The Enlightenment began to veer off its planned course.
The order came directly from Ren.
If they followed the magnetic field, their next destination would've been Little Garden — the so-called "land of death" mentioned by Igarapoi.
That island was a rare ancient land where the climate never changed, leaving its ecosystem frozen in the age of dinosaurs.
Its name, Little Garden, came from a simple reason — two giant warriors lived there, locked in a century-long duel.
Of course, it wasn't the giants that made the place a death trap. The real danger lay in the sea route leading to the next island —a Sea King goldfish the size of a small mountain.
Almost every pirate who had tried to pass was devoured.
But Ren didn't avoid the route out of fear. He simply found no profit in it.
He held no grudge against the giants and had no interest in collecting their heads for a bounty.And killing a Sea King goldfish would yield nothing but its meat — hardly worth the effort.
There was no gain, only risk.Even as a potential trap point, the giants' presence would introduce too many unpredictable variables.
Better to divert course and head elsewhere.
They'd already handed over the payment at Whiskey Peak… but what about the other locations?
Ren believed that "truth is learned through practice."So he acted.
Two days later,the Enlightenment reached another Baroque Works outpost — but this one wasn't a disguised town like Whiskey Peak.
Instead, it was a straightforward hunting group.
To improve his odds of success, Ren unleashed a free demonstration of his Thunderstorm Magic.
As heavy rain poured down, he stood at the ship's bow and hurled the Gáe Bolg.
Fate Lock — Bounty Hunters.
The raging lightning spear split the sky, and amidst the blinding flashes came the judgment of thunder.
"It's really… raining!?"
Vivi and Igaram were both stunned, standing frozen as the torrential rain drenched them.
If rainfall of this magnitude occurred in Nanohana — the seaside city of Alabasta —it would greatly ease the kingdom's internal strife and delay the outbreak of the first civil war.
"I told you — I never lied to you," Ren said calmly, watching from afar as the bounty hunters were vaporized by lightning.
It was a ruthless method — divine punishment without mercy.
Within mere minutes, every hunter was gone.
Nami, leading the Iron Knights, collected their loot before returning to the Enlightenment to pursue the next target.
On Anne Island,
Zoro went alone and destroyed the entire base using only a single sword.
The Iron Knights swept the field clean.
On Payne Island,
Nojiko attacked by herself, her blazing flames crushing all who dared resist.
Nami once again led the Iron Knights to gather spoils.
On Cihang Island,
there was no Baroque Works base — only a small town, apparently a hideout for bounty hunters.When Bonney requested it, her crew decided to part ways with her there, leaving to pursue their own journeys.
After settling matters on Cihang Island, the Enlightenment didn't continue searching for more outposts — the next one was too far away. There wasn't enough time, nor any real need.
Instead, Ren chose the place most likely to be picked by his enemies as a battlefield.
Alabasta Kingdom — Rainbase.
It was the dream city of every Alabastan — far from the pirate-infested coasts and untouched by drought.
Rain fell here as it should, in perfect regularity.
To most citizens, the source of their stable, peaceful life was the city's ruler —one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Sir Crocodile.
To those who resented the royal family, Crocodile was the hero who prevented the king from using Dance Powder near Rainbase —the very act that would've stolen their rainfall to benefit Alubarna.
To those who were less hateful, the drought wasn't necessarily the king's fault — maybe just rumors gone wild. Still, being ordinary people, they couldn't change anything. All they could do was migrate to the safest, most livable place.
And that was Rainbase — the City of Dreams.
The influx of desperate citizens brought labor, commerce, and wealth.Rainbase soon became home to Alabasta's most luxurious casino — Rain Dinners, also known as Crocodile's Lair.
It had the finest décor, the best security, the most attentive service —a glittering paradise where fortunes rose and fell in an instant.
The house never interfered in gambling, but always took its cut from the flowing river of money —the so-called "house stream."
Thus,Rain Dinners was also the true heart of Baroque Works, Crocodile's long-standing headquarters.
Of course, Crocodile wasn't always there. As Alabasta's "hero," he often left Rainbase to respond to pirate attacks elsewhere, alerted by Den Den Mushi,defeating them and claiming their loot — an act that further inflated his legend.
To many Alabastans, Crocodile was a proud man who pretended not to care but secretly protected the people.
To King Cobra, Crocodile's presence was a blessing —at least pirates no longer attacked the citizens, letting him focus on combating the drought. Even though he still sent royal troops each time a pirate attack occurred.
But to someone else…this entire narrative was nothing but a carefully constructed illusion.
A trap — one that exploited the very essence of human nature!
Their victories were inevitable; only rare "accidents" ever disrupted the plan.
And now…a new accident had arrived.
"What a boring report. If they dare challenge us, then destroy them. Let those ignorant pirates witness the absolute difference in power."
In the meeting room, Crocodile dismissed the report with his usual arrogance and dissolved into sand, flying out through the window.
A city had been attacked by pirates —and the "hero" was going to the rescue.
The Red-Haired Pirates' recent prominence had become a nuisance.Countless pirates, inspired by the idea of meeting Red-Hair on the Grand Line, had set sail —and the number of raids had exploded.
Even Crocodile was struggling to keep up.
After hearing that the report involved no major figures, he didn't bother staying.
"Yes, sir."
Wearing a fiery cowgirl outfit, Nico Robin lowered her head silently and left the meeting room,returning to her office.
Sitting in her high-back chair, she gazed at several photos and matching bounty posters spread across her desk.
Since it was Crocodile's order, she had no choice but to comply.
She sorted the targets from weakest to strongest.
