Half a day later...
The crew had officially split up.
Ray, Luffy, and the two "tools" (Mikita and Gem) were making a beeline for Crocodile's hideout.
Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, and Nami, all riding on the back of the giant demon-Chouchou, were speeding off to find Sanji and Vivi.
…
Ray knew Crocodile was holed up in Rainbase, the "Dream City."
Relying on his perfect sense of direction, he took the lead.
Mikita and Gem, having sworn up and down not to cause trouble, were allowed to follow.
They figured even if they were weak, they could at least handle any minor threats for him.
Ray still didn't trust them, but he wasn't about to lose his useful training tools, so he agreed.
Ace had also decided to tag along with Luffy's group for a bit.
He didn't care about Alabasta's problems, but he wanted to spend one more day with his brother before heading off to hunt Blackbeard.
Ray wasn't worried about the other team.
With Chouchou's enhanced demon-dog nose, tracking two humans and a duck was easy.
That dog was basically a small satellite with a 15-kilometer olfactory range.
Ray had already given him clear instructions for when they found Vivi.
…
Half a day earlier, in Rainbase...
Crocodile was already assigning tasks to his top agents: Mr. 1, Miss Doublefinger, Mr. 4, and Miss Merry Christmas. Bon Clay (Mr. 2) joined the meeting via Den Den Mushi.
The plan was simple: Mr. 2 would kidnap the king and, disguised as him, "negotiate" with the rebel leader, Koza... at which point he would assassinate Koza.
The other four agents would infiltrate both sides to cause chaos and make sure the war definitely happened.
As for Crocodile himself?
"Hehehe," he sneered to himself, "Ray, Strawhat... how could you possibly win?"
…
Out on the desert sands...
Ray, Luffy, Ace, and the "tools" were walking towards Rainbase.
(Why walk? One, they had three days before the negotiations. Two, Ray sensed something was off.)
'Why would Smoker dare to show up in Alabasta?' Ray wondered. 'After Loguetown, he knows he can't beat us. He's reckless, but not that stupid. He must have backup. Someone strong. But not an Admiral... the Marines want us to fight a Warlord, not get wiped out. And Garp was there...'
Ray had pretty much figured it out.
'Momousagi is still hurt. It has to be that other lecherous Admiral Candidate, Chaton Tokikake.'
"Tch. What a pain."
Luffy, busy starving, didn't react.
But Ace heard him. "Ray? You think of something?"
"I probably won't be able to protect Luffy during the first part of the next fight," Ray said simply.
Ace, being sharp, immediately got it. "In that case, I'll stay a couple more days."
Ray actually felt a little concerned.
With Ace here, Luffy would be safe, and Ace might even avoid his fate with Blackbeard.
But... would that be good for Luffy? Luffy needed to experience pain and loss to grow.
If Ray just solved all his problems...
But he was overthinking.
Luffy immediately shut Ace down. "Ace, don't you have things you need to do? Go do them! I'm strong now, don't worry about me!"
Ace just smiled, relieved. "That's so like you, Luffy."
Ray also blamed himself for worrying.
'When did I get so soft? A mere Vice Admiral shouldn't make me lose confidence.'
The calm, invincible belief returned to his eyes.
Ace sensed the change and genuinely smiled.
He trusted Ray now.
…
Almost simultaneously, on the eastern side of Alabasta...
Vivi and Karoo were speeding through the desert when they spotted a rebel army of 20,000 men.
She signaled Karoo to slow down and hide.
But suddenly, the desert beneath the army began to move.
A massive quicksand pit opened up, and all 20,000 soldiers fell in.
Hiding behind a dune, Vivi saw a figure watching. Her eyes widened in terror.
"Crocodile!"
A moment later, the figure dissolved into sand and vanished.
At the same time, nine other 20,00-strong rebel units across the country suffered the exact same fate, each one "witnessed" by a sand-clone of Crocodile.
…
Another day later...
Ray decided to speed things up.
He'd spent the morning flying, using his tail to drag Luffy and the two tools along.
(Ace had already left after giving Luffy a Vivre Card).
He was done overthinking.
Even if he used up his Demonic Power, he could get it back.
As noon approached, a lush green city with golden buildings appeared in the desert: Rainbase.
Ray landed outside the gates.
He glanced at Luffy. "Go ahead and eat your fill. I'll catch up later."
With a roar, Luffy shot off towards the food.
"Ray-sama," Mikita asked, "why are we stopping here?"
Ray just snorted. "Waiting for someone."
He then called out to the empty air.
"Come on out, Tokikake."
"Oh? You actually noticed me. Is that Observation Haki?" a lazy, lecherous voice drawled.
