Chapter 16

Just a short time after he got comfortable, Crocodile finally appeared. He had King Cobra held in his arm while Nico Robin stood next to him. He came to the palace because he thought the Poneglyph would be there. Crocodile did not look pleased, far from it. He stared down at the relaxing Markus with pure hatred. Nico Robin stood next to Crocodile with a small smile on her face. Nothing was going as planned but if Markus kept his promise then it didn't matter to her.

Crocodile growled down at Markus, "What the hell is going on here?!"

Markus looked up at Crocodile with a smile, "The complete destruction of your plans of course. No war, no taking over the kingdom, no utopia, no Pluton."

Crocodile's eyes widened in shock. Markus smirked before he vanished from sight moving too fast for anyone to follow. With a 30% bonus from 'The Power of Friendship' and the 660% from his footwork, Markus was moving at a speed of over 1,400 Agility. When he reappeared, Markus grabbed Crocodile's wrist with his Armament Haki coated hand and squeezed until there were cracking sounds.

To say Crocodile was caught by surprise would be an understatement. He was aware of Haki, he wasn't an idiot. It just shouldn't have been available to anyone below the rank of vice admiral before the second half of the Grand Line. He was shocked for the same reasons Smoker was previously. While Crocodile was still in shock, Markus used his improved strength to quickly yank Crocodile's arm behind his back and put him in an arm lock.

There was another loud crack from Crocodile's arm as Markus wasn't the least bit gentle in his actions. As Crocodile yelled in pain, Markus pulled something very useful out of his inventory and snapped it around Crocodile's wrist. Immediately, Crocodile lost all of his strength as the Seastone handcuff locked in place. Markus was proud of himself for thinking to rob the marine ship and steal everything in sight. While Crocodile was weakened and still confused, Markus grabbed his other wrist and locked it in the cuffs locking both arms behind his back and rendering him weak and powerless.

By the time anyone realized what was going on, Markus had Crocodile firmly locked in the Seastone handcuffs and pinned to the ground by sitting on his back. He could have fought Crocodile and had an epic showdown where only one man remained standing but... why? He could farm Crocodile for experience in his Image Training and he had the tools in hand to put Crocodile down instantly. So, he did. Robin looked at Markus in shock, "When... how... what?!"

Markus looked at Robin and laughed, "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise to you."

Crocodile growled from his position underneath Markus's ass, "What is going on?! RELEASE ME! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!"

Markus coated his fist in Haki before slamming it viciously into the back of Crocodile's head and knocking him out cold. With the Seastone draining all of his strength he had no defense at all against the strong blow. Markus left Crocodile laying on the ground with his eyes blank while he moved over to check on Cobra, Vivi's father. He had some minor wounds but nothing serious. Nodding in satisfaction he made the man comfortable before sitting back on Crocodile and turning back to Robin, "So, did you help my captain out?"

Robin dumbly nodded her head, "Yeah... I pulled him out of the sand and left him with Pell, one of the head guards."

Markus smiled brightly at her, "Good, you kept up your end of the bargain."

Before he could say anything else Vivi, Koza, and Chaka came running into the courtyard with a bunch of royal guards in tow. They all came to a stop and were shocked when they saw Markus sitting on top of Crocodile with the feared warlord out cold. Markus looked down and waved at Vivi, "Hey princess! I got the bad guy."

Markus grabbed Crocodile by his hair and lifted his head up for everyone to see. At that moment King Cobra woke up and looked around confused, "Wha...?"

Vivi immediately screamed, "FATHER!"

While Cobra and Vivi hugged, cried, and apologized to each other for being equally useless, Markus turned his attention to Robin. He decided to test her a bit and see if she would hide anything from him, "So, Crocodile is defeated, is there anything else we need to know about?"

Robin looked conflicted for a moment. Markus knew about the cannon and the bomb it was meant to fire into the central square. It was her last bargaining chip, giving it up meant she would be putting her chance to read the Poneglyph solely in Markus's hands. She thought for a moment before she answered, "Crocodile hid a bomb somewhere in the city. It's set to go off at 4:30. But I don't know where it is, he never told me."

