Target: That Stinking Crocodile in Alabasta

About ten hours later, Banlei carried Brando to a new island, a place unfamiliar to him.

He did not use the Transformation Technique when he went ashore, instead appearing as himself. He believed Crocodile would definitely have people monitoring him along the way, so he wanted Crocodile to think he had him completely figured out—only to plunge him into despair at the very end.

The island was not large, only a little bigger than Whiskey Peak, and it was inhabited by all sorts of unusual people.

They all recognized Brando, their gazes filled with wariness and greed, but they lacked the courage of the bounty hunters on Whiskey Peak.

However, Brando's mouth was far from clean. After all, this world had plenty of people who looked downright bizarre.

"Ugly bastard."

"Big nose."

"Short legs."

"Stinky bastard."

"Cross-eyed woman."

His mouth never stopped yapping as he walked.

Quite a few of those he insulted had no idea who Brando was. But seeing how arrogantly he walked, they hesitated again and again before ultimately not daring to pick a fight. They could only swallow their anger.

But this was merely another ordinary day in the village.

Brando created a Shadow Clone and had it buy an Eternal Pose for Alabasta. Meanwhile, he found a restaurant to enjoy a good meal and grab some cola.

After eating grilled meat for so many days straight, Brando was getting sick of it. The nutrition was decent and the cooking was acceptable, but the taste was lacking—nothing but the flavor of the meat itself.

Brando swaggered around without caring about the people around him.

The moment he came ashore, both Baroque Works and the World Government noticed him. However, after the World Government's people passed the information upward, the higher-ups said nothing.

That was because Crocodile had contacted the World Government in advance, saying he would handle Brando himself.

Furthermore, the Marines' previous operation under Garp had left them deeply dissatisfied. CP0 had also failed; its two members had been unable to protect the Celestial Dragon and had likewise been punished.

As a result, Crocodile had instead gained their trust. The World Government hoped to use the Shichibukai to put pressure on both the Marines and the intelligence organizations, making them understand that there were replacements available.

At the same time, they wanted to raise the prestige of the Shichibukai, an organization under the World Government, so that more people would acknowledge it.

After Brando had eaten and drunk his fill, he paid the bill and swaggered out.

Several people, itching to make a move, followed him directly. None of them ever returned.

"Ha, that felt great."

Back atop Banlei's head, Brando felt much lighter.

Although he had animals keeping him company every day in Little Garden, it still felt different from dealing with humans.

This trip ashore had not only given him some good food, but also allowed him to vent the Haki in his heart. He felt much better, as satisfying as crushing weaklings in a jōnin match.

"Target: Alabasta."

Brando looked at the Alabasta Eternal Pose brought back by his Shadow Clone and immediately had Banlei set off.

He was already getting a little impatient to meet that stinking crocodile!

"That guy got an Eternal Pose for Alabasta?"

Crocodile was somewhat surprised when he received the intelligence from his subordinate.

Based on Brando's route, Crocodile had originally planned to intercept him one island ahead. Yet now, this brat had deliberately come looking for him.

It caught him off guard. Was it really such a coincidence?

"Have Mr. 13 and Miss Friday keep watching him. Once Red Eye is spotted in Alabasta, contact me immediately."

Crocodile did not dwell on the matter and directly ordered the two members of Baroque Works best at gathering intelligence to take action.

He was just an arrogant brat from the East Blue. Perhaps he had set his sights on somewhere or someone in Alabasta. It was even possible that he had targeted Crocodile himself.

But Crocodile would let him understand the difference in strength. That Red Eye fellow was not even qualified to become a stumbling block in his path.

He would seize Pluton's power, take control of a massive nation, and then grind Whitebeard beneath his feet!!

Alabasta was quite far away.

Brando spent two days atop Banlei's head before arriving. During that time, he began practicing the Martial Soul Fusion Technique!

He created a Shadow Clone and used Supreme Kingdom alongside it. The power of the move was terrifying, though its consumption was also immense. The Shadow Clone would automatically dispel after using it.

Clearly, the backlash of that power was too much for a Shadow Clone to bear. But for Brando's main body, it was nothing. His Uzumaki constitution allowed him to recover quickly.

Moreover, the practice went extremely smoothly. It was like splitting one person into two, giving them perfect coordination from the start. Its completion was far higher than Hakoku's.

In terms of pure destructive power, the Supreme Kingdom Brando unleashed was much stronger than the Rasenshuriken. He would probably use this move for situations like clearing out a wide area in the future.

"This country is really huge."

When they reached the waters near Alabasta, Brando saw a continent stretching as far as the eye could see. This felt like a real country.

Before leaving Banlei's head, Brando invaded Banlei's mental space once more.

"Follow the plan from before. Do this well, and I'll take you to the Calm Belt later so you can have some fun. I'll help you get revenge on your old enemies."

Brando reminded Banlei once again.

Banlei could only obediently agree, not daring to voice any objections. It had already been completely shaped by Brando.

Soon, Brando officially went ashore and stepped onto the territory of the Alabasta Kingdom.

"Too dry."

Brando immediately sensed that the moisture content in the air was far too low. If he used Water Release here, it felt like the power of his ninjutsu would drop by more than one level.

Brando did not take the initiative to look for Crocodile. Instead, he waited for that guy to come to him.

He had practically delivered himself to Crocodile's doorstep. If the guy still did not come looking for him, Brando would truly look down on him.

So Brando entered a town in the Alabasta Kingdom like an ordinary tourist, eating the local specialties.

"It looks pretty peaceful. Crocodile hasn't had the chance to move on to the next stage of his plan yet. He's still building his reputation."

"If I get rid of Crocodile ahead of time, would I still count as Alabasta's hero?"

Brando thought as he ate the local grilled flatbread with roasted meat.

Alabasta was quite calm right now, without any unrest. No one recognized Brando as he walked through the streets, clearly showing that the people here did not pay much attention to world news.

They also had no idea that an ambitious schemer had set his sights on their country, intending to turn this peaceful nation into a bloodbath with countless casualties.

"BOSS, the target is in Newshore Town, beside Erumalu."

Mr. 13 was reporting Brando's location.

"Keep watching him. I'm coming over now."

After saying that, Crocodile hung up the Den Den Mushi, rose to his feet, and draped his black fur coat over his shoulders.

He looked up at Brando's wanted poster nailed to the wall. After revealing a mocking smile, he transformed into a sandstorm and flew out through his office window, heading toward Brando's location.