A Kingdom in a Desert and Goal

_________ POV Narration _________

Enel swiftly prepared for an uneventful journey back home.

He didn't have anything against spending his time in such a way. He used the first week of the journey for training, both physical and Haki training.

He was unsure what to do in order to awaken his devil fruit, but he was unsure of any other ways he could develop his devil fruit ability/mastery.

He already could perfectly control both Lightning and Electromagnetic Waves, he also had plenty of experience whit metallurgy at that point.

He didn't know in what other direction he could take his fruit, and he didn't know when exactly it would awaken.

One thing was for sure though...

'I need to at least awaken my fruit before the war happens...'

Enel's earlobes swayed in the wind as his large boat swerved through the clouds.

He took as many notes as he could while he felt the breeze on his skin, keeping a journal of his training as he tried his best to think of more methods to make things more difficult.

After all, his physical strength had fallen behind, he was not even in the top 10 in his crew/army. And that was simply unacceptable.

'... I might have to ask Garp to make me a personalized regime...' As painful as it was going to be, he needed to learn from the best.

Garp was the very pinnacle of physical strength at the end of the day, he could tussle with Mythical Zoans users like Kaido and Kong while only relying on his body, with no tricks involved.

Maybe he was a genetic freak to an extent, it was certainly a possibility. But Enel still hoped the former Marine Hero held some sort of valuable knowledge in that old brain of his...

As the emperor finished documenting his training and lack of progress while testing different exercises, he stopped, as a sound made him shut his book instantly.

'...'

It wasn't near him, not enough to be audible for normal people. But Enel spread out his Observation Haki regularly while travelling, to ensure that no one was tracking him.

Now was one of those moments... He could feel a part of an island within his range, an island he somewhat recognized.

It was from that island that he felt the sound of a revolt, the angry shouts of men, the fire of muskets and the cries of civilians.

'What the hell...?' Enel just raised an eyebrow and decided to make a detour, it wasn't that far off from his charted course anyway.

The Desert Island of Alabasta.

After a few minutes, Enel could see it in the distance, as his boat sped forwards. The sandy dunes and the barren lands, it was not exactly a rich island.

Agriculture was difficult on such a barren island, so it likely mostly relied on exports for its necessities.

Enel was unsure how the situation had spiralled out of control in such a way, but it seemed that the people of Alabasta were revolting...

The lighting emperor sighed as he remembered that such a scene was likely normal in most kingdoms in the World Government's jurisdiction.

The revolts only ended in a few places, where people were dependent on the World Government for protection against pirates.

'But I thought the people of Alabasta were getting along with the Royal Family... Was the news of Ohara's history really enough to make them hate the royal family?'

Enel then decided to focus on the castle for a few seconds, electromagnetic waves bending all around the castle as he quickly spotted the royal family, both Vivi and her father Cobra...

Enel blinked a few times as he realised that they were both chained up in the dungeon of the castle...

'What the hell happened here...'

The emperor sat on a cloud as he gazed at the situation with a wary gaze.

It wasn't long before he pieced everything together, the appearance of a man making everything fall into place.

'Crocodile...'

Enel scowled when he sensed the man. The same black hair licked backwards, the same scar stretching across his face.

'The last time I saw him was during the war at Marineford... I didn't pay him much attention at the time.'

Dressed in his usual suit, wearing a furry black coat draped around his shoulders and smoking a large cigar while gazing at the struggling peasants with a cold gaze.

The most noticeable thing about him was still definitely the large golden hook that he had instead of a hand.

'But why is he here?'

Enel knew a bit about Crocodile and his plans from his memories, he remembered that Crocodile had tried to take over the Kingdom of Alabasta originally, and was stopped(somehow) by Luffy...

It was true that there was nothing stopping him from returning to Alabasta after Marineford... But what did he have to gain from it?

'Originally, wasn't he after the Poneglyph that the Royal Family guarded? Is there anything else on this island that caught his eye?'

Whatever it was, Enel knew that letting Crocodile to his own devices was unlikely to be a good thing.

'Maybe I can dissuade him with my presence... Make him retreat from this island by turning it into my territory?

I did want to turn him into an ally, but if he's this scummy then that could prove difficult...

I also want to know... What exactly does he plan to achieve in this place?'

Enel blinked a few times, as he felt a few people enter the cell of Vivi and Cobra, and forcefully drag them out...

'I should at least make sure they survive...'

The emperor sighed before quickly taking his boat and parking it somewhere in the middle of the desert, making sure to keep an eye on it before turning into lighting and speeding towards the former Warlord...

_________ POV Crocodile _________

... And here I thought that taking over Alabasta forcefully would be easier the second time.

In all fairness, I won't be here long, but I had a few loose ends to tie up here... Killing the Nefertari Royal Family is one of them.

The World Government has no means to defend them, so I'll soon bring them out and execute them in front of the protestors...

Honestly, being in this part of the Grand Line feels a bit beneath me...

Sure, I did lose to a rookie, but that doesn't count... I was in no way prepared to meet him.

Dragon sure did a bang-up job at fatherhood... The kid grew up strong. I still had my plans though, and I tried my best to make him give up, doing everything besides just killing him once and for all...

Alas, I guess he was determined. Too bad he's not here to defend his little blue-haired friend... I'm sure he'll hate me for what I'm about to do, but I don't care at this point...

Honestly, the only reason I've kept the Nefertaris alive till now was for this moment, for the people of Alabasta to gather up at the gates of the castle in protest.

