Alabasta, Rainbase.
For the past three years, Alabasta had not seen a single drop of rain, leading to unrest and turmoil throughout the kingdom.
However, Rainbase remained the kingdom's "city of dreams" because it was the base of Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It was the only city untouched by the drought and unrest that plagued the rest of the nation. The largest casino in the kingdom, "Rain Dinners," was located here.
For the past three years, Crocodile had used his Devil Fruit ability to cause sandstorms, plunging Alabasta into a state of perpetual drought. He further manipulated the people into believing that their king had secretly used "Dance Powder," a rain-inducing agent, to monopolize rainfall. This deception had sparked a civil war, providing Crocodile with the perfect opportunity to seize control of the kingdom amidst the chaos.
Crocodile had been scheming for years, carefully crafting a hero image for himself to better integrate into the nation. But why hadn't he simply conquered the country with brute force? The answer was simple.
Alabasta was a major power in the first half of the Grand Line and an ally of the World Government, meaning it was under their protection.
Crocodile, being a Warlord of the Sea recognized by the World Government, couldn't openly target Alabasta without consequences. To further his plans, Crocodile couldn't afford to lose his Warlord status just yet, so he had devised a long-term strategy to conquer the kingdom from within.
With the civil war nearing the capital, Crocodile should have been in a celebratory mood, but today, the arrival of two unexpected visitors at Rain Dinners completely ruined his day.
"Wood, the Navy traitor with a bounty of one billion Berries. Even the World Government couldn't capture you and gave up the chase. You're a man who dominates both the underworld and the legal world, so what brings you here today?" Crocodile asked, his tone dripping with suspicion.
Rain Dinners, Alabasta's largest casino, was not only Crocodile's base of operations but also his personal money-making machine. However, today, the other guests had been cleared out. Crocodile sat at a grand gambling table, a cigar in his mouth, polishing the golden hook on his hand while casting a wary gaze at Wood, who sat opposite him.
Several days earlier, Mr. 12 had reported that Wood had landed in Alabasta, but Crocodile hadn't paid much attention at the time. After all, while Alabasta was a powerful kingdom in the first half of the Grand Line, it wasn't particularly wealthy—certainly not enough to attract a figure like Wood.
Yet, here Wood was, in Rainbase, having gone straight to Crocodile's base of operations. This could only mean one thing: trouble.
Although Crocodile was older than Wood, Wood's reputation had been established much earlier. Even Crocodile's title as a Warlord of the Sea didn't hold much weight in Wood's presence.
"Relax. I'm not interested in Alabasta. I'm not here to steal this desert kingdom from you," Wood said with a smirk. "There's a war brewing here, and as you know, I deal in weapons. I'm just here for business."
Wood leaned back in his chair, casually glancing around the casino. "I heard this place has the largest casino, so I figured I'd gamble a bit. Who would've thought it was your turf?"
Despite Wood's calm words, Crocodile remained on edge. Not a single word Wood said could be trusted.
It was true that Alabasta's impending war would benefit someone like Wood, who thrived in the underworld as a renowned arms dealer. But Crocodile didn't believe for a second that Wood had come all the way to this barren desert just to make a few extra Berries.
"Enough with the nonsense. What do you want? If it's money, take whatever you can from this casino. I just need you to leave Alabasta and stop interfering with my plans," Crocodile said, his irritation barely masked.
Facing someone as powerful as Wood, Crocodile had no choice. His only hope was that Wood would take the money and leave so that his carefully laid plans for Alabasta wouldn't be jeopardized.
"What if what I want is the ancient weapon 'Pluton'?" Wood asked with a sly grin.
"Crack—!"
The moment Wood finished speaking, Crocodile's hand turned to sand, and in an instant, he swung it toward Wood.
A massive sand blade formed in midair and, with incredible speed, sliced the long gambling table in half.
The terrifying power of the sand blade didn't just split the table; it also left a deep gash in the hard stone floor beneath it, as though the ground had been struck by a razor-sharp sword.
But Wood had anticipated Crocodile's outburst. Calmly, he raised his hand, and a metallic black sheen quickly spread over his fist.
