"The rebel army going to war with the royal army should be the most important part of Crocodile's plan to take this country. And if I succeed, I can also minimize casualties. I want to give it my all and try."
Tom's words shocked Usopp and Chopper. "But there are seven hundred thousand rebels! Can one person really stop them?"
"I have my ways."
As soon as Tom spoke, Nami said urgently, "Are you an idiot?! Didn't you hear what Luffy just said? We're pirates! Is it really appropriate for us to show up in front of the rebel army?"
"That's why I thought about it all night! I am a pirate, that's true. So I'll solve this problem the pirate way."
Tom said to Nami. "We're all betting our lives. I wouldn't do this without the resolve to die."
Nami fell silent. Since Tom had put it that way, there was nothing more she could say.
"What's the pirate way?"
Chopper, who had only been a pirate for a short time, didn't quite understand.
"Simply put, it's whose fist is bigger."
Tom clenched his right fist and said to Chopper.
"Can one person's fist be bigger than seven hundred thousand rebels' fists?"
Chopper's jaw nearly dropped.
"You said it might be possible to stop the rebel army. That means there's another possibility."
Vivi looked at Tom, her voice trembling. "Maybe you'll die."
"You're wrong."
Tom said to Vivi. "Now that we've decided to make an enemy of Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, any of us could die."
Throughout this, Luffy and Zoro hadn't said a word. Just as the others were about to speak further, they heard Ace's voice. "What are you all doing here?"
Everyone was happy to see Ace return. It turned out that after being separated from Luffy and the others, Ace had encountered a bounty hunter who called himself "Scorpion." From Scorpion, he learned that the news about Blackbeard had been spread by him.
In other words, Blackbeard wasn't in this country at all. So Ace decided to see Luffy one more time before leaving.
"You want to use your strength to stop seven hundred thousand rebels?"
After hearing from Usopp and the others about Tom's plan, Ace said to Tom with some surprise. "That's insane. Even in the New World, not everyone can do something like that."
"The New World?"
Tom raised an eyebrow, looking at Ace with some confusion.
"We'll definitely have a chance to meet there someday."
After saying this to Tom, Ace tossed a seemingly ordinary piece of white paper to Luffy. "Take good care of this. This paper will let us meet again."
"It's just a piece of paper."
Luffy turned the paper over and over, only to find it really was blank.
After seeing Luffy put the paper away, Ace said to him, "Next time we meet, let it be at the summit of piracy. Hurry up and reach the top."
"Okay!"
Luffy said confidently.
"Good luck. I look forward to the day we meet again."
Leaving these words to Tom, Ace said simple goodbyes to everyone, then walked away without looking back, very dashing.
"Ace is gone. We should do our own thing now."
Luffy didn't seem particularly sad about Ace's departure, because he believed they would meet again someday.
"If you're really going to stop the rebel army, I have to go with you!"
Vivi said to Tom with great determination.
"I have a map."
Tom took out the map he had gotten from Toto, implying that Vivi didn't need to come.
"Let Vivi go with you."
Nami snatched the map from Tom's hand. "You can't tell east from west. A map won't help you."
"That's right. When he gets lost, he throws a stone to decide which direction to go."
Usopp, with his big mouth, immediately revealed Tom's big secret, leaving Tom speechless.
Moments later, the air filled with laughter.
"What an idiot!"
"I didn't know you had no sense of direction!"
"Stinky fisherman, how have you survived this long?"
"I'll definitely find a way to cure this weird disease of yours someday."
Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper laughed without restraint, making Tom's face darken. He immediately grabbed Usopp by the neck. "Who told you to say that?!"
Then Tom started brawling with Luffy and the others.
"His way of thinking is really something."
Vivi hadn't expected that the seemingly reliable Tom would use such an absurd method when lost. She struggled for a moment before finally getting the words out.
"Do you guys even understand the situation?!"
Nami's lovely eyebrows twitched. Her forehead covered in dark lines, she watched Tom and the others beating each other up, barely holding back from exploding.
After they finished their brawl, the six of them were all black and blue.
"Then we'll split into two groups. You stop the rebel army, I'll go punch Crocodile."
Luffy raised his right hand and said to Tom.
Tom raised his left hand and clasped Luffy's right hand tightly. "It's settled."
Luffy didn't ask Tom what method he would use to stop the rebel army, nor did he try to dissuade him. It showed how much he trusted Tom.
