Two days passed quickly, and Reno, as scheduled, completed the first task Pain had given him as a command: bringing back news of Crocodile.
Reno obtained this information after numerous failed inquiries; he went directly to Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta, and, posing as a friend of the Straw Hat Pirates, sought an audience with Princess Vivi, from whom he received detailed information.
According to Princess Vivi, after Straw Hat Luffy of the Straw Hat Pirates defeated Crocodile, Princess Vivi's father had intended to imprison Crocodile, but special circumstances at the time prevented the imprisonment from being carried out.
There were two reasons for this at the time.
First: Although Crocodile had been defeated, his status as a Shichibukai was still in effect; while Alabasta was one of the superpowers of the Grand Line, it was insignificant compared to the World Government.
Second: Although Crocodile was defeated, his forces had not been completely dismantled, and considering the issues that might arise after the Straw Hat Pirates left, they dared not add insult to injury by further harming Crocodile.
Although he was not imprisoned, covert surveillance and observation were implemented; on one hand, the King contacted the World Government to request protection.
On the other hand, a large number of national elites were dispatched to conduct round-the-clock surveillance and observation, so while Alabasta has appeared calm over the past few years, it has actually been fraught with hidden currents.
According to the information collected by spies and sent to the King over the past few years, although Crocodile has not shown his face, he has often made significant moves to remind the country of his existence.
For example: creating artificial storms outside the capital Alubarna and plundering passing merchants to obtain supplies and money that Crocodile needed.
Through these years of plundering, Crocodile has also accumulated considerable wealth. Alabasta could only turn a blind eye, powerless to intervene.
After all, although Crocodile was plundering in secret, he had not crossed the line into murder. This was also, in Crocodile's view, why the World Government rarely bothered him. The true reason was not actually so simple.
Crocodile has been diligently accumulating wealth over the past few years, which indicates that he is likely preparing for certain personal matters.
And Crocodile's current hiding place, if the information provided by Princess Vivi is accurate, is an underground city beneath a barren desert outside the capital Alubarna, because that is where the poneglyph recording the ancient weapon "Pluton" is located.
Reno accurately conveyed all the information he had gathered about Crocodile to Pain, awaiting Pain's decision.
After listening to the information Reno collected, Pain could basically conclude that his previous speculation was correct.
Crocodile must have made substantial research progress on the ancient weapon "Pluton" in recent years, and the accumulation of plundered wealth is very likely in preparation for the construction of "Pluton."
"Lead the way… it's time to achieve the first objective…"
Since definitive information about Crocodile was available, Pain, unwilling to waste time, directly spoke to Reno, who was still awaiting orders.
In a desert outside Alubarna, Alabasta, there was indeed an ancient underground city, where Straw Hat Luffy once defeated Crocodile. In the underground ancient city, a group of people in various attires were busy, either squatting in front of the stone tablet or standing behind it; some were responsible for making rubbings of the original text, while others used instruments to decipher it, with only an elder directing these busy individuals. It seemed that the content of the stone tablet was almost deciphered through the efforts of this group. Although they lacked the help of Robin from the Straw Hat Pirates, this group of people did not seem to be idle.
Far from the stone tablet, a person sat on a throne-like seat, smoking an unknown cigar, the swirling smoke making him appear even more mysterious.
He wore a well-tailored, earthy-yellow suit and a fur coat that looked very expensive. If not for the scar crossing his nose from left to right, he might have appeared refined. Yet, this scar did not diminish his elegance; instead, it added a touch of ruthlessness to his aura.
This person was none other than the true uncrowned king of Alabasta, known as "Desert Crocodile," Crocodile.
Ever since his defeat by an unknown rookie back then, Crocodile had made no progress in his Suna Suna no Mi abilities. A psychological barrier constantly plagued him, preventing him from cultivating his abilities with a calm mind. Crocodile was clearly very unwilling to accept this situation. In the time that followed, Crocodile had intended to retaliate after the Straw Hat Pirates left.
However, the World Government suddenly announced the revocation of his Shichibukai status and intervened in Alabasta's defense, causing his mood to plummet. He almost lost control and went berserk, attacking the Marine and the capital of Alabasta, Alubarna.
Ultimately, reason prevailed over impulse, and he chose to bide his time. Crocodile knew this was not retreating, but merely waiting for a new opportunity.
Alabasta could no longer provide him with this opportunity, as he knew that if he did not leave this country to challenge stronger opponents, the shadow in his heart would never be dispelled, and his strength would never improve, which was something he could not tolerate. Crocodile had no choice but to shift his attention to accumulating wealth and deciphering the ancient weapon "Pluton."
