Chapter 12

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Dodge! Speed up and shake off those Marines!"

A bearded man in a tattered captain's hat stood at the bow of his pirate ship, roaring furiously.

Earlier, his idiotic subordinates had jeered him into launching a sneak attack on a nearby Marine warship.

But the moment they entered range, the Marines fired first—directly hitting their hull with brutal precision.

They were a crew of upstarts from West Blue, freshly arrived on the Grand Line, dreaming of making a name for themselves in the New World.

They never imagined they'd stumble across a warship helmed by a monster like Luo Ye.

In West Blue, Marines were barely a threat—they were corrupt or weak. But reality had struck with cannonfire.

Their luck? Absolutely rotten.

Of all the warships in the Grand Line, they had to pick a fight with his.

"SINK THEM! These fools dared to fire on us! What a joke," barked the adjutant, eyes cold as he relayed orders to the gunners.

In his eyes, pirates like these didn't even deserve Luo Ye's attention.

Their fate was sealed by mere seamen on deck.

Back at Marine HQ, protocol required authorization to execute pirates.

But ever since they'd deployed to East Blue under Luo Ye, such courtesy had been tossed overboard.

Perhaps the adjutant himself hadn't realized how much he had changed.

"Admiral, we're running low on supplies. Shall we dock somewhere to restock?"

The adjutant stood beside Luo Ye, his voice calm but worn.

They'd been in near-daily combat lately—wiping out pirate groups, collecting bounties, and rallying morale.

They'd restocked in Loguetown not long ago, but the battles had drained them again.

Still, victories had brought treasure and sharpened the marines' edge.

Luo Ye let out a short laugh. Even he hadn't expected so many pirates swarming the Grand Line like roaches.

But lack of supplies was a serious issue.

"Got a place in mind?" Luo Ye asked, folding his arms.

The adjutant chuckled. "Can't hide anything from you. There's a World Government country nearby—Alabasta. We can replenish there."

Alabasta? Luo Ye's eyes narrowed.

If the timeline matched the manga, then Crocodile—Warlord of the Sea and president of Baroque Works—would already have his claws sunk deep into the desert kingdom.

Crocodile's plan had always been ambitious: use his false hero status to seize Alabasta, unlock the Poneglyph hidden beneath the royal palace, and claim the Ancient Weapon Pluton.

Recruiting Nico Robin—the Devil's Child—into Baroque Works was part of that plan.

And with the power of the Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit), Crocodile had the ability to plunge an entire nation into ruin.

Well, if fate aligned them, so be it.

In canon, Luffy had defeated Crocodile through sheer grit, luck, and protagonist firepower.

But as a former Warlord, Crocodile was strong. A worthy challenge.

As for the Marine rule not to engage Warlords without orders? Luo Ye couldn't care less.

If Sengoku knew what Crocodile was plotting, he'd support Luo Ye's interference—not reprimand it.

Luo Ye didn't bring his marines. They were strong against average pirates—but against a Warlord like Crocodile?

It would be suicide.

Inside the lavish Royal Palace of Alabasta, Luo Ye marveled at the decorations.

The country was quietly rotting from within, but the palace was still drenched in luxury.

"Royalty really knows how to enjoy themselves," he muttered.

After winding through empty corridors, he entered the main hall—where King Cobra sat, tense and suspicious.

"Hello, Nefertari Cobra."

The sudden appearance of the young man startled Cobra.

There were guards posted throughout the palace—how had this man slipped in so easily?

Could he be an agent of Baroque Works?

"Who are you?! How did you get in? What did you do to the guards outside?"

Luo Ye almost laughed. Cobra was rattled, clearly on edge from the Baroque infiltration.

He had purposefully bypassed the guards—less noise meant fewer complications.

"My name is Luo Ye. Marine Headquarters' newest Admiral—codename Silver Eagle."

Cobra stared. The new Admiral? This boy?

He'd heard of a new Admiral being appointed, but he imagined someone seasoned—like Akainu, Aokiji, or Kizaru.

Not a man this young.

And what was an Admiral doing in the first half of the Grand Line instead of fighting in the New World?

Luo Ye could sense the skepticism.

He didn't care.

"I'm not here to win your trust. Verify my rank however you like. My purpose is clear:

I'm here to eliminate the chaos in Alabasta."

Cobra's eyes widened. Finally, someone spoke the truth plainly.

Luo Ye continued: "The Baroque Works you're worried about? Their leader is none other than Crocodile—one of the current Seven Warlords of the Sea."

He paused.

"The drought, the unrest, the rebellion? It's all his doing."