Markus nodded and let his vision move around to look at the city. He spotted a tall clocktower in the distance, that's where the cannon and the bomb were hidden. He called down to break up the 'happy' reunion between Vivi and Koza, "Hey you two! There's giant a bomb hidden somewhere in the city. Get both of your armies to work together to find it! Anyone who attacks or fights someone else should be considered a member of Baroque Works and dealt with!"

Everyone looked at Markus in shock but their shock turned to anger when they saw Robin standing next to him. Vivi shouted, "That woman! She killed Igaram!"

Markus waved his hand dismissively, "That's not the issue you should be worried about right now. We need to find and deal with that bomb!"

Vivi started to argue, "But!"

At that moment an ungodly loud voice shouted, "CROCODILE!!!!"

Everyone looked up to see Luffy riding on the back of Pell with a large barrel on his back. Markus smirked at the sight. Pell and Luffy landed in the courtyard where Luffy leaped off of his back and shouted, "CROCODILE! COME OUT SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASS!"

Markus looked over at Luffy while patting the back of Crocodile's head, "Luffy, he's right here."

Luffy, still looking angry and ready to fight, looked over at Markus and froze when he saw and unconscious Crocodile acting as a chair for Markus. At the same time, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, and Chopper all arrived at the courtyard to see the same thing. Everyone's jaws dropped at the sight before them. No one knew how to react seeing Crocodile already taken care of. Everyone except Luffy, he started screaming, "AH! Markus! You stole the boss again! I wanted to beat him up! I even figured out his weakness!!"

Markus looked at Luffy and shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry Captain but you weren't here and I couldn't just let him rampage around and do whatever he wanted while waiting for you. We're here to save Alabasta, not let Crocodile destroy the place. Besides, I already let you fight him once and he still showed up." Markus narrowed his eyes at Luffy, "Double training for you!"

Luffy shuddered violently at what Markus said. Markus's training hurt like hell! Markus looked over at the group while Luffy shuddered in fear. They were in pretty bad shape. All of them had rough fights. Hell, Usopp was wrapped from head to toe in bandages. Zoro had nasty wounds on his chest yet again. Chopper and Sanji looked to be in decent shape though they were roughed up. Nami's dress was torn and she had a few wounds, especially on her legs. Markus addressed everyone present, "Listen up! It's not over yet! Crocodile has hidden a huge bomb somewhere in the city and it's set to go off at 4:30! Find it! Stop it! Use both armies and stop anyone from fighting! Anyone who fights is a Baroque Works agent! Kick their asses!"

Markus stood up as everyone started moving and left to find the bomb, "King Nefertari, a moment please."

The king stopped to look at Markus, "I need a favor."

The king nodded, "Anything, you saved this country after all."

Markus thumbed at Nico Robin, "I really hate to ask but I promised her I would if she helped take down Crocodile. She kept her word so I need to keep mine. I need you to take us to the Poneglyph. She really wants to see it."

Robin's eyes widened as Markus made the request. Cobra looked at Markus for a few moments. It was only the three of them in the courtyard. Finally, he nodded, "I can do that."

Markus smiled brightly and stood up while grabbing Crocodile by the ankle to drag him along, "Thank you very much, your majesty."

He even gave a little bow to show some respect. Cobra nodded and started leading the two of them toward the secret entrance to the Poneglyph. Robin looked curiously at Markus as they walked. Eventually, she spoke, "I didn't expect you to keep your word."

Markus laughed a little, "If a man doesn't have his word then what is he worth?"

As they walked through the quiet streets of the city they came across a group of marines being led by Tashigi. This was the first time that Markus really had the chance to get a good long look at the woman that looked so much like Kuina. He honestly felt like Tashigi and Zoro would make a cute sword obsessed couple. Maybe he should stir the pot, just a bit. When Tashigi saw Markus her eyes widened. Not because she recognized him but because she recognized the unconscious body he was dragging, "Crocodile!"

Markus grinned brightly, "Oh! Marines! Excellent! I can get rid of this piece of trash!" He gripped Crocodile's leg tighter before throwing him in front of Tashigi, "That saves me a lot of work!"

As Tashigi looked down at the unconscious warlord, her eyes widened in shock. Yet a moment later they turned on Markus with suspicion, "Where did you get those Seastone handcuffs?!"

