The Perfect Instinct

The two rested briefly, then continued on.

Along the way, Crocodile kept mulling over one question.

What exactly was Aiven Lindsey?

A person?

It seemed too soon to say.

Before Aiven Lindsey awoke, he had been a "sculpture" on an ancient Stone Tablet.

The material of that ancient Stone Tablet was similar to that of the Poneglyphs scattered across the sea.

The World Government had always expressly forbidden anything to do with the Poneglyphs. Even touching one was a capital offense!

Take Ohara, once a holy land of archaeology. The island had only wanted to uncover the true history, yet the World Government had launched a "Buster Call" against it, erasing the entire island with cannon fire from Marine warships.

And yet, even so, the "Poneglyphs" scattered across the sea had not been destroyed.

Was it because the World Government didn't want to destroy them?

No. It was because they couldn't!

Crocodile had studied a Poneglyph before. The forging process for these special Stone Tablets was so unusual that even with all his strength, he couldn't damage one in the slightest.

With a surface that hard, carving words into it was already no easy feat. Why would anyone go to all that trouble to make a sculpture?

More and more questions came to mind.

Aiven Lindsey couldn't be an ordinary "person," because no human could survive such a long passage of time.

But he couldn't be a "stone" that had eaten a Devil Fruit, either.

Crocodile clearly remembered that during their fight just yesterday, he had slightly cut Lindsey's waist, and a few drops of bright red "blood" had seeped out.

Alive.

And not human!

Considering both points, Crocodile finally classified Aiven Lindsey as some kind of unknown "humanoid creature."

The sea was simply too vast. Though records of similar "humanoid creatures" were rare, they did exist.

And just now, after witnessing everything Aiven Lindsey had done, Crocodile had become even more certain of his theory.

The slave traders' abuse of their slaves had displeased Aiven Lindsey.

But he had acted nothing like those short-lived, hotheaded fools. He hadn't rushed in recklessly.

Instead, after secretly freeing the slaves, he smashed the cargo crates above him from underground, disguising himself as a "beast that had broken loose."

That drew everyone's attention to Lindsey, and no one looked into what had happened to the slaves.

Lindsey himself stayed in his Zoan Transformation, charging straight toward Crocodile nearby and taking an attacking stance.

The instant Crocodile raised his hand, Lindsey canceled his Zoan Transformation and sank back into the ground, leaving behind only a shattered shell.

To anyone watching, it looked as though Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai, had helped take down the rampaging beast.

For Crocodile, that level of cunning was simple, almost childish.

But he also knew that Aiven Lindsey had only recently awakened. He hadn't even been awake for a full day!

As far as Crocodile could tell, Lindsey didn't understand how this world worked, much less how terrifying the World Government was.

Yet Lindsey had known to keep a low profile on the Red Line and had even come up with a clever way to escape!

How had this Primitive Man managed it?

"..."

Instinct.

After turning it over in his mind, that was the only answer Crocodile could come up with.

As a "humanoid creature," Aiven Lindsey had an instinct to seek advantage and avoid danger!

He followed his own desires, freeing the slaves and killing the slave traders...

And he also did his best to steer clear of danger and make sure he had a way out.

Crocodile understood Aiven Lindsey's nature, and he felt relieved, too.

He still couldn't handle Lindsey's personality, but at least Lindsey wouldn't drag him into serious trouble.

It was just that this "humanoid creature" evolved far too quickly...

The two made it across the Red Line without incident.

At the port on the Paradise side, Crocodile bought a small sailing ship and took Lindsey out to sea with him.

The ship didn't need to be anything special. They didn't even need supplies.

They would reach the "last stop" in the first half of the Grand Line in just half a day—

Sabaody Archipelago!

It was a strange island formed from the roots of numerous giant trees. The trees secreted a special resin that produced countless bubbles, creating a unique bubble culture.

It was an extremely prosperous island for commerce and tourism, under the direct control of the World Government, though it also had some Illegal Zones.

"I've arranged a deal on this island."

On deck, Crocodile gazed toward Sabaody Archipelago and lit a cigar.

He looked over at Lindsey and saw his eyes shining with excitement. Crocodile couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

"Once I'm done here, I'll take you to Alabasta. There's something I want to show you."

Alabasta?

Hearing the familiar name, Lindsey blinked.

Of course he knew the place.

It was a superpower in the first half of the Grand Line, with countless ties to the "Poneglyphs" and the "Celestial Dragons."

If everything went as it was supposed to, Sand Crocodile Crocodile would settle in Alabasta under the guise of a Shichibukai, help wipe out the pirates, and eventually earn the title of "Hero of the Country."

But in truth, it was all preparation for taking control of Alabasta and deciphering its Poneglyph.

That was exactly what Crocodile had in mind.

From beginning to end, he had only one goal: the Ancient Weapon, Pluton!

With Pluton in his hands, Crocodile would gain military power beyond imagination, enough to intimidate the entire sea.

His sudden decision to go to Punk Hazard and find Caesar had also been prompted by some relevant intelligence.

But the result had been unexpected. Out of that enormous ancient Stone Tablet had popped Aiven Lindsey...

Still, now that he'd found him, Crocodile couldn't stand to leave without following up on the clues.

Crocodile couldn't read the ancient script and had no way to decipher the Poneglyph in Alabasta, so he planned to take Lindsey there and see if he could find any clues.

If that didn't work, he would have to try to find Ohara's "sole survivor"...

"Alabasta."

Lindsey murmured the name.

The desert kingdom was one of the few superpowers on the Grand Line!

If he got the chance, he definitely wanted to see it.

But right now, he was also very interested in Sabaody Archipelago.

He turned to Crocodile and grinned.

"Little Croc, can I borrow some Berry?"

Little Croc...

A few veins bulged on Crocodile's forehead at those words.

But given Lindsey's terrifying rate of evolution, Crocodile truly didn't want to fight him again. That would only put him at an even greater disadvantage.

Let him do what he wanted.

Crocodile casually pulled out a stack of Berry, about to toss it to Lindsey.

But then, with a bang, a lead bullet struck the deck where they stood.

A pirate ship raced toward them across the nearby sea.

They were pirates who had just made it through the first half of the Grand Line and were about to make a name for themselves in the New World. Right now, they were brimming with excitement.

In their eyes, nothing could stop them—least of all a mere little sailing ship.

The pirate captain stood on deck, pointed his sword at the two men on the small ship, and laughed.

"Yahahahaha! We're entering the New World today, so I'll use you two unlucky bastards as a sacrifice to kick things off!"

"..."

Lindsey looked up at the ship.

His eyes lit up.

He excitedly patted Crocodile on the shoulder and laughed. "Little Croc, look! Those pirates are alive!"

"Heh, alive..."

Crocodile murmured around his cigar.

The nameless fury he'd been suppressing for so long was finally looking for an outlet.

So he added to his words:

"Not for long!"

Sand surged.

But before the first grain of sand could touch the pirate captain's sword tip, a dark red hand shot out and seized the blade.

The pirate captain looked up and saw a massive shadow leaping into the air, and a pair of eyes glowing red...