The next day, Kalifa accompanied Kaito as they strolled around Marineford.
Along the way, many Marines froze for a second upon seeing him — then burst with excitement. Fortunately, everyone here was military, so there wasn't any crazy "celebrity chasing" behavior.
Kaito casually asked Kalifa about the current state of the seas.
At present, the Marines were without question the dominant force in the world — the undisputed number one power. The pirates, on the other hand, were only a shadow of their former glory.
Kaito was somewhat surprised. In his view, if the Marines were this strong, who among the pirates would still dare to stir up trouble?
Even during the Summit War, the Navy had crushed the combined forces of the Four Emperors' crews. Had these people already forgotten how that turned out?
Kalifa explained,
"Boss, less than a year after you left, Blackbeard reappeared. He's now calling himself Rocks. His power has grown tremendously. We've tried multiple times to capture him, but he's always managed to escape — and each time he's used it to build up his reputation. A lot of pirates have flocked to his side."
Kaito frowned. Blackbeard was clearly dead — even his Dark-Dark Fruit had been absorbed by Kaito himself. He was absolutely certain of that.
He pressed further,
"Blackbeard? You mean the one who defected from the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Yes," Kalifa replied. "But he doesn't use that name anymore. He calls himself the Black Emperor."
"The Black Emperor… huh."
Golden light flashed in Kaito's eyes, growing ever more radiant as he narrowed them.
He hadn't expected that after his departure, there would still be a rat left behind, making waves on his own turf.
Kaito didn't care whether that man called himself Teach or Rocks — if he could kill him once, he could kill him again. There was only one fate waiting for him: death.
Kalifa, one of the people who knew Kaito best, immediately understood from his expression and tone — Rocks was already a dead man walking.
She continued describing the intelligence they'd gathered.
"Boss, this Rocks can wield multiple Devil Fruit powers, just like you. The intel division believes this ability comes from the Paramecia-type Swallow-Swallow Fruit he possesses."
Kaito nodded. He knew that fruit — it indeed had such an ability. Wapol had once eaten another person with the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit and was actually able to use that fruit's power afterward.
No wonder Teach had been able to find such a fitting replacement after losing the Dark-Dark Fruit. He really had some nerve — and a bit of luck.
He must have devoured several other good fruits since then; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to slip past the Marines' sieges so many times.
Kalifa reported that Rocks also seemed to have a teleportation ability — one with a wide range. Once, even Admiral Kizaru searched an entire sea area and still couldn't find any trace of him.
Aside from that, one of Rocks' powers had been confirmed — the Logia-type Swamp-Swamp Fruit. The level of destruction he unleashed with it was terrifying, almost enough to be called a natural disaster.
Just these three powers alone had allowed Rocks to thrive in Kaito's absence. With the Four Emperors' downfall, it was only natural that he became the sole emperor among pirates.
But now that Kaito was back — Rocks' good days were numbered.
...
Alabasta.
Crocodile stood outside the gates of the royal city with the Baroque Works agents behind him, his gaze fixed sternly on the group before them.
At the front was a tall man draped in a black coat, and behind him were pirates holding a flag — a black skull with an enormous, gaping mouth.
Crocodile took a slow drag of his cigar and spoke in a low voice,
"Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates… Aramaki of the Forest."
Aramaki grinned, raising his hand in a lazy wave.
"So, you're Crocodile, huh? I'll give you this — you're loyal. But don't tell me you actually think you and those trash behind you can stop me?"
The contempt in his tone was unmistakable. Veins bulged on Crocodile's forehead, but he forced himself to stay calm.
He knew full well this man had the power to back up his arrogance. Aramaki's strength was rumored to rival that of a Marine Admiral.
All Crocodile could do now was stall — stall until Marine reinforcements arrived. Until then, he'd avoid fighting if he could help it.
...
Inside the palace,
King Cobra stood anxiously on the balcony, gazing toward the city gates.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Hurried footsteps echoed behind him — it was his daughter, Vivi.
Now a graceful young woman, Vivi ran up beside her father, barely catching her breath before exclaiming,
"Father! I've contacted Marine Headquarters! Robin answered — she said Kaito-sama has returned!"
Over the past few years, Vivi had often accompanied her father to Marine meetings. Because of Alabasta's "history," she had grown close to Robin.
Cobra's face lit up with pure relief. In this world, the name Kaito meant absolute strength. To him, there was nothing more reassuring than hearing that Kaito had returned.
But before he could savor the news, a deafening explosion shook the air outside.
Both father and daughter rushed to the window.
What they saw froze them in place.
Enormous trees were erupting from beneath the desert sands, twisting together into colossal fists that slammed against the city walls.
Aramaki had attacked — without warning.
Crocodile's expression darkened. His arm instantly turned to sand as he growled,
"Desert Jewel Cutter!"
Whoosh!
A massive blade of sand cleaved through the advancing forest, slicing countless trees clean in half. But the attack barely slowed them. The trees kept surging forward, endless and unrelenting. Crocodile's efforts had little effect.
With no other choice, Crocodile summoned a sandstorm — a swirling wall of dust that roared across the battlefield.
Normally, sand should counter trees; the Sand-Sand Fruit could drain away their moisture. But the trees Aramaki conjured brimmed with unnatural vitality, enduring the sand's assault as they pushed forward.
Crocodile clenched his teeth, fully focused on defense — when suddenly, a vine silently crept up behind him, morphing into a razor-sharp spear whose tip gleamed darkly.
Daz's pupils shrank as he shouted,
"Boss! Look out!"
Pshhk!
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out. Crocodile's body stiffened. Slowly, he turned his head —
And saw Daz, impaled through the chest by the vine's spike.
"Daz!!!"