The Demon King's Warning
"Too naive," Bai Yu's rude comment cut through the air like a blade. "It's not just you—your father is also very naive and childish, even ridiculous!"
Vivi's eyes widened, stunned into silence as Bai Yu continued mercilessly.
"The king, the inner saint, and the outer king!" he scoffed. "But Cobra, no matter how much he's loved by the people, can't change his weakness! Oh, sorry—who made your country so weak that a single Shichibukai can bring it to its knees?"
Vivi bit her lip, unable to refute him because the painful truth was clear. Alabasta—a superpower of the first half of the Grand Line. A massive territory, a large population, and a thriving economy. Yet, Crocodile had pushed it to the brink of collapse within a few short years. Chaos and suffering spread unchecked.
In the end, everything boiled down to strength. This world belonged to the strong. The weak had no voice.
However, Vivi caught something in Bai Yu's words, clinging to it like a lifeline. "Wait—what do you mean 'deal with Shichibukai'? Crocodile is a hero who protects Alabasta!"
Bai Yu chuckled, unable to suppress his amusement. "A hero? And yet he lets Baroque Works wreak havoc across the country he supposedly protects? Haven't you wondered why?"
Vivi froze as the question echoed in her mind. Crocodile had always been quick to eliminate pirates that threatened Alabasta. Yet, despite years of chaos caused by Baroque Works, he had done nothing to stop them. It didn't make sense—unless…
"Could it be—?" Vivi's face paled as a horrifying realization dawned on her.
"Yes," Bai Yu confirmed, his voice cold. "Crocodile is the president of Baroque Works—the very man responsible for your country's suffering. He parades as a hero while tearing Alabasta apart from within."
Tears welled in Vivi's eyes. The truth was too cruel. Too overwhelming.
"Help me—please help my country!" she begged, her voice trembling. She moved to kneel before Bai Yu, but he caught her arm before she could.
"I'm not telling you this to get anything from you," Bai Yu said gently. "I'm telling you because you're my family now. Tell me—how do you want him to die? Once isn't enough? I can kill him a hundred times if it makes you happy, Vivi."
Vivi's lips quivered as she met his gaze. Despite his harsh words, she felt an undeniable sense of safety. She tried to smile through her tears, whispering, "People can only die once… How can you kill him a hundred times?"
"Not necessarily." Bai Yu's expression darkened. "Crocodile is Shichibukai, so what? That just means he'll need to die a few extra times to learn his lesson."
Vivi's face twisted in worry. "But—he's a Shichibukai… You can't just kill him. Maybe just—just drive him away?"
Bai Yu's brow twitched in irritation.
Drive him away?
The memory of Kaya's parents and Nami's mother flashed through his mind—lives stolen by monsters who deserved far worse than exile. A Shichibukai like Crocodile didn't deserve mercy. This was a world of pirates. Blood had to pay for blood.
Even so, Vivi was worried for his sake. Bai Yu softened his tone. "Don't worry. In the end, that sand crocodile will die more than once before I'm through with him."
Bai Yu's promise—deadly yet reassuring—sent a shiver down Vivi's spine. But before she could respond, Nami's excited voice echoed from above.
"Hey! Bai Yu! Guess how much money we made?!"
She practically flew down from the sky, eyes sparkling with greed.
"Two hundred million! A full two hundred million!" Nami cheered, twirling with joy. "And we found a ton of treasure too! We're rich!"
Beside her, Makino and Nojiko clapped in excitement, while Kaya remained calm, her smile soft but content.
Bai Yu sighed at Nami's enthusiasm.
"That's nothing," he said casually. "One of these days, I'll show you the land of gold—there's at least hundreds of billions worth of gold waiting for us there."
Nami's eyes turned into Berry symbols. "Hundreds of billions?! Are you serious?! We should go there right now!"
Bai Yu chuckled, shaking his head. "First, we're going to Alabasta to deal with the sand crocodile."
"Ahhh! Why now?!" Nami stomped her foot, frustrated. "Crocodile, you're dead! How dare you delay my money?!"
Bai Yu smiled and turned toward the sky. "Time to go—next stop, Alabasta."
Rainbase - Crocodile's Headquarters
Rainbase—Alabasta's so-called "Dream City"—was the only capital untouched by drought or civil war. It was home to the Kingdom's largest casino, Rain Dinners, which also served as Crocodile's base of operations.
The city buzzed with life, but inside the casino's private chamber, the air was heavy with tension.
Crocodile sat at his desk, a cigar clenched between his teeth and a small pet crocodile resting beside him. Smoke curled through the air as he listened to a report delivered by a tall, dark-haired woman in a sun hat—Nico Robin.
"News from Whiskey Peak," Robin stated calmly. "All our agents have disappeared. Lightning strikes and sword marks were found at the scene—evidence suggests that three individuals were responsible. Mr. 8 and Miss Wednesday are missing as well."
She adjusted her hat, her eyes cool and unreadable.
"No ships were spotted docking at the island, leading us to suspect that the Bai Yu Pirates—known for their cloud ship—were responsible."
Crack!
Crocodile snapped the neck of the small crocodile in his hand, eyes dark with fury.
"Bai Yu…" he growled, smoke hissing from his lips. "So the Demon King has come to my doorstep, huh?"
Whiskey Peak was supposed to be a safe outpost—losing it was an insult. Crocodile clenched his fists, sharp nails digging into his palm.
Robin's gaze flicked toward him, calm as ever. "If Bai Yu arrives in Alabasta, should we send someone to negotiate? The world's greatest swordsman is known to be among the strongest in the world—if Bai Yu defeated Hawkeye, his power may rival even the Yonko."
Crocodile's eyes gleamed with dangerous light.
"Negotiate? You think I should bow to him?" he scoffed. "I don't care if he beat Hawkeye or not. This is my domain. The desert is my home turf—my kingdom. Even if Whitebeard himself set foot here, I wouldn't back down!"
Robin's expression remained unreadable, though her mind raced. Bai Yu… He's coming. Maybe it's time to switch sides. This boss of mine might not survive what's coming.
Crocodile stood, throwing the broken crocodile aside.
"I don't care what titles Bai Yu holds or what devil fruits he's eaten," he declared coldly. "The so-called Demon King—"
"—Will die like anyone else."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for choosing this novel, visit us
And access the complete novel in PDF format : ko-fi.com/abrahamsmith1b