Yes, things were simpler than Crocodile could have imagined. Looking at the three main forces of the Straw Hat Pirates lying on the ground and struggling to move, he realized that there was no "halo," just strong strength combined with enough caution.
At the beginning of the battle, the winner was already decided.
"Damn..." Luffy struggled to get up from the ground, covered in cuts, though he hadn't suffered any fatal injuries.
Zoro and Sanji were still unable to get up. It was impressive they could maintain consciousness at all. But how could Crocodile be so strong?! Was there no resistance at all? Is this the power of the Warlords?
Zoro was not willing to accept defeat. Leaning on his sword, he slowly stood up. Crocodile watched indifferently. Even with the combined strength of the three main forces, they couldn't beat him. He remained absolutely vigilant and not arrogant. Defeating him was an impossible miracle.
But Crocodile's goal wasn't to humiliate or kill them. He just wanted Luffy to stop pestering him.
Because of the situation in Alabasta, though he hadn't placed undercover agents to stir things up, the situation was not optimistic and could escalate into war at any time.
"I know you're not afraid of death, but if you die, who will save Alabasta? Isn't your purpose here to help Vivi? Do you think defeating me helps her?" Crocodile explained, not wanting to fight. He didn't hate them; they had earned his respect in many ways.
But if they insisted on fighting, Crocodile would always prioritize his own life.
"Aren't you the one controlling everything? As long as we defeat you, Vivi's country will be saved," Luffy retorted, stubbornly holding onto his belief.
"But I've given up all operations in Alabasta. The civil war is about to break out, and you still have time to stop it. But if you keep fighting, who knows what will happen?" Crocodile said. He hoped that Luffy, with his stubborn nature, would hurry and save the innocent people of Alabasta.
After all, he couldn't watch a tragedy unfold around him. If it did, he might need his Crocodile identity in the future.
"Please don't be stubborn, Luffy. Hurry up and deal with this crisis. Can you take this problem off my hands?"
"What? The war is about to break out." Zoro and Sanji also slowly stood up. Indeed, people in this world were resilient, but they could only stand.
"Yes, don't you think I went out to sea for fun? I don't want Alabasta. Believe it or not, I'm leaving now. Do you want to stop me? Think about it; blocking me might cause a domestic tragedy." Crocodile looked at the expressions of the three, took out a cigar, and lit it leisurely. The choice was now up to them.
After looking at Sanji, he took out a cigar and tossed it to him. It was a gesture of courtesy among smokers. Sanji caught it instinctively, feeling that this Crocodile wasn't exactly as he had imagined.
The villain didn't seem so villainous, but he was indeed strong.
"What's going on? What happened?" Usopp, witnessing everything, was dumbfounded, mostly feeling fear. It was terrifying. The three strongest members of their crew couldn't defeat Crocodile. What was happening? He wanted to go back to the East Blue...
"Let's go." Vivi gritted her teeth. Luffy risked his life for her; she couldn't just watch.
"Let's think again… We'd be destroyed too, it's terrifying." Usopp's legs couldn't help but shake. He still had a bit of cuteness despite his fearsome nickname.
"They don't seem to be fighting anymore; they're talking," Chopper observed Luffy and the others and then reported to Nami.
"Report to Colonel Smoker that the Straw Hat Pirates are in conflict with the Warlord Crocodile outside the port and in the bay." At the height of the lighthouse in the port, a naval soldier took out a transponder snail to report to Colonel Smoker.
At a naval port not far from the bay, Smoker looked calm. Although he hadn't eavesdropped on Sanji's call with Crocodile as in the original story, he had captured a few Baroque Works officers, such as Mr. 11.
The intelligence gathered from them and the follow-up investigation led him to an astonishing conclusion: Warlord Crocodile was enacting a "country-stealing" plan. Though the evidence was insufficient, Smoker was almost certain this was true.
Therefore, whether it was the Straw Hats or Crocodile, he did not intend to let them go. He must bring all these pirates to justice, especially the Warlord, who operated under the government's name.
Even if he was punished by the Navy for this, he wouldn't hesitate. He lacked solid evidence, but he couldn't let Crocodile continue his evil deeds.
"Assemble the team, prepare to set sail, and capture Crocodile and the Straw Hat crew," Smoker commanded, exhaling a smoke ring and addressing Tashigi.
