As dawn broke, everyone on the Little Fish rose early, having suffered through a restless, sleepless night.
Well, almost everyone. Mikita and Alvida were temporarily unable to get out of bed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
After throwing his final straight punch during his morning routine, Darian exhaled deeply and stopped his physical training.
Unlike usual, no one came up to the deck to enjoy the morning air. After all, what had transpired the previous night was simply too embarrassing and volatile.
He patted his stomach; Darian could already smell the aroma of cooking wafting up from the galley. Bracing himself for the inevitable, he headed below deck.
In the lounge, several of the women were gathered around the table. This room was typically used for drinking tea, chatting, or eating meals. It was set up somewhat like a small bar, with Carmen preparing breakfast and tea behind the counter while Nami helped her. Princess Vivi, Robin, and the young Marianne sat quietly at the table.
Hearing Darian's heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, everyone fell completely silent. Their gazes—whether direct or out of the corners of their eyes—fixed on him, making Darian feel intensely awkward.
"Good morning!" Darian forced a bright, cheerful smile and greeted them.
Upon seeing Darian, Nami, who had been managing a strained smile just moments before, immediately turned sour, her eyes icing over. Carmen cast a nervous, guilty glance at Nami before burying her head back in her prep work. After all, she was also one of the women who had been intimate with Darian, and she wasn't feeling much better knowing two more women were currently incapacitated in the guest cabin.
Beside the table, the little girl Marianne looked at him expressionlessly. She was naturally quiet and withdrawn, so this behavior was quite normal for her.
Robin placed her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand. A playful, enigmatic smile played on her lips, but it looked more like open mockery, silently ridiculing Darian's pathetic, self-inflicted predicament.
Only Vivi looked around somewhat awkwardly, noticing that absolutely no one was going to respond to the Captain. It was incredibly impolite to ignore a morning greeting.
In this oppressive, heavy atmosphere, the elegant and understanding princess forced a polite smile and replied, "Yes, good morning, Mr. Darian!"
Vivi's response gave Darian a desperately needed out. He smiled awkwardly and nodded. "Mm."
You had to be thick-skinned to navigate a situation like this; otherwise, things would get unbearably tough. Darian went straight to his usual seat at the head of the long table and sat down.
Robin sat very close to him. He caught her turning to him.
"Captain, you really are a complete scumbag," Robin murmured.
Her voice was barely a whisper, but by watching her lips, Darian knew exactly what she was saying. He could only manage a forced, guilty smile in response.
Breakfast was served quickly. Everyone received a steaming portion—except for him.
Knowing Nami was furious, but not wanting her to go hungry, Darian looked at the navigator and asked gently, "Nami, where's mine?"
"There's none for you. If you want some, go find someone else to cook for you," Nami said cryptically, her face darkening with anger.
Seeing Nami's dark expression, Darian could only smile awkwardly and cast a pleading look at Carmen. Despite Nami's obvious instructions to starve him, Carmen guiltily and awkwardly slid a plate of food over to Darian anyway.
Breakfast was eaten in a suffocatingly tense atmosphere. Once they finished, they set sail for the final stretch.
Alabasta is a superpower located in the first half of the Grand Line, boasting a total area of over ten million square kilometers. Although it is a harsh desert country, it supports a population of ten million and maintains a standing military force of over six hundred thousand, a true testament to the nation's historical prosperity.
After a morning of tense sailing, the Little Fish finally arrived at the Alabasta coastline by noon. Looking at the bustling port city of Nanohana, Darian couldn't help but sigh in appreciation.
Nanohana was a port city with a thriving commercial sector; its residents seemingly lived a relatively comfortable life. However, after Alabasta had suffered from an artificial drought for years and the common people began to revolt, the number of pirates targeting the weakened nation had increased. This provided Crocodile the perfect opportunity to step in as the "guardian hero" of the country, maintaining a superficial peace while secretly orchestrating its downfall.
The common people in the port seemed quite used to the arrival of pirate ships and travelers.
They found a quiet pier to dock. The moment Darian and his group disembarked, they attracted a significant amount of attention from civilians, lurking pirates, and undercover Baroque Works staff.
Meanwhile, far to the northwest of the Kingdom of Alabasta, lay Rainbase—known as the "City of Dreams."
It was the gambling capital of the desert, and the secret headquarters of Baroque Works.
Buruburu! Buruburu!
Kacha!
The Den Den Mushi on a lavish mahogany desk picked up the call, and the massive leather chair facing away from the table slowly swiveled around.
Seated in the armchair was Sir Crocodile, sporting his slicked-back hair and the distinct, horizontal scar across his nose. Despite the scorching desert weather outside, he was clad in a heavy, luxurious black fur coat.
