After the Admiral promotion ceremony ended, Marine Headquarters' prestige was thoroughly pushed to its peak.
This was a situation that had never appeared in Marine history, and it was also the strongest signal being sent to the entire sea.
—The Marines had officially entered the era of Four Admirals!
Countless pirates fell silent.
Countless kingdoms were shaken.
Before the various powers could fully digest this news, Rock issued his first order after being promoted.
All Shichibukai were to gather at Marine Headquarters for a meeting.
The moment the news spread, the entire sea was shaken once more.
Alabasta.
Baroque Works.
Inside a dim room, fine grains of sand slowly drifted through the cracks in the window.
The air was dry, carrying the scorching heat unique to the desert.
Crocodile sat in a broad chair with a cigar clenched between his teeth.
Smoke slowly rose and spread beside his hard, cold face.
A Marine notice that had just arrived lay on the table.
He lowered his head and scanned its contents, his gaze tightening slightly.
"A Shichibukai summons..."
Smoke slowly drifted from his mouth.
After leaving Loguetown, he had personally challenged Whitebeard. He lost, and he lost completely.
Yet that defeat had not shattered his resolve as it had in the original story.
That was because, before then, he had already witnessed the true pinnacle of the sea.
That man's Thunder had told him more clearly than any so-called defeat ever could—the sea had never lacked strong men, and he was still far from the end of his journey.
Thus, Crocodile had not stagnated over the years as he had in his original fate.
He continued to hone his Haki and quietly accumulate his own strength.
As for why he remained in Alabasta, the reasons were actually quite simple.
First,