Markus coughed and didn't look directly at her, "Oh... I just found them lying around and thought they might be useful..." He reached in his 'pocket' and pulled out the key to them before tossing it over as well, "You might need that too."

Tashigi ignored the key and let it fall to the ground, "It was you! You're the one who stole everything off of our ship! Give it back! Give me back my clothes!"

Markus coughed into his hand, "I really don't know what you're talking about." He quickly tried to change the subject, "But you're exactly like Zoro described. Do you know why he can't handle being around you and always talks about your face?"

Tashigi looked confused by the sudden change of topic, "Wha?"

Markus continued unheeded, "You see. A long time ago when he was just a kid he trained at a dojo." As Markus started the story he walked toward Tashigi while gesturing behind his back for the king and Robin to continue on ahead, "At the dojo, there was a girl named Kuina. She was his biggest rival. In every match they had, he lost to her." Tashigi looked enthralled by the story of a woman always beating a man, nevermind that they were just kids, "Sadly, tragedy struck one day. Kuina fell down some stairs and died." There were tears in Tashigi's eyes as he continued, "To this day, Zoro carries her sword with him as a remembrance, the Wado Ichimonji. It's why he can never give that sword up, it's the last piece of her that he has." Not only Tashigi, but every marine with her was caught up in the story with tears in their eyes while Robin and the King disappeared. Markus finished, "You, Tashigi, are the spitting image of Kuina and when Zoro sees you it's like he's seeing the friend and rival he lost all those years ago. It's why he always says something about your face. He's boorish and an idiot but he doesn't mean any harm by it."

Some marines were bawling their eyes out while others wiped at their tears to pretend they weren't crying. Markus smiled softly at Tashigi, "He's a good man and is only trying to fulfill the childhood dream he shared with Kuina. He wants to be the world's greatest swordsman not just for himself but to fulfill her dream as well. Remember that the next time he says something stupid."

Tashigi was so caught up in what Markus was saying that she nodded her head. When she looked up again, Markus was gone. He'd left the moment she broke eye contact with him and caught up with Robin and the King. He smiled brightly at both of them as he heard screams from enraged marines wondering where he'd vanished to, "Sorry about that. I really didn't want to fight and hurt people who are just doing their jobs."

Cobra nodded and showed a look of appreciation, "Thank you."

Markus waved it off, "It's really not a problem. The World Government might call me and the rest of the crew pirates and hell our Captain is always talking about becoming King of the Pirates, but I think we're more like adventurer's who just do what we want to do and damn the consequences! After all, what kind of pirates rescue a princess and save her country?"

Cobra looked serious for a moment before he smiled, "I suppose that's true! Ah, we're here."

While chatting they had arrived at an old mausoleum. Cobra made his way over to a block of stone that looked decorative and pushed against it. The stone moved and a secret staircase opened up, "This way."

Cobra led Markus and the silent Robin down into the area below. He was only doing so because Markus has saved his kingdom from Crocodile and he believed that no one could read the Poneglyph. After walking for just a bit they arrived at their destination. Robin's eyes brightened as she ran over to it and began studying it closely. Markus and Cobra watched her silently until it looked like she was done. Markus asked, "So, did it say what Crocodile expected it to say?"

Robin shook her head, "No."

Markus grinned brightly though he didn't miss the slight widening of Cobra's eyes when Robinn explained it was just the history of the island, "Well then it's a good thing that I already took him down. A thousand Belly says he would have tried to kill you the moment he found out."

Robin's eyes widened. The more she thought about what Markus said, the more sure she was that he was right. Hell, she had already been long prepared to fight against Crocodile if it ever came down to it. That was just the kind of man Crocodile was. Markus smiled at her, "The other half of my promise will need to wait, but I will keep it."

Robin looked at him for a moment and then nodded. Just as she did the whole area began to shake violently causing sand to fall from the ceiling. Markus looked up and sighed, "I guess they couldn't defuse the bomb. I hope they at least got it far away."

The three of them quickly made their way to the surface. As they did, Robin made her exit. Markus felt her leaving with his passive Observation Haki and did nothing to stop her. She'd catch up with him and the others later, he was certain of it. As Markus and the King stepped outside they were both relieved to see that the city was safe and sound. Markus briefly wondered if the bomb was dealt with in the same way as the canon story or if they'd come up with something else.