"Next time we have a party, we'll have a good drink together."
Zoro said to Tom. The meaning behind his words was clear: he wanted Tom to stay alive.
"Of course."
Tom answered with a smile. Going to stop the rebel army, he wasn't sure he could succeed. But some things, even knowing they might be impossible, he had to give it his all.
"Stinky fisherman, you have to protect Vivi-san. If anything happens to her—"
Before Sanji could finish, Tom said, "I know. Otherwise you'll kick me to death, right?"
"No. I'll kick you to death."
Sanji wasn't fooled by Tom.
"Your body is very healthy. Here are some emergency medicines. Take some with you."
After checking Tom's body, Chopper took some medical supplies from his backpack and gave them to Tom.
"If you really can't handle it, just tell the rebel army my name. After all, I'm a world-famous pirate. When people hear my name, they call me the brave and invincible Great Captain Usopp!"
As Usopp said this to Tom, he got into character and couldn't help boasting, leaving the naive Chopper stunned, gasping in amazement. "Is that true, Usopp?"
"Go."
Nami's words were brief. She had looked at the map she took from Tom. It had detailed notes and marked routes. It seemed Tom had indeed planned to go alone from the start. But Vivi knew the rebel army's leader from childhood. With Vivi there, things might really take a better turn.
Vivi pointed to a place on the map and said to Luffy and the others, "When you enter this city, you'll see a tall, luxurious building right away. That's a casino. Crocodile is inside."
"So we just need to go there and find him."
Sanji and the others immediately understood. Luffy was already shouting about punching Crocodile.
With Nami there, even without Vivi, she could lead Luffy and the others to Rainbase using the map.
After saying everything that needed to be said, Luffy and the others separated from Tom and Vivi.
One group headed to Rainbase to find Crocodile. The other group's destination was Katorea, where the rebel army was based.
Before parting, Tom also asked Usopp if Nami's weapon was finished. After getting an affirmative answer, Tom felt much more at ease. With a proper weapon, Nami's ability to protect herself would at least be stronger.
"Wait. You dropped something."
Just as Tom and Vivi were about to walk far away, Nami couldn't help but call out to Tom. She was holding a small bag of things—the medicines Chopper had given Tom earlier. She had stolen them when no one was looking. She didn't know why she did it. Was it just to say one more word before they parted?
Nami appeared calm on the surface, but her feelings were very conflicted. On one hand, she didn't want Tom to take such a huge risk going to stop the rebel army. On the other hand, she knew everyone had decided to bet their lives in this fight, so Tom choosing to do this was understandable. She had no reason to stop him.
"You said you'd go back to Cocoyashi Village with me."
As Nami stuffed the bag of medicines back into Tom's hand, she said this quietly, then didn't hesitate. She quickly ran back.
"Don't worry!"
Tom watched Nami's back and suddenly shouted, "When the time comes, if you want to hang laundry on those things, I'll let you."
At first, Nami thought Tom was going to say something important. Who knew he'd come out with something like that? Startled, she stumbled and nearly fell.
Their conversation is really strange.
Vivi watched Nami and Tom curiously, thinking this to herself.
After parting from Luffy and the others, Tom and Vivi headed toward Katorea. After walking in the desert for a while, Vivi said, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me."
Tom said to Vivi. "Everyone is doing what they can. I'm just giving it my best shot. If I fail, we're all dead."
In truth, after learning from Toto last night about Vivi and Koza's relationship, Tom felt that when Vivi learned the rebel army's leader was her childhood playmate, she must be suffering deeply.
Facing the rebel army directly would be much more complicated for Vivi than for him. There might even be other complications. That's why Tom had initially really not wanted Vivi to come.
They walked in silence for a while longer. Fortunately, they spotted a carrier crab hiding in the desert.
With the carrier crab, their travel speed increased greatly. What would have taken at least a full day to reach Katorea now took less than half a day to arrive at their destination.
At noon, Vivi, sitting on the carrier crab, pointed to a city ahead and said thankfully, "We can already see Katorea. It looks like the rebel army hasn't acted yet. That's great."
If the rebel army hadn't started their attack yet, things would be much easier.
Just as Tom was thinking that maybe Vivi could negotiate with the rebel army without him needing to step in, the ground suddenly shook. War cries filled the air.
"Charge! Follow me into Alubarna!"
