Cobra learned of Crocodile's true intentions from Evan. The next day, he urgently contacted Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku to exert pressure. Sengoku was distraught.
"I can still talk to the Five Elders," Cobra mentioned, making Sengoku's face even more somber.
"I see. I'll fix it," Sengoku responded, acknowledging the request as reasonable. After all, the Marines were supposed to "manage" the Shichibukai, and Crocodile's actions posed a significant problem that needed to be addressed.
After hanging up, Sengoku let out a long sigh. "Gion had mentioned that there were issues with Crocodile before, but I didn't expect it to escalate this way." He rubbed his temples, frustrated. "If I had listened back then and provided some support, could we have stopped this sooner?"
There's no use dwelling on it now. Gion was already undercover, but they would need help soon. Picking up the receiver once more, he made another call.
A harsh voice soon came from the other end. "What do you want, Sengoku? I'm busy," came the voice of the Navy hero, Garp.
"Garp, you're on that flight. Go to Alabasta now and capture that bastard, Crocodile," Sengoku ordered.
"Bwahaha, I won't go," Garp replied jokingly. "I said from the beginning that pirates can't be trusted. This whole Shichibukai system was a bad idea."
"Well, something's gone wrong now," Garp continued lazily. "But I'm still trying to break my record of eating 100 donuts in one sitting, so I'll hang up for now."
Despite his jokes, Garp was always reliable when it came to real business. Sengoku knew this and replied seriously, "Garp, intelligence says that your grandson might be in Alabasta."
"Seriously? Then I guess I can't take it easy now," Garp said, his tone shifting. "I'll catch that idiot grandson of mine."
"Your main goal is still Crocodile!" Sengoku emphasized as Garp's warship sped toward Alabasta.
*KACHAK*
Meanwhile, in Alabasta…
Back at the desert kingdom's palace, Luffy was restless. "Anyway, Crocodile won't be found anytime soon. Let's explore the city!" he suggested.
Zoro looked intrigued. "It's not a bad idea. I'm really looking forward to meeting a desert swordsman."
"Let's take a look at a gun shop." Without hesitation, Zoro began to walk—toward the bathhouse instead of the exit.
"The exit is this way, you road idiot," Sanji complained upon seeing Zoro's mistake.
"We've been busy with work and haven't relaxed much," Evan agreed with the idea. Zoro's interest in desert swordsmen and Sanji's curiosity about desert cuisine were evident, and even Chopper seemed eager to learn more about desert medical practices.
Usopp, on the other hand, approached Nami. "Nami, I need some money."
"Haven't you just bought things recently?" Nami questioned.
"I bought tools for other purposes, but this time…" Usopp looked at Evan nervously.
Evan coughed, instructing Usopp to keep it a secret. "Just give me some money. I need to build something," Usopp pleaded, bowing slightly.
Nami, suspicious of Evan's involvement, raised an eyebrow.
『Because I missed so many battles, I almost forgot something important: Nami's exclusive weapon, the Clima-Tact. A super weapon developed by Usopp in the original story. It may not seem strong at first, but in Nami's hands, it is powerful.』
Evan's diary recorded these thoughts. Nami blinked, suddenly understanding.
『The Clima-Tact originally appeared in the Alabasta arc, but was only a prototype then. Its combat potential was not fully exploited. I want to speed things up a bit and give Nami the full version. It might even integrate some features of Sky Island's technology, although I'm not sure if it will work.』
Evan's diary continued as his plan unfolded. He had arranged for Usopp to ask for money so they could build a special weapon for Nami.
『Once Usopp builds it, I'll give Nami a big surprise. Even though Usopp is the main creator, I'll add some of my Thunder Fruit abilities to make it even more special.』
"Alright, but don't waste it," Nami said, pulling out a large sum of Baileys.
Usopp nodded, relieved the amount was far more than he'd expected. Evan gave him a thumbs-up, and Nami glanced proudly at Robin.
『Nami: See, I didn't even need to steal, and he's already planning to build me a new weapon.』
『Nami: He's thinking about me.』
Nami's pride was clear, but Robin remained unfazed. It was just a gift, after all. Vivi, on the other hand, felt more connected to Evan and quickly grabbed his hand.
"By the way, Evan, I really need to thank you. Would you like to visit the royal family's treasure warehouse? There are some great things in there, and you can take something."
"Maybe there's even a Devil Fruit in there?" Vivi teased, flashing a wide smile.
Evan, caught off guard, felt flattered. Vivi was offering him treasures from the royal vault, letting him pick whatever he wanted.
"Your country needs to rebuild. You should keep the valuable things," Evan said gently, patting Vivi's head. She smiled sweetly, fully accepting the gesture.
Sengoku's POV.
SIGH
After hanging up the call, I couldn't help but sigh. There were always problems, and most of them involved Garp's family in one way or another.
His son left the Navy and founded the Revolutionary Army. His grandson became a pirate and ended up joining Whitebeard's crew. And the cherry on top—his other grandson, who hadn't stopped causing me problems since he became a pirate. First, the destruction of the Shells Town Marine Base. Then, the attack on the Cocoyashi Village Marine Branch, where they killed all the Marines. Just before entering the Grand Line, they caused chaos in Loguetown, fought Marines, defeated Smoker, and even kidnapped a Marine.
Dragon and Garp, who could have stopped that chaos, did nothing but fight against his grandson's vice-captain and then against his son. Now, Garp's grandson's crew was facing the Warlord Crocodile.
"Haa… Damn Garp and his family always giving me headaches," I muttered, knowing I would have to face a huge wave of paperwork.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Come in," I said, and the door opened. Two people entered—Brannew and Tsuru. Seeing their expressions, I braced for a headache.
"Something big has happened, Sengoku. Something that will completely alter the order of the world," Tsuru said with a worried expression.
"What do you mean, Tsuru? What could be so serious?"
"There have been two incidents. The first: A massive breakout from Level 6 of Impel Down…"
*PAM!*
"WHAT?! Who escaped? Where was Magellan?"
"The Destroyer of Worlds, Byrrndi World. The Devil's Heir, Douglas Bullet. The Uncrowned Empress, Lyra. Ragnar Bullet the Titan, and son of Douglas Bullet. The Shadow of Terror, Nerezza. And… my Ex husband, Patrick Redfield, as well as my daughters, Astrid and Selene Redfield."
"And the second incident?" I asked, dreading the answer.
Brannew handed me a newspaper. The headline read:
The Fall of an Emperor—Charlotte Linlin, aka Big Mom, Has Died.
And the world burst into chaos.