For someone like Wood, titles such as "Warlord of the Sea" had long ceased to hold any significance.
Even though his bounty remained at a staggering one billion Berries, the Marines had given up trying to capture him.
The reason was simple—Wood's influence had grown far beyond what it once was, to the point where he could potentially alter the balance of the world.
With the ever-increasing understanding of the "Pluton Blueprints," the weapons they were manufacturing became more and more advanced.
Though they still couldn't rival the genius of Vegapunk, who was said to be 500 years ahead of current technology, their creations were at least 100 to 200 years ahead of their time.
More importantly, while Vegapunk's inventions were often difficult to mass-produce, Wood's weapons factory now had a terrifyingly high daily output.
Some might argue that Wood's production and mass selling of weaponry were only fueling the fires of war. However, the reality was quite different. While Wood's arms trade hadn't brought about peace, it had in some ways reduced the number of casualties caused by war.
In the past, the world operated at a medieval cultural level—warfare was largely determined by who could field more soldiers.
But Wood had single-handedly brought about the shift from brutal melee combat to modern warfare.
It was similar to the world Wood came from in his previous life. With nations holding powerful weapons of mass destruction, there was a balance of fear, which often prevented wars from happening at all.
Where once wars were fought by sheer numbers, now it was all about whose weapons were more advanced.
With one of the latest laser rifles produced by Wood's factory, even an ordinary person could easily take on a hundred foes.
This change in warfare dynamics led to a decrease in the number of conflicts between kingdoms, many of which had now resorted to bickering and posturing rather than open combat.
The reason was simple—these new weapons were so powerful that any large-scale battle would leave both sides decimated, benefitting only their enemies.
And with fewer wars breaking out, would that mean Wood's weapons wouldn't sell?
Quite the opposite. Each time Wood's factory released a new product, it sold even better than the last.
As the saying goes, "It's better to be prepared for the worst."
In regions where two kingdoms were enemies, what would happen if one bought a batch of powerful new weapons?
Naturally, the other side would rush to upgrade its arsenal as well. Everyone understood the principle of "falling behind means getting beaten." If your enemy has better weapons and you don't upgrade, how could you possibly defeat them?
Because of this constant arms race, the kingdoms that had once been engaged in endless warfare were now busy with military upgrades, making open conflict almost impossible.
Meanwhile, thanks to this arms race, Wood's weapons business thrived, with profits pouring in from all directions.
Nowadays, not only were the kingdoms buying Wood's weapons, but even the World Government, the Navy, and numerous pirate crews were customers as well.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku had never anticipated that the simple task of sending Wood to be a spy would result in him becoming a powerful figure in his own right.
Now, the World Government's primary directive to the Navy regarding Wood was to avoid antagonizing him at all costs. Even if they couldn't recruit him, they needed him to remain neutral.
If Wood were to align himself with the Revolutionary Army, his vast influence and advanced weaponry would pose a genuine threat to the World Government.
In simpler terms, Wood had become the only pirate who, despite not being a Warlord, was untouchable by the Navy's bounty system.
In this respect, even the so-called "Four Emperors" couldn't compare.
While the Four Emperors had bounties, they were still vulnerable to being pursued by Navy Admirals if caught in the open.
Wood, on the other hand, wasn't officially recognized as a "legal pirate" like the Warlords of the Sea, yet even if he flaunted himself in front of a Navy Admiral, they wouldn't dare lay a hand on him.
Why? Because if Wood were to die, the underworld would fall into chaos, and kingdoms would break out into wars, throwing the world into turmoil.
This instability would give the Revolutionary Army the perfect opportunity to rise, something the World Government was desperate to avoid.
What the World Government didn't know, however, was that Wood had secretly been funding the Revolutionary Army for years and had even risen to the position of Armaments Minister within their ranks.
In other words, Wood's outward identity was that of a former Navy officer with a bounty of one billion Berries, known as the "Ancient Weapon" in the underworld.
But in truth, he also carried the title of Yasuo, the heroic Fish-Man swordsman, a Rear Admiral of the Navy, and a high-ranking officer in the Revolutionary Army…
Alabasta's Coastline
A pirate ship with a flag showing a sword piercing through both a seagull and a skull slowly approached the shore of Alabasta.
A group of people who had been waiting for a while rushed forward with a convoy of camels as soon as the ship docked.
The Fish-Man sailors aboard the ship casually dropped the anchor and shouted toward the cabin, "Captain, we've arrived in Alabasta."
Fish-Men rarely ventured onto land. Though they often prided themselves as being superior to humans, the harsh truth was that once on land, they were frequently captured and sold as slaves.
Fish-Men had always been prized on the slave market and were especially favored by certain depraved nobles, making them valuable commodities for slave traders.
However, the bounty hunters who came to collect goods from the ship didn't dare entertain any thoughts of capturing these Fish-Men.
It wasn't because they had any moral qualms, but rather because the Fish-Men bore the same mark as the pirate flag flying above the ship.
This mark belonged to the "Nirvana Pirates" and symbolized that these Fish-Men were employees of the Dark Abyss Island weapons factory.
Attacking these Fish-Men would be suicidal, as it would mean picking a fight with Wood, the Navy traitor.
Among those waiting to receive the shipment was Mr. 12, an executive officer of Baroque Works, along with several billionaires and millionaire agents.
