What a Good Man

Bang!

Crocodile slammed his fist down on the table, forcing Lindsey to stop talking. The others beside him jumped at the sudden noise.

To cultivate the image of a national hero, Crocodile had always presented himself to the public as a calm and measured man.

But the people of Alabasta had noticed that ever since his return from overseas, Crocodile's emotions had been unusually volatile. He'd even become a little neurotic!

Was it because the journey had been too exhausting?

Or was he worried about Alabasta, making him seem somewhat impatient?

Whatever the reason, no one in Alabasta regarded Crocodile as a "pirate."

On the one hand, he held an official seat among the Shichibukai. On the other, Crocodile's presence truly did intimidate the pirates in the surrounding waters.

Mr. Sand Crocodile really is such a good man!

I really want to slaughter every last person getting in my way!

That was what Crocodile thought.

One after another, they kept coming along and disrupting his plans?

Drum Kingdom, arms dealers, the underworld...

Had they all grown tired of living?

If Crocodile had been acting according to his usual nature, he probably would've charged straight to Drum Kingdom and swept them all away with a Sandstorm.

Unfortunately, he couldn't bear to give up Alabasta as his perfect base of operations.

It not only concealed many secrets, including a Poneglyph, but was also one of the few superpowers on the Grand Line. It let Crocodile secretly build up his forces without attracting the Marines' attention.

"That's all the information I have for now."

Crocodile took out a cigar and was about to light it when Lindsey reached over and snuffed out the flame.

He pointed toward Vivi, who was standing a short distance away, indicating that there was a child present and he should try not to smoke.

Crocodile: "..."

With no other choice, he put the still-unlit cigar between his lips and said coldly,

"Alabasta and Drum Island are both member nations of the World Government. As a Shichibukai, I can't interfere in the affairs between two member nations."

Then his tone shifted.

"But I won't just sit back and do nothing, either. If I find out who's behind this, I'll take action. Don't interfere."

"..."

What he really meant was that the people of Alabasta shouldn't get in his way.

Crocodile was also curious about what kind of "arms dealers" would dare target a superpower!

What was their goal? What methods were they using?

The more secrets he uncovered, the more useful they would be to his plans down the road!

But from an outsider's perspective, Crocodile's words were remarkably generous.

It was almost as if he were saying:

"Don't worry. I'll take care of the scum in the underworld!"

"..."

"Very well. Let's leave it at that for now and take another look at the situation."

Cobra nodded seriously and continued,

"The declaration of war from Drum Kingdom makes little sense, and their actions since then have been even stranger."

He brought out a Sea Chart, with the locations of recent clashes between the two nations marked on it.

"Look."

Cobra pointed at the markings and continued, "These clashes have all taken place along Alabasta's coastal shipping routes. They're having a major impact on people's livelihoods and trade."

"Drum Kingdom's actions have mainly been aimed at harassing us. It's almost as if they're deliberately trying to make us angry."

For a small country to take on a large one, constant harassment was a terrible strategy. The former simply couldn't outlast the latter.

Yet Drum Kingdom's actions were genuinely strange, as if they were deliberately trying to provoke Alabasta's fury and force the two nations to declare war on each other!

"There must be a scheme behind this."

Cobra rubbed his chin and said, "This may not be fair to say, but I don't think Wapol, Drum Kingdom's current king, is very good at plotting."

To put it more bluntly, Wapol wasn't smart enough to scheme against anyone.

If that was the case, then someone on his side must be pulling the strings!

"..."

"Alabasta is too vast for me to confirm the situation any further. Still, we have to take action."

Cobra pondered for a moment before finally saying, "I intend to go to Nanohana myself and inspect the port. That's the safest course of action."

"Your Majesty?"

At his words, Igaram and the other guards were all taken aback.

Since when did kings go to the front lines at the very start of a war?

"Absolutely not, Your Majesty!"

Igaram was so anxious that his voice shot up into a high register. He hurriedly tried to stop him. "Even setting everything else aside, it's far too dangerous to go out while the enemy knows our position and we don't know theirs!"

But when he saw Cobra's expression, Igaram realized there was no point trying to talk him out of it.

Left with no choice, he agreed—but insisted that three royal guards, including himself, accompany the king.

"No."

Cobra shook his head. "Igaram, stay in the capital. Handle domestic affairs, and keep watch for 'that matter' as well."

"That matter" referred to the Poneglyph hidden beneath the secret chamber!

"I... All right!"

Igaram nodded.

