"Sanders! The Thunder God Sanders with a bounty of 2.43 billion berries!"
Igaram answered honestly.
"Spurt!"
Cobra spat out the water he had just sipped.
He didn't even have time to wipe the water off the table before he widened his eyes and asked,
"Who did you say?"
Vivi also widened her eyes.
She didn't know who Sanders was, but she had heard the bounty was over 2.4 billion berries.
(For the sake of Vivi's well-being, Cobra usually filtered the newspapers she could read.)
That was an incredibly high bounty among the pirates she knew of.
The only ones with higher bounties were legendary figures.
Even Crocodile, the Warlord of the Sea residing in Alabasta, only had a bounty of a little over 80 million berries.
Vivi was extremely curious about the infamous pirate who had suddenly come to their country.
However, being sensible, she refrained from asking questions at that moment.
"Sanders, the one who escaped from Impel Down and defeated a Marine Admiral," Igaram explained.
Cobra's face changed dramatically, turning pale, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Sanders had come to Alabasta!
What was he here for?
Cobra instantly panicked, recalling how Sanders had killed a Celestial Dragon.
Although the Alabasta royal family wasn't Celestial Dragons, they were still one of the 20 royal families that founded the World Government.
Could Sanders be here to kill them?
"Has Sanders come to Alubarna?" Cobra asked urgently.
If Sanders had come to the capital, he would immediately have the guards take Vivi and flee.
"No, Sanders went to Rainbase," Igaram replied.
"That's a relief, thank goodness," Cobra exhaled in relief and slumped back into his chair.
Hearing that Sanders hadn't come to the capital calmed him down somewhat. He then asked,
"Why is he going to Rainbase?"
"Crocodile, the Warlord of the Sea, is there. Could they be enemies?"
Igaram thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'm not sure, but the people at the port said Sanders is heading to the casino in Rainbase."
"In any case, send someone to monitor the situation. Report back immediately if Sanders makes any moves."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Igaram saluted and left.
Cobra gulped down several mouthfuls of water to calm himself.
He had never been this nervous before.
A pirate who had defeated a Marine Admiral, slaughtered Celestial Dragon, and had a bounty of over 2 billion berries was in Alabasta, putting the entire kingdom in danger.
Even with an army of 600,000, Cobra felt no sense of security.
As a descendant of one of the 20 royal families, he understood the terrifying power of a Marine Admiral.
A monster with that level of strength couldn't be fought off by mere numbers.
If Sanders harbored ill intent toward Alabasta, they wouldn't be able to stop him.
Cobra picked up a Den Den Mushi, hesitating about whether to ask the Marines for help.
After some consideration, Cobra decided not to notify them for now.
Sanders was too powerful. Alerting the Marines might provoke him.
Besides, the Marines wouldn't be able to offer him much protection anyway.
Even Marine Admirals had been defeated.
Moreover, there were Marine forces near Alabasta, and they were probably already aware of the situation.
"Father, who is Sanders?"
Vivi looked up, her large eyes fixed on Cobra as she curiously asked.
Cobra was about to explain to his daughter, but when the words came to his lips, he didn't know how to describe Sanders.
Should he say that Sanders was a wicked and vicious pirate?
But Sanders hadn't harmed any civilians. His betrayal of the Marines and the killing of the Celestial Dragon both had reasons behind them. Cobra had already learned this from the newspapers.
Should he say Sanders was a good person?
That wasn't quite right either.
After all, Sanders had committed many crimes.
"Well, he's a very powerful pirate," Cobra finally said.
Sensing her father's vague response, Vivi didn't ask further.
She simply acknowledged it with a sound and picked up her book again, though she secretly decided to ask others about Sanders later.
Meanwhile, in Rainbase.
Crocodile, sporting slicked-back hair and a gold earring, had a menacing look on his face, a cigar dangling from his mouth.
Just a moment ago, he had also received the news of Sanders' impending arrival.
He had already stationed spies at the port, a critical location.
"Guhahaha, a big shot is coming," Crocodile laughed, though his gaze quickly turned ruthless.
"But you'd better not interfere with my plans. Otherwise, I'll weigh whether you really defeated Aokiji."
Crocodile showed no fear at Sanders' arrival, still maintaining his air of superiority.
"Crocodile-sama, I think it's best not to provoke him," said a woman sitting opposite Crocodile, wearing a sunhat.
"Nico Robin, I'm the boss here!" Crocodile retorted coldly.
Robin chuckled softly but said nothing further.
"Nico Robin, could that guy Sanders be here for you?" Crocodile asked.
Robin's body stiffened momentarily, but then she smiled and said,
"How could that be? No one knows I'm here."
Her ability to read the Poneglyphs was indeed coveted by many powerful pirates.
But Sanders had just recently escaped from Impel Down, so how could he possibly know she was here?
Even if she stood right in front of him, he probably wouldn't recognize her.
The photo on her wanted poster hadn't been updated in many years.
Crocodile thought for a moment and then dismissed the idea.
It had taken him a lot of effort to find Nico Robin.
Without her, his plans wouldn't work.
Even if he obtained the Poneglyph, no one else could read it.
"Only by following our plan will you be able to see the Poneglyph that Cobra is guarding," Crocodile said coolly.
"Of course, I agree," Robin chuckled lightly and took a sip of her drink.
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T/N:
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