"Take the capital! Make Cobra pay!"
"We'll never forgive the king!"
From Katorea, a vast crowd of people surged forth, shouting and screaming. They had fallen into madness. Their killing intent rose to the heavens.
The dark mass of people was like a blanket covering the sky, oppressive and suffocating.
Although not seven hundred thousand strong, there were at least a hundred thousand. Thousands of soldiers, like a bursting dam, rushed toward Tom and Vivi with unstoppable force.
Every rebel was filled with rage. Their towering fury seemed ready to set the yellow desert ablaze, turning it into hell.
Clearly, something had provoked the rebel army. Even Tom, still some distance away, could clearly feel their grief, anger, and unwillingness.
"Why is this happening?! Why are they attacking now?!"
When Vivi saw the rebel army charging out of Katorea, her face turned pale.
It turned out that not long ago, in Nanohana, the city neighboring Katorea, something infuriating had happened.
The king had arrived in Nanohana with a group of soldiers, claiming he wanted to apologize to the people. He admitted that he had indeed used Dance Powder, that he had stolen the country's rain.
Hearing the king say this, many didn't believe it. The king they thought was benevolent had actually used Dance Powder, causing rebellion and discontent throughout the country.
But what the king did next shocked the people of Nanohana even more.
The king ordered his soldiers to destroy Nanohana. His reason was simple: the Dance Powder incident had been exposed here, so he didn't want this city to continue existing.
The king, who had always loved his people like his own children, now seemed like a different person—cruel and violent. Not only did he order the destruction of Nanohana, but he also personally injured a child.
Koza, learning that the king had come to Nanohana, rushed over from nearby Katorea.
But when Koza arrived in Nanohana, he saw the king mercilessly beating a child. He immediately became enraged and shouted at the king, demanding to know what he was doing.
The king coldly told Koza that he had come to confess. Yes, he was the one who had used Dance Powder.
This infuriated Koza. Like many others in the country, he had never believed Cobra would use Dance Powder. That was why, as the leader of the rebel army, he had never launched the final attack. He still held out hope for the king.
In the past, Koza had seen many people die from lack of water. Even in death, they never blamed the king. They never doubted him. Even at the end of their lives, they still trusted the king completely.
But now, Cobra had admitted in public that he used Dance Powder. How could the people who died trusting the king bear this?
The king's actions that day were undoubtedly an insult to those who believed in him. Koza was filled with fury. When he confronted the king, the king ordered his men to shoot him.
Several rebels arriving later saw Koza shot by the royal soldiers. Their anger was instantly ignited. Just as they were about to confront the royal soldiers, a ship from the harbor crashed onto the shore, hurtling toward them.
Seeing the huge ship crash into the city, chaos immediately broke out. Screams rang out everywhere. Panicked people ran in all directions. Several royal soldiers took advantage of the chaos to set fires throughout the city, throwing everyone into further panic.
While the people were putting out the fires, the king and his soldiers fled, not caring about the people's lives at all. This made the people even more dissatisfied with the king.
After finally putting out the fires, Koza and his men found that the little boy the king had beaten was lying in a pool of blood, covered in wounds.
Koza's eyes turned red when he saw the dying child. Ignoring his own gunshot wound, he walked over and held the severely injured child. After a moment of silence, he finally said to the men around him, "Let's... end this country."
"Notify all branches. Gather everyone. We will launch the final battle."
Koza no longer hesitated. After witnessing the king's brutal and inhumane actions today, he was completely hopeless.
The rebel army's weapons weren't fully prepared yet, but that problem was quickly solved. The ship that had crashed ashore turned out to be an arms merchant ship. The weapons on board were enough to supply the rebel army.
"It's like the will of heaven."
Seeing such a coincidence, Koza became even more convinced that this was fate. The Alabasta Kingdom was truly destined to fall.
Unfortunately, Koza didn't know that the king who appeared in Nanohana was actually Mr. 2 disguised using his Clone-Clone Fruit ability. Those royal soldiers were also Baroque Works agents.
As for the little boy who was nearly beaten to death—he had accidentally discovered that the king was an impostor, so he was silenced.
Even the arms ship was specially prepared by Crocodile as a "gift" for the rebel army. The so-called will of heaven was just a small trick from the mastermind behind the scenes.
It was truly ironic.
