With things settled here, Loa could finally begin his food tour.
Besides, this was not the year Baroque Works' plot began in the original story. The Rebel Army had not even taken shape, and Alabasta was nowhere near the brink of destruction.
Faced with a well-trained royal army and the widely beloved Cobra, the Sand Crocodile had no choice but to swallow his anger and lie low while he licked his wounds.
Of course, faced with this stalemate, he could also go all in and force Cobra to reveal Pluton's whereabouts. After all, no one in this country could stand against him, could they?
Whatever the Sand Crocodile chose, it had nothing to do with Loa for now. He told the soldiers to keep a close eye on Moria's movements, then decided to use this rare bit of free time to enjoy some desert cuisine.
Time was tight, but with the convenience of flight, he could just about eat his way through several nearby cities.
Just as Loa was preparing to feast to his heart's content, Jones ended a call with Zephyr on Turtle Island, not far from Alabasta, wearing a conflicted expression.
Well, his captain really was ruthless.
One Sand Crocodile was not enough; he wanted to take down Moria too. That would leave two Shichibukai seats vacant. As the one credited with killing them, and with Sengoku on the inside, Jones was all but guaranteed a seat.
Setting that aside, though, the news Zephyr had passed along had caught Jones off guard.
Zephyr had figured out exactly what Moria's trump card was. Jones needed to act as bait and lure him into an uninhabited stretch of desert.
In Loa's original plan, Jones was supposed to lure out the Sand Crocodile so Loa could swoop in and kill him.