Kohza met the man named Sōsuke Aizen half a month ago. He didn't know where the man came from, only that he was a very knowledgeable person.
He respects cultured scholars and believes that one can improve one's qualities only through continuous reading. In this world where strength is respected, there are always some people who believe that spirit is more worthy of cultivation and possession than physical strength.
Kohza was one of them.
His humble attitude was appreciated by Aizen, who then taught him a power called Kidō. With this power, Kohza's position as leader of the rebel army was much more secure than before.
The so-called Kidō is a kind of power, similar to Logia Fruit, which can unleash some magical techniques.
Kohza showed some talent in learning Kidō, and the Byakurai he shot from his fingertips didn't bother Crocodile much. The yellow sand in his hand dissipated, and he said with disdain, "Is this the power you obtained from that guy? Weak. Before a true Logia Fruit, your false power is like a candle that can be blown out with a single breath."
Byakurai pierced through Crocodile's body, and yellow sand gradually flowed down, restoring his body to its original state.
The next instant, Crocodile moved, his body transforming into a sandstorm and teleporting behind Kohza. His massive golden hook ripped a long gash in Koza's back, drawing blood.
"Ugh." Kohza let out a muffled groan, turned around, and was about to unleash his Kidō when Crocodile grabbed his right hand, draining all moisture from it, leaving it as a limp, thin arm that fell to the ground.
Crocodile, his face cold, didn't continue draining Kohza dry. Instead, he kicked Koza away. "King, take a good look at how miserable the people you claim to protect are!"
Neferutari Cobra slowly opened her eyes, looked at Kohza lying on the ground, then glanced at Vivi, her expression filled with sorrow, and said, " Vivi, I'm sorry, you risked your life to save this country, but it seems there's still no hope."
The fact that one person could be so powerful was truly beyond Cobra's imagination. He no longer believed that the Kingdom of Alabasta could continue to exist, and that it would probably perish at the hands of pirates like many other kingdoms.
" Crocodile, release the King!" Chaka shouted angrily as he got up.
Crocodile completely ignored the clown. If he could just let him go, why bother capturing him?
He laughed loudly, "Haha, the king is right. However, Miss Wednesday, your arrival here is all thanks to those pirates. You should thank them properly."
Vivi's heart tightened, and she hurriedly asked, "Where is Luffy now? And what are you doing here?"
"He's dead!" Crocodile stated the truth in a cruel tone.
Vivi's eyes widened, and she roared, "You're lying!! Luffy couldn't possibly be killed by someone like you!!"
"Hmph, it doesn't matter what happens. In short, I've already said before: I won't let you and your father go. When the kingdom falls, the royal family will naturally be buried with it."
Crocodile, already displaying the posture of a victor, completely disregarded the combined forces of the King's army and the rebels, numbering over a million, believing a few sandstorms would suffice. "King," he said, "Before the transfer of the throne, I have something to ask you, which is also the primary purpose of my trip."
Where is Pluton?
Crocodile slowly revealed his true purpose: more than the kingdom, Pluton was the power he desired most.
Cobra's eyes widened. This secret had been kept from the World Government by the royal family for eight hundred years, never leaked. How did Crocodile know it?!
"How do you know this name...?"
" Pluton, I've heard that a single shot could flatten an entire island. It's the most evil ancient weapon from the time it bore the name of a god. That thing should be slumbering somewhere in this country!"
Crocodile was able to learn about Pluton thanks to Robin's help. He initially stayed in Alabasta because he was defeated by Whitebeard, disheartened, and didn't know what to do, so he temporarily rested there.
Unexpectedly, a powerful ancient weapon was hidden here.
"My goal is to obtain it. With that, I can build the most powerful military nation here, surpassing Elbaf!"
Crocodile became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could see himself building the most powerful military nation, with a mighty fleet sweeping the Navy and the Four Emperors into their graves.
Vivi looked puzzled. "Weapons?! In this country, are those things?"