Former loyalists of Baroque Works are still willing to act as my soldiers, so they can at least defend the walls while I behead the royal family.

Not that a group of civilians from an underdeveloped island would be able to do much to me...

As I signalled for my men to bring the royal family to me, I looked over the desert... The second thing that made me return to this little island...

While I was looking for traces of Ancient Weapons in a few libraries near the beginning of the New World, I managed to find something rather strange...

In an abandoned library on a half-burnt-down island, I found a dusted book being used as a brick to prop up a ladder...

It caught my curiosity, so I looked through it... It was clearly much older than any other book I had touched before, so I handled it with care.

I certainly wasn't expecting to find exactly what I was looking for...

Well, it wasn't exactly about Ancient Weapons. But it talked of the Void Century a lot, which was certainly enlightening...

The World Government had allegedly gotten rid of any mention of the events of the Void Century, but the book I read was likely missed...

It was a history book, missing pages and filled with holes. It was eroded by time from what I could tell. But I could still make out a few things...

The ancient kingdom, a bit about the origin of Poneglyphs, and then one last thing...

The last page of the book tipped me off to there being a second Poneglyph on Alabasta... Smack in the middle of the desert, underneath the sand...

I still have to scour the desert in search of it. I only know that as a landmark it has a relatively large stone above it.

Even if I don't have any way to read the Poneglyph right now, I must at least record its writings. I'll try and find a translator later... Maybe contact the revolutionaries or Dragon...

...

This doesn't feel right...

---- BOOM ----

_________ POV Narration _________

Crocodile turned to sand and dodged to the side as the skies filled with thunder and a lightning bolt landed right near the place where he had been standing in.

The lightning then seemed to morph, causing Crocodile to gulp, as he realised that the lighting was a little more than a natural phenomenon...

The lightning took the form of a formally dressed man, wearing a furry white coat, which contrasted Crocodile's black coat rather well.

"Sky King Enel..." Crocodile spat out as he threw his cigar on the ground and clenched his fist.

"In the flesh!" Enel smiled as his earlobes danced in the wind.

The revolt itself seemed to be stopped in its tracks, the sound of thunder from Enel's arrival startling everyone to look up.

Enel's appearance certainly didn't calm the protestors in any way... But the presence of an Emperor made them feel fear seep straight into their bones.

At that point, there was truly no one in the world that didn't know of the Sky King's powers and achievements.

The second he appeared on the castle walls, the group of revolting former soldiers and civilians that were trying to rescue Vivi and Cobra knew that everything was over...

They were at the whim of a vengeful former Warlord and a vicious Emperor.

Or so they thought...

"What are you doing here?..." Crocodile asked as he prepared for the worst.

On a desert island, his fruit had the upper hand, he could use the sand around him to devastate any opponent...

But Crocodile knew that sand meant jackshit to Enel, who was already known to be able to fight the entire Navy by himself by controlling the sea.

Water was Crocodile's weakness, and from what he had seen at Marineford, he knew that Enel was likely able to flood the entire island...

'Worst case scenario... I can always flee into the desert, hide underneath the sand and blend with it for a few days... Try to make some sort of room underneath if everything is flooded...'

The former warlord had already started making an escape plan, while the Emperor in front of him seemed to still be pondering on how to answer his question...

"'What am I doing here', huh?" Enel narrowed his eyes as he looked at the people below.

"I should be the one asking you that... What do you have to gain from this stupidity?" The Emperor didn't bother being courteous.

"... That's none of your business... My gripe with the Nefertari family is personal... Maybe I just wish to prove a point, what's it to you?" Crocodile just huffed as he crossed his arms, he was clearly alert, but pretending to be calm.

Enel smiled as he tapped his chin a few times. He immediately decided to ignore the former Warlord's question and started speaking in a carefree manner.

"Really, personal? I remember you being interested in Pluton, which is why you aimed for this kingdom initially.

You were well on your way to the New World, I doubt you would have returned for some petty revenge because of the mean words of a little girl."

The Emperor's smile seemed unbothered by the increasingly worried expression that started creeping on Crocodile's face.

'Shit! How the hell does he know so much about the situation? The Marines covered it completely... Is he a friend of the Royal Family? If so, why didn't he act before?!'

As Crocodile was running through several scenarios in his mind, the Royal Family had already been dragged out by his men, who immediately drew their weapons upon noticing Enel.

"Who are y-" They didn't even get to recognize Enel before they were knocked out by a rogue wave of willpower...

It wasn't from Enel, but from Crocodile, who was heavily sweating at that point.

'The last thing I need is for my stupid subordinates to start up this fight... Maybe I can still avoid dying here...'

Enel sighed as he looked at the people that had been dragged in.

Vivi and Cobra had both clearly seen better days.

Vivi's blue hair was dishevelled as she struggled to stand up while bound in chains. She wore some tattered rags, the same as her father.

Cobra's legs seemed to no longer be working, he was slumped on the ground, slowly raising into a seated position as he eyed Crocodile hatefully, before his gaze turned to Enel, becoming somewhat fearful, which quickly changed into a hopeful one, as he seemed to remember something...

'This man... Wasn't he the one that helped Luffy and his brother?... Maybe he can help us too...'

__________________________________________________________________

Hope you liked the chapter!

Mini Alabasta Arc is here :))

Crocodile not returning to Alabasta in the original was a bit strange tbh, he had quite the hatred for the royal line there, and he decided to not act on it at all.

Anyway, he's here in this ff ;)

If u want to support me look up VeganMaster(Vegan Cult) on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)