Chapter 345: Desert King

To stay alive, Lafitte was willing to do anything, even kneel and bow his head, let alone simply cooperate.

"I'll cooperate, I'll cooperate completely."

"Good. A wise man knows when to yield."

The moment the black mist swirling around Saint Saint Saiwen's fingers seeped into Lafitte's body and formed a demon mark on his left arm—

Saint Saint Saiwen suddenly felt: whether soul or will, he had utterly mastered Lafitte.

I imagine Im and the Five Elders, the Divine Knights, and the Divine Blades must have felt the same after signing their contracts.

Otherwise, the Five Elders would never trust Saint Saint Saiwen so completely—those marked by the demon seal could never escape control, only become Im's puppets.

"How do you feel?"

Lafitte moved his arm: "Lord Saint Saint Saiwen, I seem... stronger?"

Saint Saint Saiwen patted Lafitte's shoulder approvingly.

"Good."

"Here's my Den Den Mushi number and two billion Beri as startup capital. Until I notify you to act, you're free to move as you wish."

Lafitte blinked.

"I... can go?"

To gain the freedom he had long dreamed of so easily, Lafitte found it hard to believe.

Saint Saint Saiwen casually pulled out a sketch.

"Remember the appearance of this Devil Fruit. Your mission when infiltrating the Blackbeard Pirates is to retrieve this Devil Fruit—if you can locate this Logia Dark-Dark Fruit before the operation."

"Promotion or wealth—choose whichever you like."

Lafitte understood the subtext: "Captain, am I now with the Morning Star Crew?"

"Intern."

"I guarantee the mission will be completed, Captain."

Lafitte spread his wings and flew off; Saint Saint Saiwen continued using the Sui Sui no Mi to simulate the Toki Toki no Mi, sending small objects forward by one hour.

It wasn't that he couldn't send objects further into the future, but he was testing whether he could precisely deliver people or objects to the exact moment he desired.

What if the timing went wrong...

Like accidentally sending Im a hundred years into the future—that would be amusing.

That's why he needed more practice.

The Toki Toki no Mi's ability was incredibly overpowered; the only regret was that it could only move forward into the future, never backward to the past.

If he could return to the past...

Saint Saint Saiwen would definitely go to the East Blue first, trick the young Luo Jie into joining his crew, and make Luo Jie call him "Captain" every day!

Between practices,

Saint Saint Saiwen remembered the recent call from Dragon—Zephyr, representing the Navy's high command, had asked Dragon where the Revolutionary Army's funding came from.

The evidence showed Saint Saint Saiwen's multiple schemes against the Navy had been remarkably effective.

Even if the Navy wouldn't fully sever ties with the World Government, it was enough that its high command now recognized the funding problem and was willing to change.

Currently, factions within the Navy were divided, all seeking funding sources outside the World Government.

All Saint Saint Saiwen needed to do was keep stoking the fire, ensuring the Navy and the World Government could never unite, greatly reducing resistance to overthrowing the World Government.

When Wano, Elbaf, and the Revolutionary Army all raised the banner of revolution, taking down Mary Geoise would be effortless.

The real challenge lay in the chaos after overthrowing the World Government—clearing out the old aristocracy would take considerable time.

But one must walk the road step by step.

When the World Government was gone, chaos would merely waste a little more time.

The day he signed the Abyssal Contract with Im drew nearer; Saint Saint Saiwen was already impatient, wishing time would pass faster.

Faster, to realize his childhood dream.

Saintin Island, Alabasta.

Baroque Works secret base.

Mr. 0, the boss—Saint Saint Saiwen Warlord Shá Kèluòdá'ěr—frowned as he smoked a cigar, staring at the newspaper in his hand.

"Why did Barzab come here?"

Since his inconclusive battle with Baret years ago, Crocodile had risen to fame across the seas.

As a Logia Sand-Sand Fruit user, he earned the title Desert King.

His reason for coming to Alabasta and forming Baroque Works began with his defeat by Whitebeard.

At barely twenty, Crocodile had already become famous, full of confidence, and challenged Whitebeard in the New World—only to be utterly crushed.

Not only was his body injured, but his ambition and self-confidence were shattered completely.

From then on, he concluded: no matter how much he trained or strengthened himself, he could never defeat Whitebeard in the New World.

So Crocodile abandoned direct confrontation, left the New World, and returned to the Grand Line.

After being so thoroughly defeated by Whitebeard, his strength, mindset, and team composition were all unprepared for another challenge.

Better to return to the Grand Line and develop in secret.

He began plotting, securing clues to the ancient weapon Pluton, and steadily seizing control of a nation.

The nominal purpose of Baroque Works was to overthrow Alabasta and establish an ideal kingdom; the true purpose was to obtain clues to the ancient weapon Pluton and gain greater power.

To defeat Whitebeard.

Especially after the Morning Star Crew took Wano and Barzab became Lord Saint Saint Saiwen, Crocodile became even more convinced his path was correct—only fate had been against him.

He had just begun preparing to seize Alabasta when the ultimate variable arrived—Barzab.

"This guy..."

The Sand Crocodile's face was clouded with worry; even the mighty Emperor Kaido had been driven from Wano by the Morning Star Corps and had not set foot in Wano for years.

If the Emperors were the overlords of the New World, Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen was the sky of the New World.

Now that the sky of the New World had arrived in Alabasta, the Sand Crocodile racked his brains but could not fathom: why had the other party come?

The newspaper claimed it was a normal state visit.

The Sand Crocodile would never believe it; that bird Morgan had been wildly praising the Morning Star Corps and Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen in the newspaper for many years.

Although the praise was not unfounded...

The Sand Crocodile did not fear Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen; what he feared was that the other party had spotted clues to the Pluton, rendering his years of scheming in vain.

After pondering for a long time, the Sand Crocodile took out a Den Den Mushi.

"Hello, brother Moria..."

"Yes, I need you to come over and help."

"Very well, brother will certainly welcome you with a swept mat."

On the Thriller Bark of Jaya Island, after hanging up the Den Den Mushi, the expression on Moria's face instantly became extremely vivid.

"Brook, Cat Fushe, we have work."

"What work?" Brook became interested.

"Um." Moria held back his laughter: "The Sand Crocodile, Crocodile, has invited us to Alabasta; if necessary, we will need to help him deal with the Captain..."

"This..." Brook pointed at himself.

"Us? To deal with the Captain?"

"The Sand Crocodile thinks too highly of us; even if the Warlords could truly handle an Emperor, the Emperors cannot handle the Captain."

Cat Fushe chimed in: "Indeed."

"Boss Moria, do not lose your mind; the Captain's heart is truly very small."

"Back when we were still in the Whitebeard Pirates, Teq and the Captain had a falling out; the Captain recorded it in his little notebook and still carries it with him to this day."

Moria spread his hands.

"No choice; the Sand Crocodile offered too much."