Though Baroque Works was a bounty hunter organization under Crocodile, it had a formal structure.
At the top was Crocodile himself, followed by the Chief Officers, from Mr. 1 to Mr. 5 and their partners.
Below them were the Executive Officers, ranging from Mr. 6 to Mr. 12 and their partners, a total of 14 people.
Mr. 13 and his partner, Miss Friday, known as the "Unlucky Duo," served as the organization's enforcers.
Below the Executives were the 200 "Billionaires," the next in line for promotion to Executive Officers.
Then came the 1,800 "Millionaires," the regular members of Baroque Works.
Of course, there were even more unranked members at the very bottom, the grunts.
Crocodile had carefully planned for years, and now, believing the time was ripe, he was ready to make his move against the kingdom of Alabasta.
Though Crocodile's forces were large and the kingdom of Alabasta didn't have any notable warriors, it was still a significant nation.
To ensure success, Crocodile had spent a fortune buying advanced weapons from Wood to arm his Millionaires.
Today was the agreed-upon day for the transaction, which was why the members of Baroque Works were waiting for the Nirvana Pirates to deliver the goods.
It was supposed to be a simple exchange, but when Mr. 12 heard the Fish-Men shout "Captain" and saw a particular figure appear, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor!
Baroque Works was made up of former bounty hunters, and these people dealt with bounty posters every day. Naturally, they were well-versed in the identities of wanted pirates.
The reason Mr. 12 was so shocked was that the figure stepping off the deck was someone he never expected to see here.
After carefully examining the person multiple times, Mr. 12 was certain he hadn't made a mistake. This was none other than Wood, the Navy traitor with a one billion Berry bounty, a man known by the terrifying moniker of the "Ancient Weapon!"
Although the World Government had abandoned its attempts to hunt him down, Wood's bounty posters still circulated across the seas, and his appearance hadn't changed much in the past ten years.
After all, when Wood first debuted as a pirate, he hadn't even been 20 years old. Now, more than ten years later, he was in his early thirties—just entering the prime of his life.
What puzzled Mr. 12 the most was why someone as significant as Wood, a traitor to the Navy, would show up in such a remote place.
Sure, their order from Dark Abyss Island wasn't insignificant, but for someone whose business spanned the entire sea, this should have been a trivial deal.
For an order of this size, sending a lieutenant from the Nirvana Pirates would have been more than enough to show them respect. But now, the boss of Dark Abyss Island himself had shown up!
"Pah! This place is one of the worst islands I've ever landed on. I haven't even been here a minute, and I've already got a mouthful of sand."
Wood spat out some sand, his tone annoyed.
Behind him, a tall figure with a perfect figure descended from a staircase she had made with her abilities and calmly responded, "Alabasta is a desert kingdom. More than half of this island is covered in desert terrain. The harsh environment and extreme heat are normal here. I don't understand what possessed someone to decide this would be a good vacation spot."
The tall figure who had just stepped down was none other than Nico Robin, the "Devil Child."
More than a decade had passed since the time Wood had rescued Robin, and she had since transformed from a young girl into a stunning, mature woman.
Having escaped the life of a fugitive early on, Robin had shed the darker, more ruthless image she might have developed in the original timeline and had instead grown into a fair-skinned, beautiful woman.
Not only had she left behind her old life of being constantly hunted, but as Wood's weapons business had grown, Robin's status had risen as well. Now, in the eyes of many, she was considered one of the major players on the seas.
"So, as I said before, I'm just here to relax. You didn't need to come along," Wood sighed, looking at Robin, who was already donning sunglasses and a sunshade cloak. "You're our Chief Financial Officer now, overseeing the company's finances and operations. If something happens at the base, who's going to handle it?"
Wood had come to Alabasta to watch things play out and to destroy the Poneglyph that contained information about Pluton.
The reason was simple: Wood's business thrived on a technological monopoly.
If Pluton were to surface, his business might no longer hold the same exclusive advantage.
Though Wood doubted Crocodile would ever succeed in obtaining Pluton, especially with someone like Luffy around, he couldn't take any chances.
While deciphering the Poneglyph required someone like Robin, destroying it did not. Thus, Wood had originally planned to come to Alabasta alone.
But somehow, word of his trip had leaked. Once Robin heard that Wood was going to Alabasta for a "vacation," she had insisted on coming along.
"The company is running smoothly. Even without me, Uncle Ruth can handle things just fine," Robin replied, her tone casual. "Besides, as the owner, you're taking a vacation, so why should your secretary be stuck working endlessly?"
The reason Robin had insisted on coming was simple—she had decided to take this opportunity to finally win Wood's heart.
Ever since Wood had saved her years ago, Robin had developed feelings of admiration for him, and over time, these feelings had only deepened.
For over a decade, she had been Wood's secretary. But unlike other "secretary" situations, where there was often more going on, Wood had never once made a move on her!
In the beginning, Robin had thought it was because she was too young and didn't possess enough "charm." After all, she had met Rear Admiral Gion, who was not only incredibly beautiful but also well-endowed.
As a teenager, Robin couldn't compete with someone like Gion.
But as the years went by, Robin had grown from a young girl into a fully matured woman, and yet Wood remained indifferent. This, more than anything, frustrated her.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek (@->a)