August 31, 1519.
On the Western Continent of Alabasta, Crocodile glared displeasedly at Sig before him...
"What are you doing in this backwater, the Daimyo Sea King?" Crocodile said sarcastically.
"If your Rain Dinners is a remote and impoverished place, then the capital Alubarna must be a barren wasteland, right?" Sig exposed Crocodile's modesty.
Rain Dinners now appears quite prosperous, and this prosperity isn't just superficial, based on tourism and entertainment; it's evident from the very beginning, in the lives of its people.
"The 'time' is almost here... Crocodile, don't tell me you're not ready yet," Sig said, looking at Crocodile.
Crocodile paused for a moment, then said somewhat displeased, "The Western Continent now accounts for 70% of Alabasta's population and over 90% of its national power, so theoretically it can be considered 'the entire Alabasta '."
Cobra wasn't unaware of the Western Continent's strength; rather, as a standard Nefertari Royal Family, Cobra didn't impose many restrictions, let alone confront them. This "laissez-faire" attitude indirectly led many people from the Eastern Continent to migrate to the more prosperous Western Continent.
The resource constraints of the seawater Purification plant also prevented Crocodile from having any desire to occupy the Eastern Continent...
As a result, Alabasta is now characterized by a situation where the west is heavily reliant on the east, and the east, which is directly ruled by the royal family, has become a liability!
In particular, Crocodile was secretly cultivating the IQ rare beast he had taken over from Golden Lion, and then trading it to Kaido through Tesoro —although most of the profits were exchanged for military equipment, at least Crocodile didn't have to extract any meager gains from Alabasta.
Kaido, this middleman, is indeed a good friend of Sig and his associates.
As for the crucial "Pluton"...
Sig already knows where he is!
That super warship from eight hundred years ago lies dormant beneath the royal tombs on the outskirts of Alubarna...
However, without the Rumble-Rumble Fruit or other alternative abilities, it's impossible to start that super battleship.
After all, the Moon person came to Earth later were originally born with the ability to control electricity, but they later lost this ability. Their technology also relies on the power of lightning, which is why "Pluton" was controlled by the Nefertari Royal Family - the user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit back then was Queen Nefertari!
Upon learning this news, Crocodile was naturally extremely upset, but... the increased military strength of the Western Continent in recent years made him somewhat more at ease.
"So what exactly is the time you're waiting for?" Crocodile pressed.
Clearly, Crocodile was also interested in the "timing" that Sig mentioned, not just the contract!
"There's only one way to change an era, isn't there? That's... war." Sig's tone was light, and after a pause, he said, "I've arranged a meeting with some allies here later. You don't mind, do you?"
"An ally?" Crocodile frowned; clearly, pirates didn't easily trust others.
"When?" Crocodile asked.
"Tomorrow."
Crocodile:...
Are you really asking for my opinion?
"If there's anyone too weak, I'll turn on them on the spot," Crocodile said sullenly.
On September 1st.
Crocodile, following Sig's advice, promptly went to sleep...
By this time, the people Sig had summoned were already in Alabasta, but Sig did not allow them to meet directly, since they were all hot-tempered people, lest they start fighting again if they disagreed!
In Alabasta, especially in densely populated cities like the Rain Dinners, Sig can connect their dreams even if they are not in the same place—as long as there are other "dreams" within a hundred meters.
Sig used the dreams of ordinary people as a springboard to bring together seven people, including himself, into the same dream world.
In the pitch-black room, there were seven chairs, all different in size and style, arranged in a circle. Since there were no doors or windows, there was no clear seating arrangement.
At the same time, figures appeared in their respective chairs...
Sig's chair and physique were neither too big nor too small, but his presence was striking, making people unconsciously think of him as the "core".
The largest chair belonged to Moria, after all, he was seven meters tall and had an onion-like body, so a small chair wouldn't fit him!
Looking down at the group from his chair, Moria smugly chuckled...
The smallest of them all is undoubtedly Hancock, standing at only 1.91 meters tall. While that would be considered tall for an average person, among the seven, she is undeniably "petite."
Hancock kept glancing in Sig's direction, then blushed and immediately looked away...
Sig's open and honest admission of his past as a slave in Hakunnos's declaration left Hancock with an irreplaceable and glorious impression.
After that, Hancock had a fever for several days without any illness, which her Granny Nyu diagnosed as lovesickness.
Sig also visited Kuja to see Hancock and, incidentally, to help her with her illness...
The most glittering chair naturally belongs to the dog tycoon Tesoro. Tesoro has been thriving these past few years, seemingly constantly being drained of his life force by Kaido, but...
Kaido, everyone's "good friend," recently returned all the "residual value," including the principal and interest.
Even a few months ago, the Beasts Pirates wanted to dock in Dressrosa and the surrounding waters to use it as their base for rest and recuperation, but they were blocked by Tesoro, who joined forces with various countries and the Tontatta Tribe...
Having lost Wano Country and the Armament Legion, and with many combatants also reduced, the Beasts Pirates did not engage in a direct confrontation.
Especially... in Dressrosa, Kaido also saw the Armament Legion and the samurai of Wano Country — Ashura Doji had been doing the same thing before!
Their preemptive support of Dressrosa further compressed Kaido's strategic space and can be seen as a rehearsal for the opening of Wano Country through military action.
In addition, Tesoro also had business dealings with the Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, so even after Kaido's power weakened, he still firmly held his position as a dominant force in the New World.
Crocodile scrutinized the two somewhat unfamiliar figures—besides Sig, there were only two others who weren't Shichibukai: Yamato and... Marshall D. Teach!
However, the one whose imposing presence is second only to Sig is Yamato, whose Yamato is similar to Crocodile's.
Although he didn't recognize her, Crocodile was able to deduce her identity because of her somewhat similar demeanor to Kaido.
In comparison, Blackbeard is rather pathetic!
After leaving the Whitebeard Pirates, Blackbeard underwent a second growth spurt, becoming even taller and stronger, now exceeding three meters in height—one might mistake him for someone who had been abused by the Whitebeard Pirates.
In reality, Blackbeard gradually stopped pretending, so his physique naturally changed.
However, he hadn't completely taken off his mask yet, after all... his strength was still lacking, Darkness Fruit was still being developed. Therefore, in front of the big shots, Teach's smile remained somewhat low-key and humble.
Crocodile crossed his legs and said, "I think... some people don't deserve to sit with us!" He then looked at Blackbeard.
Well, he could guess Blackbeard's identity, but ambushing and killing one of Whitebeard's fourth division commanders was nothing special "here," especially since Blackbeard was previously unknown!