Ezra D. Vale leaned casually against the railing of the warship, waving lazily as he encouraged the two below.
"Good luck. I am not going down there."
Rosinante and Law nodded seriously.
If they could not even handle something this small, they would have no right to remain under Ezra's command.
"We understand, Admiral Blazing Ash."
With that, the two Rear Admirals led a squad of soldiers and hurried toward the royal palace.
Not long after, they arrived at their destination.
Princess Vivi and King Cobra were already waiting at the palace entrance.
"You must be Rear Admirals Rosinante and Law," King Cobra said politely.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Cobra, King of Alabasta. This is my daughter, Princess Vivi."
The two Marines returned the greeting. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Law went straight to the point.
"King Cobra, where is Crocodile now?"
"He is being held in the underground dungeon beneath the palace," Cobra replied.
"Please follow me."
He led them inside.
When they reached the dungeon, Rosinante looked at the battered figure before them and could not help twitching his lips.
"This was done by Luffy?"
Cobra nodded.
"Yes. Is there a problem, Rear Admiral?"
Rosinante waved his hand.
He was just shocked that a brat like that could actually defeat Crocodile.
Law stepped closer to the cell.
"Crocodile, can you hear me?"
Crocodile let out a cold snort.
"I am injured, not dead. Hurry up and remove these cuffs."
Law raised an eyebrow.
"Crocodile, are you out of your mind?"
Crocodile froze.
Then he exploded in anger.
"Brat! I am one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! You have no authority to arrest me!"
Hearing his shouting, Cobra and Vivi grew anxious.
"Rear Admirals, you cannot let him go," Cobra said firmly.
"He has oppressed our country for years. He cannot be released so easily."
"Yes, please," Vivi added urgently.
Rosinante scratched his head.
"Relax. We never intended to release him."
Law pulled out a document from behind him.
"Crocodile, read carefully."
"You have been stripped of your title as a Warlord of the Sea."
Crocodile's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Why?"
Law snorted.
"Do you really need me to remind you what you did to Alabasta?"
Crocodile stiffened.
He said nothing more.
"Take him away."
"Yes, Rear Admiral!"
The soldiers quickly escorted Crocodile out.
After bidding farewell to Cobra and Vivi, Rosinante and Law returned to the warship at once.
On deck, Ezra lay comfortably on a beach chair, an eye mask covering his face.
Soon, Law approached.
"Admiral Blazing Ash, Crocodile has been secured. He is now held in the ship's dungeon."
Ezra removed the mask and stretched lazily.
"That was fast. Let us go."
"I want to see that old acquaintance myself."
He rose and headed below deck.
Inside the damp, cold dungeon, Crocodile stared blankly at the ceiling.
He could not understand it.
Being defeated by Whitebeard was one thing.
But losing to a reckless kid was another matter entirely.
And the worst part was that the kid did not even use Armament Haki.
A Logia user defeated like that was humiliating beyond words.
Crocodile could already imagine life in Impel Down.
What was he supposed to say when other inmates asked how he got there?
That he was beaten by a rookie who could not even use Haki?
The thought made his chest tighten.
"This is miserable…"
Footsteps echoed.
Crocodile looked up and immediately met a pair of crimson eyes.
At this point, he felt no fear. His pride had already been shattered.
"Admiral Blazing Ash," he said flatly.
"It has been a while."
Ezra nodded slightly and smiled from outside the cell.
"I did not expect you to lose like this, Crocodile."
Crocodile fell silent.
Please stop talking about it.
Seeing Crocodile completely withdrawn, Ezra shook his head.
"Relax. It is not that serious."
"It is just Impel Down."
"Give it a few decades and you will still be a man."
Crocodile stared at him.
If you do not know how to comfort people, please stop.
After teasing him a bit, Ezra left the dungeon and ordered the ship to increase speed toward Impel Down.
Several days later, the warship finally arrived.
"Admiral Blazing Ash," Magellan said stiffly as he stood straight.
Ezra waved his hand.
"Magellan, no need to be so formal. We have met before."
Magellan scratched his head awkwardly.
"Proper respect is still necessary, Admiral."
After handing Crocodile over, Ezra left Impel Down.
This time, he did not return to Marineford.
Instead, he departed alone.
Sengoku's Den Den Mushi had summoned him urgently.
He was ordered to head immediately to Stussy's territory.
The reason was simple.
The Beasts Pirates had made their move.
One of Kaido's top commanders, Jack the Drought, one of the Three Calamities, had invaded Stussy's domain.
It was clearly a provocation, an attempt to ignite a war between two major pirate forces.
Sengoku could not allow that to happen.
And Stussy was on their side.
Ezra was sent to stop it.
New World. Tobira Kingdom.
This was the mobile sea kingdom Stussy had rebuilt on the former territory of Totto Land.
Thanks to her vast connections, Tobira Kingdom had become one of the most famous entertainment hubs in the New World.
But now, explosions echoed outside its borders.
Jack stood on his ship, firing cannon after cannon at Stussy's territory.
"Hahahaha! Die! All of you die!"
Inside Tobira Kingdom, Stussy frowned deeply.
"That bastard," she muttered.
"Does he really want to start a war?"
"Queen, how long do we endure this?"
Her subordinates were already burning with rage.
Blood Moon, a CP0 member temporarily serving under Stussy, spoke up.
"Anyone would lose patience being provoked like this."
Stussy snorted coldly.
"Blood Moon."
"Take our people and teach that idiot a lesson."
"Let him know whose territory this is."
Killing intent flashed through the eyes of her followers.
"Yes, Queen!"