The Drum Kingdom's fleet pursued them relentlessly.
Standing on the deck of the lead warship were the Drum Kingdom's two loyal servants, advisers and administrators to Wapol—
Jace and Crocomon!
Both were dressed like jesters. The former carried a large bow on his back, while the latter wore a pair of fuzzy boxing gloves.
They were Wapol's trusted confidants, and they agreed with his tyranny, believing it was the proper way to govern the people.
As a result, the two were deeply at odds with Dalton. But they had never found a suitable opportunity to bring him down.
This time, they had finally found one, but the "opportunity" had come at a most unpleasant moment.
"That guy Dalton actually fled toward Alabasta? He's trying to betray the country!"
"Hehehe! Whatever His Majesty does is right, so anyone who opposes him must be completely wrong. Let's go capture him!"
"He still can't see the writing on the wall. Now that 'he' is by His Majesty's side, Dalton is no longer needed..."
"Come to think of it, does that mean His Majesty doesn't need us anymore, either?"
"..."
"We've spotted Dalton's ship!"
"Fire! Let's try out our new weapons. Fire!"
Whoosh—BOOM!
Whoosh—BOOM!
After the two cannonballs were fired, Jace picked up a telescope and began watching the coastline of Alabasta.
Against the fading light of the setting sun, he could just make out a massive, hulking figure.
It looked like some kind of animal, or perhaps a sculpture of an unknown creature. Black patterns drifted around it.
An indescribable fear welled up in Jace's heart. He couldn't help exclaiming in terror,
"Th-the thing on the coast—what is it?!"
Before Jace could react, a deafening roar rushed toward them from afar.
A turbulent gust of air, almost tangible, tore through the main mast of their warship, smashing the enormous timber to pieces!
"What is that now?!"
Jace watched as splinters rained down, a few beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
If that gust had hit their ship directly, who knew what horrifying thing might have happened!
"Whew! Whew! Thank goodness it missed..."
He had barely caught his breath when another strange sound reached his ears.
The turbulent gust was now sweeping down from above, bearing down on their warship!
BOOM!
Amid a deafening crash, the warship carrying Jace and Crocomon was completely destroyed. Many people were sent flying into the distance, never to be seen again.
Jace and Crocomon were among the lucky ones. They both fell into the sea and barely survived.
"Quick, get on another ship and get out of here!"
Jace dragged the unconscious Crocomon through the water with all his might. But before they could climb aboard another ship, the turbulent gust swept sideways again, striking the other vessels.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Only after destroying four warships did the terrifying gust finally subside.
The sole surviving ship had been battered by flying pieces of timber and was full of holes. It could barely sail.
"M-monster! There's a monster!"
Jace's mind kept replaying what he had just seen.
It was that thing!
That was what had unleashed the terrifying gust!
Overwhelmed by terror, Jace clung to the unconscious Crocomon with one hand and paddled furiously with the other, somehow managing to climb aboard the battered ship.
The moment he got aboard, he didn't even spare a glance at the soldiers who had fallen into the sea. He immediately ordered, "Hurry! Turn around and head back!"
"..."
"Whew!"
The roar gradually faded away.
A wisp of Ancient Armament Haki trickled from Lindsey's mouth, dripping onto the wreckage of wood chips and earth and stone, where it scattered into a few black droplets.
His hybrid form slowly vanished.
As it did, Lindsey returned to standing on two legs.
His body leaned slightly forward as he lifted his head toward the sky and spread his arms, facing the setting sun.
The dark golden glow of the sunset gradually faded into darkness across his body.
Everyone along the coast witnessed this scene.
It wasn't just them. Even Bepo, who was flying through the air with the two of them, was drawn to it.
Even the gravely wounded Dalton seemed to sense something and cracked his eyes open.
They saw the same "it."
Inhuman!
Yet whether they looked from the sky or the ground, from whatever angle, whatever they felt, there was only one sensation...
Boundless exhilaration!
"..."
"How should I put it?"
Many years later, when Dalton recalled that moment, he couldn't help scratching his head.
"Perhaps... it was a kind of sacred feeling?"
The next morning.
After fleeing all night, the Drum Kingdom's warship finally made it back to Drum Island just before falling apart.
Once he had settled the still-unconscious Crocomon, Jace ran all the way back to the royal palace and began complaining to King Wapol.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty! There's a monster over in Alabasta!"
