Still So Foolish (Continued)

"Has he betrayed us?"

Xia Le's gaze sharpened, and he fell silent.

He had been gone for so long that he could no longer judge what lay in people's hearts. Of the vast force he had once built, how many could he still trust? How many would follow him without wavering?

Buggy's departure from West Blue had been the first hint that things there had changed.

And what had happened in Alabasta made it clearer still: something was wrong with Crocodile, too.

"If you truly dared lay a hand on my family..."

Xia Le sighed softly.

But reason told him Crocodile was not foolish enough to do that.

Only when he reached Alabasta would he know the truth.

About five days after leaving Water 7, the warship docked at Nanohana Port.

Xia Le and his companions wasted no time and headed for Alubarna.

Alubarna Capital.

"After all these years, I never expected us to meet again like this."

Smoker's low voice carried through the drifting white smoke. He stared at the man before him, bound in Seastone Shackles, his expression conflicted.

"That wet-behind-the-ears brat from back then thinks he can stand before me and throw his weight around now?"

Crocodile raised his head with a sneer.

They had not seen each other in years. Ever since Xia Le had entered Impel Down, many of those from West Blue seemed to have reached an unspoken understanding: they rarely contacted one another.

Crocodile, who lived as a Pirate and a Warlord, had seemed to betray them outright.

"You know, I've never been able to figure out where you truly stand."

Smoker took a deep drag on his cigar, his face dark.

Back then, he had been too young and too weak to know much about what was happening. That included the