Meanwhile, on the other side.
Smoker had already led a large contingent of Marines to the vicinity of the casino city, 'Rainbase'.
However, he did not choose to enter the city to regroup, but instead headed directly into the desert north of the city.
The group pressed on through the swirling sand.
When Smoker and Tashigi led the Marines deep into the desert and arrived at a clearly sunken, depressed area of sand, a peculiar sight immediately appeared before their eyes.
On the scorched black sand ahead, a large amount of glass-like crystals was scattered everywhere.
And these substances, which had no business being in a desert, seemed to prove that something extremely unusual had happened here.
Seeing the scene before him, Smoker couldn't help but bite down on the cigar clamped in his mouth, his brows furrowing slightly.
He strode further in and soon discovered a tall figure lying flat on the sand.
Smoker's gaze hardened at the sight, and he immediately led his men to hurry over.
Looking at the man on the ground, who seemed to still be unconscious, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Sir Crocodile..."
Tashigi, at his side, also got a clear look at the man's face. She instinctively clutched her beloved sword, her voice laced with surprise:
"Captain Smoker, do you think... this guy is already dead?"
"Not quite."
Smoker said in a low, frowning voice, cigar in his mouth, "Look closely at his chest."
Hearing this, Tashigi quickly bent down to look, pushing up her slipping glasses.
Upon closer inspection, she finally noticed a faint, almost imperceptible rise and fall in his chest.
Seeing this, Tashigi slowly straightened up, her tone filled with emotion:
"I can't believe Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, actually lost to 'that man'."
"And judging by his condition, it looks like it was a crushing defeat."
Hearing this, Smoker didn't voice his own opinion, but his mind couldn't help but drift back to that battle in Loguetown, his eyes growing thoughtful.
Then, he suddenly remembered something and said sternly:
"Tashigi, the Sea-Prism Stone cuffs!"
"Sir!" Tashigi was stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled a pair of gray-iron handcuffs from her waist and held them out.
Smoker instinctively reached out to take them.
But then he suddenly remembered something, and his hand froze. He turned, a baffled expression on his face, as if he were looking at an idiot.
"Tashigi, I told you to put the Sea-Prism Stone cuffs on him, not to hand them to me..."
Smoker's voice was laced with exasperation. After he spoke, the corner of his eye couldn't help but twitch.
Handing Sea-Prism Stone cuffs to him, a Devil Fruit user? What was she thinking?!
If he weren't already so familiar with her unreliable nature, he might have actually read more into it.
"Eh?"
Tashigi blinked, stunned, before it dawned on her. She quickly bowed in apology, her voice flustered and embarrassed:
"I'm... I'm so sorry, Captain Smoker!"
Finished, she didn't dare waste any more time. She hurriedly stumbled forward, knelt down, and quickly snapped the Sea-Prism Stone cuffs onto Crocodile's wrists.
After finishing, she inwardly sighed in relief. Then she suddenly noticed something else and turned her head in surprise.
"Captain, come look at this!"
"Hm?" Smoker walked over and looked where she was pointing.
It turned out she was pointing at the dried-up corpse of a small animal, which was sitting right on Crocodile's palm.
"..." Smoker's eye twitched again. He was at a loss for words.
Tashigi, however, didn't notice his reaction and mused curiously to herself:
"This looks like a lizard's corpse. But why is it in his hand?"
"That's enough. Just hurry up and haul this guy away!"
Smoker couldn't be bothered to say any more. He turned and waved his hand, signaling the Marine soldiers to get moving.
"Sir!"
The Marines quickly saluted.
A few soldiers then broke formation and headed toward Crocodile.
"Eh?"
Tashigi turned her head and saw that Smoker was already walking back on his own. She quickly got up and hurried after him.
"Wait for me, Captain Smoker!"
In the desert near Katorea.
The Rebel Army leader, Koza, after a moment of silence, suddenly looked up and said seriously:
"Mr. Wil."
"If it's really as you say, and the person behind this kingdom's civil unrest is actually Crocodile..."
"Then the King was deliberately framed by that bastard. He probably hoped to use this to incite a civil war."
"But even so, that man... Cobra, as the king of this country..."
"When we, the citizens, were finding it hard to survive because of the drought, he didn't offer any effective solutions."
"On top of that, regarding all the things Crocodile was doing in the shadows, he failed to discover them in time."
"Therefore, as the king, he still bears an undeniable responsibility in this matter!"
Hearing these words, Wil couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Only now did he understand why this man had become the leader of the Rebel Army.
He couldn't be bothered to make any excuses for the king.
After all, the man sat on the throne, and it was indeed his responsibility to handle these matters properly.
"You're right, Koza. I agree with your point of view."
"But since the one who instigated the civil unrest wasn't the king..."
"Then this dispute between your Rebel Army and the Kingdom Army should stop."
"Otherwise, if a war truly breaks out, both sides will suffer heavy losses."
"When that happens, the country's overall strength will decline, making it easier for foreign enemies to invade."
Koza's expression became complicated. He knew in his heart that the man was right.
In truth, he had never really wanted to start a full-blown rebellion in the kingdom.
It was just that he had been gradually pushed into this position by the people, leaving him with no way to back down.
But now, the sudden appearance of the man before him offered the possibility of another solution.
"Then, Mr. Wil, what do you think we should do?"
After speaking seriously, Koza looked at him, quietly awaiting his answer.
Hearing this, the surrounding people also turned their gazes toward him.
Seeing Koza adopt such a humble, consultative posture, Wil felt it wouldn't be right to remain silent.
So, after a moment of thought, he slowly offered a suggestion:
"How about this, Koza."
"As the rebel leader, you can choose some people from the Rebel Army to act as representatives."
"Then, you all go together directly to the royal palace in the capital to discuss a solution with the King face-to-face."
"Rest assured. While I can't make guarantees about other things, your safety is something you absolutely don't need to worry about."
He knew very well that Cobra was not a tyrannical king.
Therefore, by communicating with each other, they should be able to resolve this matter more effectively and quickly.
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