Crocodile narrowed his eyes briefly—then returned to his usual expression of contempt.
With a cigar clenched between his teeth, he sneered:
"Teach, that so-called Blackbeard… When I challenged Whitebeard back then, he was nothing more than an insignificant nobody. And now he dares to trespass on my territory?"
Crocodile had seen Blackbeard before.
Back then, Teach was merely a member of Whitebeard's Second Division—quiet, unremarkable, with no reputation to speak of.
Compared to Crocodile himself—who had already made a name by clashing with Douglas Bullet from Roger's crew in his early twenties—Teach had been utterly forgettable.
Because of this, Crocodile never once considered Blackbeard a threat.
His gaze swept over the executives of Baroque Works as he spoke casually:
"Which one of you will go and bring me the heads of the Blackbeard Pirates?"
He had no intention of meeting Blackbeard personally.
To him, sending subordinates was more than enough.
Mr. 3, Galdino, stepped forward.
"Leave it to me, Boss. I'll handle such trivial matters."
With that, he turned and walked out of the palace.
From her place, Nico Robin watched his departing figure.
A strange glint flashed through her dark blue eyes.
Unlike Crocodile—arrogant and overconfident—Robin was widely read and deeply knowledgeable.
She had once come across secret accounts concerning Blackbeard.
Those records claimed that Teach had consumed the Dark-Dark Fruit, the most vicious Logia-type Devil Fruit in existence.
They also mentioned that even before obtaining a Devil Fruit, Teach had managed to scar Red-Haired Shanks.
And most importantly—
He had hidden aboard Whitebeard's ship for decades.
A man with such patience, ambition, and ruthlessness was not someone Mr. 3 could deal with.
But Robin said nothing.
Her position as Miss All Sunday, second only to Crocodile, was merely a façade.
She was using Crocodile's status as a Warlord to evade the World Government.
Crocodile, in turn, was using her ability to read Poneglyphs.
Nothing more.
Their relationship was built on mutual exploitation.
And within that dynamic, Robin—far weaker than Crocodile—was firmly the controlled party.
There was no reason for her to warn him.
So she remained silent, choosing instead to observe how Blackbeard and Crocodile would collide.
Crocodile, unaware of her thoughts, continued interrogating Cobra.
At the same time—
Deep within the Alabasta desert, Roxing sensed an unsettling presence.
A heavy, oppressive aura—dark, sticky, and nauseating.
"This feeling… like vermin hiding in the shadows."
Roxing turned his gaze in that direction.
His eyes flickered slightly.
Though he hadn't seen anyone yet, he already knew who it was.
Judging by the timeline, that man had indeed been lurking in the first half of the Grand Line for some time.
The coincidence that they had arrived in Alabasta at the same moment amused him.
Roxing curled his lips faintly and began walking that way.
Jack and Who's-Who followed without question.
Soon, they reached a ruined town.
It was deserted—no civilians in sight.
Highly unusual.
But Roxing knew better.
The residents had likely gone to join the civil war between the royal army and the rebels.
At the center of the town stood several figures.
Five of them were clearly on the same side.
Opposite them stood a man with his hair styled into a large "3".
"You must be the Blackbeard Pirates," Mr. 3 said stiffly.
"The Boss ordered me to bring back your heads. Surrender quietly—or enjoy the pleasure of being turned into wax statues."
As the Wax-Wax Fruit user, Mr. 3 ranked just below Crocodile, Mr. 1, and Mr. 2 within Baroque Works.
In the first half of the Grand Line, he was considered a genuine powerhouse.
Unfortunately—
Crocodile's arrogance had led him to choose the wrong opponent.
"Zehahahaha!"
Blackbeard threw his head back and laughed, turning to Burgess and Lafitte.
"Look at this—some small fry actually talking back to me like that! Zehahaha! Seems my name still isn't loud enough!"
Burgess cracked his knuckles, grinning viciously.
"Captain, let me take him."
"No," Blackbeard waved a hand lazily. "Don't kill him. Leave him alive."
"Let him go back and tell that sand crocodile—Blackbeard isn't someone to underestimate."
"Got it, Captain!"
Burgess charged forward.
Mr. 3 froze.
The sheer confidence of these people stunned him.
They didn't even care about Crocodile?
Before he could react, Burgess was already upon him.
Panicking, Mr. 3 hastily formed a wax shield.
Useless.
Burgess shattered it with a single punch.
Mr. 3 was sent flying, heavily injured, all confidence gone.
"Go report back, you insignificant trash," Burgess laughed.
Mr. 3 scrambled away in terror.
With this display, Blackbeard's crew marched openly toward Alabasta's capital.
From afar, Roxing observed everything.
Just as he suspected—
That oppressive darkness came from Blackbeard himself.
Jack rumbled:
"Should I kill them, Young Master?"
Since leaving Wano, Jack had only plugged a volcano with his body.
He was itching for a real fight.
Roxing shook his head.
"No. Not yet."
"That Blackbeard still has his uses."
The Summit War was a key part of Roxing's long-term plan.
And Blackbeard was an indispensable catalyst.
Roxing had no fondness for Teach—but this was not the time to kill him.
"Follow them. Let's see what they want in Alabasta."
Roxing was curious.
In the original timeline, Blackbeard had never truly entered Alabasta.
Yet now, his destination was unmistakably the capital—
Crocodile's stronghold.
Was Teach here for Pluton?
Or for Crocodile's Warlord seat?
If it was the former, Roxing would kill him immediately.
He would never allow Blackbeard to obtain an Ancient Weapon.
But if it was the latter—
Then Roxing was more than happy to watch.
After all—
When the mantis stalks the cicada,
the sparrow waits behind.
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