Grand Line, the first half, Alabasta.
The sandstorm had subsided, and Crocodile stood at the edge of an open-air platform, holding intelligence that had just arrived from the New World.
"A permanent pointer to the final island? What a joke..."
Crocodile squinted slightly, murmuring to himself.
He had no interest in the so-called great treasure on the final island.
The only reason he paid attention to this intelligence was that the one holding the permanent pointer to the final island was Douglas Bullet, who was now allied with Kaido and a large group of villains who had escaped from Impel Down.
These people were showing signs of swallowing up other forces in the New World, and among those forces was the one he cared most about—the Whitebeard Pirates.
Judging by the current situation, their target was clearly Whitebeard. According to the intelligence Crocodile had received, the Whitebeard Pirates had already suffered significant losses. Several subordinate pirate crews had been destroyed, and even some of the main crew's captains had been killed.
It was easy to imagine that if Kaido and Bullet's alliance could defeat the Whitebeard Pirates, combined with their possession of the permanent pointer to the final island, the Beasts Pirates would quickly become a magnet for countless pirates.
"A bunch of lunatics."
Crocodile's gaze drifted toward the distant edge of the desert, a cold light flickering in his eyes.
Whether the permanent pointer to the final island was real or not, Bullet and Kaido's actions had dragged the New World into a whirlpool that would only grow larger, eventually affecting the entire Grand Line and even the Four Seas.
Recalling his past battles with Bullet and the madness that man had displayed, Crocodile had no doubt that Bullet and his group would bring war to the entire world.
"Boss, big news!"
At that moment, Mr. 3, a top officer of Baroque Works, hurried over with a piece of intelligence, looking flustered.
Seeing Mr. 3's panic, Crocodile frowned. Clearly, aside from Daz Bonez, the rest of his subordinates were rather disappointing.
"What's got you so worked up? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"
Crocodile said with displeasure.
Noticing the change in Crocodile's tone, Mr. 3 stiffened, quickly collecting himself, and adjusted his glasses.
Then, he coldly handed the intelligence to Crocodile.
"This is the latest information from the New World. The content was so shocking that it threw me off balance."
Crocodile took the intelligence, and with just one glance, his face changed drastically.
His grip on the intelligence tightened.
The information was simple, but given that it involved the Whitebeard Pirates, it was anything but trivial.
It read: [Marshall D. Teach, former member of Whitebeard's Second Division, killed Fourth Division Captain Thatch, annihilated the Fourth Division's main forces, and defected!]
Teach's actions, at this critical moment, undoubtedly delivered a severe blow to the Whitebeard Pirates.
Not only did it challenge Whitebeard's authority, but it also wiped out almost the entire Fourth Division.
To the outside world, this signaled that the Whitebeard Pirates were on the brink of collapse. After all, Whitebeard was already too old, and the occurrence of such a grave incident showed that he could no longer control his crew.
Such a situation was a direct challenge to the captain's authority within a pirate crew.
Crocodile had originally intended to wait and take advantage of the situation, but now he couldn't sit still. He wasn't sure if Whitebeard could hold on much longer.
After all, he had always been very interested in Whitebeard's head.
"MR3, gather the others and head to the Baroque Gustav. We're setting sail!"
The cold light in Crocodile's eyes grew even more intense.
Soon, Crocodile rode a camel named Eyelashes, leading Baroque Works' elites toward the port.
"Hey, MR3, why do you think the boss rides that camel?"
Mr. 2 Bon Clay whispered to Mr. 3 as he shielded his mouth with his hand.
"Huh?"
Mr. 3 was clearly puzzled by the question. Camels are meant to be ridden, aren't they?
"I mean, why does the boss ride that camel named Eyelashes? That guy never lets anyone but women ride on its back."
Bon Clay whispered again.
As Bon Clay finished speaking, Mr. 3 glanced at him, but before they could say more, they felt a sudden chill.
The two of them froze and glanced up at the scorching sun. Could it really feel cold in the desert? Looking at Crocodile up ahead, they both fell silent.
Crocodile's killing intent dissipated as he looked toward the sea, which was now faintly visible.
If it weren't for the fact that he needed manpower for this trip to the New World, he wouldn't mind throwing those two into the sea to feed the fish.
…
"Shanks, have you seen the intelligence?"
"Yeah."
Shanks nodded, and Ben Beckman came to sit beside him.
"I warned Whitebeard about Teach a long time ago. Looks like he didn't take my words to heart."
Looking at Teach's somewhat honest-looking photo on the intelligence, Shanks' eyes were filled with complexity.
"Teach's betrayal will have a bigger impact on the Whitebeard Pirates than the war with Kaido. Nearly the entire Fourth Division was slaughtered. That kind of hidden strength is terrifying."
Ben Beckman squinted his eyes, clearly uneasy about Marshall D. Teach. The feeling Teach gave him was worse than the one Kaido gave.
"Oh, and by the way, First Division Captain Marco has already returned. He even brought back an interesting person with him."
As if remembering something, Beckman mentioned to Shanks.
"What?"
"Fire Fist Ace. It seems he had a conflict with Marco. He and his Spade Pirates were brought back to the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Never mind that for now. Get everyone ready to set sail. We're going to fight. The world can't fall into chaos now! We need to maintain whatever fragile balance we can!"
Gripping his sword, Gryphon, Shanks stood up and looked out at the distant sea.
Days passed.
The hype around the permanent pointer to the final island continued to grow.
Countless pirates flocked toward Kaido's territory, and the eyes of the Navy and even the entire world turned to the New World.
The World Government, though highly concerned about the situation, temporarily shifted some of its focus to the New World.
But their main attention was still on Nicholas, as the threat he posed to the World Government was far greater.
To the common people, the storm brewing in the New World might seem like a major threat to the World Government, potentially shaking its foundations.
But only the five elders and the true elites of the Celestial Dragons knew that the only real threat to them was Nicholas and the one who bore the fate of becoming the "next Joy Boy."