Crocodile's mind was in a state of chaos.
An indescribable emotion surged within him.
When did I fall so low that I have to be driven into fleeing with my tail between my legs by someone like this?
Crocodile almost ground his teeth to dust.
He could only tell himself that now was not the time to worry about that.
If Ian had come for the Pluton, he must have already gone to the royal capital, Alubarna!
He had to stop him!
As for how to stop him, Crocodile didn't think about it, nor did he know how to think about it.
He only knew that he had to go!
Alubarna.
This was probably one of the oldest cities in the world, completed over four thousand years ago, and still in use today. One could say that this city was a living fossil, witnessing the long history of this nation, with historical sites everywhere.
However, the ancient history didn't bring any real power to the city.
None of it mattered.
When the golden, radiant Golden Dragon flew over the city's skies, the entire city fell into extreme panic.
"It's Ian the Skyfire! He's here! He's here!"
"Run! Get out of Alubarna! The whole city will be destroyed by him!"
The sheer fear left the people of the city too terrified to stay, all fleeing in a panic.
"This is Ian's power of intimidation!"
On Ian's back, Hancock said, intoxicated, "He's so handsome!"
Handsome?
Law scoffed.
Wherever they went, all they received were fear and wailing. Even a normal day out was impossible.
"Big Brother Ian," Jack hung up the phone bug, "The Golden Dragon has reported that Crocodile attacked the Golden Dragon, but he was repelled by Babanuki and the two giants."
"Crocodile?"
Yamato tilted her head. "Who's that?"
It's hard to imagine that she had been sailing the seas with Ian for several years.
Still as empty-headed as ever.
"As for Crocodile," Black Maria said in surprise, "He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, just like Doflamingo, but is Babanuki really that strong now?"
Doflamingo?
Yamato blinked.
Is that guy really strong?
He's definitely not stronger than me.
"Don't underestimate him."
Ian chuckled, "Right now, Maria, you probably wouldn't be able to defeat Babanuki."
Just kidding.
The gorilla fused with Babanuki was already one of the strongest beasts on Rusukaina Island, with strength comparable to the Tobiroppo of the future Beast Pirates.
After fusing with Babanuki, his intelligence and technique were greatly enhanced, and he could even use the Six Styles and Haki.
Not even Jack, let alone Black Maria, would likely stand a chance.
Excluding the two giant stowaways, Babanuki was undoubtedly the fourth strongest on the Golden Dragon ship.
In fact, he could even grow stronger.
Although there's little hope through training, there are still the artificial Devil Fruits and IQ-enhancing drugs.
After undergoing these two rounds of strengthening, it's hard to say just how powerful a synthetic warrior like Babanuki could become.
Who knows? Maybe he could reach disaster-level strength?
Besides Babanuki, the Beast Pirates also had a team well-suited for fusing with fierce beasts.
The Beast Pirates had a team called the Savage Overlords.
"So easily getting that strong," Black Maria sighed softly, "It's a bit disheartening."
"If you like," Law grinned, "You could have Wapol help you fuse with a fierce beast?"
"No, thank you."
Black Maria waved her hands repeatedly, "That's too ugly, I can't accept it physically."
Strength is temporary, but beauty lasts forever.
"I actually think it's worth a try!"
Jack said, looking eager.
As long as he could get stronger, as long as he could help Brother Ian! Then he feared nothing!
"Let's talk about it later."
Ian said, "We've arrived!"
He had already flown into the heart of Alubarna, and below him was the royal palace of this country.
At this moment, the palace was surrounded by soldiers, who looked up with a mix of vigilance and fear at the golden dragon descending from the sky.
Ian couldn't be bothered with words. As he descended, he activated his Conqueror's Haki, instantly clearing out the soldiers below.
As soon as he hit the ground, he returned to his human form, and his companions landed behind him.
"So Ian, what exactly are we here for?"
Yamato asked curiously, looking around. "There doesn't seem to be any strong opponents here?"
Ian walked up the high steps outside the palace, calmly replying, "To retrieve a letter."
"A letter?"
Law frowned.
Another one of Ian's strange pieces of trivial knowledge, huh? How does he always know where someone's holding a letter?
At the top of the steps, the heavy palace doors were tightly shut, so Ian politely raised his hand and knocked on the door. "Do you want to open the door, or should I just blow the palace up?"
There was a brief silence inside.
Then, a tired voice finally replied, "Open the door."
The palace doors slowly creaked open.
What Ian saw now were soldiers, visibly anxious, with sweat pouring down their faces, along with a dog-headed man holding a sword and a bird-man flying midair.
Ian gave the bird-man a particularly long look.
Alabasta was a country based on ancient Egypt.
Although the myths of Anubis and Ra were no longer present, there were still some symbolic representations in the country.
For example, the bird-man. His form was that of a falcon, representing Ra's falcon.
But soon, Ian's gaze landed on the man, who was surrounded by others at the back.
He was a bit lean, his clothing wasn't particularly luxurious, and he wasn't even wearing a crown, but he should be the king of this country—Nefertari D. Lili, no, Nefertari D. Cobra.
"Ian the Skyfire!"
At this moment, the king was sweating profusely. The tens of thousands of troops he had urgently gathered had quietly been wiped out, and now, what could the few soldiers left in the palace do? Could they stop the man in front of them?
He could only ask in confusion, "What could possibly attract someone like you to our impoverished country?"
"There are at least two things in this country that can attract my attention," Ian replied with a smile.
Then...
Buzz!
The Conqueror's Haki activated again.
At that moment, whether they were ordinary soldiers or the two so-called protectors of Alabasta—the Jackal and the Falcon—they all fainted with their eyes rolled back.
The only ones left in the hall were Ian's group and Cobra.
Cobra's eyes nearly bulged out.
"Don't worry," Ian said. "They've just fainted. Whether they wake up or not depends on your decision."
Cobra clenched his fists tightly, struggling to speak, "Tell me your terms. If I can do it, I'll do whatever it takes without hesitation."
"Good."
Ian clapped his hands. "I've heard that 800 years ago, one of the twenty kings who created the World Government—your ancestor, Queen Lily—left a letter. Show it to me."
Eh?
Cobra froze.
How did this man know about that?
His companions were also stunned.
"The twenty kings who created the World Government?"
Luffy hurriedly said, "Doesn't that mean the Celestial Dragons?"
"This guy... is a Celestial Dragon?" Hancock's gaze toward Cobra instantly became fierce and hostile.
"It should be said that the Nefertari D. family was originally supposed to become a Celestial Dragon family."
Ian smiled and said, "But Queen Lily refused to go to Mariejois, so there are only nineteen Celestial Dragon families."
"..."
Cobra felt dry in the mouth.
The Nefertari D. family—
How could he know the original surname of his own family?
This made no sense, right?
He only learned about these secrets after reading that letter.
And that letter was passed down secretly through the generations of the family, known only to the king of each era. It had never leaked!
What was going on?
Cobra couldn't understand.
"So, Cobra," Ian said flatly, "What is your answer?"
Cobra looked down at the warriors scattered on the ground, then sighed dejectedly. He turned and said, "Then please follow me."
**********
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