Finally, they arrived at the last stop.
What had once been a proud mining town—was now a desolate wasteland.
The Orutia Desert.
"Princess Vivi," Jin asked as they approached the shifting sands, "Can you still keep going?"
Just before entering the final stretch of the Orutia Desert, Jin looked toward the young girl who was already exhausted. After all, they had been trekking and surveying for two full days with barely a break.
This was no ordinary walk—it was grueling work under a scorching sun. Even grown men would've collapsed by now.
Let alone a child.
But Vivi gritted her teeth and stood tall. "I can do it!"
—
Two days later.
The group finally returned to the capital.
Every single one of them was covered in dust and sweat, too tired to even speak. Even the ever-disciplined Pell and Chaka had sore legs and aching backs.
As for the elite Super Spot-Billed Duck Unit… They were sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily.
Their eyes darted toward Jin—full of terror. This guy's a monster. Does he even get tired?!
….
When King Cobra heard of their return, he was stunned. So soon?
"It's only been five days…"
He came out to meet them—only to see a ragged, dusty Pell and Chaka, and a completely knocked-out Vivi, curled up fast asleep on the back of one duck.
Cobra frowned. "What happened to all of you?"
"Don't ask," Pell muttered.
He gave a brief summary of their exhausting expedition. And once he finished, both Cobra and Igaram winced.
Poor Vivi!
Igaram immediately called for his wife, Terracotta, the chief maid serving the palace, who promptly carried Vivi off to rest and recover.
…
Later, at the palace hotel...
After a hot bath and a fresh set of clothes, Jin felt refreshed.
Maya and Robin hadn't even made it that far—They collapsed into bed fully dressed, still covered in dust, and were asleep before their heads hit the pillow.
…
Jin made his way into the palace proper to meet with Cobra.
"You want to purchase the Orutia Desert!?"
"That's right."
Jin was completely honest.
"That wasteland… still hides a decent iron vein beneath it. And maybe even traces of gold, copper, silver, and tin. Of course, I know it's been mined before. The remaining yield is probably unknown and unstable. But I'm a gambler, Your Majesty. I want to take the challenge. And from your perspective—that land has zero value. Why not just sell it to me?"
Cobra leaned back, stroking his beard.
"What's your offer?"
"Five billion Berries."
Five billion.
In the world of pirates, was that a lot?
Not particularly.
Catching someone like Gol D. Roger could net you even more. And for a nation with a population in the tens of millions, five billion wasn't even a massive sum.
But...
Alabasta's finances were a mess.
Under Cobra's benevolence, the royal treasury had long dried up.
Years later, the mass rebellion that swept the kingdom—was it really only because of Crocodile's manipulations?
No.
Not trying to defend Crocodile, but—
A rebellion of that scale doesn't happen just because of outside interference. Internal tensions, financial decay—that's the root.
And when you trace all problems to the source—
It always comes down to one word: money.
Five billion Berries. For a desert no one uses…
Cobra was tempted.
It would be a rainstorm on parched soil for the royal budget.
But just as he was about to respond—
"Don't look at me like that," Jin said with a grin. "Five billion. Non-negotiable. Either we sign the deal, or I'll go look elsewhere."
Cobra weighed the risks and benefits.
"…Deal. Five billion. Can you pay it all at once?"
"No," Jin admitted. "I can pay one billion now. The rest—either through bartering or when I have the cash."
That one billion?
It came straight out of Rainbase—the wealth Crocodile had hoarded over the years.
In a way, it was still Alabasta's money. Crocodile had never paid a single coin of tax.
With the broad terms agreed, the two kings quickly hashed out the finer details and sealed the contract.
Jin's flagship, the Genesis, began unloading supplies into the capital—pallet after pallet, crate after crate. As for how the kingdom would allocate them?
Jin didn't care.
That was Cobra's business.
—
Having wrapped up the negotiations, Jin boarded the ship once more. Maya and Robin, still groggy, joined him.
The Carrier turned eastward, cruising along the coast toward the eastern shoreline of the Orutia Desert.
The ship sliced through the sea, churning snow-like waves behind it. White seagulls soared overhead, gliding on the salt-sweet breeze.
