"Heh—" Whitebeard let out a short, sharp snort, his eyes narrowing.
'How did I know about Mike?' he thought grimly.
'That kid just finished handing three of my sons their asses on a platter.'
He had to give the kid credit, though.
He'd held back.
If he hadn't, Ace and the others would be nothing more than fish food at the bottom of the ocean right now.
Whitebeard's mind drifted back to the moment Mike had made his move.
One second, he was a lazy, laid-back kid; the next, he had the regal, overwhelming presence of a king.
That silver-haired transformation… was it a Devil Fruit power?
A Mythical Zoan, maybe? Or something else entirely?
Whatever it was, one thing was clear: a new monster had just stepped onto the world stage.
It felt like a new era was dawning…
"You're right, Red-Haired brat," Whitebeard's deep voice rumbled through the Den Den Mushi.
"The Marines do have a new monster."
"Wait, you've met Mike face-to-face, Whitebeard?" Shanks asked, his voice sharp with surprise.
"Do I owe you an explanation for everything I do?"
"..."
The silence on the other end of the line was heavy.
"Fine, Whitebeard," Shanks said, finally breaking the quiet.
"We'll drop the topic of Mike for now." He took a deep breath, shifting to the other reason for his call.
"The second thing is about Blackbeard…"
"Hmph—!" A flash of anger ignited in Whitebeard's eyes.
"Red-Hair, worry about your own crew! My family's business is none of your concern."
In an instant, a tidal wave of white Conqueror's Haki flooded the cabin.
"—Thud—"
The poor rookie from the Red-Haired Pirates, who was still standing there trembling, went completely white-eyed and collapsed to the floor, knocked out cold by the sheer force of will.
The call with Shanks ended abruptly, leaving a ringing silence.
Whitebeard smirked coldly.
"Throw him overboard. Prepare to set sail. We're heading to Fish-Man Island. I need to have a good, long talk with Neptune."
"Yes, Pops!"
The Moby Dick began to move, its massive hull cutting through the waves as it sailed for its destination.
.....
Back at the docks of Yuba, the morning sun spilled across the sea, making the waves dance with golden light.
"—Wooo—"
A huge Marine warship slowly pulled away from the pier, its engine rumbling.
On the main deck, three lounge chairs were set up perfectly in the center.
Mike was lying on the middle one, hands behind his head and eyes closed, soaking up the warm sun.
On either side, Smoker and Kuzan were in similar lazy poses.
'—Snore—snore—'
Smoker was already out cold, his snores loud and steady like waves crashing against rocks.
"Captain, at full speed, we should reach Jaya Island in about half a day," Kuro reported softly from his post behind Mike.
"Good," Mike said, cracking one eye open.
He glanced at Kuro, then lazily pulled his yellow eye mask down over his face.
"Full speed ahead. Wake me up when we're close."
The warship's engines roared to life, and it sailed off toward the horizon.
On the dock, Crocodile watched them go, a storm of complicated feelings swirling inside him.
Mike and Aokiji were gone for now, but the pressure on him hadn't lifted at all.
The Admiral had already promised him the support of nearby Marine forces.
The gold from Skypiea was as good as his.
His Baroque Works agents were already in position.
He had the manpower, the money, the backup, and a ridiculously powerful sponsor.
So… if Mike and the Admiral came back and Alabasta hadn't shown any real improvement… his 81-million-Belly head would definitely be on the chopping block.
He had to get moving, and fast!
Crocodile took a deep breath and turned back toward his temporary office in Yuba, where the top commanders of Baroque Works were already waiting for him.
—Click—
He lit a fresh cigar, the white smoke curling around his face.
His eyes narrowed, sharp and cold.
"Gentlemen," he began, "the miracle of building Yuba overnight wouldn't have been possible without your hard work."
"From now on, the ultimate goal of Baroque Works is changing. Our new mission: to make Alabasta the richest, most exciting country on the entire Grand Line."
His words dropped into the silent room like stones in a calm lake.
"Anyone who dares to damage this country's infrastructure, or gets in the way of its progress, will be considered an enemy of Baroque Works! To do this, I will need all of you."
Crocodile stroked the golden Den Den Mushi he now carried, feeling its immense power.
The Admiral had given it to him after his meeting with King Cobra.
It was a Buster Call, something only an Admiral could possess.
One push of a button, and it would summon a fleet of Vice Admirals to annihilate any target.
It was a symbol of absolute authority.
Kuzan had warned him it could only summon the five Vice Admirals from his own faction, but in the first half of the Grand Line, that was more than enough to crush anyone.
He also had a special snail to contact Kuro directly in an emergency.
Of course, using that was a last resort.
It would make him look weak in Mike's eyes.
'Fish-Man Island and its guardian, Enel…' Crocodile sneered to himself.
'Let's see who comes out on top.'
A flicker of his old fighting spirit returned to him.
'We'll see whose kingdom is more impressive. When it comes to construction, my Sand-Sand Fruit is second to none!'
'And while we build, we will train. After all these years of stagnation… it's time for the world to hear my name again!'
He scanned the faces of his agents.
They all looked stunned.