Markus and the King returned to the palace where everyone gathered together, including the previously 'dead' Igaram. When they arrived, Vivi looked devastated. Markus immediately knew what had happened, Pell had 'sacrificed' himself to take the bomb far enough away to protect the city. It was a miracle that he didn't die in the show. As she was crying on Chaka's arms, it was as if the heavens felt her pain. Rain started falling heavily over the city. Soon the streets were flooded with ex-rebels and the royal army as they celebrated the rain that miraculously covered the entire country.

The whole group entered the castle and soon everyone but Markus had passed out from their injuries. Cobra had his doctors treat their wounds and when they woke up they were well taken care of. Markus spent time with the crew and before long an entire day had passed. The palace guards kept the marines away denying any knowledge of the crew within their walls. Markus waited until the evening came around to approach Nami with a broad smile. He wore his normal clothing everyday clothing, his suits stored inside of his inventory for later use, "So, things have really calmed down a lot."

Nami looked at him and smiled, "Now we just need to wait for one more blockhead to wake up."

Markus laughed. Luffy might not have gotten the snot beaten out of him by Crocodile more than once, but that one fight had put a hole clean through his body. He needed a lot of rest and treatment to truly recover from such a terrible wound. Markus sat next to Nami, "So while we're waiting, how about we go on that date? I'm sure there's a nice restaurant somewhere around here."

Nami's cheeks immediately flushed red but she nodded her head in agreement. Though when she saw the smile on Markus's face she shoved him out of the room, "Get out! I need to get changed!"

Markus laughed at her pushy behavior but left the room so she could change. He looked around and found Igaram walking the halls. Markus flagged Igaram down and got a recommendation for a nice restaurant. Igaram had shown up in the central square shortly after the bomb had gone off. With no battle happening, his role in it had been nullified. Still, Vivi had been extremely happy to find out he was alive.

Markus found a comfortable spot to wait... and wait... and wait for over an hour. When she finally left the room he felt that the wait had been worth it! Nami was wearing an outfit similar to her dancer outfit, only far less revealing and with a more... royal air about it. She probably borrowed it from Vivi. He expected that very little time was used for dressing and more was spent on girl talk when he saw Vivi leave the room with a bright smile.

He stood and held his arm out for her to take, "Shall we go, princess?"

Vivi looked confused for a moment before Nami slipped her arm into his and the two of them left. Markus had only called Nami 'princess' once before but he was thinking of making it her nickname for when they were alone. He followed the directions Igaram had given him and led Nami to one of the most expensive places in Alubarna to eat. They had to walk through a veritable sea of people still celebrating the end of their troubles. Thanks to the war not happening at all, the restaurant was completely unscathed, like most of the city. The only real damage had been windows shattering and some minor damage here and there when Pell had taken the bomb into the sky.

As they sat down at a small table with an intimate setting, Nami milked Markus for all he was worth by ordering the most expensive food and drink on the menu. He just smiled and let her do as she pleased, even ordering some of the same items for himself. Once their orders were in and they were alone, Nami suddenly looked nervous and didn't seem to know what to say. Markus took the lead, "It seems like you all had quite the adventure out in the desert."

Markus's statement led to Nami talking all about their adventure through the desert. The people they met, the things they did. Her story lasted for the entire meal and just so happened to end when they finished dessert. Markus had barely been able to get a word in edgewise. Almost like she had planned it, she probably had but he didn't mind and let her have her way. As they were getting ready to leave, Markus pulled out the gift he'd gotten for her, a necklace with a thin golden chain and a delicate ruby surrounded by flower petals, "I got this for you back in Nanohana before we got separated. I hope you like it."

Markus moved behind Nami and draped the necklace around her neck while she blushed, "It's beautiful."

Together they returned to the castle arm in arm. When they arrived at the door to the room Nami was staying in with Vivi, Nami became incredibly nervous and clenched her hands tightly, "Thank you for dinner."

As he was about to say something, she darted in and gave him a quick kiss before fleeing into the room and slamming the door closed behind her. Markus just stood there grinning for a bit before he turned around and walked to the room he was sharing with the other guys. Before he knew it, two more days had passed and Luffy had finally woken up.