Robin leaned against the railing, her eyes lingering on the strange vessel beneath her.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary sailing ship. But she'd never seen any crew member adjusting sails, steering rudders, or doing any typical work.
In fact…
Crew members?
She had barely seen a handful on deck this entire time.
The ship's inner space was far too expansive. Too vast. Too unreal.
—
"Miss Robin!"
"It's dinnertime!"
Robin didn't have to look. She already knew it was Maya. She had probably been ordered by the king himself to keep an eye on her.
Jin ate his fill and made his way to the medical bay.
Time to check in on Crocodile.
Though he didn't have the insane regeneration of a Zoan-user, his body was recovering quickly. Aside from his shattered left arm, he was mostly fine.
Jin stood at the foot of the bed. "Old Sand, our next stop is the eastern port city—Tamarisk. Once we arrive, you can disembark."
Crocodile raised an eyebrow. "You sure you don't need me for anything else?"
"Nope."
Jin shook his head. "For now, I just need you to run Rainbase properly. Keep developing Baroque Works, but shift it into a Bounty Hunter Guild. In this pirate world, bounty hunters are a force to be reckoned with. Oh—and collect any Devil Fruit intel for me."
Crocodile sat up slightly. "You want Devil Fruits? I recently bought one from the black market."
"It's a Paramecia."
"If you want it, it's yours."
Jin's eyes lit up. "Oh? Which one?"
Crocodile grinned. "Boom-Boom Fruit."
That one?!
Jin's heart practically skipped a beat.
The Boom-Boom Fruit allowed the user to detonate any part of their own body, while being completely immune to explosions and gunpowder-based attacks.
Exactly what he needed.
A Carrier outfitted with the Boom-Boom Fruit?
Absolutely insane.
"I want it!"
Jin laughed. "Also, there's one more thing to take care of—A formal procedure."
"I'm going to assign you an official position in my organization."
"Gunner."
"A position? Like the Baroque Works codenames?" Crocodile asked, amused.
"Sure. Something like that."
Crocodile nodded. "Fine. I'll take it"
"Great."
Positions could be changed later anyway.
"But fair warning," Jin said as he stepped back. "Something weird's about to happen. Don't resist it. I'm going to let the ship accept you."
Crocodile squinted, wary.
He had spent enough time onboard to realize—this ship was not normal.
Jin activated the ship interface.
In the [Crew] section under [Gunner], he typed: "Crocodile"
And then—
He slammed the confirm button.
MMMMMmmmmm...
A deep, whale-like hum echoed through the walls.
The medical bay trembled. The walls pulsed. The room moved. Shifted.
Crocodile's eyes widened.
It wasn't a ship—It was a creature.
A living creature.
And now…
It was swallowing him.
His instincts screamed. His body began to shake involuntarily.
What... what is this thing?!
But Jin called out calmly—
"Hey, stop overthinking it."
"Trust me."
Crocodile clenched his jaw.
Then closed his eyes—And accepted.
Suddenly, data flickered to life in front of Jin's eyes.
[Crew Position: Gunner]
[Name: Crocodile]
[Access Level: Tier 3]
[Height: 253 cm]
[Fruit Power: Logia – Sand-Sand Fruit]
[Lineage: None]
[Combat Power: 9750 – 16,850]
[Evaluation: Extremely intelligent and strategic. Master of planning. Holds great potential, but years of aimless wandering and lost ambition have dulled his growth.]
Yes.
Old Croc still had potential.
He had lost to Luffy, been thrown into Impel Down, and eventually escaped. There, in that crucible, he had awakened again. By the time he stood on the Marineford battlefield, he had already begun to evolve.
Then—another prompt appeared.
[Status Alert: Gunner's left arm is damaged.]
[Would you like to consume 1 Soul Crystal to initiate regeneration?]
"…Huh?"
Jin's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
It could restore limbs?
Well—If Imu has the power to transform others into immortal demons via the Devil's Contract, then it wasn't all that shocking that the Carrier could regrow lost flesh.
"Do it," Jin ordered.
"Initiate regeneration!"