Alabasta, one of the more powerful kingdoms in the Grand Line, is located on Sandy Island, a massive desert island along the Great Route. The ruling royal family is the Nefertari family, which, hundreds of years ago, was among the original twenty families that founded the World Government. However, unlike the others, the Nefertaris refused to move to Mary Geoise, choosing instead to remain in Alabasta and govern their people directly.
At this point in time
Crocodile, known as Klockdar to the locals, has only recently arrived in Alabasta and is still laying the groundwork for his plans.
Having learned through secret channels that Alabasta may house a Poneglyph containing information about the ancient weapon Pluton, Crocodile seeks to gain control of the kingdom. His method? Create chaos, build a reputation through his alter ego as a savior, and manipulate events from the shadows using Baroque Works all while preparing to take advantage of his position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Of course
Rin knows nothing of this.
It took over a week of sailing for the Pandora Pirates to arrive at Sandy Island.
"Alabasta's supposed to be mostly desert, right?" Casa asked aboard the ship, glancing down at a detailed map spread out before him.
"Desert?"
"Boss, who are we here to find?" Enel asked mid-bite, munching casually on a bright red apple.
"We're here for Crocodile," Rin replied simply.
But finding Crocodile wouldn't be easy. At this point in the timeline, his fame hasn't peaked. He's still known as a former rookie with a 81 million berry bounty, not yet infamous for his plots in Alabasta. Tracking him down would be like searching for a needle in a sandstorm.
Rin sighed and shook his head. "We'll start at the capital. He's likely there."
He raised his hand, scooped up little Clar, and turned to the others. "Let's go. First stop Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta."
"Understood."
Casa nodded, and the five-member crew disembarked, moving swiftly toward the capital. Fortunately, their landing point wasn't far from the heart of the kingdom.
Roughly two hours later, they arrived.
"Brother Rin, what are we doing here?" Clar asked innocently, tugging on Rin's cheek while perched in his arms.
Rin chuckled softly, gently ruffling her hair. "We're here to have a little fun."
With that, he turned to the crew. "Let's explore, find a place to stay, and see if we can catch any whispers of Crocodile's whereabouts."
Though Crocodile wasn't yet acting under his warlord title publicly, he was still a known pirate. Someone had to know something.
"Alright."
Hearing this, Artoria, Casa, and Enel nodded in agreement.
Then, without needing a cue, the three men reached their hands out in unison toward Artoria.
Naturally, she was the treasurer of the Pandora Pirates. All their funds were held by her because, as everyone knew, women tend to be more responsible with money.
Artoria sighed, wearing a helpless smile as she turned back toward the ship's quarters. Moments later, she returned and distributed four pouches of Berries each worth a million.
Thanks to their plundering of Skypiea's gold reserves, the Pandora Pirates had no shortage of wealth.
With everyone equipped, Rin scheduled a meetup at 5 PM, and they split up.
Rin and Artoria remained together, walking with Clar and taking in the desert city's unique architecture. As they strolled, Rin slipped into various taverns to listen for news or rumors concerning Crocodile or Baroque Works.
Time flew by quickly.
As the desert sun dipped beneath the horizon, the crew regrouped and secured a hotel for the night.
After dining and settling Clar down in their suite, Rin stood up and addressed the others. "Wait here. I'm heading to the palace. Wandering around aimlessly is too inefficient. I want to speak to the royal family directly."
"Be careful," Artoria said softly, nodding in understanding.
Casa raised an eyebrow and smirked, eyes flicking between Rin and Artoria with a teasing glint, but said nothing.
Meanwhile, Enel was laser-focused on peeling yet another apple.
Rolling his eyes at Casa's silent implication, Rin raised a hand, transformed into radiant golden light, and vanished on the spot.
———
The Alabasta royal palace towered above the capital, as expected of a ruling force among the Grand Line's great kingdoms.
In truth, Rin had always found Crocodile's ambitions in the manga overly optimistic. Attempting to overthrow the Nefertari family one of the twenty celestial founder clans seemed foolish. Even without the Straw Hats, the World Government likely wouldn't tolerate such a bold affront for long.
After all, it would be a direct insult to their own legacy.
And Crocodile wasn't Doflamingo.he lacked the underworld ties and political immunity granted by Celestial Dragon lineage.
With a burst of speed
Rin soared above the palace rooftops.
Activating his Kenbunshoku Haki, or Observation Haki, Rin scanned each room with precision. His goal: locate the current monarch, King Nefertari Cobra.
Moments later
His senses picked up a distinct presence.
"Hah, found him," Rin muttered and immediately descended toward a lavishly decorated room.
His Haki told him Cobra was inside, and the room's décor a sea of pink, plush furnishings, and dolls indicated it belonged to a young girl.
Sure enough, nestled in bed was a delicate blue-haired child attentively listening as Cobra read aloud.
It had to be Princess Vivi.
Without warning, Rin blinked into the room, appearing silently behind Cobra.
Because Cobra's back was turned, he didn't notice.
But Vivi
She spotted Rin instantly and let out a startled squeal, "Ahhh!"
Her frightened cry echoed through the chamber.
Apparently, she thought Rin was some kind of ghost.
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