Crocodile?
Michael's mouth twitched.
It really is that guy?
Crocodile right now should be only twenty-seven—still in his prime and full of ambition.
After all, when he was just twenty, he fought to a draw against Douglas Bullet, known as the "Demon Heir."
And at this point, he hadn't yet gone to challenge Whitebeard, so his confidence likely hadn't been crushed.
In other words, he probably hadn't become obsessed with obtaining the power of "Pluton" yet, right?
"How reliable is this information… are you sure?"
"If it was only the intelligence brought back by the scholars, I might hesitate," Cobra replied with a grim face, nodding. "But now even Rainbase has seen strange sandstorms that have never happened before... Put together, it's most likely true."
After hearing Cobra out, Michael furrowed his brows.
No matter how you looked at it, combining these two pieces of intel did point to one thing for sure—Crocodile really had arrived in Alabasta.
"Right, one more thing!" Cobra suddenly remembered something and hastily added, "That scholar who returned was very certain—Crocodile was injured!"
Injured?
Michael froze.
Crocodile's bounty might only be eighty-one million Bellies, but that was the price on his head when he was still a newcomer a few years in.
Just like the guy who kidnapped the three Hancock sisters but got instantly taken down by Smoker—he had a seventy-six million bounty, which might seem on par with Crocodile's. But if they really fought, he'd be flattened in a second.
After all, one started at eighty-one million; the other maxed out at seventy-six million.
And from the draw Crocodile had with Bullet back then, it was clear—there weren't many people who could actually injure him…
Unless he tangled with one of those old monsters.
"Tomorrow, I'll head to Rainbase myself to investigate," Michael nodded at Cobra. "Whether as your friend, or as the head of the Alabasta Navy branch, I won't just sit back and do nothing."
"Phew, that's good." Cobra finally felt the heavy stone in his heart lift. "You don't know… ever since I got this news, I haven't been able to sleep properly for days…"
"Then hurry up and go to bed!" Michael looked helplessly at the completely different Cobra from the one who sat upon the throne. "Your child's almost born, right? Shouldn't you be by your wife's side at night, you damn idiot?"
"Ahem, well, I was just really anxious."
Cobra looked a bit embarrassed, but what could he do?
How could he sleep soundly with a potential threat lurking beside his bed?
A major pirate with a Logia Fruit—especially the Sand-Sand Fruit—would have his powers amplified tremendously in Alabasta's environment.
Honestly, it was a much more dangerous matter than merely accepting those scholars.
So if he didn't tell Michael, he really couldn't be at ease.
"Alright, alright. Get going already." Michael waved his hand, then suddenly eyed Cobra with suspicion.
"Wait a minute. Even so, why are you dressed like you're sneaking off to commit a robbery?"
"Ahem, well, that's because Igaram's currently trying to drag me back to work with Chaka and Pell."
"So basically—you're just skipping out on work! Get back there and do your damn job, you damn slacker king!"
In the end, Cobra was chased out of the manor by Michael's scolding and flailing hands.
As he watched Cobra's retreating figure, Michael revealed a warm yet sinister smile…
He picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed a number.
"Hello, Igaram."
"Your king just ran out of my manor."
"Yeah, head to that short wall with the gap near the palace. You're sure to catch him there!"
...
Rainbase outskirts.
Deep in the desert, a massive sandstorm had settled in place—it hadn't moved an inch since it first appeared.
Even though the night was nearly windless, the sandstorm showed no signs of stopping.
"Shff, shff, shff..."
Footsteps crunching against sand echoed in the silent night, sounding unnaturally clear.
The man who made those footsteps lifted his head—revealing a pair of eyes like a hawk's.
He reached back and unslung a massive black sword. A plain but clearly Armament Haki-infused flying slash tore through the air.
The sandstorm that had been raging without pause began to dissipate.
"Hey, Hawk Eyes. Why the hell did you come here to find me?"
Suit vest, fur coat, cigar in his mouth, golden hook in hand.
It was the young and vigorous Crocodile.
And the man with the black sword—naturally, it was "Hawk Eyes" Dracule Mihawk.
Two future Warlords of the Sea, the very ones who would one day found the Cross Guild, now faced each other in the deserts outside Rainbase.
"I'm just a little curious—who managed to injure you?" Hawk Eyes's face was as expressionless as ever. All of his emotions were conveyed through those piercing eyes. "Though I don't care much for Devil Fruit users, I've never denied your strength—especially that of Logia users."
"Hmph, spare me the sarcasm," Crocodile snorted coldly. "Are you planning to fight me now? I heard you stopped hunting down Marines."
"To be precise… I only hunted them once—and failed," Hawk Eyes said bluntly, not avoiding the topic at all. "After that, I realized I may have misunderstood the Marines… or at least, some Marines."
"I don't care what your reason is!" Crocodile was clearly tired of Mihawk's calm narration. "I need you to get the hell out of here—now!"
"Even for a pirate, you've got quite the temper."
Hawk Eyes didn't seem at all concerned by Crocodile's hostility. Instead, he walked directly toward the makeshift camp Crocodile had built from sand.
"I came to bring you some important intel."
"Intel?" Crocodile frowned. "What kind of intel?"
"First, tell me—who injured you?"
"...Damn it." Having been in the desert for a while, Crocodile was a bit cut off from current news. He frowned, thought for a moment, then ultimately chose to compromise. "Fine. It's not really something I need to keep secret."
Crocodile sat down on a "sand" couch and said:
"After all, losing to one of the Pirate King's right-hand men isn't anything to be ashamed of."
"The Pirate King's right hand?" Hawk Eyes's interest was piqued.
"Yeah. I went to challenge Rayleigh and Gaban."
"And the result—you can see it for yourself."
Crocodile lifted his cloak, revealing three vicious wounds. Even after being bandaged, they still oozed blood.
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