Over these years, he continuously plundered passing merchants and used this wealth to heavily hire scholars of ancient ruins. Although he lacked Robin's help, these scholars from all over the world had largely deciphered the content of this ancient stone tablet. From the deciphered information, it was a partial design blueprint for the ancient weapon "Pluton," specifically the design blueprint for the entire hull of the "Pluton" battleship.
Only the hull, no other content, but even just the hull of the "Pluton" battleship, once the Materials for its construction were gathered, would be virtually indestructible, fearing no cannon fire or impact from any current Marine ship. Crocodile did not want to waste time during these years, so he collected Materials as each part was deciphered. After several years, with the deciphering of the inscription, Crocodile had almost gathered all the Materials for the "Pluton" hull.
Crocodile had already planned that once these scholars finished deciphering, he would force them to continue following him to find other inscriptions and continue deciphering them, killing any disobedient ones without exception. Crocodile did not want to leave these people behind to be found and utilized by other forces. Now, Crocodile believed it was harvest season.
Crocodile felt he would soon emerge from his hidden state, but reality is always cruel. He never thought that his efforts over these years would only benefit others. A pattering sound of water interrupted Crocodile's contemplation; Crocodile was very sensitive to water due to his Devil Fruit.
In Crocodile's perception, the sand above the ancient city was slowly being dampened by a fine rain, a discovery that instantly made Crocodile frown deeply.
"What's going on?…"
"How can it be raining outside the capital?…"
Rain outside the capital was something Crocodile had never experienced since arriving here. It was like the sun suddenly rising from the west. Crocodile believed such an abnormal situation was absolutely not normal.
Crocodile transformed into sand and flew directly out of the ancient city, meeting a light rain head-on. But this light rain was not enough to affect his abilities. He looked straight ahead, and within his line of sight were two strangely dressed individuals, wearing unified black robes with red clouds, their collars covering half their faces. They cast gazes upon him like he was prey, a look that was truly unpleasant.
Fortunately, Crocodile was a man who had weathered many storms and would not lose control of his emotions due to a hateful glance from the other party.
"Who are you?…"
Crocodile asked calmly.
Pain and Reno had arrived in this desert half an hour earlier, but as they gazed at the endless desert, they understood that finding Crocodile by sight alone was impossible. So Pain cast the "Rain Tiger at Will Technique." His original intention was to search the surroundings by sensing, but he hadn't expected Crocodile to be so sensitive to water and appear directly.
Seeing Crocodile appear opposite them, half his body turned to sand, undoubtedly told Pain and Reno that he was their target. Reno directly answered Crocodile's question.
"Azure Dragon of Akatsuki… Reno…"
"Zero Pain of Akatsuki… Pain…"
Crocodile was very surprised to hear Pain and Reno's names, because these names were very unfamiliar in Crocodile's memory. They were even very unfamiliar to this world, seeming to have never appeared anywhere before, and after his surprise, he had a great many questions.
"I've never seen these two people; their sudden appearance here must be for a purpose. Could they be after the ancient weapon "Pluton"?"
"I have no interest in who you are…"
"But you have appeared in a place you shouldn't be… If you are smart… leave quickly before I get angry… I am very busy right now and have no time to waste with you…"
Crocodile suppressed the questions in his heart and issued a warning like a landlord. Upon hearing Crocodile's words, Reno seemed to have heard a joke, his lips curving slightly upward in a soft smile.
"Do you need my help?…"
Reno asked calmly.
"No need… just watch from the side… and see if there are any other small fries… dealt with…" Pain replied.
Reno nodded slightly and turned to walk back.
Reno actually didn't want to make a move, as he knew his own combat strength. Reno also wanted to see what level of power this enigmatic man possessed.
Pain was never a talkative person; since the target had appeared, there was only battle. Pain quickly formed hand seals and softly chanted, "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique." As soon as the words fell, a miraculous scene, in Reno's view, unfolded.
A vast expanse of water appeared out of nowhere, like a waterfall, striking Crocodile from above. Then Pain chanted, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique," and another wave of water dragons also directly attacked Crocodile. This was not all; Pain immediately followed up by softly chanting again: "Lightning Release: Lightning Stream Lotus Technique." Immediately after using the Ninjutsu, he raised his right hand and unleashed "Almighty Pull" on Crocodile. In a flash, this series of attacks was unleashed in less than two seconds, showing how fast Pain's hand seals were. Reno was currently staring wide-eyed at everything happening on the battlefield.
Although he wasn't clear about the power of the abilities Pain was using, seeing the water dragons and water streams constantly flickering with lightning as they charged towards Crocodile, visually alone, it was already shocking enough…