"Demonic Eye Ryūjin, are you screwing with me?"
Crocodile exploded in rage instantly.
Even after being defeated, there was no way he could tolerate this kind of humiliation.
"Sandstorm!"
Crocodile thrust his arm forward violently, unleashing a massive sand tornado toward Ryūjin once again.
At first, the swirling sand vortex spun within Crocodile's palm, but the moment it left his hand, it expanded rapidly.
Within seconds, it transformed into a massive sandstorm several meters high, tearing across the deck toward Ryūjin.
Bang!
A dull explosion echoed through the air.
Crocodile's head burst apart instantly.
The sandstorm collapsed immediately after.
Only then did Ryūjin's figure slowly appear in front of Crocodile.
His right fist was still raised casually in the air before he calmly lowered it.
It turned out that Ryūjin had already crossed the distance and blown Crocodile's head apart before anyone could even react.
His movement speed was simply too terrifying.
To outsiders, it looked as if Crocodile's head exploded before Ryūjin even moved.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
Countless grains of sand gathered rapidly once again.
In mere moments, Crocodile regenerated a completely new head.
"This isn't how a loser should act," Ryūjin said with a faint smile.
The Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes rotated instantly.
Kotoamatsukami activated silently.
Crocodile's expression froze briefly.
A moment later, his eyes regained clarity.
But his entire attitude had completely changed.
The fury and hostility from earlier vanished without a trace.
"Lord Ryūjin."
Crocodile lowered his head respectfully.
As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile possessed tremendous influence among pirates, but that did not change the fact that he was a ruthless villain.
Everything he did in Alabasta Kingdom proved that clearly enough.
He manipulated an entire kingdom, incited civil war, and treated innocent lives like garbage.
Ryūjin naturally felt zero guilt turning someone like that into a tool.
"Old Sand," Ryūjin said casually, "how many people does Baroque Works currently have?"
"Reporting to Lord Ryūjin," Crocodile replied immediately, "excluding myself and Nico Robin, Baroque Works currently has thirteen senior agents, codenamed Mr. 1 through Mr. 13. Each agent also has a designated partner."
"Besides them, the organization has approximately two thousand lower-ranking members."
"That includes two hundred Million Agents and eighteen hundred Billion Agents."
Ryūjin raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Not bad. You've got more people than I expected."
A force of two thousand members was already significant no matter where it was placed.
"Listen carefully, Old Sand," Ryūjin continued. "From now on, Baroque Works only has one mission."
"Gather information on Devil Fruit users across the sea for me."
"Yes, Lord Ryūjin!"
Crocodile accepted the order immediately without hesitation.
Beside them, Nami and Nico Robin stood frozen in shock.
One moment Crocodile had been attacking Ryūjin in fury.
The next moment he was acting like the world's most loyal subordinate.
Nami was surprised, but she was not worried.
After spending so much time around Ryūjin, she already understood his personality.
He was absurdly powerful, but he was not the type to abuse that power carelessly.
Robin, however, felt something entirely different.
Fear.
This man had silently controlled Crocodile without anyone noticing.
Combined with the terrifying abilities Ryūjin displayed throughout the battle, Robin could not help feeling uneasy.
Space-time techniques, impossible speed, monstrous strength, strange eye abilities.
The more she thought about it, the more abnormal he seemed.
At that moment, Crocodile spoke again.
"Lord Ryūjin, if you are looking for Devil Fruit users, I do know someone."
"Oh?" Ryūjin glanced at him. "Who?"
"Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Ryūjin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Gecko Moria, huh?"
A smile appeared on his face almost immediately.
"Looks like our next stop is Thriller Bark."
Compared to many other strong opponents, Ryūjin actually found Gecko Moria more interesting.
The reason was simple.
Based on the Devil Fruits he had absorbed so far, Ryūjin could already determine that Moria's Shadow Shadow Fruit contained strong Yin Release properties.
And the compatibility was likely extremely high.
Not only that.
There was also Perona and her Hollow Hollow Fruit.
That fruit clearly carried Yin Release traits as well.
Then there was Brook and his Revive Revive Fruit, a Devil Fruit capable of manipulating souls and reviving the dead.
That definitely qualified too.
In other words, going to Thriller Bark meant collecting three Yin Release related Devil Fruits at once.
A deal that good would be stupid to ignore.
The destination was decided immediately.
"I'll leave the ship to you for now," Ryūjin said casually to Nami and Robin. "I'm heading out for a bit."
Before either woman could respond, Kamui activated.
Space distorted around Ryūjin as he disappeared into the Kamui dimension.
Inside the isolated dimension, Ryūjin immediately absorbed the three Devil Fruits he had recently obtained.
The increase to his Fire Release chakra and Yang Release chakra was noticeable, though not dramatic.
But his Earth Release chakra underwent a complete transformation.
It was his first elemental chakra nature to fully evolve.
"Earth Release, Earth Style Wall!"
"Earth Release, Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Ryūjin immediately tested several Earth Release ninjutsu with visible interest.
The results surprised even him.