The mission had flipped from stealing Alabasta to building it.
It was a massive change to swallow.
He cleared his throat. "Of course, I won't force anyone. If you want to leave Baroque Works, you can go at any time."
Suddenly, a calm voice cut through the silence.
"Mr. 0, are you saying you don't need me anymore?"
It was Robin.
Her eyes were complicated, as if she already knew her role here was finished.
If they didn't need her to read Poneglyphs anymore, she had no real use to them.
Crocodile looked at the woman.
Building Alabasta was a huge job; he didn't have time to watch her.
It was better to let her go.
"Miss All Sunday, our deal is over," he said. "I have a new purpose. My advice to you is to set sail and see the world. I hope you find what you're looking for."
'And I'm sure Aokiji would agree', he added silently.
After a moment, Robin gave a slight nod.
She stood up and walked out of the office without another word.
....
At the docks, a small pirate ship with a straw hat figurehead was getting ready to leave.
Vivi stood on the pier, saying a tearful goodbye to the Straw Hat crew.
"If the misunderstanding with Crocodile is really cleared up, that would be wonderful," Nami said, patting her shoulder gently.
"Vivi, are you really not coming with us?" Luffy asked, his eyes wide with disappointment.
Vivi smiled, her expression soft but firm.
"No. Alabasta still needs me."
"Then don't forget!" Luffy yelled. "We'll always be nakama!"
The whole crew turned their backs to her, raising their left arms to show the matching tattoos, the mark of their friendship, fighting back tears.
"Goodbye, Vivi!" Nami's choked voice called out as the Going Merry slowly pulled away.
"What a touching scene." A cool, amused voice came from the ship's cabin.
Robin emerged onto the deck with a faint smile on her face as she watched the emotional farewell.
'Nakama, huh?'
She looked at the stunned Straw Hats.
"Mind if I join you?"
"...Huh...?"
"...You...!"
The Going Merry set sail once more, heading for its next adventure.
*****
Jaya Island.
This place, known as Mock Town, was the part of Jaya Island that hadn't been blasted into the sky 400 years ago.
It had long since fallen outside of any government control.
The whole town was a cesspool of crime and filth, filled with pirates who spent their days getting drunk, gambling, and fighting.
As night fell, the usual cacophony of shouts, laughter, and curses filled the air.
Then, a new sound shattered the chaos: the deafening roar of powerful engines.
A massive warship with the kanji for "Yellow" painted on its sail slowly approached the dock.
The Marine flag flying from its mast was unmistakable.
The entire town went dead silent.
"Look, what the hell is that?" a drunk pirate slurred, pointing.
"Why is a huge Marine ship here?" another growled, his expression turning grim.
"No way… this is Mock Town! What kind of blind Navy officer would come here? There are big shots from the 'New Age of Pirates' here!"
"What kind of Navy dares to show up so openly?" a fierce-looking pirate sneered.
"Quick, go tell the bosses! The Marines are here! Let's show these bastards what we're made of!"
....
Meanwhile, on the warship, Mike, Kuzan, and Smoker were just waking up.
"Ah, that was a good nap," Mike yawned.
"Are we here?"
"We've arrived at Jaya Island, Captain," Kuro replied with a bow.
"Good." Mike nodded.
He knew there were two ways to get to Skypiea.
One was a normal route through the sky that no one really knew how to find.
The other was the legendary "Knock-Up Stream"—a massive, high-pressure geyser that could shoot a ship straight up into the sky.
It was dangerous, but it was direct, fast, and exciting.
With Kuzan here to act as a safety net, what was there to be afraid of?
"We'll wait for the Knock-Up Stream," Mike decided. "Keep a close watch. We're riding that thing to Skypiea."
"Yes, sir!"
Just as they were getting ready, a taunting voice yelled from the shore.
"Hey!"
They all looked up.
Standing on the roof of a nearby building was a blond man with a long scar over his left eye.
His sharp gaze was locked on them like a predator.
"I'm Bellamy the Hyena!" he announced.
The pirates on the street erupted.
"Whoa, it's Bellamy! The rookie with a bounty over 50 million!"
"Oh, the Marines are screwed now!"
"He ate the Spring-Spring Fruit! He's a spring man!"
Bellamy smirked, loving the attention.
He licked his lips.
"That's a nice warship you've got there," he called out.
"I think I'll take it!"
He figured his lord would be pleased with such a fine prize.
As for the Marines? He'd just kill them all.
As long as his lord was happy, it was worth it.
After all, his lord was the "Heavenly Yaksha," one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea… Donquixote Doflamingo!
"Hah—" Mike glanced at the posturing idiot on the roof, then at Kuzan, who was already looking eager for a fight.
He couldn't help but laugh.
'Is this the so-called arrogance of the new era of pirates? Trying to hijack a Marine warship with an Admiral on board?'
Kuzan let out a breath of chillingly cold air.
"Sorry…" he said, his voice like ice.
This ship was supposed to be carrying the New Navy's future funds back from Skypiea.
Hand it over? Not a chance.
Not even if one of the Four Emperors showed up.
He glared at Bellamy, his eyes like frozen steel.
"A pirate like you… is better off dead."