The existence of the Soul-Shield Membrane was indeed one of the main reasons Alubarna had managed to endure the Cartel's attacks until now.
However, forming the Soul-Shield Membrane required the special energy contained within the killing-aura stones. Every use consumed some of that energy. In other words, if the membrane remained active continuously, the energy within the stones would be completely exhausted before long.
When that happened, Alubarna would have no defenses left. Even with the help of Crocodile, the Warlord of the Sea, Alubarna would inevitably be breached.
But Cobra had no way to replenish the killing-aura stones. The stones had been brought out of the Shinigami's Mausoleum, and the mausoleum was located in Yuba, extremely far from Alubarna.
A river divided the entire territory of Alabasta into eastern and western halves. Alubarna lay in the northeast, while Yuba was toward the southwest. The two places could be said to be worlds apart.
Under the current circumstances, Cobra could not possibly travel to Yuba. Moreover, ever since the battle with the Demon Lord Aatrox, the Shinigami's Mausoleum had vanished from public knowledge. Apart from the Nefertari family, which had signed a contract with the Shinigami, no one could enter that inverted pyramid anymore.
"I could break out, but unfortunately, I can't get into the Shinigami's Mausoleum." Crocodile sighed.
Cobra also shook his head in despair. He had been the one to tell Crocodile about the Shinigami's Mausoleum. There was nothing else he could do. Someone was helping defend your city; you could hardly keep the defensive mechanism of the Soul-Shield Membrane secret from him, could you?
Once he had explained the Soul-Shield Membrane, he inevitably had to mention the Shinigami as well. Thus, although this was an unspoken secret of the Nefertari family, under the current circumstances, he could only reveal it to give those supporting him confidence.
Looking at Cobra, Crocodile showed no change on the surface, but his eyes grew increasingly cold. He looked at the wreckage of the planes that had fallen into the city and said, "It probably won't be long before the Cartel launches its next attack. I'm going to rest for a while."
Cobra nodded. "You've worked hard."
The Sand Crocodile of the Seven Warlords of the Sea had indeed rendered great service in defending Alubarna. He had repelled the Cartel's attacks time and again. If not for that, Cobra would never have revealed the contract between the Nefertari family and the Shinigami.
Crocodile had been fighting on the front line from last night until now. It was indeed time for him to rest, although...
Every time Crocodile rested, the Cartel seized the opportunity to launch a massive assault, leaving Alubarna in grave danger.
But that only demonstrated how important Crocodile had become to Alubarna.
Crocodile returned to his residence, an underground space beneath the royal palace. In Alubarna as it currently stood, buildings above ground were no longer safe. Only underground could one barely guarantee that a sudden falling bomb would not kill them.
"Why are you back so early today?"
After Crocodile opened the door, he found that the room was not empty. A woman was inside—a woman dressed in black. She sat on the bed with her right leg crossed over her left, leisurely reading a book.
When she heard the noise, she did not even turn her head. Continuing to read, she said, "It seems you still haven't crossed that foolish old king's bottom line."
"He won't last much longer." After entering, Crocodile sat down on the sofa. He smoked his cigar and spoke coldly. "That kid named Koza inside the Cartel is almost unable to hold back. He will definitely launch an all-out attack on Alubarna. I refuse to believe that Cobra won't use the Shinigami's power even after being driven into a corner."
Yes, Crocodile had no interest in helping the Nefertari family defend Alubarna. He had no reason to help them protect their royal authority. Even though he was a Warlord of the Sea who cooperated with the World Government, he was a pirate first and foremost.
As a pirate, why would Crocodile suddenly develop a fit of kindness and help Alabasta fight the Cartel?
Of course he had his own objective!
Crocodile had obtained some information by chance. It said that the Nefertari family had signed a contract with the Shinigami, and that Roger and the World Government had chosen Alabasta as their battlefield back then precisely because they wanted to borrow the Shinigami's power.
Anyone who entered the Shinigami's Mausoleum had a chance of gaining the Shinigami's recognition and receiving power bestowed by the Shinigami!
Roger had once been able to fight Aatrox precisely because he had received the Shinigami's blessing.
However, entering the Shinigami's Mausoleum required guidance from a member of the Nefertari family, which had signed a contract with the Shinigami. Crocodile had therefore set his sights on Cobra. Once he forced Cobra into a desperate situation, Cobra would certainly seek the Shinigami's power. At that point, Crocodile could naturally enter the Shinigami's Mausoleum together with him and obtain the Shinigami's power.
Even setting aside the Shinigami's power, the Demon Lord Aatrox sealed inside would surely want to see daylight again. With a little negotiation, Crocodile could obtain even greater power from them.
The Sand Crocodile was desperately hungry for power, and there was a reason for that.
When he first set out to sea, Roger was not yet the Pirate King. Crocodile had been fortunate enough to eat the Logia Sand-Sand Fruit. At the time, he had become excessively swollen with pride because of his natural power. But before that man—
No, before that demon, he had been defeated utterly!
Even today, he still remembered it clearly.
At the time, the Black Order had issued a notice that a terrifying demon imprisoned on Pandora Island had broken out of its cell and entered the seas of the New World. Sir Crocodile encountered that demon at sea—the demon named Barrett.
There was no doubt that he had lost, and he had lost miserably. The demonic man had laughed ferociously, opened his cavernous mouth, and torn into Crocodile's flesh. Crocodile had never felt so close to death, nor had he ever imagined a death so painful.
At that moment, Crocodile had nearly collapsed. He had almost watched helplessly as Barrett devoured him.
But in the end, he had been lucky. Just as Barrett was about to swallow him alive, Makima, the leader of the Black Order, arrived.
He still remembered that scene. The woman who had descended before him like a goddess possessed a bold, heroic bearing that deeply intoxicated Crocodile. More important was her power.
