Luffy was in the desert, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Even so, he could still sense Crocodile's position. Without hesitation, he activated Second Gear and launched a Jet Pistol straight into Crocodile's stomach.
Crocodile coughed up a large amount of blood but refused to back down.
"Desert Sunflower!"
He manipulated the sand, turning a vast area into quicksand and pulling Luffy into it. Startled, Luffy quickly used Moonwalk to propel himself high into the air.
As he landed safely, he spotted Crocodile flying east.
"Stop! Crocodile, are you running away?!"
Furious, Luffy immediately sprinted after him, closing the distance fast.
But suddenly, a wide river appeared ahead, cutting off his path completely. Now, all he could do was watch as Crocodile got away. Luffy grew anxious—
No one in the capital, Alubarna, could use Haki! If Crocodile reached Alubarna, there would be no one strong enough to stop him!
"No! I have to catch up! Damn it, how dare you?!"
Luffy was truly angry. He had promised Vivi he would take down Crocodile, and now this guy was running away? No way he was letting that happen!
"Doesn't matter! I'll just charge through!"
Luffy kicked off with Moonwalk, desperately trying to cross the river.
But the other side was miles away. Even though he practiced running several kilometers every morning using Moonwalk, the river was too wide. Halfway across, he ran out of stamina and began to fall.
Just then, a large falcon with black four-pointed stars embroidered on its clothing swooped in and caught Luffy mid-air.
"Hurry up! Chase after Crocodile—I'm gonna take him down!" Luffy shouted, not even caring who had saved him.
"...!"
The falcon immediately flew east and introduced himself, "My name is Pell. I am the adjutant of the royal guard. His Majesty the King has learned that the Straw Hats are helping, so he sent me to investigate."
Luffy grinned. "Good timing! That Crocodile ran off in the middle of our fight.
I promised Vivi I'd take him down—I won't let him escape!
Fly as fast as you can! I'm gonna finish Crocodile once and for all!"
Then, he added, "Oh yeah, my name's Luffy! Nice to meet you, Pell!"
"Please teach me more!"
Pell's voice sounded more relaxed, with a hint of gratitude.
Luffy had said he would defeat Crocodile—which meant he could defeat him. If Crocodile was taken down, Alabasta would finally be saved. At such a critical moment, having the Straw Hats' help was something to be grateful for, no matter what.
Meanwhile, Crocodile, battered and injured, flew straight to Alubarna and headed for the royal palace.
Coincidentally, Robin was already inside. Using her Devil Fruit ability, she restrained another royal guard adjutant, the jackal Chaka. The captain of the city guard, Igaram, had already been taken down by Robin's hook-like claws.
As for King Cobra, he had been successfully captured.
Just then, Crocodile stormed into the palace. He shot a sharp glare at Robin but held back his anger.
This woman had betrayed him, but once he got what he wanted, he would deal with her. For now, he still needed her. This wasn't the time to turn against her.
Crocodile wasted no time. "Cobra, where is the Poneglyph that records the location of Pluton? Speak now!"
Cobra's expression changed. "How do you know about that...?"
Impatient, Crocodile struck Chaka down with Desert Spada, then turned his body into sand, engulfing both Cobra and Robin before flying out of the palace.
The commotion was loud enough to draw the attention of everyone outside.
Crocodile used the moment to threaten Cobra—if he didn't reveal the location of the Poneglyph, the hidden bomb in the capital would be detonated, sending everyone to their deaths.
With no other choice, Cobra gave in. "It's in the royal family's tomb to the west."
Satisfied with the answer, Crocodile immediately took off, flying west with Cobra and Robin.
Not long after, Pell arrived in the capital with Luffy.
A loud voice rang out: "Crocodile! Get out here! You coward! Running away in the middle of a fight—I'm gonna beat you for sure!"
Vivi quickly shouted, "Luffy! Crocodile is heading west!"
Luffy grinned and waved. "Vivi! Thanks for telling me! I'll knock Crocodile out for good!"
Pell glanced at the palace entrance and noticed a massive lion lying in front of it. The rebel army wasn't making any moves, which put him at ease.
So, without hesitation, he took Luffy and flew west.
"Yes! Our guardian spirit Pell is here! His Majesty the King is safe!"
"But did you hear? Princess Vivi was talking to that boy in the straw hat... Could he be even stronger than Pell?"
"Wait a second... I remember now! That's Straw Hat Luffy! The pirate with a 500-million-berry bounty! They say he even fought Admiral Kizaru—he's got to be strong enough to defeat Crocodile!"
"But... he's still a pirate. Can we really trust him?"
"You fool! Pirates can't always be trusted, but Princess Vivi's friends can!"
As the guards and rebels murmured among themselves, something unexpected happened—rain began to fall.
For a moment, everyone froze. Then, as they realized what it meant, they dropped their weapons and cheered.
The rain had finally returned.
The war was over.
Meanwhile, a Marine warship was docked along Alabasta's coast.
Inside the cabin, Smoker sat cross-legged, two cigars still clenched between his teeth.
Standing behind him was a tall, graceful woman with pink hair, deep red lips, and a thin cigarette in her mouth—Marine Captain Hina. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Mr. Smoker, what's with this rain? You didn't use Dance Powder, did you?"
"Idiot. I know the difference between right and wrong," Smoker scoffed.
"King Cobra refused to use Dance Powder—I'm not about to go against his decision."
Hina sighed. "I see. My bad. Let's take it easy then… but Mr. 'White Hunter' Smoker, have you put on weight?" she teased.
"Tch. Mind your own business." Smoker scowled.
"Speaking of surprises, I heard you got beaten by that Straw Hat kid. Twice. Hina is very surprised!"
"I told you, don't butt in! That was just bad luck!"
"So let me get this straight. You chased the Straw Hats all the way here... and you still couldn't beat a rookie pirate?" Hina smirked. "Since when did you get so weak? Hina is very disappointed."
"Hey! Don't underestimate the Straw Hats! They even fought an Admiral!"
"Really? Now Hina is interested… I'd like to meet them myself."
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse