Chapter 316: Magic Can Create Miracles!

"Stop the desert tornadoes? I'd advise you not to waste your energy."

Crocodile sneered, his voice dripping with disdain as he surveyed the situation.

"Even if you kill me now, it won't make any difference. My Devil Fruit powers were only the trigger. What's happening now has transcended my abilities. It's a natural disaster. Neither you nor anyone in Alabasta can escape it. You will all be buried along with this kingdom."

The Desert King Crocodile, master of the Sand-Sand Fruit, stood helpless against the monstrous sandstorm. So naturally, he didn't believe for a second that Wood, a mere arms dealer, could stop the catastrophe.

"Just like you told Straw Hat Luffy, Crocodile, the world is far bigger than you imagine.

"Just as you, a Warlord of the Sea, were defeated by a rookie pirate, there are many things that may seem impossible to you—but that doesn't mean they are."

As Wood spoke, he slowly drew two long blades from his waist and plunged them into the ground before him.

Zoro, one of the Straw Hat crew's swordsmen, couldn't take his eyes off the swords. His expertise as a swordsman told him immediately that Wood's swords were famous, named blades.

Having a famous sword didn't necessarily make someone powerful. But those capable of wielding cursed blades were guaranteed to be strong.

Powerful swordsmen always sought good swords, but cursed blades, like Wood's, chose their masters.

Zoro knew his own cursed blade, the Sandai Kitetsu, well, but the cursed energy emanating from Wood's sword was far stronger. The fact that Wood could control such a weapon spoke volumes about his power—this man was no doubt a true swordmaster.

In this world of pirates, it wasn't surprising that a magical circle, something more fitting for the world of Mushoku Tensei, wouldn't appear here. Or rather, the magic circle that Wood conjured could only be seen by those who possessed magical power.

And in this world, Wood was likely the only one with such power.

Even though Princess Vivi and the others couldn't see the magic circle beneath their feet, they could sense the immense energy radiating from Wood. He was clearly doing something.

Before long, the sky above Alabasta's capital, Alubarna, darkened. Thick clouds rolled in, casting a shadow over the city. Vivi and the others stared in shock as they realized that, at some point, a massive layer of clouds had gathered overhead.

The clouds were dense and oppressive, and when a jagged flash of lightning streaked across the sky, the roar of thunder echoed throughout the kingdom.

Since ancient times, the only thing that could fight a natural disaster was another natural disaster.

The silver lightning bolts contrasted sharply with the pitch-black clouds, and as they clashed with the raging desert tornadoes, it was as if nature itself was battling for dominance.

The sky responded to the twisting tornadoes below with volleys of thunderous lightning, each bolt striking with precise, deadly intent.

Though the sand tornadoes were fierce, they couldn't withstand the relentless barrage of lightning strikes. With each flash of lightning, the tornadoes grew weaker, their swirling power slowly dissipating, until at last, they were completely dispersed.

But it wasn't over yet. The tornadoes had stirred up vast amounts of sand, which now drifted ominously toward the city, carried on the faint remnants of the storm.

Even though the tornadoes were gone, the sheer volume of sand was still a significant threat. If all that sand were to fall on the city, a third of Alubarna would be buried.

Yet, compared to the earlier risk of the entire city being swallowed by the storm, this was almost a relief. For King Cobra and Princess Vivi, the possibility of saving so many lives was a miracle.

As long as Alubarna wasn't completely buried, they could rebuild, and the remaining sand could be cleared away.

The situation, while still dire, was far better than the hopeless destruction they had been facing.

Just as Cobra and Vivi were about to thank Wood for saving the kingdom, they noticed that he hadn't moved from where he stood. His gaze was fixed on the sky above.

Before they could ask what he was doing, a cold drop of rain splashed onto Vivi's face.

As the first drop fell, it was quickly followed by more, until a steady rain began to pour from the thick clouds overhead, soon transforming into a torrential downpour.

The sand, which had been swirling above the city, was caught by the rain and fell harmlessly to the ground outside the city walls.

The rain wasn't just washing away the sand—it was lifting the weight of the three-year drought that had hung over Alabasta like a curse.

The people of Alabasta, whether they were part of the royal army or the rebel forces, had stopped fighting. All that remained were the joyous cries of the citizens as they danced in the rain, celebrating the end of their long suffering.

To the common folk of Alabasta, it didn't matter who sat on the throne. They just wanted to survive, to live in peace.

Wood, watching the scene unfold, shook his head slightly, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "I should've put up a protective barrier before the rain started. Now I'm soaked. My dignity just took a nosedive."

But as he stood there, drenched to the bone, Wood admitted to himself that the feeling of rain after such a long drought was quite refreshing.