"..."
"Hm?"
Wapol turned his head, still chewing on a chunk of hard steel.
He had eaten the Paramecia-type Munch-Munch Fruit, which gave him the special ability to devour anything and fuse it into new forms.
To Wapol, there was almost nothing in the world he couldn't "eat." He especially hated being interrupted during a meal!
"What are you panicking about?"
Wapol shot Jace a glance and grumbled, "I sent you after that traitor Dalton. Where is he?"
"He fled to Alabasta... No, that's not important, Your Majesty!"
Jace cried out in terror, "There's a 'monster' over in Alabasta! All our warships were destroyed!"
"What?"
Wapol was deeply displeased with Jace's answer. He turned toward the sofa on the other side and barked, "What's going on here? You'd better explain yourself!"
The person sitting on the sofa was the one Jace had mentioned.
He was tall and sturdy, wearing a white checkered coat and sunglasses. His sideburns were shaped like lightning bolts.
A mask covered the lower half of his face, concealing his true features.
But if Aiven Lindsey had been there, he would have recognized him at a glance.
He was one of the highest-ranking officers under Doflamingo, a member of the Donquixote Family—
Demon Bamboo Vergo!
At that moment, he had paused his mission to infiltrate the Marines. Under the guise of a "black-market arms dealer," he was serving as an adviser in the Drum Kingdom, waiting for an opportunity to act.
"Your Majesty, allow me to ask a few questions."
Vergo turned toward Jace and casually asked him a few things.
He asked about the monster's appearance and its attacks, as well as what had happened afterward...
After questioning him, Vergo understood the situation. He then rose, bade Wapol farewell, and returned to his temporary quarters in the palace.
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi and contacted the person he truly served.
Buru buru buru...
Buru buru buru...
Ka-cha!
The Den Den Mushi connected, and a signature laugh came from the other end.
"Fufufufufu! Vergo, how did things go?"
Vergo replied calmly, "Crocodile has returned to Alabasta. The 'Demon' is with him."
"It's fine. This actually confirms our theory."
Doflamingo grinned and replied, "Hide the Den Den Mushi now, but don't hang up. I want to hear what that foolish king plans to do next before making a decision."
"Understood."
Vergo tucked the Den Den Mushi into his coat, then returned to Wapol's throne room.
At that moment, Wapol was at his wit's end over the sudden appearance of the "monster."
"What should we do? How could there be a monster in Alabasta? Why can't they just accommodate me and pay a little more in tolls?"
Hearing that, Vergo couldn't help sneering inwardly.
A fool was a fool. His way of thinking made him unfit to be king!
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Your Majesty, this is bad!"
Another soldier rushed in to report the latest news from the sea.
"Our merchant ships have all been destroyed!"
"What?!"
Wapol was furious. "It must've been Alabasta! Don't they know how powerful I am now?!"
"We've had several merchant ships destroyed."
Alabasta, Nanohana, temporary meeting room.
A member of the King's Army reported the situation to Cobra. "We've launched an active search and rescue, but so far, we haven't found any survivors."
Compared with the earlier provocations, this attack was nothing short of an all-out declaration of war!
"..."
Cobra furrowed his brow and said nothing, seemingly considering something.
Beside him, Bepo and Jaka were seething with anger. They growled,
"Damn it! It must've been those bastards from the Drum Kingdom!"
"..."
Cobra still didn't speak.
He glanced at Crocodile, and they both sensed something in each other's eyes.
Was all of this really Wapol's doing?
Drum Kingdom, in Vergo's room.
After listening to Wapol's tedious war council, Vergo continued his call with Doflamingo.
"Young Master, your plan to drive a wedge between them was flawless. If we attack both sides' merchant fleets separately, the rift between them will only grow."
"..."
"Young Master?"
"..."
Doflamingo still didn't reply.
After a long silence, Doflamingo finally spoke.
"Vergo, there's something you need to know."
The expression on Doflamingo's Den Den Mushi turned unusually serious. He continued slowly,
"My goal isn't to make the two countries go to war, so... I didn't arrange this attack."
Vergo: "..."
After thinking it over, Vergo shuddered.
Though they were in different places, it was almost the same moment.
Cobra, Crocodile, Vergo, Doflamingo... even Aiven Lindsey!
They were all thinking about the same question at once—
Who had planned the attack on the merchant fleets?
Before you continue