[Dead or Alive]
[Cat Burglar — Nami]
Bounty: 100,000 Beli
The poster showed a beautiful young woman staring fearfully into the camera — fragile, almost pitiful.
An insultingly low bounty and laughably weak strength. If not for that pretty face, no one would have bothered recruiting her.
Robin made her judgment coldly.
Next was another woman, with gentle eyes and a calm, beautiful face —"Flame Queen" Nojiko.
That wasn't her official bounty title — it was what survivors called her.
The Queen who brings destruction through fire's blessing.
Baroque Works' overseas funding base — Payne Island — had been wiped out by this "Flame Queen." Other destroyed outposts had also reported sightings of her fiery wrath.
Bounty hunters who once hunted pirates worth millions fell before her flames.
"A powerful Devil Fruit user… Send Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine after her."
Robin turned to the next photo — a sultry woman with a defiant smirk.
[Capture Alive]
[Big Eater — Jewelry Bonney]
Bounty: 21,100,000 Beli
"Even the Marines want her captured alive? Looks like trouble. Send Mr. 4 and his partner. As long as they don't kill her, it should be fine."
Having lived in darkness for years, Robin's intuition was razor sharp.Sensing something suspicious about Bonney's background, she didn't issue a kill order — only to subdue and restrain.
Mr. 4's partner, the old woman Dorothy, had a bounty of only 14 million, but the true powerhouse was Mr. 4 himself and his Devil Fruit-eating dog. That should be enough to handle Bonney.
Her underlings' crews could be left to the Billion Agents.
Then came a photo of a green-haired swordsman —cold eyes, three swords at his waist, a green haramaki around his midsection.
[Dead or Alive]
[Pirate Hunter — Roronoa Zoro]
Bounty: 3,000,000 Beli
The amount was severely underestimated — not inflated.
A swordsman capable of capturing pirates worth millions was no ordinary hunter.Baroque Works had even tried to recruit him once, but it hadn't ended well.
Realistically, he should've been worth at least ten million.
Even among Baroque Works' senior agents, only those above Mr. 3 could take him head-on.
Underground rumors claimed this man once crossed paths with Dracule Mihawk himself.
During an investigation into that event —the Red-Hair Incident, where Mihawk's clash with the Marines marked a major shift —some concluded it hadn't been a real fight with the Navy,but something suppressed from above… and caused by Red-Haired Shanks himself.
Robin, while reviewing the report before submitting it to Crocodile, had noticed something interesting —it mentioned a talented swordsman who once challenged Mihawk and survived.Green hair. Three swords. Green sash.
It could only be Roronoa Zoro.
"To be safe, assign Mr. 1."
Robin tapped her lacquered desk with her fingertips, sealing the decision.
And finally — the one she dreaded the most.
[Dead or Alive]
[Fiend God — Ren]
Bounty: 4,000,000 Beli
"I really don't know what the Marines were thinking — first setting his bounty at 100 Beli,then raising it to only four million."
"Sure, after the Red-Hair Incident, they couldn't exactly announce that he survived —fearing the Yonko might invade East Blue again. But four million for someone who fought a Yonko? That's laughable."
Robin smirked, resting her chin on her hand as she studied his youthful face.
Fiend God Ren —a man who seemed harmless at first glance, yet terrified anyone who truly understood him.
The one responsible for the Red-Hair Uprising, whose actions had driven a Yonko to storm Paradise, break through Marine blockades, and reach Loguetown in East Blue.
Such a feat was unheard of in the Great Pirate Era.
And worse —he survived.
No matter what tricks he used, he'd lived through a battle with Red-Haired Shanks. Now he was casually destroying Baroque Works outposts.
A Yonko-class opponent…and he lived.
Robin knew Crocodile's strength well — powerful enough to destroy an entire kingdom. The great drought of Alabasta existed because Crocodile's Suna Suna no Mi drained the air's moisture,preventing rain and dooming the land to a slow death.
That was why he was worthy of being one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
But a Yonko stood far above even that.
Working under Crocodile, Robin had gradually understood why he sought the Ancient Weapons —because he'd once fought a Yonko and lost his spirit. Now he wanted power to surpass them.
Yet Ren, who survived a Yonko's wrath, was worth far more than 4 million Beli. In Robin's mind, even 100 million wouldn't be excessive.
So, from the start, she intended to make Crocodile take him seriously —to send everything, crush the enemy completely.
But Crocodile was too arrogant.Even faced with a man who'd fought a Yonko and lived, he couldn't care less. To him, Ren was less important than the fame he'd gain from defeating another batch of pirates.
How did I end up with a boss like this…?
Robin sighed. Still, Crocodile was the only one who could protect her.
As the Devil Child — the sole survivor of Ohara —she was worth 79 million Beli and hunted across the world. Only a Warlord of the Sea could shelter her now.
I'll just endure it for now. Until I find Alabasta's Poneglyph, I'll cooperate.
She resolved herself and began mobilizing the counter-operation.
Full assault.
Every high-ranking Baroque Works agent — every Billion agent stationed abroad —was ordered to intercept the enemy along their route and destroy them completely.
As an added measure, she would personally oversee the operation.As long as she didn't stray too far from Alabasta, Crocodile wouldn't suspect betrayal.
Of course…Robin didn't realize that her "decision" was precisely what someone had intended all along.
Ren's gaze pierced through time itself — he already foresaw this moment.
Information was everything.
And to Ren, the intelligence of Baroque Works — even that of Robin and Crocodile —was as transparent as glass.
He only needed to prepare insurance against unexpected variables…and then he could unleash his boldest strategy.
That insurance was — the Enlightenment.
(End of Chapter)