Koza, still in the dark, returned to Katorea and gathered all the rebels stationed there. Standing on a high platform, he addressed the sea of people below. "Listen to me, everyone. Alabasta is dead in name only!"
"This is the final battle! We will take Alubarna!"
Koza made his final declaration before setting out. "Launch the total attack on Alubarna immediately! The old Alabasta is finished! We will build a new country!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The war cries from Katorea shook the heavens, their momentum soaring.
Just as Tom and Vivi arrived at Katorea, the rebel army was charging out of the city.
In the scorching heat of noon, the war in the Alabasta Kingdom had finally begun.
Tom saw the dense mass of rebels charging toward them with unstoppable force. Just as he was about to do something, Vivi, who had spotted Koza at the front of the rebel army, jumped off the carrier crab and ran toward them. "Leader, please listen to me! I'm begging you!"
"Idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Cursing Vivi under his breath, Tom didn't hesitate. He jumped off the carrier crab as well.
The rebels were either on horseback or on camels. If Vivi stood in front of them like that, she'd be trampled into mud.
This woman really isn't afraid to die!
Tom thought to himself. Just as he was about to reach Vivi, a sudden gust of wind and sand blew, making it hard to see.
Koza, at the very front, thought he saw two figures in the distance. But then the sudden sandstorm hit, and thick dust blocked his view. He asked the person next to him if they saw anyone, but the answer was no.
Blinded by the wind and sand, Vivi could no longer see Koza, but she kept shouting, "Stop! Everyone, please stop!"
"Leader, don't be so impulsive!"
"Please listen to me—"
No matter how loudly Vivi shouted, her voice couldn't reach Koza's ears. The cries of the enraged rebel army drowned out all other sounds.
"Get down!"
Thick dust blocked the view, making it hard to see anything. Following the shouts of the rebels, Tom knew they were very close. There was no time to dodge. He rushed to Vivi, leaped, and threw two "True Punches" into the air, creating a small pit in the sand. He pushed her down into it.
BOOM! CRASH!
The moment Tom and Vivi hit the ground, Tom could clearly feel the earth trembling under the hooves of at least a hundred thousand soldiers.
Countless hooves passed by them. If they were trampled, even ten lives wouldn't be enough.
Tom's heart was in his throat. He held his breath, every nerve taut, not daring to relax for a moment. For the first time in his life, he was in the midst of thousands of soldiers. The roars of the rebels, the neighing of horses, the cries of camels, and the endless sound of hooves—like thunderous war drums shaking heaven and earth—rang in his ears, making his eardrums ache.
"Why..."
A faint voice reached Tom's ears. It was Vivi, pinned beneath him. His ears hurt terribly. Just as he wondered if he was hallucinating, he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. Then he heard faint sobbing. "Waaaaah!"
Yes, seeing Koza, whom she had known since childhood, leading the rebel army out of the city, watching those murderous rebels shouting about storming Alubarna, Vivi felt a despair she had never known before.
The rebel army had already gone to war. Once they started killing the royal soldiers, this country would fall into unprecedented disaster. Many would die. Rivers of blood, fields of corpses—this was what Vivi least wanted to see.
In her anguish, she bit down hard on Tom's right shoulder. Though she tried not to cry, the tears wouldn't stop.
In that small pit, the man and woman stayed for what felt like an eternity. Only when everything finally calmed did they crawl out.
Tom's back was covered in sand that had fallen from above as the rebels on horses and camels passed by.
He shook his head, still feeling ringing in his ears. By then, Vivi had stopped crying, but her bright eyes were slightly swollen. Clear tear tracks remained on her fair face.
"Let's go. Before the rebel army reaches Alubarna, we can still stop them."
Tom said to Vivi, who was sitting dazed in the sand.
"Is there still hope?"
Vivi asked blankly, clearly still in shock.
"Of course. If you hadn't been so impulsive earlier, I might have been able to keep the rebel army in Katorea."
Tom said to Vivi. "We need to move fast. As long as we stop them before they engage the royal army."
Just as Tom pulled Vivi up and looked for the carrier crab, a low voice spoke: "You really want to stop the rebel army? Even though I think your approach is stupid, I won't give you another chance."
"Crocodile!"
"And the vice president of Baroque Works, Nico Robin!"
Tom and Vivi turned around and saw Crocodile, a large cigar in his mouth, smiling smugly, and a woman in stylish, sexy attire.
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T/N :
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