The next morning, the sun rose over Whiskey Peak as usual.
"Caelan, are we heading straight to Alabasta?"
Nami asked while holding a sea chart.
Vivi perked up her ears, listening closely to their conversation.
She hoped they would head directly to Alabasta, but the route decision was not up to her.
"Let see the sea chart. I'll think about it."
Taking the sea chart from Nami, Caelan fell into thought.
His next target was Crocodile. He wanted to improve his Synchronization progress by fighting him, hoping to learn both Armant Haki and Observation Haki through that battle.
He had also accepted Vivi's commission of 300 million Berries to drive Crocodile out of Alabasta.
If his goal was only to fight Crocodile, he could set off imdiately.
As long as he could engage Crocodile in battle, he would achieve his purpose.
However, driving Crocodile out of Alabasta was not that simple without Haki.
It wasn't that he couldn't defeat him. The problem was that without Haki, the battle would beco too destructive.
If that happened, before Crocodile was even defeated, Alabasta might already be reduced to ruins.
So, where could he find Haki?
That was the issue. Known sources of Haki were located much farther down the route, past Water 7, which was too far away.
Caelan sighed as he scanned the sea chart, his eyes locking onto Little Garden nearby, and an idea ca to him.
There were two powerful giants living there, Dorry and Brogy, captains of the forr Giant Warrior Pirates and leaders of the giants. A hundred years ago, each had a bounty of 100 million Berries.
Caelan also knew that even later in the story, these two giants displayed impressive strength, likely exceeding that of a Vice Admiral.
With their experience and status, even if they didn't actively use Haki, they should at least understand its practice thods.
Even if they didn't possess Haki, they were worthy opponents.
After a proper fight with them, Caelan was confident his Synchronization progress could increase by 3 to 4 points, equivalent to fighting pirates worth 300 to 400 million Berries.
Either way, it was worth the detour.
"It's decided. We'll go to Little Garden first. I want a serious fight there."
"After that, I'll be more confident when facing Crocodile. Then we'll head directly to Alabasta."
Returning the sea chart to Nami, Caelan told her his decision.
Upon hearing this, both Vivi and Nami were curious.
So far, they had only seen glimpses of Caelan's strength.
Every enemy that had seed powerful in their eyes had been easily crushed by him within just a few moves.
What kind of opponent was there on Little Garden that could make Caelan want to go all out?
What was on that island that could help defeat Crocodile?
"Caelan! What's on the island? Tell !"
Nami couldn't hold back her curiosity and clung to Caelan, acting spoiled.
Vivi also looked at him expectantly, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Haha, you'll find out when we get there."
Caelan laughed and chose to keep it a secret.
He was already imagining how Nami and Vivi would react when they saw the dinosaurs on the island.
Nami and Vivi clung to Caelan, trying to get more out of him.
But Caelan simply walked off to the side to continue teaching Tashigi swordsmanship.
Helpless, Nami and Vivi could only direct their attention back to the journey. They set sail with curiosity, following the Log Pose toward Little Garden.
Behind the Wind Rider, Igaram sailed the large escort ship, trailing them.
The escort ship was filled with the captured Whiskey Peak bounty hunters, as well as food and wine from the town.
Several dozen barrels of wine were specifically prepared by Caelan as gifts for Dorry and Brogy.
At the sa ti, Vivi tied an intelligence report to Karoo the duck and sent it toward Alabasta.
…
In Rainbase, the only city in Alabasta untouched by drought or rebellion, stood Crocodile's base of operations.
A vulture carrying a sea otter flew into the kingdom's largest casino, the Rain Dinners, and dropped off a stack of drawings onto a large desk.
Seated at the desk was a tall, imposing man wearing a black coat with a fur collar, a cigar between his lips. He stood about 2.5 ters tall, with a horizontal scar running across his face and a gleaming golden hook in place of his left hand.
This was Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the secret mastermind of Baroque Works—Mr. 0, Crocodile.
Crocodile's expression darkened as he picked up the stack of sketches and flipped through them one by one.
The more he read, the angrier he beca, his breathing growing heavier.
Beside him, Nico Robin, wearing a wide-brimd hat, watched him curiously.
What could have angered Crocodile so much?
"That princess and her guard actually dared to infiltrate Baroque Works and uncover my identity!"
"What are those so-called senior agents even doing? Are they just sitting around eating?"
Crocodile slamd the sketches of Vivi and Igaram down onto the table in frustration.
Bang!
The powerful force of his palm strike dented the table and left a clear handprint on top of the portrait.
The sea otter and vulture standing in front of the desk trembled violently, feathers shaking loose from their bodies.
Robin, who had indirectly stirred the pot, calmly touched her chin, as if reflecting on who might have leaked Crocodile's identity.
"And that bounty hunter from the East Blue…"
Crocodile picked up the portrait of Caelan, his gaze turning cold as he stared at the face drawn there.
"Just arrived at the Grand Line, and already causing trouble for . He really doesn't know his place."
"He destroyed one of my bases and captured Miss Valentine and Mr. 5. Does he really think he can ignore ?"
Crocodile's fury surged, and the air pressure in the office seed to drop as his rage filled the room.
The sea otter and the vulture huddled together tightly, burying their heads in the vulture's wings.
Only Robin remained calm. She knew her position well, and since she had long given up on caring about life or death, Crocodile's anger didn't faze her.
"Maybe… he doesn't know that Baroque Works belongs to you?"
Robin's tone was casual. Though ant as a calming remark, it only further irritated Crocodile.
"He's with Vivi. He clearly knows."
"And at such a critical mont in my plan to take over Alabasta, this Caelan deliberately showed up to interfere."
Crocodile's fury reached its peak, and the oppressive aura of an enraged powerhouse filled the entire room.
"It's one thing for a re bounty hunter to act tough in the East Blue. But to co ddling in my affairs… unforgivable!"
The unlucky animal duo remained frozen in place, pretending to be statues.
Under the pressure of Crocodile's presence, even Robin found it slightly harder to breathe.
Crocodile picked up a Den Den Mushi and dialed Mr. 3, Galdino, stationed at Little Garden.
"It's the boss. What's the matter?"
Galdino answered, puzzled. He was currently focused on his mission to eliminate the giants and wasn't sure why Crocodile was calling.
"Soon, Princess Vivi and her companions will arrive at your location."
"Kill them all. If even one survives… I'll feed you to the crocodiles."
Crocodile's voice was filled with nace as he gave the order.
Without waiting for a response, he slamd the Den Den Mushi down, ending the call.
"Yes! I won't let a single one escape!"
Galdino broke out in a cold sweat, frightened by the tone of Crocodile's voice.
Not daring to slack off for even a mont, he imdiately swore to carry out the mission without fail.
After the Den Den Mushi went silent for a few minutes, Galdino finally snapped back to his senses.
"Who on earth made the boss this angry?"
Galdino was confused but understood one thing clearly—if he failed, Crocodile would absolutely feed him to the crocodiles.
Resolved, he made up his mind. No one who landed on the island would be allowed to leave alive.
Back at Crocodile's office, Robin found herself growing more and more curious about Caelan, the man bold enough to provoke Crocodile.
If given the chance, she wanted to et this man face-to-face.
(To be continued.)
***
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