Come Be a Marine Under Me

Xia Le sighed.

Vegapunk's importance went without saying, and their brief conversation had already laid the groundwork for a friendship.

He turned to look at Crocodile, Rosinante, Evens, and the others, his expression troubled once more.

"I still don't have enough power!"

If he had enough money and a decent territory, kidnapping Vegapunk from the World Government could become part of his plans. If he succeeded, his forces would grow rapidly.

With his Marine identity as cover, he would build a powerful hidden force and wait for the day it could spread its wings and unleash a storm upon the world.

That day, T Bone received a call from headquarters ordering them to return to Marineford immediately.

"Looks like headquarters is desperate for Seastone Warship technology!"

Xia Le smiled.

He handed the blueprint to Crocodile, who seemed to understand what he meant and walked away.

The warship turned around and headed for Marineford at full speed.

During the voyage, Xia Le considered what he needed to do next.

Do everything I can to master Armament Haki.

I need to improve my Six Powers, too.

Once I've reached my limit, I'll look for the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

He also had a sense of what lay ahead. Not long after Roger became Pirate King, he would turn himself in. His execution in Loguetown would shock the world and usher in the Great Pirate Era.

Xia Le stood at a turning point in history, just as the age was about to erupt into upheaval.

Half a month later, the warship reached Dressrosa and stopped for supplies.

Standing at the bow, Xia Le gazed at the kingdom ahead and recalled what would happen to it in the future.

"Rosinante, I heard this kingdom once belonged to your family?"

Rosinante froze. "Where did you hear that?"

Xia Le smiled.

"As a descendant of the Twenty Kings, you make me wonder what kind of potential you have."

After a pause, he added,

"From what I know, your brother has already made a name for himself and founded his own family."

"The Donquixote Family, wasn't it?"

Rosinante fell silent.

He didn't know where his superior had gotten this information, but Xia Le clearly knew a great deal about him.

"Do you think the two of you might end up fighting each other in ten or twenty years?"

Rosinante's cheek twitched. Then he sighed. "Sir, we're brothers!"

Xia Le only smiled.

Rosinante said nothing more, but a shadow crossed his eyes.

Crocodile and the others soon returned to the warship laden with bags. They had bought daily necessities, along with plenty of meat and vegetables.

They also brought news that surprised Xia Le.

"I just heard something."

Crocodile lit the cigar in his mouth and grinned.

"A strong fellow I once fought just left this place."

Xia Le frowned. "Who?"

At the same time, he felt that Little Sand was acting more and more like the pirate he used to be. Perhaps he had recovered many more of his memories.

For Xia Le, though, this version of Crocodile was undoubtedly more useful.

"Douglas Bullet!"

Crocodile blew out a ring of smoke, his eyes sharpening.

"Him?"

Xia Le paused, then smiled.

"Do you know where he's headed?"

Crocodile raised his head with a knowing look. "Of course I checked. They should be stopping at Punk Hazard."

After a pause, he smiled again.

"He'd be a powerful ally."

"If you can bring him over to our side."

Xia Le narrowed his eyes.

Two years earlier, he had fought the man.

Xia Le had knocked Douglas Bullet out with a single punch. That did not mean Bullet was weak. Few people in the world could stand against Conqueror's Haki Infusion head-on.

Even when fighting Rayleigh, Xia Le had repeatedly used Observation Haki to dodge.

He also knew that Bullet revered strength above all and would acknowledge and follow someone stronger than himself.

"He really is quite a guy!"

Murmuring to himself, Xia Le looked out across the sea.

Come Be a Marine Under My Command

The warship sailed away from Dressrosa. Slo spun the helm, checked the Eternal Pose in his hand, and set a course for Punk Hazard.

"Douglas Bullet is a terrifying man!"

"He's the strongest opponent I've met since I went to sea."

Crocodile's voice sank as he recalled their fight.

Even with the Logia Sand-Sand Fruit's powers, he had found Bullet the most difficult opponent he had ever faced.

Their battle had ended in a draw. In a way, that fight with Bullet was what had made Crocodile famous across the seas.

"Sounds like that fight left quite an impression on you!"

Xia Le smiled.

"If you can bring him over, our strength will grow enormously!"

Crocodile drew on his cigar. After a pause, he added,

"Whatever you intend to do in the future, you'll need stronger people at your side."

As his fragmented memories came together, he had gradually begun to see that his superior, a Marine Rear Admiral, harbored enormous ambitions.

And after all the time they had spent together, Crocodile had gradually been won over by Xia Le's distinctive presence and formidable strength.

Xia Le was young, roughly his own age, yet he had already reached the ranks of the world's strongest.

How far would he go?

Crocodile could not imagine it. He could only try to picture it with what little imagination he had.

"You seem to have some idea what I'm planning?"

Xia Le turned to him with interest.

"I can't guess what it is, but I know you won't be content to sit still."

Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke and smiled.

"Little Sand, the way you've changed after recovering your memories..."

"You really have surprised me!"

Xia Le sighed.

Before losing his memory, Crocodile had been a pirate through and through. He had ideals, but could also be cold and cruel. After losing his memory, he had become righteous, gentle, and kind.

Now the two sets of memories had merged, shaping an entirely new Crocodile: a Marine.

He held fast to his own sense of justice, but was also full of ambition for the future. When necessary, he could be ruthless.

A Crocodile like that would undoubtedly make many things easier for Xia Le.

"But for now, you need to play the part of a Marine."

Xia Le looked him in the eye and smiled faintly.

Crocodile took a drag on his cigar and slowly nodded.

They reached Punk Hazard five days later.

Punk Hazard looked very different now from how it would in the future. It was a deserted island, thick with trees and teeming with wild beasts.

Faint smoke rose from the island's center, suggesting that people had gathered there.

"Little Sand, the two of us should be enough!"

Xia Le spoke up.

Crocodile nodded.

"After all, we didn't come here to fight."

Xia Le jumped down from the bow, left a trail of footprints in the sand, and walked toward the island.

Crocodile followed close behind.

One behind the other, they entered the forest and followed the smoke. Before long, they spotted a group of grim-faced, silent pirates gathered around a campfire.

At their center sat a broad, muscular man. He was as still and imposing as an iron tower, but most frightening of all were his demonlike eyes.

It was Douglas Bullet, known as the Devil's Heir.

Sensing someone approach, Bullet and the others looked up.

The sight of the two men startled them. Then their eyes turned cold.

"Crocodile!"

"I heard you'd become a Marine. So the rumors were true!"

Someone spoke coldly.

The other crew members fixed their eyes on Crocodile. But the moment Bullet saw Xia Le, his pupils contracted, and a dangerous light flashed in his eyes.

Then his mouth split into a grin.

"At last, I see you again!"

"Xia Le!!!"

At Bullet's words, a violent, terrifying aura surged through the air. The space around them seemed to warp, and leaves rustled throughout the forest.

Crocodile's expression turned grave. The aura pressed down on him.

But it was clearly nowhere near the Conqueror's Haki he had felt from Xia Le.

In both force and presence, Bullet's Conqueror's Haki fell far short of his superior's.

Bullet's eyes were bloodshot. Fury and bitterness welled up inside him, swallowing everything else until Xia Le was the only thing he could see.

He would never forget that fight. It had haunted his dreams ever since.

Since first setting foot on a battlefield, Bullet had never suffered such a crushing defeat! Even his challenge against Roger had not ended so miserably.

One punch!