Chapter 165: Crocodile (Part 2)

"Now even if I wanted to take Chopper away, I have no way of doing it," said Daniel Davis as he decided to leave after observing Chopper from a distance. He didn't need a doctor; he was a doctor himself.

"This Baku Baku no Mi is truly remarkable. In modern society, getting rich with this ability would be too easy." On a deserted island, Daniel Davis was still amazed as he watched new materials emerge from Wapol's mouth. Despite anticipating it, the reality was still surprising.

He had created a vibranium man, unlike the absorptive man who could only transform temporarily. Wapol could maintain this vibranium form for an extended period.

If Wapol's strength were sufficient, his transformation ability alone could make him one of the top powers on the sea.

Having tested vibranium's hardness, Daniel Davis found it much tougher than the Sea-Prism Stone in this world. Through his dealings with Dragon, he had seen a small amount of Sea-Prism Stone.

As a strategic resource in the pirate world, Sea-Prism Stone was very scarce, and the Revolutionary Army had very limited supplies.

Daniel Davis wanted Sea-Prism Stone for a simple reason: to test its restraining effect on him. With the power of the Ope Ope no Mi, he couldn't ignore the weaknesses of Devil Fruits in the pirate world.

The results delighted Daniel Davis. The Ope Ope no Mi, which granted him power across worlds, had no typical weaknesses like Sea-Prism Stone or seawater.

He could use the Ope Ope no Mi's power even while holding Sea-Prism Stone and could even cut through it, showing that his Ope Ope no Mi power surpassed Law's.

This made Daniel Davis very happy. In his excitement, he attempted a peculiar experiment by trying to merge vibranium and Sea-Prism Stone, which ultimately failed.

Wapol could consume vibranium but not Sea-Prism Stone, which even broke his teeth.

"If vibranium spreads in this world, related Devil Fruit users could become very powerful." Fusion abilities weren't exclusive to the Baku Baku no Mi; other Devil Fruits could achieve similar feats.

For example, the Merge-Merge Fruit had similar powers, though not as strong as the Baku Baku no Mi. Its user was powerful, while Wapol was weak, rendering his fruit seemingly useless.

This once again illustrated that the strength of Devil Fruits depended entirely on their users.

"Vibranium isn't enough. Maybe Wapol can create materials as strong as vibranium," Daniel Davis decided to collect various materials for Wapol to consume once he settled down.

For others, his plan might backfire, but with Wapol, Daniel Davis believed that day would never come. To be safe, he wouldn't teach Wapol any combat skills.

"That's the World Government's flag. How domineering."

In the port of Alabasta's Nanohana, many ships were being driven out and prohibited from staying in the channel. Despite some ship owners being notorious pirates, they immediately backed off at the sight of this fleet, not daring to utter a word.

The fleet flew the World Government's flag, guarded by numerous marines and black-suited agents from the CP organization.

As pirates, keen observation was crucial. Only Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates dared to burn the World Government's flag on Enies Lobby without major repercussions. Any other pirate crew would be swiftly dealt with by the World Government or marines.

"Heavenly Tribute," Daniel Davis, blending into the crowd, quickly identified the fleet's purpose: collecting Alabasta's tribute to the Celestial Dragons.

The Heavenly Tribute, a tribute to the Celestial Dragons, traveled unimpeded on the seas. Even the Four Emperors or the Revolutionary Army wouldn't target these ships.

The only time the tribute was intercepted was by Donquixote Doflamingo, using his former Celestial Dragon status and certain secrets to threaten the World Government into making him a Warlord.

Each tribute collection pushed several countries to the brink of collapse. Kuma's country fell due to the annual tribute, and Whitebeard's homeland suffered the same fate.

For wealthy countries, the annual tribute wasn't a big issue, but for poor nations, it was life-threatening.

They couldn't refuse to pay, as the World Government would dispatch the marines to forcibly collect it, leaving no choice but to comply to avoid destruction.

The nobility of these countries didn't want their nations to perish, so they relentlessly squeezed the populace year after year until the inevitable collapse.

Many nations attempted to resist the World Government, but the cost was total annihilation.

Countries in the pirate world were peculiar. Everything was normal until the Celestial Dragons got involved, making everything abnormal.

To Daniel Davis, this was abnormal, but to the people of this world, it was normal. The Celestial Dragons were gods who didn't need to follow human laws, even wearing bubbles to avoid breathing the same air.

To Daniel Davis, these bubbles were mere self-deception. The air inside the bubble wasn't different from outside.

At the World Government conferences, no one intervened when Celestial Dragons kidnapped the princesses of allied countries, and these nations still pretended to discuss justice.

"After 800 years of World Government rule, they've become servile. The people here are like Ymir from Attack on Titan, possessing great power but never daring to rebel against their masters."

Seeing the usually arrogant pirates now trembling, Daniel Davis shook his head helplessly.

Even Whitebeard, with his immense power, only sought a family at sea, never daring to attack Mary Geoise.

