Chapter 445: Crocodile's Preparations
After waiting for over ten days like this, the first news Ian and the others received was that the rebellion in Alabasta had ended!
With the help of the Straw Hat Pirates, Princess Vivi successfully exposed the schemes of Baroque Works, and with the aid of a rainfall, managed to stop the heated battle between the rebel army and the royal army.
Crocodile was truly tragic. He had only recently returned from Dressrosa, and since he had lost Nico Robin, who had been helping him plan his operations, he had to personally direct Baroque Works to speed up the execution of the original plan after coming back. Even when he learned that Ian and Ace had landed at the port of Yuba, he could only bury his head in the sand like an ostrich, pretending not to see it, just to complete his goal as quickly as possible.
However, although Ian and Ace did not interfere with his actions, their younger brother had come knocking with his crew...
If Crocodile had known that Luffy and Zoro were the younger brothers of Ace and Ian, he might have blurted out, "I have a 'motherf*cker' I don't know if I should say..."
He felt that, like Blackbeard, he was at odds with Ian and Ace, and everything he did was overshadowed by those two.
And the most frustrating part was that he was defeated by Luffy on his own turf. Although Luffy didn't know Haki at that time, he used the principle that water can counter sand, beating Crocodile until he couldn't take care of himself!
Just like Doflamingo back then, after his crimes were exposed, Crocodile was naturally arrested.
Smoker was also quite frustrated. He had been chasing after the Straw Hat Pirates to arrest them, but in Alabasta, he first encountered Ace's obstruction, and then discovered Crocodile, that sneaky bastard. Out of his sense of justice, Smoker could only prioritize arresting Crocodile.
The Straw Hat Pirates received a hero's welcome in Alabasta, but when Smoker reported to Marine Headquarters, he was told to cover up the truth and attribute the credit for arresting Crocodile to the Marines.
Smoker was a man of integrity. He hadn't done the work, so he refused to take the credit.
As in the original story, Marine Headquarters sent Tashigi, who was from the same class as Smoker, to escort Crocodile. When Tashigi discovered that the Straw Hat Pirates were preparing to escape Alabasta, she immediately led her fleet to pursue them, intending to arrest the Straw Hat Pirates as well.
However, during their pursuit of the Straw Hat Pirates, another fleet appeared!
When Tashigi saw the flag of this fleet through her telescope, she was shocked, because she realized it was the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet!
"Why would a Yonko's fleet be here!?" Tashigi asked, frowning as she held a cigarette.
Smoker sat in a chair, his hands crossed on his knees, hunched over without much surprise, and replied, "Ian and Fire Fist Ace are in Alabasta right now! The Whitebeard Pirates' ships appearing here are probably to pick them up!"
"Ian!?" Tashigi's mind immediately conjured Ian's grinning face, and she said in surprise, "He's in Alabasta too!? Why didn't you tell Tashigi about this before?"
Smoker glanced at her and said, "What good would it do to tell you? Could you arrest him too? He and Fire Fist Ace came to chase the Blackbeard Pirates. I'm already grateful they didn't help Crocodile!"
Hearing this, Tashigi had no choice but to drop it. She turned to look at the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet approaching on the sea and said, "What now? The Straw Hat Pirates' ship is about to enter their formation. Should we still fire?"
"Who are you asking?" Smoker said irritably. "I wouldn't mind starting a fight with the Whitebeard Pirates, but I doubt you can bear that responsibility."
"You..." Tashigi was furious at his words. Was he trying to make her take the blame?
"Cease fire!" Tashigi decisively ordered the bombardment to stop, and then watched helplessly as the Straw Hat Pirates' ship sailed through the middle of the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet.
..................
"Phew, that was close! But we're saved!" On the Going Merry, Zoro and Nami let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the whale-like giant ships on either side of their vessel, they exclaimed in surprise, "So big! What kind of ships are these!?"
The Straw Hat Pirates had only recently entered the Grand Line, so they naturally couldn't recognize the Whitebeard Pirates' flag. They only knew that after this pirate crew appeared, the Marines behind them stopped chasing, as if they were intimidated by this fleet.
Just then, a figure appeared on the deck of the giant whale ship to their right. It was a man with a golden pineapple-like hairstyle. He leaned out and looked down at the Straw Hat Pirates, saying, "Oh, another pirate crew! Hey! Do you know which direction Yuba City is?"
"Yuba City?" Nami quickly replied, "You need to go southeast along the island's coast to get there."
"Thanks, beautiful!" The pineapple-head then withdrew.
This person was, of course, Marco and the others who had come to pick up Ace. Although it was just a simple question about directions, it marked the first encounter between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates.
After the Whitebeard Pirates' ships passed by the Going Merry, one person on board wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "What luck!"
This person wore a strange outfit, with two flowers on his head, bizarre makeup on his face, a coat with the words "Path of Okama" written on the back, and swan-neck shoes on his feet. He was Mr. 2, Bon Clay, who had escaped from Baroque Works!
If the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet hadn't appeared, Mr. 2 would have likely helped Luffy and the others escape, transforming into Luffy to be caught by Tashigi and sent to Impel Down. But now, by a twist of fate, this okama, Bon Clay, was probably about to join the Straw Hat Pirates...
As Marco and the others sailed forward, they inevitably encountered the Marines led by Tashigi and Smoker. As one of the Yonko, the Whitebeard Pirates naturally had no fear of the Marines. When they saw Tashigi, many pirates on the ship whistled at her, surprised that there was such a beautiful female Marine officer.
"Hmph!" Although Tashigi was annoyed by this frivolous behavior, she suppressed her temper and waited for them to pass.
It was torture for many Marines, who had the concept of justice ingrained in their minds, to see pirates and not be able to arrest them.
However, Marco realized that this Marine fleet was trying to capture the pirate ship ahead. Out of a sense of leniency toward fellow pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet, under Marco's signal, deliberately dawdled for a long time before passing. By the time they left, the Straw Hat Pirates' ship had already escaped far away, and Tashigi couldn't catch up.
Tashigi and Smoker were secretly furious, but an untimely voice suddenly burst into laughter.
"Is this what the Marines call justice?"
The speaker was, of course, Crocodile, who was shackled with Seastone Handcuffs and placed on the deck under guard. He lay on his back on the deck, and beside him was Daz Bones, codenamed Mr. 1, a loyal killer who had been captured along with Crocodile.
On the other ships of Tashigi's fleet, other Baroque Works executives were also being held. Except for Mr. 2, almost all of Baroque Works had been caught.
Hearing Crocodile's mockery, Tashigi couldn't help but step forward and kick him hard in the stomach, saying, "Shut up! A criminal like you doesn't get to teach the Marines how to act!"
Crocodile was already seriously injured, and Tashigi's kick made him spit out another mouthful of blood, but a trademark smile of contempt for the world appeared on his face.
However, he didn't say anything more and instead silently thought about his own matters.
"I didn't expect that kid Ian was right!" Crocodile recalled what Ian had said to him back then. "He said that if I couldn't make it, there would be a spot for me in his crew. Should I ask him for help to get me out? Impel Down is not a good place..."
But just as he thought this, Crocodile shook his head, thinking stubbornly, "No! He has to come to me first! Because I have something he wants..."
Crocodile quietly reached into his chest and touched the hidden Poneglyph rubbing he had taken from the Alabasta royal treasure room. When he felt it, his heart grew more at ease...