Following the sound, a middle-aged man in a brown headscarf, brown coat, and turban emerged, a cigarette dangling from his lips and his hands stuffed in his pockets.
"You know who I am?"
Ray turned to face him. "The Marine Admiral Candidate, Tokikake," he replied calmly.
"I've heard a thing or two."
Hearing this, Mikita and Gem, who were standing nearby, completely freaked out.
They immediately jumped into combat stances.
"A Marine Vice Admiral?! That high up?! What's he doing in Alabasta?!" Gem was trembling, and Mikita looked terrified.
"Ray-sama, what do we do?"
Ray glanced at them with a flicker of approval in his eyes.
Their first reaction wasn't to run, but to stand with him.
'Looks like they've truly pledged their loyalty.'
"Go find Luffy," he told them. "Staying here will only cause trouble."
Mikita immediately protested. "We could at least die before you do!"
Gem, however, was smarter.
He realized Ray's attitude had softened.
If they stayed, Ray would have to waste energy protecting them, holding him back.
"Mikita, don't hold him back," he said, grabbing her arm. "Ray-sama, be careful!"
With that, Gem dragged the reluctant Mikita away towards Rainbase.
Tokikake watched them go, surprised. "As a pirate, you prioritized protecting your subordinates? That's... weird."
Ray didn't answer.
He didn't really see them as his people yet, just... useful.
But he also knew they wouldn't hurt Luffy.
And, though he'd hate to admit it, hearing them call him "Ray-sama" constantly had... grown on him.
He sent them away because he felt like it.
That was his reason.
"Tokikake," Ray said, his Haki and demonic energy starting to stir, "are you here to fight me?"
Seeing Ray power up, Tokikake immediately waved his hands.
"No, no, no! For now, I'm just here to check on the situation. I haven't gotten any orders to capture you... yet."
That arrogant tone annoyed Ray.
'Yet? Like you could just capture me whenever you wanted?'
"You're quite confident," Ray said, his voice dropping.
"Naturally!"
"Then let's give it a try."
Tokikake sighed.
'Oops, provoked him.'
Oh well, might as well test his strength.
"Then let's give it a try!"
The moment the words were spoken, both figures flickered and collided.
They both threw a right punch.
The impact, without even making contact, sent a shockwave through the air, kicking up a 20-meter dust devil.
After the simple clash, both men retreated.
Ray's expression was slightly grave.
'I used Flowing Haki and Demonic Power, and he blocked it that easily?'
Across from him, Tokikake was frowning too.
His "effortless" block had actually been near his full strength.
'And Ray's expression is still completely calm? Impressive Haki for a kid... and that weird power... a Devil Fruit?'
Tokikake tried to look like a wise master, hoping to see some fear in Ray's eyes.
He was disappointed.
Ray just snorted, his face was blank.
They both stood there, trying to figure out how much power the other was hiding.
In the end, neither moved.
Ray didn't want to cause a huge scene and scare Crocodile off, and Tokikake had the same thought.
His mission was to figure out Crocodile's real plan, not get into a flashy fight that would make him run.
(They both had no idea Crocodile was in his casino, completely underestimating both of them.)
Their brief clash had been a stalemate.
They decided to call it a draw... for now.
"Truly formidable," Tokikake conceded first. "No wonder you could defeat my beloved Gion."
"Hmph."
With that, Ray turned and started walking towards Rain Dinners.
Unexpectedly, Tokikake just fell into step beside him.
"Don't be in such a hurry! Let's chat. What have you found out about this old kingdom?"
Ray just glanced at him and kept walking.
Tokikake, completely unbothered, just kept walking and talking alongside him.
And so, the two immense powerhouses strode side-by-side into Alabasta's city of dreams.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Rain Dinners casino...
Crocodile sensed the info from his sand clone and smirked.
'Two hundred thousand rebels, all in the sand trap. The plan is halfway done. The "peace talks" should start tomorrow afternoon.'
He casually stubbed out his cigar.
"Miss All Sunday," he ordered, "inform Mr. 2. He must kidnap King Cobra by tonight."
Robin nodded and went to the Den Den Mushi.
Crocodile was already fantasizing about his victory: he, Crocodile, would "save" Alabasta, the people would hail him as a hero, he'd take the throne, find Pluton, and conquer the world.
'And if the World Government revokes my Warlord status? So what? With a national army and an Ancient Weapon, they can't touch me. Whitebeard? Kaido? Ants. Hahaha!'
As he laughed, Robin, her back to him, clenched her fists.
'I won't let a villain like you get the Ancient Weapons.'
She had just activated her power and, in a brief flash, saw Ray and Tokikake walking towards the casino together.
'The "Cold Prince"? How fitting.'
A small, captivating smile touched her lips.
'Hmm, interesting. They're not fighting.'