Super Card System - Chapter 445

Chapter 445: Crocodile’s Preparations

After waiting for over ten days, the first news that Ian and his group received was that the rebellion in Alabasta had ended!

With the help of the Straw Hat Pirates, Princess Vivi successfully exposed the conspiracy of Baroque Works and, through heavy rain, managed to prevent the heated battle between the rebels and the king’s army.

Crocodile was truly devastated. He had just returned from Dressrosa not long ago, but because he had lost Nico Robin, who helped him plan his actions, he had to personally command Baroque Works to speed up their execution of the original plan. Even when he learned of the news that Ian and Ace had landed at Nanohana Port, he had to pretend not to have heard this, just to be able to complete his goal as soon as possible.

However, although Ian and Ace did not interfere with his actions, their younger brother, Luffy, came with his crew to attack him…

If Crocodile knew that Luffy and Zoro were Ian and Ace’s younger brothers, he might have said, “F*** my f******* live, why the f*** would I even bother! F*****************…”

It felt like he and Blackbeard were the same, always having the shadow of Ian and Ace looming over them.

And the most frustrating thing was that he was defeated by Luffy in his own territory, although Luffy was not particularly powerful at the time, he used the principle that water could restrain sand to beat him to the point of being unable to move!

Like Doflamingo, after his crimes were exposed, Crocodile was naturally arrested.

Smoker was also a bit frustrated. He had been chasing after the Straw Hat Pirates all the way, hoping to arrest them, but in Alabasta, he was first obstructed by Ace, and then he discovered the villainous Crocodile. Out of his sense of justice, Smoker could only arrest Crocodile first.

The Straw Hat Pirates received heroic treatment in Alabasta, but when Smoker reported back to the Marine Headquarters, he was asked to cover up the truth and attribute the arrest of Crocodile to the Marines. Smoker had some integrity and since he didn’t contribute to this, he refused to take credit for it.

As in the original plot, the Marine Headquarters sent Hina, who was in the same rank as Smoker, to assist in the escort of Crocodile. When Hina discovered that the Straw Hat Pirates were planning to escape from Hina, she immediately led her fleet to pursue them and prepare to arrest them as well.

However, during the pursuit of the Straw Hat Pirates, another fleet appeared!

Hina was taken aback when she saw the flag of the fleet through her telescope, for it belonged to the Whitebeard Pirates!

“How can the fleet of a Yonko be here?!” Hina furrowed her brows and asked, cigarette dangling from her lips.

Smoker sat cross-legged on a chair, hands folded on his knees, unfazed by the sudden appearance of the enemy fleet. “Ian and Portgas D. Ace are in Alabasta right now. The Whitebeard Pirates must be here to pick them up,” he answered.

“Ian!?” Hina was surprised to hear the name of her old friend. “He’s in Alabasta too? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What’s the point of telling you? Can you catch him?” Smoker gave her a sarcastic look. “He and Ace came to chase after the Blackbeard Pirates. I’m just glad they didn’t interfere with our capture of Crocodile.”

Hina had to let it go and turned her attention to the approaching Whitebeard Pirates. “What should we do? The Straw Hats are about to enter their formation. Should we still fire at them?”

“Who are you asking? Me! I don’t mind going to war with the Whitebeard Pirates, but I don’t think you can handle that kind of responsibility.” Smoker replied dryly.

“You…” Hina was infuriated by his remark. Was he trying to make her take the blame?

“Cease fire!” she ordered, making the tough call to spare the Straw Hat Pirates. They watched as the Straw Hat Pirates sailed through the gap in the Whitebeard Pirates’ formation.

…

“Phew, that was close. But we made it out alive!” On the Merry Go, Zoro and Nami breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at the colossal ships on both sides of their small vessel “Wow, those are huge! What kind of ships are those?” Nami wondered aloud.

The Straw Hat Pirates had only recently entered the Grand Line, so they couldn’t recognize the Whitebeard Pirates’ flag. All they knew was that after this pirate crew appeared, the marines stopped chasing them and seemed to be wary of this fleet.

Just then, a figure appeared on the deck of the huge whale-like ship to the right. It was a man with a golden pineapple-like head. He looked down at the Straw Hat Pirates and said, “Hey, you guys are also a pirate crew! Do you know which direction to go to reach Nanohana city?”

“Nanohana City?” Nami quickly replied, “You have to go southeast and circle the island.”

“Thanks, pretty lady!” The pineapple head quickly disappeared.

This person was naturally Marco, who came to pick up Ace. Although he just asked for directions, this was still the first encounter between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates.

After the Whitebeard Pirates’ ships passed by the Merry Go, a person on board wiped the sweat off his forehead with lingering fear and said, “That was really lucky!”

This person was wearing a strange outfit, with two flowers on his head and strange makeup on his face. He wore a shirt with the words “The Way of the Okama” written on the back and shoes that looked like swan necks. This was Mr. 2, who had escaped from the Baroque Works.

If the Whitebeard Pirates hadn’t appeared, Mr. 2 would probably have helped Luffy and his crew escape and transformed into Luffy’s appearance himself. In the end, he would have been caught and imprisoned in Impel Down by Hina and Smoker. However, now, due to a twist of fate, Mr. 2 was probably going to join the Straw Hat Pirates.

Meanwhile, Marco and his crew encountered Hina and Smoker’s marine forces. As one of the Four Emperors, the Whitebeard Pirates weren’t afraid of the marines. When they saw Hina and her crew, many of the pirates on board whistled, surprised that there was such a beautiful officer among them.

“Hmph!” Although Hina was disgusted by this behavior, she still suppressed her anger and waited for them to pass.

The sight of pirates that they couldn’t capture was torture for many Marines who had the concept of justice engraved in their minds.

However, Marco was aware that this fleet of Marines was after the small pirate ship that just passed. So, with a nod to his fellow pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates deliberately took their time to pass by, giving the other group some leeway. By the time they departed, the Straw Hat Pirates’ ships had already sailed far away, and Hina and Smoker couldn’t catch up.

Hina and Smoker were inwardly cursing, but an untimely voice suddenly burst out laughing. “Is this the justice that the Marines boast about?”

It was none other than Crocodile, who was shackled with Seastone handcuffs and guarded on the deck, lying on his back. Beside him was Mr. 1, also known as Daz Bones, who was as loyal to Crocodile as ever and had been arrested as well.

The other ships in the fleet led by Hina also had other members of Baroque Works in custody, nearly wiping out the entire organization except for Mr. 2.

Hearing Crocodile’s taunts, Hina couldn’t help but walk over and kick him hard in the stomach. She shouted, “Shut up! A criminal like you has no right to lecture the Marines on how to do their job!”

Crocodile, who was already heavily injured, spat out another mouthful of blood from Hina’s kick. However, a trademark smirk appeared on his face.

He didn’t say anything more and instead thought about his own situation.

“I never thought Ian’s words would come true!” Crocodile remembered what Ian had said to him before. “If you are willing, my pirate crew will have a spot for you… Should I ask him for help to get me out of Impel Down? That’s not a good place…”

But just as he thought that, Crocodile shook his head, arrogantly thinking to himself, “No! He has to come to me and beg for my help! Because I have something he wants in my hands…”

Crocodile quietly reached into his chest and touched the historical text he had hidden, which he had brought out of the Alabasta royal treasury. When he felt it, he felt even more secure…