Faced with the demon who had defeated Crocodile with ease, Makima suppressed him effortlessly. Her seemingly immortal vitality in particular had left a deep mark on Crocodile's heart.
The battle between Makima and Barrett soon vanished from his sight. Makima did not come after him later, either, because he was a pirate, not a demon, and the Black Order had no obligation to help the Marines capture pirates.
Crocodile fled in a miserable state. From that moment onward, his desire for power had been deeply planted in his soul.
Later, he challenged powerful figures on the sea many times. Even Whitebeard, one of the emperors of the sea, had faced his challenge. Crocodile had only wanted to test his current strength step by step.
After losing to Whitebeard as well, Crocodile believed that he had reached a bottleneck. It would be difficult to advance any further through his own strength alone.
He therefore set his sights on external power—demons, for example, or perhaps...
The Shinigami!
There were quite a few people in this world who had obtained demonic power. Even fragments of the Shikon Jewel could be considered a form of demonic power. The nameless man aboard Roger's ship and the superpowered individuals of the World Government had also obtained demonic power.
But in the current world, Roger was the only person who had ever obtained the Shinigami's power. It was precisely by relying on that power that he had successfully cooperated with the World Government to seal Aatrox.
As long as he entered the Shinigami's Mausoleum...
As long as Cobra took him there, Crocodile would be able to obtain even greater power.
Whether it was the Shinigami or a demon...
He would gladly accept either one!
"Didn't you capture the princess of this country?" The woman looked into Crocodile's eyes and gave a light laugh. "With your abilities, controlling the princess shouldn't be difficult, should it?"
"She knows nothing." Crocodile took another puff of his cigar. "After Roger's battle with Aatrox, the Shinigami's Mausoleum vanished from public knowledge in this country. Only Cobra knows its location anywhere in Alabasta. Even his daughter knows nothing about it."
"So that means the princess is useless now?" The woman raised an eyebrow. She understood the Cartel very well. Once Princess Vivi no longer served a purpose, she could completely imagine what kind of treatment she would receive.
Those people already hated nobles and aristocrats. If a captured princess fell into their hands...
"It hasn't come to that." Crocodile sneered. "I've already had her sent to the Skyveil Behemoth. When she returns, she'll be one of us. If Cobra refuses to tell me the location of the Shinigami's Mausoleum even on his deathbed, we'll have her trick it out of him."
"But what about you? After all this time, you still haven't made any progress?" Crocodile warned her, "Nico Robin, don't try to play games with me."
The woman's name was Nico Robin, the Demon Child of the past. After escaping from Pandora Island, she had lived as a wanted fugitive. Following a period of wandering and fleeing, Robin had entered into cooperation with Crocodile.
Robin was proficient in ancient languages. She could help Crocodile translate the writing on some of the ancient stone tablets in Alabasta, in the hope that they could discover the location of the Shinigami's Mausoleum or obtain more information about it.
Crocodile had entered Alubarna partly so that Robin could take advantage of the opportunity to infiltrate the city and search for ancient stone tablets.
"I've found a few ancient documents in fragments. I can confirm that the Nefertari family has maintained a contract with the Shinigami for hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years. But to find out anything more... we will probably have to ask Cobra." Robin spoke unhurriedly, completely unconcerned by Crocodile's warning.
Crocodile was a Warlord of the Sea and extremely powerful, but was Robin really weak? The power within her body was so formidable that even she did not understand what it truly was. Although she could not make use of it, years of investigation had allowed her to confirm one thing: if anyone tried to kill her, they would die horribly.
It would not be merely physical death. Their very existence would vanish from the memories of others, as though such a person had never existed in this world at all.
She looked at Crocodile with an unreadable expression. At that moment, she was already considering when to leave him.
Ever since Crocodile had communicated with the Cartel, he had become increasingly strange. The Cartel's people seemed to obey him unquestioningly, and he seemed to regard himself as one of them.
He had even invited her several times to visit the Cartel's headquarters, the place known as the Skyveil Behemoth.
Robin had of course refused. She knew that the Skyveil Behemoth possessed some kind of power capable of controlling the mind.
Crocodile and the Cartel had most likely begun cooperating so sincerely because they were influenced by that power.
When he had said that he would send Princess Vivi to that place, he must also have intended to brainwash her. By then, the princess of a kingdom would become their partner as well.
If Crocodile failed, Princess Vivi could trick Cobra into revealing the location of the Shinigami's Mausoleum. She also possessed Nefertari blood and could enter the mausoleum.
No matter how one looked at it, Alabasta was already doomed.
Robin had also sensed the threat posed by the unknown mental power aboard the Skyveil Behemoth. She felt that if she stayed here, sooner or later that power would control her as well.
Over the years, Robin had grown accustomed to betrayal. Leaving Crocodile would place no psychological burden on her. It was just that without a Warlord of the Sea to shelter her, she would probably have to endure another period of being hunted.
Or perhaps...
Should she seek refuge with another Warlord of the Sea?
The Seven Warlords of the Sea currently in the first half of the Grand Line...
Apart from Crocodile, there was only Enel. Should she go to him?
Robin considered the possibility. In the end, she stood up without revealing her thoughts.
"Where are you going?"
Crocodile could not help asking when he saw Robin heading outside.
"To sleep." Robin's expression did not change. "I'm not going to work around the clock. The noisy bombardment has stopped, so now is exactly the time to sleep."
"Hmph." Crocodile snorted coldly, but did not stop Robin. He was wary of the Demon Child. Although she appeared unimpressive, he always felt that there was more to this woman than met the eye.
"It shouldn't... take much longer."
Crocodile spoke softly. "If I can obtain the power of two Demon Lords, I will become invincible beneath the heavens!"
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