As soon as the connection was established, the woman on the other end spoke. "Boss, this is Miss Doublefinger. The White Emperor Pirates have landed at the Nanohana port, and Nico Robin is among them."
Upon hearing this, Crocodile revealed a cruel, calculating smile. "White Emperor Darian, huh? He's quite arrogant for a rookie! Send the Billions to intercept them and buy me some time. I'll be there soon."
"Understood," Paula—the alias of Miss Doublefinger—replied, before hanging up the Den Den Mushi.
"White Emperor Darian?" Crocodile muttered, pulling a newly updated wanted poster from his desk drawer.
Looking at Darian's masked face in the picture, Crocodile's expression turned dark and unhappy. "How dare some ignorant brat from the East Blue kidnap Nico Robin? She is the most important piece of my plan."
Crocodile narrowed his eyes. 'Nico Robin... you had better not be betraying me.'
As he spoke, Crocodile activated his Sand-Sand Fruit power. The paper in his hand instantly dehydrated, crumbling into dry dust that slipped through his fingers.
After purchasing a few necessary supplies at the port, Darian and his group set off again, intending to travel up the Sandora River to head directly toward Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta.
However, no sooner had the Little Fish entered the waterway than a massive fleet of ships flying the Baroque Works flag roared out from a hidden cove, charging straight toward them.
Faced with such an overwhelming number of enemies, the women on the boat momentarily panicked. Darian looked at Robin and asked, "Could it be that you leaked our information again?"
"Haven't you been watching me this entire time, Captain?" Robin replied casually, unbothered by the incoming fleet. "Besides, do I really need to do that? You docked a pirate ship in broad daylight."
The enemy ships were moving very fast. Darian kept his eyes fixed on the approaching fleet. There were exactly eight large ships lined up side by side, packed with the elite Baroque Works subordinates known as the Billions.
'Taking them down one by one is too time-consuming,' Darian thought, formulating a plan.
Aboard the Baroque Works ships, the Billions had all spotted Darian. They were already arguing amongst themselves; Miss Doublefinger had offered a massive bounty to whoever killed the White Emperor, promising them a promotion to the Officer Agent ranks.
After confirming that this ambush was not Robin's doing, Darian manipulated his electromagnetic fields. He formed his black Iron Sand Wings, launched himself into the air, and flew directly toward the eight ships lined up side by side.
'In the original timeline, Fire Fist Ace destroyed a fleet with a single punch,' Darian chuckled internally. 'I want to try it too. This is the perfect place for it.'
The Billions closest to Darian's ship saw him take flight. They had originally thought the White Emperor was going to try and escape, but they didn't expect him to hover in the air right in front of their blockade, looking as though he were preparing to launch a solo attack.
"What does he think he's doing?" a pirate on the lead ship asked, puzzled.
"Who knows? Just shoot him!"
"Everyone, brace yourselves," Darian murmured, his voice carrying over the wind.
As Darian spoke, his right fist emitted a brilliant, translucent white aura that enveloped his knuckles. The glowing halo of kinetic energy grew larger and denser, vibrating at a terrifying frequency.
"Let's pay tribute to Fire Fist Ace. I thought he looked incredibly cool when he did this," Darian grinned beneath his mask.
"Gear Second: Sea Tremor Fist!"
He drew his arm back and slammed his fist directly into the empty atmosphere. The air itself fractured like a pane of solid glass, covered instantly with countless glowing white cracks that spread out like a massive spider web, growing longer and denser by the millisecond.
CRACK!
The Baroque Works agents heard the sharp, shattering sound, but before they could even react, a colossal, deafening roar exploded in their ears.
BOOM!
A terrifying shockwave erupted forward. The sheer recoil of the punch pushed Darian backward through the air, even with his Iron Sand Wings stabilizing him.
The shockwave hit the fleet like a solid wall of moving kinetic energy.
The first ship exploded into splinters instantly. The second ship followed. Then the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh. Finally, the impact reached the eighth ship, though it had lost a fraction of its momentum.
Darian could not yet replicate the exact, devastating scale of Whitebeard's true power; being able to launch the impact through seven ships was already his current limit. However, although the initial wave had dissipated, the violent, churning aftershocks in the water still crushed the eighth ship's hull.
In a matter of seconds, all eight pirate ships were completely obliterated by Darian's Devil Fruit power.
Looking at Darian—who was still hovering over the churning sea with his fist extended—everyone aboard the Little Fish, including Nami and Robin, stared with their mouths agape, their expressions filled with absolute disbelief.
Watching from the shore, Miss Doublefinger (Paula) lowered her spyglass, her eyes wide with astonishment. "This strength...? Is he really just a rookie pirate with a bounty of 66 million Berries?!"
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