Got it. Once preparations are ready, let's move out.
Smoker turned his head slightly, answering his soldier with a casual tone.
"First, we'll go to Rain Dinners to collect evidence. After that, we'll escort Crocodile to Impel Down."
"And the Straw Hat crew…?"
"…Forget them for now. Leave it at that."
"Yes, sir!"
After the soldier left, Smoker returned to his lazy posture, staring absentmindedly at the sky.
The truth he'd learned from Vivi weighed heavily on him. That the World Government would endorse a Warlord of the Sea plotting to overthrow an entire kingdom didn't surprise him—he'd never trusted the Seven Warlords.
But the Straw Hats' actions… that was what baffled him.
He couldn't help recalling Loguetown—the image of the Straw Hat kid laughing on the execution platform, even with death at hand.
Clack, clack, clack…
A figure in red approached, stopping at his side. Pink hair fell loosely as Tina tucked a strand behind her ear, her eyes cold with displeasure.
"You bastard Smoke-head. What kind of trash intel did you feed me?"
"What happened?" Smoker glanced her way, noticing her usually pristine clothes now smeared with dust.
"There's someone in the Straw Hats who can use Haki."
Lighting a cigarette, Tina growled, "One exchange and Tina got blown away. Where the hell were they as weak as you said?"
"Ah, but you're still standing, aren't you?"
"Tina is very angry right now!"
Smoker's usual indifference only fueled her irritation further. She put her hands on her hips and snapped:
"Every damn time, I have to clean up your messes. Do you know how troublesome that is?!"
"There's more than one of them," Smoker continued calmly, ignoring her tantrum.
"According to Alabasta's princess, there are two Haki users on their ship."
"The Blue Oni and Red Oni—they're brothers. They, along with Straw Hat, were the ones who defeated Crocodile."
Vivi, aware that Rainer preferred to conceal his own power and shift attention onto the undead, had deliberately framed things that way in the catacombs, telling Smoker about the two "Onis" instead.
"Two of them?" Tina's brows rose slightly in surprise.
That level of strength, in the first half of the Grand Line, was virtually unstoppable. There were probably fewer than ten who could match them. She frowned.
"The Marine branches in Paradise wouldn't stand a chance against them."
"Yeah. Headquarters will decide what to do," Smoker said, pulling a cigar from his arm band, biting down, and lighting it.
"With something this big, they'll probably send someone down."
"Not necessarily. Lately, Headquarters' attention is elsewhere," Tina countered.
"You've been away for years—you don't know. The Whitebeard Pirates have been stirring in the New World."
Smoker turned his head, curiosity piqued. "Whitebeard?"
"Mm. A crewman named Teach assassinated a division captain and defected to Paradise." Tina exhaled a plume of smoke.
"A few months back, he even attacked Drum Island. The 2nd Division Commander, Portgas D. Ace, is pursuing him—and has entered Paradise too."
Meanwhile, in the Alabasta palace, Pell led Rainer and the others toward the reception hall.
Walking down the long corridors, the crew gawked at their surroundings.
"This is my first time inside a palace."
"It makes Kaya's mansion look like a cottage."
Though not filled with ostentatious treasures or artworks, the grand murals and carved stone architecture spoke volumes of royal heritage and dignity.
A thousand years of royal lineage indeed.
Shame you can't sell a palace, Rainer thought, sighing to himself.
No, no, stop it. If this keeps up, I'm going to turn into Nami.
Before long, Pell guided them to a vast chamber. Guards pushed open a towering arched stone door.
Inside was a banquet hall centered around a table several dozen meters long, carved entirely from a single block of greenstone.
The table was laden with food and drink. Vivi and Cobra were already seated, awaiting their guests.
But what caught everyone completely off guard was—
"ZORO?!"
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
"You damn moss-head! Was it really so hard to just stick with us?!"
Zoro was already seated at the table, calmly drinking from a cup of sake.
"I dunno. I was walking, and ended up here." He glanced at the group with a straight face.
"Saw the booze, so I started drinking. Only when Vivi came in did I realize this was her house."
Vivi gave a wry smile. She hadn't expected to reunite with Zoro this way either.
"MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!"
Luffy, long past starving, didn't care about any of that. He leapt onto the table and devoured everything in sight.
Plates, trays—it didn't matter. He'd tip them straight into his mouth, chew twice, then swallow whole.
"Wait, Luffy! Leave some for us!"
"He's gonna eat everything by himself!"
"Grab food quick, or we'll starve!"
The crew dove in like ravenous wolves.
In this regal, elegant hall, everything was dignified—except the Straw Hats, who looked utterly out of place.
Even the guards at the sides grimaced. Since when had they seen such behavior inside the royal palace?
"This is disgraceful."
"More than that—it's shameful."
"They're like starving ghouls."
The soldiers whispered angrily, wondering why their king would host such crude guests.
After taking the edge off his hunger, Rainer slowed down and let his thoughts wander.
Where's Robin?
In the original story, she had found nothing about the Void Century in Alabasta's Poneglyph. Coupled with Crocodile's betrayal and defeat, despair had pushed her toward thoughts of death.
This afternoon, while Rainer was busy extracting Crocodile's template, he hadn't noticed Robin slip away.
If it's now… she'd probably go to Rain Dinners. Baroque Works' old headquarters. She wouldn't have anywhere else in Alabasta to go. And… there should be a lot of money stashed there too. Crocodile was a hell of a businessman, after all.
With Pell's hawk template, Rainer could fly straight across the Sandora River. It wouldn't take long.
Snapping back from his thoughts, Rainer looked down at his empty bowl.
"…Huh? Where's my meat?!"
"Hey, Luffy! Don't tell me you stole it from my bowl too?!" Rainer roared, snatching a roast leg midair and grappling against another stretchy hand pulling from afar.
"Mmffmmf!" Luffy mumbled through a mouth full of meat, shocked. Since when was Rainer this strong?!
Whatever. If he couldn't win, he'd just steal from someone else.
The banquet devolved into chaos. After eating their fill, Luffy and Usopp climbed onto the table, performing silly antics that had everyone roaring with laughter.
Even the guards, despite themselves, cracked smiles.
By the end, they'd even dragged Chopper into it, leaving Nami facepalming. There goes our cute little doctor. No turning back now.
When the feast finally ended, night had already fallen.
Out on the palace balcony, Rainer summoned his hawk mount and leapt on, heading west toward Rain Dinners.