With a loud, resounding crack, Wood punched the air, and the sand blade shattered into dust. The force of the punch sent the pulverized sand scattering like bullets in all directions.
The exploding sand had the force of a shotgun blast, turning the once lavish casino into a chaotic mess, riddled with holes.
Naturally, the sand bullets weren't only aimed at Wood but also at Robin and Crocodile. However, for Crocodile, who had eaten a Logia-type Devil Fruit, the sand posed no threat. As the bullets struck him, his body simply turned to sand, leaving him unharmed.
This was the power of Logia fruits, which allowed users to turn their bodies into natural elements. Unless struck by Haki or seastone, even if their bodies were torn to pieces, they would remain unharmed.
"Captain, you could've handled that attack in a much more... restrained way," Robin said with a sigh. "Sure, Haki is effective against Logia users, but did you consider how the rest of us feel?"
Having been caught in the sandstorm-like explosion, Robin had easily shielded herself with her own Haki, emerging unscathed. Thanks to years of training under Wood, she had mastered both Observation and Armament Haki, becoming a formidable fighter in her own right.
"Where did you hear about 'Pluton'?" Crocodile asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I've been planning my takeover of Alabasta for three years. I won't back down just because you're a powerful arms dealer. Even if I have to go down fighting, I'll spread the word that Alabasta is hiding 'Pluton.' I'm sure the major powers of the New World and the World Government would be very interested."
Crocodile was visibly rattled by the knowledge that not only Wood, but also Robin, could wield Armament Haki so skillfully. He had heard rumors of Wood's strength, that he was on par with a Navy Vice Admiral, and that his past opponents had either been legendary pirates or future admirals.
After more than a decade, Crocodile couldn't believe that Wood had grown weaker. With no other options, Crocodile was prepared to go down swinging, even if it meant exposing Alabasta's secret.
"If I can't have 'Pluton,' I won't let you have it either," Crocodile declared, his voice filled with bitterness.
Wood chuckled. "I think you're overthinking things. I'm not particularly interested in 'Pluton.' Do you really think that with my power and influence, I need an ancient weapon like that? People already call me a 'living ancient weapon.' Whether I get 'Pluton' or not makes no difference to me."
Hearing this, Crocodile's anger subsided, and he began to think more rationally. Wood's words made sense. Given his power, Wood didn't need an ancient weapon to dominate the seas. And if Wood truly wanted 'Pluton,' he wouldn't be discussing it openly with him.
"So, what do you want, then?" Crocodile asked, his tone slightly calmer. "Are you saying there's something else in Alabasta besides 'Pluton' that interests you?"
Wood grinned. "I really did come here just for a vacation. But if you're so sure I'm after 'Pluton,' I guess there's nothing I can do to change your mind. Still, even if I don't get involved, I bet you won't be able to claim 'Pluton' for yourself. Care to wager on it?"
Crocodile scoffed. "You think anyone else here could be a threat to me? Aside from you and your crew, who could possibly stand in my way?"
It was true that Wood could interfere if he wanted to, but Crocodile was confident that no one else in Alabasta could pose a threat to him.
"Since we're in a casino, how about a little gamble?" Wood proposed. "I'll stay out of the fight for Alabasta and 'Pluton,' but I'm betting that you'll lose to the Straw Hat Pirates."
"You may find the ruins that contain 'Pluton's' location, but can you read them? If you win this wager, I'll have my assistant translate the Poneglyph for you. Don't forget, she's Nico Robin, the 'Demon Child.' There aren't many people left in the world who can read the ancient texts."
Wood's proposal gave Crocodile pause. He had planned to find the Poneglyph and split it into pieces, sending it to various black markets for translation. That way, the location of 'Pluton' would remain a secret, while he worked to uncover its location.
However, Crocodile wasn't sure if the black market could reliably translate the ancient text. Nico Robin, the last survivor of Ohara, could certainly make the process much easier.
"And I can also deal with the Navy presence here if you win," Wood added. "You know I have the connections to make that happen."
Crocodile, deeply tempted by the offer, began to seriously consider the gamble. Having Robin's help would save him a lot of trouble, and if Wood could handle the Navy, his plans would proceed smoothly.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek (@->a)