He also thought the Poneglyph was too dangerous to leave unguarded. Besides, with the two "guardian gods," Bepo and Jaka, at Cobra's side, the king would still be safe.

"..."

Crocodile watched the scene and shook his head in boredom.

He wanted to say that the two Zoan Devil Fruit Users didn't really need to go along.

His gaze shifted to Aiven Lindsey beside him.

After all, they had a Mythical Zoan of "monster" caliber on their side...

After resting for the night,

the six of them set out for Nanohana.

That's right—

six people.

It wasn't until they were about to leave that Crocodile noticed a blue-haired little girl riding on Lindsey's shoulders.

Vivi?!

Crocodile couldn't help but be taken aback. Why was Alabasta's little princess coming along for this?

But one look at the expressions of Cobra and the other two told Crocodile all he needed to know. They'd probably failed to talk her out of it.

"..."

So be it.

Aiven Lindsey's presence had given Crocodile a little perspective.

Sometimes, overthinking things only made you miserable. Better not to think about them at all.

Crocodile decided to put his thoughts aside for now.

Meanwhile, Bepo and Jaka repeatedly promised Cobra that they would protect the princess with their lives.

"..."

"Heh..."

Once he stopped thinking about it, Crocodile found himself enjoying the situation in a way he hadn't in a long time.

Safe?

Of course she was safe!

She was riding on a head worth six hundred and fifty million Berries!

Now that was a rare sight...

The royal family of Alabasta had kept a few unusual creatures to make traveling easier.

The group rode on giant crabs. They weren't as fast as Lindsey and Crocodile traveling on their own, but they still reached Nanohana in just one day.

The port city looked much as it had before. Everyone was on high alert, though their faces betrayed a hint of fatigue.

"We can't keep this up."

Cobra furrowed his brow, realizing that the people's morale was another factor they couldn't afford to ignore. Keeping everyone on edge for too long would inevitably lead to trouble!

By the time evening came, the group planned to rest at the barracks in the garrison.

But just then, a series of piercing alarm bells suddenly rang out.

They were coming from the docks!

Residents rushed to see what was happening, and Cobra and the others hurried over as well.

A fast ship was approaching, sails fully spread. It showed no sign of slowing down at all!

"Enemy attack? We're under attack!"

The King's Army rushed into formation while also evacuating the residents near the docks.

"It's a Drum Kingdom ship!"

"It's not stopping?"

"It's going to hit us! It's going to hit the dock! Get out of the way!"

"..."

Whoosh!

A dark figure darted out and landed on the dock just as the ship was about to crash into it.

He was enormous and powerfully built, grinning with eager anticipation.

But what caught everyone's attention even more was the little blue-haired girl riding on his shoulders.

The desert winds were strong, and Lindsey had worried that Vivi might be in danger, so he'd let her ride there the whole way.

The little princess was certainly brave. Even with a warship speeding straight toward her, she didn't so much as change her expression.

She merely asked, a little curiously, "Mr. Lindsey, should I get down?"

"Either way is fine."

"Yay!"

"..."

Lindsey flexed his fingers, producing a series of sharp cracks. Then he let out a low growl, and his Devil Fruit Ability activated—

Earth Demon Form!

Dark green demon horns sprouted once more.

This time, two tiny hands were gripping them.

The contrast between the little princess and the "demon" made for an indescribably striking sight!

"Hold on tight!"

"Okay!"

Lindsey strode forward. At the very moment the ship was about to slam into the dock, he planted both hands against it and pushed forward with all his strength.

"Haah!"

His shout rang out as he absorbed most of the ship's momentum. It still smashed part of the dock, though, and forced Lindsey back several meters.

"Phew..."

Lindsey steadied himself and let out a breath of warm air.

Thankfully, none of the ships moored at the port had been damaged. The ruined section of the dock could also be repaired soon enough.

As for Vivi, riding on Lindsey's shoulders, she'd only felt a brief jolt and nothing more.

The little princess took a moment to recover, then looked over the ship's rail and saw something strange.

A "wild ox," covered in wounds, was standing on the deck.

When it realized the ship had finally stopped, the "wild ox" seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. It trembled as it changed back into a human, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"What are you looking at?"

Noticing Vivi's reaction, Lindsey craned his neck to see for himself. He immediately realized something was wrong.

He recognized the badly wounded "wild ox."

It was Dalton, the Zoan Devil Fruit User who had eaten the Ox-Ox Fruit and served as the captain of Drum Kingdom's guard!

Dalton couldn't even open his eyes. Summoning the last of his strength, he croaked,

"Save... save the people of Drum... It's a con..."

Then he fainted.