บท 55: Go Fight in the New World, Crocodile
In the end, Crocodile was defeated by Issho. Even though he displayed strength far surpassing his original debut in the story, he now lay on the ground, gasping for air. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth and his forehead, yet the cigar still dangled from his lips. His face was etched with disbelief—he had lost to an unknown man. The last time he tasted defeat was against Whitebeard. This blind, middle-aged man was undoubtedly one of the top-tier fighters in the seas! But how had someone like that been recruited by Sanders? Crocodile couldn't wrap his head around it.
As the news of Crocodile's defeat spread, both the onlookers and the members of Baroque Works were in shock.
"Lord Crocodile has actually lost? Who is that middle-aged man?"
"Is he a pirate? Will they come for us next?"
"This is terrifying! Lord Crocodile is a powerful Logia user, how could he be defeated?!"
Not far away, Baroque Works members, led by Mr. 1, stood watch, wary of Sanders and his crew.
"Should we charge in and rescue the boss?" Mr. 1 asked, clutching his chest, several ribs broken from Sanders' earlier kick.
Mr. 2 hesitated, "As much as I hate to admit it, are you sure we could really save him if we go in?" His words made the others fall silent. If their mighty Warlord leader couldn't defeat the blind swordsman, what chance did they have? Especially with a pirate worth 2.4 billion berries standing with him. Even if they threw their lives away, they wouldn't stand a chance against those two.
"Damn it! Nico Robin betrayed the boss! He even gave her the vice-president position!" Mr. 5 grumbled, picking his nose and glaring at Robin.
Sanders and Robin arrived on the battlefield, where Issho stood with his sword resting at his side. His clothes were a bit disheveled, but he had no serious injuries. Robin gazed at Crocodile with complicated emotions. A proud Warlord of the Sea, now defeated by an unknown opponent. Given Crocodile's arrogance, he must be feeling utterly dejected, she thought.
"Hey, Crocodile," Sanders called out as he looked down at the defeated man.
"Is this all the strength you have? A man who once fought Douglas Bullet?" Sanders taunted. "Bullet trained even while imprisoned in Impel Down. But you? It's been a long time since you've trained seriously, hasn't it?"
Crocodile sat up, leaning against a rock. "If you're going to kill me, then just do it. No need for all this talking," he said without a trace of fear on his face. Long ago, when he first set out to sea, he had already prepared to stake everything. Now, it was just a lost gamble.
"Why would I kill you?" Sanders shook his head. "I've already achieved my goal." He had no personal grudge against Crocodile. His purpose for coming here was to recruit crew members, not to get involved in Alabasta's affairs. Besides, Crocodile's scheme had already been exposed. If he still had the audacity to continue his plan to seize the country, he'd soon be shark bait. This was also why Issho hadn't delivered a killing blow. True warriors had their pride. They could be defeated or killed, but they wouldn't stoop to shameful acts. Those who were shameless would be ridiculed by the entire sea.
"Crocodile, I meant what I said earlier," Sanders added with a smirk. "But do you have the guts to challenge the Yonko in their own territory?"
"Staying here in the first half of the Grand Line won't get you anywhere. Go to the New World and fight! You can't dream of being Pirate King if you can't even take on the Yonko! Don't tell me Whitebeard broke your spirit?" Sanders sneered.
"If that's the case, you might as well retire and wait for death. Why bother calling yourself a pirate anymore?" Sanders clearly wanted to provoke Crocodile into going to the New World.
"A Logia fruit user, still hanging around the rookie village. How unfriendly to the newbies of the sea," Sanders mocked.
Crocodile, veins bulging on his forehead, glared fiercely at Sanders. "You damned bastard!"
His loss to Whitebeard had made him realize the gap between their powers, which was why he tried to compensate with external means. But now, before his plan had even begun, it was shattered.
"Let's go," Sanders said casually, ignoring Crocodile's menacing gaze, and motioned for Issho and Robin to leave.
After they departed, Crocodile's subordinates rushed over, worry etched on their faces.
"Boss, are you alright?"
Mr. 2 helped Crocodile up.
"I'm fine."
