Pirate: I have a Hollow living inside me!

"Sir, come here quickly! I've found Crocodile's body..."

"What? Quick, take a picture of it!"

The staff at the World Economic News were excited and cheering, already imagining the sensation this news would cause once it spread...

Meanwhile, some residents of the Rainlands who also arrived here froze on the spot after seeing Crocodile's body.

His face showed fear and apprehension...

"Lord Crocodile... he's dead!?"

"Who on earth dared to kill our Alabasta hero!"

"Find the murderer quickly and avenge Lord Crocodile!"

"Are you stupid? Even Lord Crocodile wasn't a match for the murderer, how could we possibly take revenge? Quickly report this news and notify the Navy. We absolutely cannot let this vicious criminal get away!!"

"I will immediately inform the naval branch base stationed at the port of Tamalisk..."

"..."

Crocodile is a "hero" of Alabasta and enjoys extremely high prestige in the country.

Seeing that the other party had been killed naturally aroused anger and panic among many people.

The first decision was made to report the matter to the royal family and the Alabasta naval forces stationed there...

The death of a Shichibukai, a national hero of their country, is a very significant event for Alabasta...

It was during these moments that this group of people experienced joy, excitement, anger, or grief.

No one noticed that an arm suddenly grew out of a rock nearby.

There's also an eye and an ear growing on this arm...

Not far away.

Robin, sitting on the tortoise shell, fell into a long silence as she watched and listened to the sounds coming from the other side using her abilities: "..."

After a moment, she murmured in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Is that all... dead?"

Crocodile is dead.

Her powerful backer has also fallen.

Although her relationship with Crocodile was purely cooperative, there was no romantic involvement between them.

She could defect at any time.

But with her backer gone, she lost a relatively safe "haven".

What will become of her in the future?

Should she go and seek refuge with the man who said he would protect her?

She didn't know, and she was somewhat confused...

Chapter 97 Cobra's Astonishment, Kuina's Future Swordsmanship!

Arubana.

This is the capital of the Kingdom of Alabasta.

Led by Icarum, the captain of the kingdom's guard, Lox, Joak, and their entourage headed towards the palace.

en route.

Icarum glanced at Lox with a wary look every now and then, clearly aware of what had happened not long ago.

Their Alabasta national hero, Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea... died at the hands of this man.

When he first received the news, he was truly shocked.

When he saw Rocks, the murderer who killed Crocodile, he was so terrified he almost lost his mind.

If it weren't for Yoak, an acquaintance, reassuring him that Lox posed no threat to Alabasta...

He even considered organizing a force to resist Rocks' "invasion"!

"Don't look at me like that. I have no ill intentions toward your Alabasta."

Seeing Icarus glancing at him warily from time to time, Lox was speechless: "The reason I came here this time is to experience the customs and culture of Alabasta."

"There are also some things about Crocodile that I would like to discuss with your king."

"I...I'm sorry, Lord Black-Haired Swordsman, I was just a little surprised, I have no ill will towards you..."

Icarum was rather reserved when facing Lox, but after hearing this, he quickly said, "We in Alabasta warmly welcome your arrival..."

Their country cannot afford to provoke such powerful individuals, so they naturally have to be extremely careful in their actions.

This was unavoidable...

Lox nodded slightly: "That's good."

Under Icarus's leadership.

The group soon arrived at the palace.

King Cobra of Alabasta had already learned of the news and came out to greet them personally.

With a warm and polite smile, Cobra addressed the group that had arrived, saying, "You have all had a long journey. I have had a dinner prepared, please do not refuse..."

A king personally came out to greet them, showing great sincerity.

This is a sign of respect for Lox.

Cobra shared the same idea as Icarus.

A powerful figure capable of killing Crocodile is someone Alabasta cannot afford to offend and needs to take seriously.

At the very least, we can't let the other side develop a negative impression of Alabasta...

"Thank you, King Cobra."

Lox and the others exchanged pleasantries.

Then Cobra led him to the banquet hall.

The banquet hall table was set with a variety of delicious food and drinks for guests to enjoy at their leisure.

The banquet was of extremely high standard, leaving no room for criticism.

Anyway, Rocks was having a great time eating and drinking.

Alabasta's food is exotic and contains a lot of "energy," which suits Lox's taste perfectly.

Nami and Kuina also nodded frequently as they ate, agreeing that the food tasted good.

Kobra, the host, did not neglect any of his guests, chatting with several of them and occasionally sharing some interesting anecdotes, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

However, he never mentioned Crocodile, as if the matter had never happened...

The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely in the banquet hall.

Joak, preoccupied with the matter at hand, didn't eat much.

After seeing that Rocks and the other two had eaten and drunk their fill, he finally found an opportunity to bring up the "dancing powder" thing with Cobra...

"Dancing powder?"

Cobra, who was also aware of the powder's effects, frowned upon hearing this: "Mr. Yoak means..."

"Is someone secretly smuggling dance powder into Alabasta, intending to harm Alabasta?"

"Yes, if it weren't for the help of the Black-Haired Swordsman, my Yoak caravan might have become accomplices of those criminals..."

Yoyak's voice was still trembling with fear: "With your permission, our Yoyak caravan can reach the heart of Alabasta without any checks."

"If the 'dancing fans' issue hadn't been discovered early, it could have had unpredictable consequences for the Kingdom of Alabasta..."

Is that really the case?

Cobra's expression was not good; he had clearly anticipated the possible consequences...

Cobra rose and bowed deeply to Lox, expressing his gratitude: "Thank you for your help, sir. Otherwise, Alabasta might have faced turmoil, and it might even have shaken the very foundation of the nation..."

"There's no need for that."

Lox waved his hand: "It was just a coincidence."

After a pause, Locke said, "Since you've brought this up, let me tell you a few more things."

"The people who sent the Yoak caravan to transport dancing powder into Alabasta were a force called the Baroque Works."

"And the person behind Baroque Works is none other than Crocodile, the hero of your country."

Although Cobra didn't mention Crocodile, Rocks didn't want to be seen as a villain who killed someone else's national hero.

He was a kind and righteous person.

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Cobra's voice rose several decibels, his expression revealing astonishment and disbelief: "How is this possible..."

Although Crocodile's title of hero was not bestowed by him, but recognized by the people of the nation.

However, he did not issue a statement rejecting the matter...

It turns out the other party actually wanted to harm Alabasta?

Nothing is impossible.

Rocks took a sip of red wine and said leisurely, "A tyrant chooses to be a hero of a nation."

"It's not because he's benevolent or righteous, but simply because this country has something he wants..."

"If King Cobra doesn't believe me, he can send someone to investigate. Now that Crocodile has been killed by me, his stronghold, Rainfield, should have relevant evidence."

"Oh, actually there's another witness. She used to be Crocodile's subordinate and is now one of my future members. Just have her come over to testify."

As he said this, Rocks smiled up at the sky.

An arm had somehow grown out there, and on the arm was an eye and an ear.

It was Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit ability.