Not everyone was enjoying the rain, though. Crocodile, the so-called Desert King, lay sprawled in the dirt, staring up at the rain with disbelief written all over his face.

He knew better than anyone why Alabasta had been suffering from a drought. For it to suddenly rain like this… it defied everything.

"You… You must've eaten a Devil Fruit…"

Crocodile spat, his voice dripping with frustration. "And you broke our agreement. You saved Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats!"

Earlier, when Crocodile's underlings had reported that a mysterious figure had saved Princess Vivi and her companions, he had dismissed it as an excuse for their failure.

But now, after hearing Vivi's words and seeing the truth for himself, Crocodile realized that the "mysterious figure" was none other than Wood!

"In a way, I did break our agreement," Wood said casually. "But if it wasn't for my reminder, you wouldn't have taken the Straw Hats seriously from the start, right?

"And even though Vivi arrived in Alubarna, she wasn't able to stop the fighting between the royal army and the rebels.

"As for me helping the Straw Hats… well, I helped you too, didn't I? You haven't wondered why Fire Fist Ace didn't interfere in your fight with Luffy?"

Wood smirked as he continued, "One last correction: My abilities don't come from a Devil Fruit. It's called magic. So I'm not just a swordsman—I'm also a magician capable of performing miracles."

Crocodile scoffed, spitting again in frustration. "Magic? You expect me to believe that?"

Though Crocodile could grudgingly accept that Wood had helped stall Fire Fist Ace, giving him some breathing room, he couldn't bring himself to believe in something as ridiculous as "magic."

Powerful individuals often kept their abilities secret, but surely, Wood didn't need to resort to some fairy tale to explain his powers.

"These days, people will believe all kinds of lies, but the moment you tell the truth, no one believes it," Wood muttered to himself.

But not everyone was skeptical. One individual, though badly beaten, looked at Wood with stars in his eyes. The mention of magic had struck a chord with him.

"Magic?! That's so cool! Are you a real-life magician?" Luffy exclaimed, his face lighting up in pure excitement. He was about to ask if he could learn magic when he was promptly smacked on the head.

"Idiot! Magic doesn't exist! He's obviously tricking you!"

Wood watched in shock as the orange-haired girl, Nami, delivered a punch so powerful that it knocked Luffy, a rubber man, out cold. She hadn't even used Haki, yet she had managed to deal a devastating blow.

"Even after everything Crocodile threw at him, Luffy never passed out, but one hit from her, and he's down for the count."

Wood's eyes narrowed. "So it's true, then. The rumors were right. The real powerhouse of the Straw Hat crew isn't Luffy, Zoro, or Sanji. It's the navigator, Nami."

The so-called "Weak Trio" of the Straw Hat Pirates were clearly far more formidable than they appeared. In fact, when it came down to it, Nami, Chopper, and Usopp might be the most dangerous members of the crew.

As Wood reflected on these fan-favorite characters from his past life, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. But now, these Straw Hat Pirates were nothing more than inexperienced rookies. If Wood wanted, he could defeat them all single-handedly, without even using his swords.

"Thank you once again for saving us and our kingdom," Princess Vivi said, bowing deeply to Wood. "May I ask for your name, so we can properly express our gratitude?"

This wasn't the first time Wood had saved them. This was the second time he had come to their rescue, and this time, he had saved the entire kingdom of Alabasta.

Given Wood's reputation in the New World, it was rare for people not to recognize him on sight. But here, on the first half of the Grand Line, it was a different story. His bounty poster was over ten years old, and since the World Government had given up pursuing him, there hadn't been any recent updates.

In ten years, Wood's appearance had changed enough that even Vivi and Cobra couldn't recognize him.

"Well, I'm just a passing handsome merchant…"

Before Wood could finish, Crocodile, still lying on the ground, broke into mocking laughter.

"Guhahaha! You really think this guy is some kind of hero, don't you? He's one of the most notorious criminals in the world, a former Marine turned outlaw with a one-billion Berry bounty, the man the World Government stopped chasing because he was too dangerous—Wood!

"You think he saved Alabasta out of kindness? Don't be naive! He's after something much bigger than that. Your kingdom might not even be enough to satisfy his ambitions!"

Crocodile's laughter echoed through the air as Wood sighed, shaking his head. The arms dealer had intended to keep things simple, but Crocodile's outburst had exposed his identity.

As the weight of Crocodile's words sank in, Vivi and Cobra's expressions grew conflicted. Could Crocodile be right? Was Wood truly as dangerous as he claimed?

Meanwhile, the Straw Hats stared at Wood in shock.

Could this really be the man Luffy had been talking about defeating all along?