"So, what do we do next? Continue building our ideal kingdom?" Mr. 5 asked.
"Once I've healed, we're going to the New World!" Crocodile growled, still holding his cigar, rage boiling inside him.
"Huh?"
"Why are you just standing there? Go prepare a big ship!" Crocodile barked at his subordinates. Useless fools, they were of no help at all!
He had indeed slacked off recently; in the past, he would never have lost so quickly. He needed to set sail again, head to the New World! Only through constant battle could he grow stronger. The first half of the Grand Line had become too comfortable. There were always more powerful fighters emerging on the seas, and it wouldn't be long before another rookie came to defeat him. He never wanted to experience the humiliation of earlier again. He wouldn't become anyone's stepping stone!
Besides, he needed to find out if the Pluton was really in the Yonko's territory.
"Just wait, Sanders! I'll come for you!" Crocodile muttered, staring in the direction they left.
At the outskirts of Rainbase, Sanders, Issho, and Robin walked leisurely toward the city's edge. When Crocodile mentioned going to the New World, a smile crept onto Sanders' lips. He glanced at Issho.
"Now you can relax, right?" Sanders said. Issho, whose observation Haki was also exceptional, had overheard Crocodile's words. He nodded with a smile. With Crocodile heading to the New World, there would no longer be any danger of Alabasta falling into chaos.
"Are we really not going to take some camels and bring water?" Robin asked, her face full of concern. Just earlier, Captain Sanders had declined the idea of riding camels and carrying water. Robin found this worrisome, knowing that the journey to the capital wasn't short, and without water, they could die of thirst.
"No need, we have everything on the ship," Sanders replied nonchalantly.
"On the ship?" Robin asked, puzzled. "But the port is quite far away, and aren't we heading to Alabasta's capital?" Her expression grew more skeptical as she felt her captain might be a bit unreliable.
"You'll see soon enough," Sanders smiled mysteriously as they headed toward the ship's location.
Before long, Robin's jaw dropped as she saw the ship in the middle of the desert. She never would have guessed someone could bring a ship here.
"You didn't… carry the ship all the way here, did you?" Robin asked, shocked.
"Of course not! Our ship can fly!" Sanders laughed heartily.
Issho chuckled as well, "A flying ship? Seems our captain has quite a few secrets." He was becoming more and more intrigued by Sanders. Robin felt the same; Sanders was growing more mysterious to her, like a figure shrouded in mist, just out of reach.
"Come aboard. There are plenty of empty rooms. Robin, you can take a room on the second floor. Issho and I will stay on the first," Sanders said as he leaped onto the ship.
Once aboard, Issho, being blind, chose a room and then lay on a deck chair to rest. Meanwhile, Robin explored the ship's interior, her eyes filled with curiosity.
While Robin was busy organizing her room, Sanders approached Issho.
"Issho, from now on, you'll be my vice-captain," Sanders declared. With Issho's strength, he was more than qualified for the position.
"Vice-captain? You should find someone else for that. I'll be fine just as a combatant," Issho declined. He had no interest in titles or authority; otherwise, he wouldn't have remained so unknown all these years.
"Are you sure? The vice-captain gets to decide how much protection money we collect from the territories we'll rule in the future," Sanders teased.
"You wouldn't want the common folk to suffer because we overcharge them on protection fees, right?" Sanders smirked.
In the future, any island or village flying his pirate flag would have to pay some form of protection fee—like taxes. Why else would he protect them? Every Yonko crew survived by collecting such fees. Pirates didn't produce goods, so without some kind of tax, they'd starve.
Issho's lips twitched at the thought. Sanders had used this line to recruit him before, and now he was doing it again. With a resigned sigh, Issho nodded.
Sanders beamed with satisfaction. With Issho as his vice-captain, he could be more hands-off in the future. Issho, despite his blindness, was more than capable of handling most things. Worst case, Sanders could assign him an assistant. Besides, they didn't have much territory to manage yet. They wouldn't need to occupy land anytime soon.
The ship, under Sanders' command, gradually lifted off into the air, soaring toward Alabasta's capital.
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