Van Augur's drooping eyelids brightened up at this moment, and he said jokingly: "I originally thought that you respected women so much because you admired them, but now you tell me that you want a man?"
"Hahahaha!"
There was a burst of laughter at the scene, and even the murderous intent in Kuro's eyes disappeared a lot, and a smile gradually appeared from the corners of his mouth.
Sanji's face turned red, and he couldn't help but argue, but he was no match for the people around him and was soon drowned out by the laughter of the crowd.
Seeing this, he could only smile helplessly and did not take such a small matter to heart.
When the Rain Dinners burned down in the fire, there was no one around.
After Kuro and his crew solved the problem here, they followed Gawain's orders and headed towards the capital of Alabasta.
That was the meeting place agreed upon by the three groups.
… … ...
At this time, Crocodile and Daz Bonez sat in the carriage towed by a giant all-terrain turtle and headed towards Alabasta.
This all-terrain turtle is strong, has great endurance, and moves very quickly, which is in stark contrast to other groups of the same species.
It is precisely based on this point that when the Baroque Works was first established, it was chosen as the exclusive transport vehicle for the chief commander.
Inside the carriage, Crocodile's arm, which was cut off by Gawain, has been treated to stop the bleeding, and he is no longer in danger of bleeding to death.
Without the golden hook in his hand, Crocodile's aura dissipated a lot.
He sat silently at one side of the carriage, burning one cigar after another.
The battles last night and Golden Lion's final verdict on him are still lingering in his mind.
After a while, Crocodile murmured: "Even someone as strong as Gawain would seem powerless in the face of those monsters standing there, wouldn't he?"
Last night, after he witnessed Gawain's exaggerated fighting power and how he repeatedly attacked Golden Lion in desperate situations without worry about the outcome of the battle.
He was touched and wanted to rely on his own strength like Gawain and challenge Whitebeard again.
But all this ended when Gawain escaped after Golden Lion's final sword strike.
Twenty years ago, two similar people made the same choice in the same battle facing a legend.
"You are no different from me after all."
"If you want to fight a monster like that, you can only rely on Pluton!"
That's right!
Pluton!
Crocodile took a deep breath; the cigarette in his mouth lit up with a red flame, and his eyes lit up again.
After putting aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Crocodile focused all his attention on Pluton at Alabasta.
"Not only White Knight Gawain, but even Golden Lion is probably heading for Alabasta. If nothing goes as expected, their target should also be Pluton."
"But this proves that the historical text hidden in Alabasta, even if it is not Pluton, is probably something extraordinary."
"I must find the historical text in Alabasta before they do and then hand it over to that woman to interpret."
At this moment, Pluton has become almost the only hope in Crocodile's heart.
To achieve this goal, the power of the Baroque Works is indispensable.
Thinking of this, Crocodile took out the Den Den Mushi from his pocket and called Mr. 4 and Mr. 5, who were staying in the rain.
"Bru bru—!" "Bru bru—!" "Bru bru—!"
In the carriage, the standby ring of the Den Den Mushi continued to ring for more than a minute, but no one answered it.
"No one's here?"
Crocodile frowned slightly, feeling inexplicably uneasy.
He then dialed the Den Den Mushi of those people at Whisky Peak, but no one answered either.
"Mr. 1, when you left, was there any problem in the Rainbase?"
Daz Bonez shook his head: "No."
"The area around there is already empty, and those inside are the elite members of the Baroque Works. There shouldn't be anyone in Alabasta who has the strength to do anything to them."
Crocodile nodded when he heard this, but the uneasiness in his heart was like a shadow that could not be shaken off.
He always felt that he had overlooked something, and suddenly, a pirate ship appeared in Crocodile's mind.
It was a small pirate sailing ship with a White Knight Pirate's flag; the ship was so dilapidated that it couldn't even withstand the wind and waves of the Grand Line.
"It's a ship!"
"According to the information we received from Whisky Peak, the ship driven by White Knight Gawain should be a pirate ship converted from a warship from the Marine Headquarters!"
"The length of the hull alone is over a hundred meters!"
"But what they have anchored at Nanohana city is just a small sailboat, this..."
Daz Bonez reacted instantly: "Boss, are you saying they split up?"
"Even..."
Daz Bonez did not say the following speculation, but both his trembling pupils and his puffed lips proved it.
Even someone as calm as him couldn't sit still at this moment.
Because if that conjecture comes true, it means that the Baroque Works, which Crocodile has run for nearly twenty years, has lost most of its combat power tonight.
"Damn it!"
Crocodile let out a loud roar, making the wound on his arm burst and blood oozed out, but he didn't say a word.
In the carriage, the Den Den Mushi rang over and over again, but no one answered. As time passed, the two people's expressions became more and more ugly.
Soon, a red sun rose in the distant sky. The dazzling sunlight shone through the car window onto Crocodile, but it still could not conceal his pale face.
Finally, the Den Den Mushi was connected, but the message it received made Daz Bonez shudder.
"Boss, the White Knight Pirate raided Whisky Peak last night, and all our men left there... were killed."
"We can't get in touch with Rain Dinners either. Could it be possible that—"
Crocodile hung up the Den Den Mushi rudely, the veins on his forehead throbbing wildly at this moment: "No need to call; the one in the Rain Dinners should also be the work of the White Knight Pirate."
"Youth is really something to be feared."
"He divided his troops into three groups. On the one hand, he used the battle at Nanohana City to distract me. On the other hand, launch an attack to instantly destroy our two core strongholds at Whisky Peak and Rainbase."
"After this battle, Baroque Works lost most of its main combat power, and even its reputation in Paradise will be hit. It is even more unknown how long it will take to recover."
"That is to say, up to now, except for the unexpected factor, Golden Lion, who suddenly appeared, all my decisions were within his expectations."
"Not only does he have strong combat power, he also has such an outstanding strategic vision..."
"Monster!"
Crocodile sat down dejectedly. Even though he was extremely unwilling, he had to admit that the gap between him and White Knight Gawain was no longer just in combat power.
"What now?"
"Boss?"
Daz Bonez' forehead was covered with sweat.
He knew that this was definitely just Gawain's first wave of attack, and a more powerful attack would arrive soon.
The Baroque Works were almost destroyed by Gawain's attack.
The only personnel that could be mobilized were the agents stationed in the various towns and ports of Alabasta, as well as Robin and others in the royal capital of Alubarna.
Crocodile closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.
He understood that when facing a powerful opponent, the more panicked and anxious he was, the more likely he would make mistakes.
Given the current situation, any mistake in decision-making will be a fatal blow to him.
The carriage fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of the turtle's footsteps moving forward.
After a long time, Crocodile opened his eyes again and regained his usual calm demeanor.
"After White Knight Gawain conquers Whisky Peak and Rainbase, he will most likely head to Alubarna, and our combat power is far inferior to his."
"The only chance we have now is to create a time difference, get the things, and then retreat quickly!"
"There is no time to work step by step to control this country."
"Let Nico Robin and Koza take action and directly control Cobra!"