"Is it a secret that each king inherited along with the throne?" Chaka mused.
Crocodile raised his golden hook high and declared, "Once I become the king of this place, making those pirates bow down to me will be a piece of cake. When my power grows, this place will become a dreamland that surpasses even the World Government!!"
Cobra shook his head and said, " The World Government will not allow such a thing to happen!"
Crocodile sneered, "That's why I need a powerful military."
Cobra shook his head and said, "I don't know where you heard that name from, and I don't know where it is. Besides, whether it even exists is still unknown."
"Don't try to fool me with those words. The royal army, the rebel army—those fools' lives are all in your hands. If I use my full power, burying the entire nation's inhabitants wouldn't be a problem. In the desert, no one can defeat me, who possesses the Sand-Sand Fruit!"
Crocodile, his face grim, said, "Alright, Cobra, answer my question: where exactly is the stone tablet that records the Poneglyph?!"
" The Poneglyph?" Vivi's expression grew increasingly puzzled. She remembered that the Poneglyph were indestructible structures inscribed with ancient script that no one could understand. "Why are you asking about this?"
Cobra pondered for a moment, then finally made up his mind to perish together with this demon, saying, "If I take you there... fine, I'll take you!"
"Father?" Vivi's face was full of shock.
Crocodile, satisfied with the answer, laughed loudly, "Haha, as expected of the wise ruler Cobra, he truly knows how to seize the moment!"
At this moment, Chaka, his face dark with rage, gritted his teeth and said, "Princess Vivi! I... have reached my limit!!"
With that, he resolutely drew the sword from his waist, ready to fight Crocodile to the death.
"Please wait a moment, Lord Chaka."
Suddenly, the roar of four men echoed from inside the palace.
Crocodile looked towards the gate, his face full of disdain, and said, "Who are you people?"
"You..." Chaka's face was grave.
"It's the Clutch Troops!" Vivi exclaimed in surprise.
Cobra shouted anxiously, "Leave him quickly! Don't provoke him!"
One of them, with a look of unwavering resolve, said, "Your Majesty, it is our mission to protect you to the death. How could we possibly stand idly by!"
"Even though the opponent is Seven Warlords of the Sea,"
But we will never desert our posts.
"Let the four of us deal with this guy!"
One after another, their expressions were extremely calm, showing no fear of death whatsoever.
Crocodile frowned, looking at the four members of the Clutch Troops, and said, "You seem to have some backbone. I'll let you off this time. Now get home."
To be honest, Crocodile didn't even have the desire to kill these small fry; it was a waste of his time.
"That won't do. We have reasons not to back down. If you are the mastermind behind this rebellion, we must eliminate you."
Marks began to appear on the faces of the Clutch Four.
Upon seeing the markings, Chaka's expression grew increasingly grave, and he shouted, "Those markings... could it be that you...?"
"Should I go?" Robin asked.
Crocodile shook his head and said, "No, not at all. They're just a bunch of small fry."
"Waaaaaah!!!"
The Clutch Four attacked Crocodile directly.
However, Crocodile didn't even try to dodge, because he was Logia Devil Fruit user, and the group of people in front of him who didn't have Armament Haki couldn't harm him at all.
Chaka gritted his teeth, his face full of regret, and said, "To gain temporary power, they drank the Hero Water,' a kind of water that consumes life. They only have a few minutes left to live."
Vivi's eyes widened, and she Riot Games, exclaiming, "How could this be?!"
Crocodile sneered, "Tsk tsk, I knew it. You'd risk your lives just to challenge me."
The Clutch Four stared at Crocodile, their lives burning brightly. One of them shouted, "Lord Chaka, please forgive our stubbornness, but we must let this man know the pain and anger of this nation."
They spoke with fury.
Crocodile's mocking expression deepened. In an instant, he vanished into sand and sat down leisurely, saying, "How ungrateful! You should cherish life. But it's too late."
"Hahahaha, since you're all going to die anyway, there's no need for me to lift a finger, right?"
He let out a loud, unrestrained, mocking laugh.
Chaka stared at Crocodile with a dark expression; this man didn't even bother to accept the challenge.
Such disregard for others' awareness...
"Cough cough..."
"When!"
The Clutch Four all coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.
Crocodile, seeing their miserable state, continued to laugh, "Hahaha!! How utterly foolish!!"
Chaka instantly transformed into his beastman form and attacked Crocodile, shouting angrily, "You bastard!!"
Vivi, her face filled with anxiety, said, " Chaka."
" Chaka, stop! We can't let them die in vain!" Cobra shouted anxiously. He was willing to give his own life for Crocodile's, but not his subordinates'.
As a ruler, one must not only protect one's people, but also one's subordinates, and must never place the lives of one's subordinates above one's own.
"Oh, Zoan Devil Fruit." Crocodile's expression remained calm.
"Dog-Dog Fruit - Jackal Form."
Chaka proactively revealed his Devil Fruit ability and sliced Crocodile in half with a single strike, but this had no effect on Crocodile.
"Even you're willing to sacrifice yourself for others?" Crocodile narrowed his eyes, filled with disgust for these self-proclaimed loyalists. It was this reckless willingness to die, without considering the lives of the living, that caused all the suffering.
He no longer held back; his body suddenly turned to sand and swept over Chaka's body.
" Chaka!!" Vivi cried out, tears streaming down her face.
Crocodile pulled the hook from Chaka's body, looked at Chaka lying in a pool of blood, and said expressionlessly, "Incompetence is a sin. Alright, the game ends here. Alabasta is finished. You don't need to continue with those pointless dreams."
Even if it's unrealistic, it doesn't matter. I will never give up on my ideals! How could someone like you possibly understand? I am a princess of a nation, and I will never submit to you.
Vivi, her face filled with rage, decided to fight to the very end to protect her country.
"What a stupid girl." Crocodile's face darkened. One after another, they were all such foolish and disgusting.
"I have feelings for this country." Vivi wanted to say more.
"Enough! I've had enough of your empty ideals. Let me tell you, the square outside where heavy troops are gathered will explode soon, and everyone within a five-kilometer radius will die."
Crocodile said in an extremely cruel tone, "This was decided from the very beginning."
"Stop! Stop right now, Crocodile!"
Vivi drew her weapon and leaped forward.
"Your idea of saving everyone is incredibly naive. Your so-called salvation of the nation will only lead to the annihilation of your most beloved citizens."
Crocodile didn't even consider Cobra's feelings; all he could think about was destroying this princess who was getting in his way and making her eyes lose their light.
Rather, it was in this moment of despair that those eyes still held a glimmer of hope.
"From beginning to end, everyone in this country is utterly ridiculous. You must have had a tough two years as an undercover spy."
Crocodile continued to pierce the princess's heart with cruel words, "In the end, you couldn't stop anything."
"What stopping the rebellion, what saving the country? For your pointless ideals, you've only added five more casualties. Let me tell you frankly, you are incapable of saving this country."
Finally, after Crocodile's relentless and piercing words, Vivi could no longer hold back and burst into tears of despair.
Crocodile laughed, said nothing more, grabbed Vivi by the neck with one hand, and threw her off the courtyard in a victorious manner.
Vivi stared intently at Crocodile, her face filled with rage. If looks could translate into fighting power, Vivi's current fighting strength would definitely surpass Crocodile's.
"Haha," Crocodile laughed as he watched Vivi fall.
Suddenly, a giant bird appeared out of nowhere and rescued Vivi. On the bird's back stood Luffy, carrying a large bucket of water.
Crocodile stared at the Straw Hat who should have been dead, his face showing shock for the first time. "How is this possible? You're still alive?"
Luffy clenched his Riot Games and shouted, " Crocodile, I'm here to defeat you!"