Alabasta

Vivi hesitated. Of course she needed Gato's help, but for some reason, she did not want there to be any chance of Gato looking down on her. Perhaps Gato could help her sweep through Baroque Works, but would he still care about her as much as he did now afterward?

To be honest, Gato could only offer her support in terms of strength right now; he could not help her become stronger.

At Vivi's age, it was already too late to learn ninjutsu and cultivate chakra. After all, she had not been affected by the God Tree like he had, directly becoming a genius with A-grade talent for ninjutsu.

He did not have any Devil Fruits on hand, and as for swordsmanship, he had only been feeling his way through it himself. He had not even reached the level of a master swordsman.

But this was a very important trial for Vivi. There was even less chance that he would simply help her wipe out Baroque Works.

Just as Gato was still racking his brains over how to help her, Vivi had already made up her mind.

"Mr. Gato, I want to defeat Baroque Works with my own abilities. Maybe I'm weak on my own, but I still have my people and my army. Once I uncover the truth behind Baroque Works, I'll return to my country immediately and unite all our forces."

Gato merely smiled without saying anything.

Sure enough, he had not misjudged the qualities within Vivi. Even later, after accepting the Straw Hat Pirates' help, she had not sat idly by. She had always worked hard to do whatever she could.

She was not someone who could peacefully wait for others to save her.

"Gahahaha! Fine, then I'll wait for you in Alabasta. When the time comes, I'll give you a grand gift. And call me Gato. 'Mr. Gato' sounds too distant. We're already friends, aren't we?"

Vivi wanted to say something more, only to discover that Gato had already vanished.

"Friends... That's right, we're friends."

Princess Vivi smiled sweetly. It had been a long time since she had felt as happy as she did today.

Ever since Gato had fooled them once, Igaram had not let down his guard. Who knew whether Gato's goodwill was actually another trick? Only after Gato had truly left did he finally relax.

"Princess, if you agreed to accept his help, then even if Crocodile truly is the mastermind behind everything, there would be nothing to fear. Why refuse?"

"You're wrong. His help probably isn't as simple as directly helping me. It seems he wants me to prove something to him. In the end, I still have to bring all of this to an end myself."

It had to be said that Vivi was indeed a smart person. From Gato's attitude, she had deduced many things. If Gato merely wanted to help her eliminate Baroque Works, why would he have wasted so many words on her?

His words clearly carried some kind of expectation.

When Gato returned to Marcus's side, he found that every one of them had passed out.

Thanks to Gato, Marcus and his crew had also received warm hospitality. No one had drugged them, but in their excitement, they had still drunk themselves senseless.

"What a disgrace. You call yourselves pirates, yet not one of you has even a shred of vigilance.

Genjutsu—False Tsukuyomi!"

Gato smoothly entered Marcus's mental world.

No matter how strong Marcus was, after drinking himself into this state, he had no willpower to speak of. Of course, a truly strong person would not become like this over a little alcohol.

Gato had drunk no less than they had, yet wasn't he completely fine?

"Lord Gato!"

This was Marcus's world, after all. He was in a very peculiar state and immediately sensed Gato's presence. Dazed, he asked, "Am I dreaming?"

"No. I came to say goodbye. Everyone has their own adventure. I already have my own goal. I wonder, what is yours?"

Marcus grew fervent. "My goal? It's to follow in Lord Gato's footsteps!"

Gato showed no mercy. "You're still far from it. As you are now, you're not qualified. I'm leaving. I hope to see you in the New World."

After saying that, he returned to reality.

Seeing Marcus's fervent expression, Gato could not help feeling pleased that someone admired him so much.

He wanted to know just how far a previously unknown pirate crew could go after being influenced by him.

It was time to head to Alabasta. He had a dangerous premonition: if he did not quickly complete the first step of his plan, the Navy's pursuit would leave him in a near-death situation, even with Divine Wind Control.

After finding a sailboat that could barely fit one person, Gato set off lightly.

He no longer feared the harsh conditions at sea. With only a small amount of fresh water, he could survive for a long time. After all, compared to the past, his physical condition was worlds apart.

With the help of the Eternal Pose, he arrived in Alabasta without taking any detours.

This was one of the few great civilized nations in the world of pirates. Yet under Crocodile's destruction, its civilized order was gradually heading toward ruin.

Gato happened to arrive at one of its ports, but it had none of the prosperity or bustle a port should have.

Desolation. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but desolation. Yellow sand stretched endlessly, as though the entire world had been dyed yellow.

"Tsk, tsk. Truly terrifying, Crocodile."

A thought stirred in Gato's mind: Crocodile seemed like quite a useful talent as well.

To turn such a vast nation lifeless and barren—if one relied on personal strength alone, that was likely something only the Four Emperors could accomplish.

The reason Crocodile could achieve it as well had much to do with his intelligence. He was truly a born commander.

His plan to pose as a hero and seize a nation had been layer upon layer of schemes. He had plotted everything under the dual identities of Mr. 0 and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. If the Straw Hat crew had not interfered, he would already have succeeded.

Gato had to admit that he was inferior to Crocodile in such leadership and planning ability.

A petty thief is executed; a thief of nations becomes a lord.

Crocodile was undoubtedly the kind of powerhouse capable of stealing a kingdom.

"Seems like he'd make a pretty good first mate. He's just a little old."

If he remembered correctly, Crocodile was already in his thirties, but he still had plenty of potential. His Devil Fruit power was formidable; unfortunately, Pluton had drawn all the attention, causing everyone to overlook his own strength.

The thought of making Crocodile his first mate had suddenly occurred to Gato after he was stunned by Crocodile's actions.

Crocodile might currently be far weaker than him, but that was unimportant. He still had tremendous potential to develop. Besides, as captain, Gato was supposed to be the strongest anyway.

However, a ruthless hero like him would not be easy to recruit. Gato decided to deliver Vivi's message to the king first, then wait for an opportunity.

This was a port city, after all. Though it was desolate, it still had the basic necessities. Gato quickly found an experienced guide.

Although he had an extremely detailed map from Vivi, maps could only do so much at times. Hiring a guide was simply more convenient.