"Too bad there's no Chinese slogan like 'Kings and nobles, are they born?' here. Otherwise, no matter how strong the Celestial Dragons were, they would have been overthrown long ago."

Daniel Davis felt a sudden surge of pride.

"Alabasta's royal family were once Celestial Dragons," he thought. Despite his dislike for the World Government and Celestial Dragons, wishing to drop a Jericho missile on them, it was merely a fantasy.

His current strength was insufficient. Low-key development was the way to go.

"Thanks to Lord Crocodile, we can live peacefully without pirate harassment." After the tribute fleet left, Daniel Davis entered the port, hearing constant praise for Crocodile.

Even Alabasta's newspapers lauded Crocodile's heroics.

"He sure knows how to put on a show. If it weren't for his bad luck with Luffy's crew, he might have succeeded in taking over this country."

In this world, might makes right. One person can indeed rival a nation. Even Alabasta's 600,000-strong army couldn't match Crocodile.

Alabasta's desert environment was perfect for Crocodile's powers.

"He and Doflamingo are similar, though Crocodile's luck isn't as good. Doflamingo also had bad luck, but at least he ruled as king for several years."

Doflamingo's biggest mistake was turning his people into toys. If Daniel Davis were in his place, he wouldn't make such an error.

"If I defeat Crocodile and continue his plan, would Luffy still defeat me?"

With this thought, Daniel Davis arrived in Alabasta's Rainbase, Crocodile's stronghold.

"Nico Robin looks much cooler now than later. Indeed, redemption weakens you by sevenfold, while turning to the dark side makes you three times stronger."

Inside Rainbase's largest casino, Rain Dinners, Daniel Davis soon spotted Robin. She managed the casino, handling everything and dealing with the top gamblers.

As a user of the Hana Hana no Mi, Robin, even though not as strong as she would be later, could easily cheat.

Robin's powers allowed her to grow eyes and ears anywhere, making it impossible for even the best gamblers to outmatch her.

"He knows how to enjoy himself." Likely due to the upcoming plan and the recent appearance of the World Government's tribute fleet, Crocodile was also at Rain Dinners.

He had even set up a gambling table, playing with several figures who clearly held significant status.

"Direct confrontation is the best way to make a name but might reveal too many techniques. If he escapes, it will be troublesome."

Daniel Davis was confident in defeating Crocodile. A Logia Devil Fruit was a nightmare for those without Haki but different for those who had it.

Winning was easy; killing was not. People in the pirate world had strong constitutions. As long as they weren't killed immediately, they had a high chance of recovery.

Zoro survived severe injuries, and Luffy seemed to recover quickly from anything with a good night's sleep.

If Crocodile escaped as sand, Daniel Davis's Observation Haki wouldn't find him.

"Guess I'll have to use the Mirror Dimension. It will prevent environmental damage to Rainbase." Deciding, Daniel Davis played around the casino.

"Observation Haki is useful for setting coordinates. In Las Vegas, I could be the gambling king or god, though probably banned from casinos. That's the so-called 'store bullying customers.'"

Daniel Davis was unhappy with Las Vegas's banning policy for skilled gamblers. If someone won money without cheating, why ban them?

Not only top gamblers but also talented mathematicians were banned from casinos.

What? Observation Haki is cheating? Didn't you know, undetected cheating isn't cheating?

Daniel Davis didn't win excessively to avoid Crocodile's notice.

"Robin, it seems that princess has infiltrated." In the underground chamber of Rain Dinners, Crocodile looked displeased at Robin.

Baroque Works, Crocodile's organization to overthrow Alabasta, had code names for him and Robin.

"Don't you find it interesting?" Robin, standing by the pool of banana crocodiles, smiled faintly.

"Indeed, Devil Child, you backstabbing witch. It is very interesting, hahahaha." Crocodile

 laughed loudly, remembering something.

Facing away, Crocodile didn't see the fleeting sadness in Robin's eyes when he mentioned "Devil Child."

Due to her high bounty, Robin lived a life of betrayal and danger, learning to survive in the underworld.

Not every pirate aimed to be the Pirate King; for most, wealth was paramount.

Many pursued Robin for her bounty: the navy, pirates, bounty hunters, and others. Robin survived several life-threatening situations, unknowingly helped by Admiral Aokiji.

"Any news on Pluton?" Crocodile asked, concerned about his ambitions for Alabasta's throne and Pluton.

"Not yet. Maybe only the king knows." Robin shook her head slowly.

As Crocodile prepared to speak again, both noticed something amiss.

Too late to react, Daniel Davis used the Mirror Dimension to trap Crocodile and Robin in a space where everything flipped like glass.

With his current power, Daniel Davis could envelop all of Rainbase in the Mirror Dimension.

"This is..." Robin touched a piece of furniture, only for her hand to pass through it.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Crocodile roared in anger.

"Don't be hasty, Mr. Sand Crocodile." Daniel Davis stepped out, performing hand seals to make the buildings in the Mirror Dimension rotate. Crocodile and Robin fell but quickly regained their footing using their abilities.

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