Although his overall chakra reserves had not increased much, the power of his Earth Release techniques had multiplied several times over.
The difference was enormous.
At that moment, Ryūjin became genuinely curious.
If all seven elemental chakra natures evolved into the Super Six Paths level, how terrifying would his strength become?
Meanwhile, while Ryūjin and the others sailed toward Thriller Bark...
Inside Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat behind his desk while Kuzan delivered the latest report.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Demon Eye Ryūjin has defeated Crocodile in Alabasta."
Sengoku adjusted his glasses calmly.
"That doesn't surprise me."
Anyone capable of defeating Dracule Mihawk defeating Crocodile was hardly shocking.
What actually concerned Sengoku was something else entirely.
Ryūjin had now targeted two Warlords consecutively.
That was no coincidence.
"Not only did he defeat Crocodile," Aokiji continued, "he also captured him."
Sengoku's expression finally changed slightly.
Defeating Crocodile and taking Crocodile prisoner were completely different matters.
"What exactly is this Ryūjin trying to do?" Sengoku asked coldly.
"According to our intelligence," Aokiji replied, "their current route is heading toward the Florian Triangle."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed immediately.
"The Florian Triangle..."
"That's Gecko Moria's territory."
Aokiji nodded.
"Based on his actions so far, it's highly likely Ryūjin is deliberately targeting the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
At that point, Monkey D. Garp, who had been casually eating snacks nearby, scratched his head.
"What did the Warlords do to piss that guy off so badly?"
Honestly, Sengoku wanted to know the answer too.
"Oh, there's one more thing," Aokiji added. "Nico Robin is also aboard Ryūjin's ship."
"The survivor from Ohara?" Sengoku muttered.
He remembered her immediately.
Still, compared to Ryūjin, Robin barely mattered right now.
"What should we do?" Aokiji asked seriously.
"The Warlords have already lost twice in a row," Sengoku said grimly. "The Marines cannot allow a third defeat."
"I can go personally and capture Ryūjin," Aokiji offered directly.
Under normal circumstances, the Marines might not interfere simply because a Warlord lost a fight.
But Ryūjin capturing Crocodile changed the entire situation.
Add Nico Robin's presence aboard his ship, and the Marines had more than enough justification to move.
However, Sengoku shook his head.
"It's too early to send an Admiral."
Marine Admirals were the Marines' greatest military force.
Deploying one too casually would only cheapen their authority.
But at the same time, ordinary Marines clearly could not handle someone capable of defeating Mihawk.
After thinking briefly, Sengoku finally made a decision.
"Send Bartholomew Kuma to Thriller Bark."
"He will ensure Gecko Moria does not lose."
Aokiji considered it for a moment before nodding.
Kuma's Paw Paw Fruit was incredibly dangerous.
He could repel anything, physical attacks, energy, exhaustion, even pain itself.
His combat ability ranked among the highest within the Seven Warlords.
With Kuma involved, the situation became far more stable.
Meanwhile, deep within the Florian Triangle...
Dense fog covered the sea endlessly.
Visibility was terrible.
For most people, this region was a nightmare.
Countless ships disappeared here every year without explanation.
But the truth behind those disappearances was much simpler.
They had all become victims of Gecko Moria.
Anyone who lost their shadow to him could no longer survive under sunlight.
Those victims could only remain trapped forever aboard Thriller Bark in endless despair.
Splash! Splash!
Ryūjin's pirate ship cut through the dark waters at full speed.
Unlike ordinary pirates terrified of the Florian Triangle, Ryūjin treated the area like a casual sightseeing trip.
"Ryūjin..." Nami spoke nervously while hugging herself slightly. "This place feels creepy as hell."
"That's the point," Ryūjin replied casually.
"If it feels creepy, then we're close."
Beside him, Crocodile frowned slightly.
"Lord Ryūjin, according to the intelligence network, Thriller Bark should be somewhere nearby."
"It seems Gecko Moria relocated the ship recently."
"But that doesn't matter. I can send Miss Friday to scout the area."
Miss Friday, the sunglasses-wearing vulture from Baroque Works, specialized in reconnaissance work.
"No need."
Ryūjin waved dismissively.
His Observation Haki spread outward instantly.
Within seconds, he located Thriller Bark.
Less than three kilometers away.
He also sensed Brook's abandoned pirate ship nearby, though Brook himself was missing.
Most likely, the skeleton musician had already infiltrated Thriller Bark again to recover his shadow.
Under Ryūjin's orders, the ship continued forward leisurely.
Soon enough, a massive island-like silhouette emerged from the fog.
"We're here," Ryūjin said casually.
"Old Sand, dock the ship."
Crocodile silently obeyed.
Honestly, seeing a former Warlord personally steering a ship like a crewman was ridiculous.
"Wait..." Nami blinked repeatedly. "I thought we were looking for a ship called Thriller Bark?"
Ryūjin smirked slightly.
"We found it."
Nami stared blankly at the enormous island ahead.
Then her eyes widened so far they nearly popped out.
"That thing is the ship?!"