Starting from One Piece: Multiverse Simulation

When Vivi and the others heard Wood's words, they were about to ask more questions. However, before they could, they realized that Wood had already vanished from their sight.

As Wood disappeared, Sanji finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the man had shown no hostility towards them, his overwhelming aura was still too much pressure for them to bear at this stage.

"What a mysterious guy. He runs so fast! I was going to try and negotiate with him, offer him a share of the reward if he helped us defeat Crocodile. But before I could even say anything, he was already gone," Nami said, a look of regret on her face.

After witnessing the scene just now, Nami realized that it was a bit too ambitious for their crew to take on the billion Berries bounty by themselves. After seeing Wood's incredible combat power, she had intended to hire him as a bodyguard for ten percent of the reward. But before she could finish her offer, he had already vanished.

Don't underestimate that ten percent. For someone as money-obsessed as Nami, being willing to offer up one hundred million Berries was already a clear acknowledgment of Wood's strength.

"I don't think that guy is the type who would act for just a hundred million Berries," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. "If he were a pirate, his bounty would definitely be far above that amount."

"A bounty over one hundred million Berries? Luffy's bounty is only thirty million Berries, and Crocodile's is about eighty-one million, right? Does that mean this guy is even stronger than Luffy and Crocodile?"

Nami and Chopper, who had previously only been in the East Blue, judged a pirate's strength based solely on the value of their bounty. Because they had seen so few powerful people, to them, Luffy and Zoro were already monstrous in strength.

"I've never met Crocodile, so I can't say for sure. But if it's that guy we just saw... even if Luffy, Zoro, and I fought him together, we wouldn't stand a chance. We might be defeated in an instant," Sanji said honestly, and his words almost scared Nami and the others half to death.

Meanwhile, in Alubarna, Wood and Robin walked side by side through the streets, watching as the citizens, incited by the rebel army, picked up weapons to fight the kingdom's army. Wood remained calm.

"It seems the battle will break out sooner than expected. Even though you broke the rules to save Princess Vivi, Captain, it wasn't enough to prevent this fight. And since it's an internal conflict, the Marines stationed outside the city won't intervene to quell the rebellion.

"If things continue like this, the rebel army and the kingdom's forces will both suffer heavy losses, and Crocodile will take advantage of the situation to become the new ruler of this kingdom as a so-called hero. It seems you've lost the bet, Captain," Robin remarked.

Although Vivi had been saved, Baroque Works' Mr. 2 had already used his Devil Fruit ability to impersonate King Cobra and shot the rebel leader, Koza, during negotiations. As a result, the kingdom's army and the rebels had clashed, and Alubarna was now engulfed in battle.

"Not necessarily. If the Straw Hats can defeat Crocodile, there might still be a way to turn things around. The drought in Alabasta was caused by Crocodile's Devil Fruit powers. If we want to end this conflict, maybe all it takes is some long-awaited rain."

Crocodile was supposed to be in Rainbase, but now he was in the palace of Alubarna. This meant that Luffy and Zoro, who had gone to Rainbase to stop Crocodile, either missed him or were unable to defeat him.

However, Wood had no doubts that Luffy and the others wouldn't die at Crocodile's hands. After all, Luffy was the "Child of Destiny," a protagonist who always survived against the odds. If Luffy were that easy to kill, "One Piece" wouldn't have been serialized for over a decade.

"Captain, do you really think the Straw Hat Pirates can defeat Crocodile? Sure, Crocodile may not be the strongest among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but he's still a world-recognized pirate with considerable strength and cunning. As for the Straw Hats... they're just rookie pirates. There's no denying that they're different from other pirates, but that's all they are. Crocodile isn't like the pirates they encountered in the East Blue. The difference in their power levels is massive."

From Robin's perspective, the Straw Hats had almost no chance of victory. Yet, her captain seemed convinced they would win.

In the heart of Alubarna, Crocodile, clad in his heavy coat and chomping on a large cigar, had already taken control of the rebel forces and was now attacking the royal palace. The rebel leader, Koza, was critically wounded by "Cobra," who was impersonated by Mr. 2, and lay unconscious. The rebels, furious and leaderless, were now desperate to seek justice from King Cobra, but they lacked someone to guide them.

This was when Crocodile's planted agents within the rebels came into play. Coupled with the positive image Crocodile had cultivated over the past few years, he easily took over leadership of the rebels.

Originally, Crocodile's plan was to let the kingdom's army and the rebels fight until both sides were weakened, then emerge as the "savior" to claim control over the nation. But due to the changing situation, Crocodile had no choice but to accelerate his plans and seize control of Alabasta.

Half a day ago, while still in Rainbase, Crocodile received unexpected visitors—Luffy and Zoro of the Straw Hat Pirates. Ordinarily, Crocodile wouldn't have considered such "small fry" worth his time. However, due to his bet with Wood, Crocodile, though still dismissive of Luffy and Zoro, didn't underestimate them too much.

After a fierce battle, Luffy and Zoro, who hadn't yet mastered Armament Haki, were utterly outmatched against Crocodile's Logia abilities. Their attacks, whether Luffy's punches or Zoro's Three-Sword Style, were completely ineffective against Crocodile.

