurred!

Ivan Lindsey's fingers actually went straight into the indestructible stone. His five fingers entered one after another, submerging into it, and finally his entire palm!

Crocodile's pupils constricted, and a tempest raged within his heart.

Was this a good thing?

Or...

A terrible omen?!