"Capture a Warlord?! That's not our…"
"Shut up and prepare for sailing, quickly."
"Yes... Yes..." Tashigi was startled by Smoker's sudden outburst. Though Smoker was fierce, it wasn't the first time...
"Luffy, follow your instincts. Whether I'm lying or not, the situation in Alabasta is truly dire. If you want to fight, I'll accompany you anytime, but now, consider what's important: me or Vivi's country." Crocodile wasn't in a hurry. After all, he needed Luffy to deal with the situation for him, at least to prevent a terrible incident.
Luffy, seemingly guided by an instinct for sensing sincerity, realized Crocodile's words didn't sound like a lie when he got serious.
"Why? You're not a bad person. You want to destroy Princess Vivi's country. Why are you telling me this?" Luffy, puzzled, didn't need to think much about the obvious and asked directly.
"I said I'm not Crocodile. Do you believe it?" Crocodile didn't care; no one believed it anyway. No, maybe a naive Luffy would.
Anyway, he was sure to win in a fight now. As long as he didn't let his guard down, it would be a crushing victory. Would he let his guard down? No way. He treated Luffy ten times more cautiously than he did Ace.
"Heh..." Sanji and Zoro chuckled. Such a big living person looked exactly like the wanted poster. When did we become blind?
"Then who are you?" Luffy asked immediately. See, someone believed it.
"It doesn't matter who I am."
"Crocodile, you're a demon. Don't be fooled by him," Usopp warned, still approaching the Straw Hat ship, afraid to turn back but unwilling to abandon his friends.
"Vivi." Luffy and the others turned to the speaker; it was Princess Vivi.
"It's a headache. The Crocodile identity has left me with a real mess. Aren't they all good friends with Vivi and Luffy? Why are they enemies here? I hope there are no other troubles ahead," Crocodile thought, feeling overwhelmed.
The main player had arrived.
"There's no point in arguing anymore. Compared to causing trouble for me, do you truly care about the Kingdom of Alabasta? Robin, tell them what's happening in the country right now," Crocodile said to Robin. His eloquence wasn't enough to convince Luffy and the others, even if they were shaken.
"At present, the rebel army has begun to gather, and the vanguard forces are expected to set off soon. If the war breaks out, at least tens of thousands of people will be killed. If it gets serious, more than 100,000 deaths are not impossible." Robin also didn't mind helping the Straw Hats avoid harm. After Robin reported these numbers, not only did Nami and Vivi's faces change drastically, but even Luffy's expression darkened.
Would so many people die?
"Let's go. Saving Vivi's country is important." Nami thought about her village. The number of deaths back then was already unbearable. If tens of thousands died, Vivi might collapse.
So she decisively dragged Luffy and Zoro away. Sanji followed obediently.
"Today's duel isn't over. I'll definitely find you to fight again..." Luffy yelled, unwilling. Zoro was more serious, remembering his defeat to Mihawk and now facing another overwhelming enemy. He was still too weak.
"Crocodile..." Vivi gritted her teeth and glared at Crocodile, making him feel a bit worse.
"I won't apologize for past actions, but now I won't intervene in the country anymore. I don't owe you anything. On the contrary, if I intended to take Alabasta, do you think you'd still be alive?" Crocodile said coldly.
Princess Vivi was choked by his words. She wanted to refute but didn't know where to start. The contrast between the current and former Crocodile left her utterly confused.
She could only look at him with hatred.
"Let's go." Crocodile was indifferent. Everything seemed to proceed according to his expectations.
Although meeting Luffy was unexpected, the plot had diverged, and discrepancies were common.
"BOSS, navy ships on the left and right are approaching us aggressively," a crew member reported. Shortly after Luffy's group sailed away, navy ships were spotted.
"Don't worry, they should be chasing the Straw Hats," Crocodile dismissed. The navy appearing here at this time was likely Luffy's old foe, Smoker.
"Crocodile, you can't escape, you country thief." Smoker's voice rang out. He stood on the bow of the warship, surrounded by billowing white smoke. As the two ships drew closer, it was clear that a battle was inevitable.
After all, the threat posed by a Warlord of the Sea was far greater than that of an ordinary pirate. Warlords were incredibly dangerous.
"The Baroque Works organization has been completely exposed. This isn't good, Crocodile," Crocodile muttered, exhaling a smoke ring. He felt a headache coming on; it seemed like there was never any peace and quiet at sea.