Crocodile easily drained them dry with his Sand-Sand Fruit abilities and even taunted them in classic villain fashion. Unlike the original story, Crocodile had no intention of letting them live; he wanted to eliminate them once and for all.

But just as Crocodile was about to deliver the final blow, a blazing pillar of fire suddenly struck his chest, sending him flying back a hundred meters. The newcomer was none other than Fire Fist Ace, the topless, cowboy hat-wearing Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!

How Ace, who was supposed to be chasing Blackbeard, ended up in Rainbase was anyone's guess. Whether he heard rumors or it was just the "protagonist's aura" at work, no one knew. But one way or another, Ace had arrived in the nick of time.

Ace didn't care about Alabasta's fate or Crocodile's ambitions. His only goal was to capture Blackbeard and bring him back to the Whitebeard Pirates for punishment. However, seeing Crocodile about to kill his brother Luffy, Ace couldn't just stand by.

As someone who had grown up with Luffy, Ace could ignore Princess Vivi's plight, but anyone who dared lay a hand on his brother had to deal with him.

"No wonder he said I'd lose to the Straw Hats. I never expected the famous Fire Fist Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, to be Luffy's brother," Crocodile sneered.

The Whitebeard Pirates were one of the Four Emperors, and Crocodile, who had previously been defeated by Whitebeard, certainly recognized Ace. Fire Fist Ace was a well-known pirate, even in the New World. At that moment, Crocodile finally understood why Wood was so confident and bet against him.

"Hmph, so what if you're Fire Fist Ace? You're just a kid riding on Whitebeard's reputation. If the Whitebeard Pirates were here, I'd admit defeat, but since it's just you, you and that Straw Hat brat are going to die here today!"

In terms of overall strength, Crocodile at this point was likely no match for Ace. However, both were Logia Devil Fruit users. While the Flame-Flame Fruit was indeed powerful, this was the desert kingdom of Alabasta—Crocodile's home turf. With an entire desert at his disposal, Crocodile didn't believe he could lose to anyone.

Outside of Rainbase, raging sandstorms clashed with surging flames, the intense heat instantly evaporating the moisture in the air, making the already scorching environment even more unbearable. The temperature of the desert soared by dozens of degrees, with the blistering sand hot enough to cook anything that dared to cross it.

No one knew the exact outcome of the battle, but ultimately, Crocodile, his face twisted in anger, left Rainbase for Alubarna, advancing his plans ahead of schedule. It was clear that, even if he hadn't lost outright, he hadn't managed to kill Fire Fist Ace or the Straw Hat Pirates either.

Whether Ace's presence in Alabasta was a personal decision or part of a Whitebeard Pirates' mission related to the Pluton, Crocodile couldn't tell. But he knew one thing—to prevent his plan from failing, he needed to seize control of Alabasta quickly.

For this reason, Crocodile altered his original strategy, taking over the rebels and rapidly defeating the kingdom's army.

As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile couldn't directly attack Alabasta, a member of the World Government. But the rebels were citizens of Alabasta, and he was merely "hired" to assist them. The kingdom's internal strife and regime change were natural parts of history, and even the World Government couldn't find fault with that.

Many of Baroque Works' agents disguised themselves as rebels, and with Crocodile providing new weapons to the original rebel forces, the tide of battle quickly turned. The rebels, previously suppressed by the kingdom's army, now pushed forward relentlessly, advancing all the way to the palace.

Alabasta's two commanding officers, Pell "The Falcon" and Chaka "The Jackal," both wielded Zoan Devil Fruit powers, but they couldn't withstand even a single blow from Crocodile.

As the palace fell, and King Cobra was held up like a helpless chick by Crocodile, the Straw Hats arrived with Vivi, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Flame Commandment!"

A massive wall of fire rose from the ground, instantly separating the kingdom's forces from the rebels. The towering flames, stretching for hundreds of meters, were so intimidating that both sides stopped fighting.

Taking advantage of this moment, Vivi stood before both the kingdom's forces and the rebels, exposing all of Crocodile's and Baroque Works' crimes, including the use of Dance Powder.

As Alabasta's beloved princess, Vivi's words held weight. Her plea began to sway some of the citizens.

"Ridiculous! Have you all forgotten who attacked your leader? And look at who Princess Vivi is with—pirates! Can you really trust the words of a princess who associates with pirates? Have you forgotten who drove off the pirates who once tried to invade this island?"

Seeing his plan on the brink of failure, Crocodile wasn't willing to give up and naturally denied everything Vivi said.

With both sides presenting seemingly valid arguments, the rebels hesitated, unsure of whom to believe.

But among those present, there were always those who acted out of turn. The Straw Hats weren't citizens of Alabasta, and they didn't care whether Crocodile was the kingdom's hero or a Warlord of the Sea. For a pirate who lived for freedom, if they didn't like someone, they'd just fight them!

So Luffy, carrying a large water barrel, simply stepped forward, bypassed everyone, and launched a Gum-Gum Punch straight at Crocodile's head.

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Next Bonus 1500 -> 2000

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at [email protected]/Betek (@->a)