Hearing Issho's ridiculous reason for joining him, Sanders was stunned at first, but then burst into laughter. Issho also joined in, laughing along with him.
The two of them laughed in the middle of the gambling hall at Rain Dinners, drawing the attention of many onlookers.
"Mr. Issho, welcome aboard as my crewmate," Sanders said joyfully after a long while.
Issho's joining greatly boosted the strength of Sanders' team. Now, even if they went to challenge the Four Emperors' crew, they wouldn't be overwhelmed.
With two Admiral-level fighters, they were naturally a top-tier force on the seas. Even the world's strongest organization, the Marines, only had five Admiral-level individuals after former Admiral Black Arm Zephyr lost his arm: Sengoku the Buddha, Marine Hero Garp, and the three current Admirals.
"Captain, just call me Issho," Issho said with a light smile, resting his hands on his bamboo sword. His decades of experience had shown him the filth and corruption of the world, and it was for that reason that he had chosen to blind himself. Now, with someone inviting him, he decided to follow this former Marine prodigy and see just how far the man could go.
"Uncle Issho, you didn't come here just for gambling, right?" Sanders asked, returning to the question he had asked at the beginning.
"I wanted to see what the Seven Warlords of the Sea were up to; gambling was just on the side," Issho replied honestly this time.
Sanders wasn't surprised at all. After all, Issho's ultimate goal after becoming a Marine Admiral was to abolish the Warlord system, so he must have already investigated these Warlords thoroughly.
"So, what did you see, Uncle Issho?"
"A terrifying ambition," Issho said slowly.
Just as Sanders had mentioned before, a pirate being hailed as a hero for protecting a country—it was obvious that something was wrong.
"Do you know what Crocodile's goal is, Uncle Issho?" Sanders asked, taking a sip of cold beer. Although Crocodile hadn't yet used Dance Powder to create drought in Alabasta, the heat there was still oppressive.
"I don't know yet. Crocodile's actions have been very secretive," Issho shook his head. "Becoming Alabasta's hero might just be the first step."
At this moment, Crocodile was busy promoting himself in the newspapers, while the darker part of his conspiracy was only just beginning. Even if the Marines were to investigate, they likely wouldn't find anything substantial yet.
"Captain Sanders, do you know something?" Issho asked, sensing that Sanders had more information than he was letting on. Since Sanders had sought him out and knew of his strength, it seemed likely that Sanders had other reasons for coming to Alabasta besides recruiting him.
"Uncle, have you heard of the Ancient Weapons?" Sanders asked instead of answering directly.
Issho's expression shifted slightly.
"Poseidon, Pluton, Uranus—the three Ancient Weapons from ancient times, said to have the power to destroy the world, weapons that were once revered as 'Gods.'"
"Crocodile's goal in Alabasta is to obtain one of those Ancient Weapons: Pluton, the most feared warship in shipbuilding history, said to have the power to destroy entire islands with a single strike!"
"Of course, taking control of this land is also one of his objectives," Sanders explained, revealing Crocodile's grand ambition.
"How terrifying!" Issho's face displayed a look of shock. He had suspected Crocodile was plotting something in Alabasta, but he hadn't imagined that it involved such a shocking conspiracy.
"So, are you here to fight for Pluton as well, Captain Sanders?" Issho asked.
"No," Sanders shook his head. "Pluton isn't in Alabasta."
"What's here is a Poneglyph that records its location, guarded by the royal family of Alabasta for generations. That's what Crocodile is after."
"A Poneglyph?" Issho muttered, puzzled. "Even if Crocodile gets his hands on the Poneglyph, he wouldn't be able to read the ancient script, right?"
Issho had heard of the Poneglyphs before, but the writing on them was ancient and indecipherable to most people.
"He can't, but there's someone who can," Sanders explained. "The survivor of Ohara's destruction, a woman with a bounty of 79 million Berries—'Demon Child' Nico Robin. She's the only person in the world who can read the ancient script."
In reality, Sanders himself could decipher the Poneglyphs using his ability to simulate all things, but he left that part unsaid.
Issho silently processed what Sanders had told him. If Crocodile was already after the Poneglyphs of Alabasta, then it was highly likely that Nico Robin had joined forces with him.
Issho's expression grew more serious. If Crocodile succeeded in obtaining Pluton, who knows how much chaos he would cause? How many innocent people would die in the ensuing turmoil?
"Captain, have you come here for the Poneglyph and Nico Robin?" Issho asked. A pirate with a bounty of over 2 billion Berries who was also an enemy of the World Government—someone like Sanders wouldn't be indifferent to such information.
Issho himself didn't want Pluton to fall into the hands of an ambitious pirate. However, now that he had joined Sanders' crew, he felt it would be safer if such a power was in their hands. At the very least, he could offer advice on how to handle it.
At that moment, Issho was thankful he had accepted Sanders' invitation to join.
"I'm only interested in Nico Robin. She's the next crewmate I want to recruit," Sanders said with a smile. "As for the Poneglyph that holds the location of Pluton, I'm not that interested."
"Even if she deciphers the Poneglyph, it's up to her whether she wants to tell me what it says or not."
Sanders chuckled. In fact, he already knew where both Pluton and Poseidon were. The Poneglyph in Alabasta was just a stone to him.
"Oh? You're not interested in the Ancient Weapons?" Issho was surprised. He hadn't expected his newly appointed captain to be indifferent to such world-destroying power.
"That's not it," Sanders laughed. "Everyone loves power, and I'm no exception."
"It's just that I already know where Pluton is, so the Poneglyph is just a stone to me."
"What?!" Even someone as composed as Issho couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
He already knows where Pluton is?
Isn't it said that only Nico Robin can decipher the Poneglyphs? Could it be that Robin has already joined forces with Sanders? But Crocodile's scheme has only just begun!
What's going on here?!
Issho's mind was filled with questions, and he felt completely bewildered. The information Sanders had just shared was too much for him to process at once.
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T/N:
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