In the first half of the Grand Line, at Rainbase in Alabasta, Crocodile had successfully established his foothold after being recruited as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, relying on the authority granted by the World Government.
Using pirate heads and the wealth plundered from them, he built a magnificent casino in Rainbase, which he named Rain Dinners.
However, at this moment, Crocodile was in no mood for its beauty.
He furiously smashed the cup on his desk onto the floor.
"Still no luck?!"
"You useless fools, you can't even find information about one little girl!"
The employees of Baroque Works felt utterly helpless under the barrage.
This was no ordinary little girl.
She was the sole survivor of Ohara, the Demon Child with a bounty of 79 million Berries placed by the World Government.
How could she be so easy to find?
Ever since Ohara was destroyed, Crocodile had been desperately searching for information about Robin.
He knew that the only person in the world who could still read the Poneglyphs was the Demon Child.
He had no other choice.
Crocodile was unwilling to remain a mere lapdog of the Navy—he was a man who aimed to become the King of the World.
If it weren't for being half-beaten to death by Raleigh, he would never have accepted the position of a Seven Warlords of the Sea.
After arriving in Alabasta, he sought out secrets to become stronger.
Finally, his agents discovered that Alabasta possessed a mysterious weapon capable of destroying everything.
The clues were in the hands of the king.
Over the years, through force and cunning, Crocodile had obtained what he wanted—the Poneglyph of Alabasta.
Yet, to his frustration, he couldn't understand the text inscribed on it.
Not only him, but even the king of Alabasta, Nefertari Cobra, couldn't read it.
According to him, it was an extremely ancient script. In this world, only the scholars of Ohara had studied this script.
Unfortunately, Ohara had been obliterated.
Crocodile's only hope now rested on the escaped Demon Child, Robin.
"Boss, I don't think we need to obsess over the weapon recorded on the Poneglyph. We are already plenty strong," Mr. 1 said.
"Enough, Daz Bonez." Crocodile leaned back, lighting a cigar. "You are my most capable subordinate. You should know. The very purpose of Baroque Works' establishment was to find the Demon Child, Robin!"
"Besides, you don't understand—no matter how strong we become, it's useless against that man!"
Crocodile seemed to recall the suffocating feeling of powerlessness.
His fists clenched tightly. His face turned pale, and his eyes burned with rage.
"Mr. 1, don't make me lose my temper. Take the men and keep searching!"
Feeling that his Boss was truly angry, Mr. 1 didn't linger in the office.
He quickly led his men out to the places where Robin might appear.
After everyone had left, Crocodile kicked over the table in front of him.
"Christian Raleigh. One day, I'll make you kneel and beg me!" Crocodile's face twisted fiercely, like a demon.
...
The very same Raleigh he was cursing had already arrived in Alabasta.
"Raleigh, why does Alabasta feel different from before?" Gion extended her hand, sensing the atmosphere around her.
She had visited Alabasta before.
As a forward outpost on the Grand Line, both the Navy and Pirates would often choose Alabasta for resupply.
But now, Gion clearly felt a change compared to previous years—and it was a change for the worse.
Though Alabasta had always been a desert climate, people used to wear smiles on their faces.
Now, the people of Alabasta bore bitter expressions, with no other emotion in sight.
"Strange. I recall the World Government recruited a group of Seven Warlords of the Sea, and one of them, a pirate named Crocodile, is stationed here," she noted. "Has he not been resisting the pirates? Otherwise, things wouldn't have come to this."
Raleigh looked up at the sun, then pulled out a parasol and held it over both their heads.
"If we want answers, we might as well ask the locals directly."
Gion found Raleigh's suggestion reasonable.
Without hesitation, she stopped a father and his daughter in the dusty street.
"Hello, we are from the Navy. May we ask you a few questions?"
The little girl's father appeared to be an honest man, frightened at being addressed by two Navy officers.
Noticing this, Gion spoke again. "We are not bad people. We are just here to ask a few simple questions."
"P-please, go ahead," the man stammered, licking his parched lips.
The little girl he held by the hand also had cracked lips from dehydration, her eyes fixed intently on the canteen at Gion's waist.
Noticing the girl's gaze, Gion unhooked the canteen and shook it.
"Answer a few questions for me, and this canteen of water is yours."
"Alright, Navy officers, I'll answer whatever you ask," the man immediately agreed.
"Has Alabasta been attacked by pirates recently? The people's spirits seem much worse than before."
The man shook his head. "No, it is not that. We have our hero, Lord Crocodile. He leads his subordinates in repelling many pirate attacks. Nowadays, no pirates dare to cause trouble here anymore."
"Hmm?" Gion was surprised.
This wasn't the answer she had expected.
She had initially thought Crocodile might be slacking in his duties, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
On the contrary, this Crocodile was performing exceptionally well—so much so that the people of this country hailed him as a hero.
"Then why does it feel like your lives are getting harder?"
The man looked up at the punishing sun before replying, "In recent years, Alabasta's rainfall has been decreasing—just as recorded in historical texts. We are experiencing an extremely long period of high temperatures with significantly less rain, so life has become more difficult than before."
Gion nodded, asked a few more questions, then handed the canteen to the man.
The man carefully gave his daughter a drink first.
After she finished, he tightly screwed the cap back on, swallowing hard but not taking a single sip himself.
Raleigh spoke calmly, "I suggest you take a drink now. The people around have already noticed you. If you don't drink it, someone else might snatch this canteen away."
After speaking, the man suddenly realized something and quickly glanced at the people around him.
Their hollow eyes were fixed intently on the water canteen in his hand.
Gritting his teeth, the man opened the canteen and took a large gulp before handing it to his daughter.
The two didn't consider leaving until they had finished every last drop of water in the canteen.
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