The sunlight in Nanohana was warm and dazzling, the air filled with the faint, sweet scent of perfume.
"Ah—" Mike stood up, stretching his stiff body with a long, satisfying yawn.
That was a lot of talking.
It felt good to passionately preach revolutionary ideals and play life coach for a bit, but seeing Crocodile's blank, shell-shocked expression and Smoker's silent, heavy contemplation, he knew the truth.
'They didn't fully get it,' he thought with an internal sigh.
'I guess a political ideology from another world is a bit too advanced for them.'
'Oh well. How much they grasp is up to them.'
He walked over and clapped Crocodile on the shoulder.
"That's all I have to say, Crocodile. Think about it."
"Hm," Crocodile nodded vaguely, his eyes still clouded with confusion, not fully digesting Mike's ideological sermon.
'The people are the foundation of everything? Not strength?'
'Why would someone so powerful care so much about weak, insignificant civilians?'
Meanwhile, Smoker narrowed his eyes, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
'Why does that kid Mike have to speak in such convoluted ways?'
'It feels like I almost understand, but the core of it is just out of reach... Couldn't he just say it plainly?!'
"Let's go," Mike announced, his lazy demeanor returning in full force.
"Next stop—Rain Dinners!"
He waved and strode forward, ready to embrace the wonderful journey ahead.
All that effort—the fighting, the lecturing—it was all just a necessary chore to ensure he could enjoy his vacation more comfortably.
Crocodile, still reeling, pulled out his Den Den Mushi to summon his dedicated transport: a giant, surprisingly fast turtle named Pinchy.
Moments later, the massive creature arrived, accompanied by two sun-kissed, youthful Alabastan women from Baroque Works, their smiles warm and respectful.
"Captain, call me anytime if there's an issue," Kuro said, holding open the door to a luxurious, sand-proof vehicle perched atop the turtle's shell.
The message was clear: this was for the Captain's private enjoyment.
The rest of them would ride on the smaller transport turtle behind.
"Mhm," Mike nodded, giving Crocodile a genuine thumbs-up.
"Crocodile, this arrangement is spot on! I'm very satisfied!" He then let the two young ladies chatter him into the private compartment.
"That kid..." Smoker shook his head, a helpless smile tugging at his lips as he watched the door close.
He sighed lightly and turned to Crocodile.
"I didn't fully understand your conversation with Mike, but I can guess you weren't up to any good in this country."
"...!?" Crocodile's heart sank as a flicker of fear flashing in his eyes.
"What good could a pirate-turned-Warlord possibly be doing in a World Government affiliated kingdom?" Smoker continued, his voice a low growl.
"But since that kid is willing to give you a chance, I'll honor his decision. Here's my advice, Crocodile: do as he says. Don't get any funny ideas."
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a serious whisper.
"Mike... is a hundred times more terrifying than you can possibly imagine." Smoker pointed a thumb back at Kuro, who stood guard by the vehicle.
"You saw him fight. Half a month ago, he was just a small-time pirate from the East Blue. Now? I doubt many pirates in the first half of the Grand Line could take a single punch from him. All of that happened in just half a month of following Mike."
"!!!"
Crocodile trembled slightly, his face turning ashen.
'In just half a month, a man can grow that powerful under his command?'
'Then how terrifying is Mike himself...?'
"You'll understand in time," Smoker said, his gaze distant. "Conqueror's Haki is just one of the tools at his disposal."
He leaned in even closer. "In Loguetown... he cut down Dragon with a single slash, leaving him severely wounded."
"Dragon?!" Crocodile's eyes widened. "Not... that Dragon...?"
"Yes," Smoker's gaze was firm. "Monkey D. Dragon. The world's most dangerous criminal. That's the one."
"..."
Crocodile froze, his lips trembling.
Dragon... Compared to him, his own scheme to steal a kingdom was mere child's play.
And even he was severely wounded by Mike's single slash?
'Too terrifying. Utterly terrifying!'
'I want to live, i still have a lot of things i want to achieve. From now on in Alabasta, Mike's word is my word!'
...
As the luxury transport turtle sped toward Rainbase, a lone figure on a bicycle came to a stop on the outskirts of Alabasta, the sea frozen in a path behind him.
"Haa—" Admiral Kuzan slowly exhaled a breath of frost, retracting his Observation Haki.
He had heard every word of what Mike said.
'The people... the masses... their will...'
Those words echoed relentlessly in his mind, stirring a deep resonance within his heart.
It was a perspective that aligned perfectly with the ideals he had long since buried.
He had once been a fervent believer in "Burning Justice."
But the Ohara incident, where his colleague Sakazuki had destroyed a refugee ship full of innocents, had shattered his faith.
That was the "Justice" the World Government preached.
It was not his.
'Captain Mike said this world was terminally ill,' Kuzan thought, his blood, for the first time in years, beginning to boil with a forgotten passion.
'If it's sick, it needs to be corrected. But how?' He looked in the direction of Rainbase.
'That kid... he must have an answer.'
With a new resolve in his eyes, Kuzan remounted his bicycle, his gaze firm as he pedaled toward Rainbase.
....
Inside the luxury compartment, the two young ladies sat beside Mike, who leaned back comfortably, savoring the calm before the storm of fun he was about to have.
[Ding!]
[The Fun Begins~]
The large transport turtle sped toward Rainbase, its destination the grandest casino in the desert kingdom.