Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

On the vast, boundless sea, a warship lay anchored alone, seemingly waiting for something.

At this moment, Raleigh sat cross-legged on the bow of the warship, seemingly listening to the sounds carried by the wind.

After a long while, his ears twitched slightly, and his previously tightly closed eyes opened silently.

He pointed his right hand to the distant east and said:

"Head in that direction, go all out!"

At this moment, Mushuru was sailing at top speed on his dilapidated sailing ship toward Drum Kingdom. He was lost in his daydreams on the ship, completely unaware that death was about to befall him.

Hahahaha.

A series of sharp, piercing sounds came from Mushuru's mouth and echoed to every corner of the deck.

But he didn't mind.

Because he swore this was the happiest moment of his life.

This very morning, that idiot Wapol died in his bed, leaving Drum Kingdom with no choice but to send him back to inherit the throne.

This greatly excited Mushuru, who was already somewhat psychologically disturbed.

Finally, he had the opportunity to return to Drum Kingdom and become king.

At the same time, he wanted revenge.

The objects of revenge are the citizens of Drum Kingdom!

In his view, the people of Drum Country should have sacrificed their lives for his experiment when the spore bombs were released.

And his father must be senile, otherwise why would he think of exiling his own son?

With so many people in Drum Kingdom, what does it matter if a few die? Many more will be born in time anyway.

Mshuru showed no remorse whatsoever. On the contrary, if he were in Drum Kingdom now, he would surely unleash another spore bomb as a celebration of his ascension to the throne.

But his wish was destined to be in vain.

Because in the seas far from the Land of Fire, he encountered the compassionate Asura.

Those emotionless eyes were the last image of Mshuru's life.

Raleigh no longer needs to take action against such minor characters.

Before Mushuru and his group could react, Enel had already unleashed his lightning.

Everyone except Mushuru was instantly electrocuted, leaving only the severely injured Mushuru.

Who are you? I am the King of the Drum Kingdom!

"If you dare to kill me, you will face retaliation from the World Government and the Navy!"

Severely wounded and lying on the ground, Mushuru roared at the empty deck.

He was terrified, but he also felt that as the king of the Drum Kingdom, no ordinary person would dare to kill him.

I can give you a great deal of wealth, if only you would spare me.

While Mushuru verbally offered to pay for his life, he was inwardly roaring with rage.

How dare you attack me! When I return to Drum Kingdom, I will find out your identities and personally hang you on the palace walls.

Mshuru stared at the deck, his anger palpable.

Until a pair of military boots came into his view.

Mushuru's pupils widened when he saw the military boots and uniform; he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.

The person who arrived was Enel. Although he didn't recognize Enel, he recognized the clothes Enel was wearing—the clothes of a naval admiral.

"Why—why?"

Why is the Navy attacking me? Shouldn't you be protecting me?! I am the King of Drum Nation, a member state of the World Government! You should be protecting me!!!

Enel didn't have the habit of answering stupid questions. Seeing that Mshuru still had the strength to speak, a small lightning bolt appeared on his finger again.

He flicked his finger, and then Mushuru screamed again.

Enel, like an emotionless god, pulled out the Devil Fruit Collector from behind his back and slowly walked towards Mushuru.

Exhausted by the lightning, Mushuru sensed the threat of death. He struggled with all his might but could only move slightly on the deck.

Enel stomped on Mshuru's chest, then raised the syringe and plunged it straight into Mshuru's heart.

This time was completely different from Wapol's. Wapol had been anesthetized and didn't struggle most of the time.

Mushuru was only severely injured by the electric shock, but he still retained his will.

Although he didn't know what Enel was doing, he could feel his power and life force draining away.

Rao Rao · Navy

Enel, seeing that the Devil Fruit Collector was already halfway full, spoke sarcastically:

"Now you realize how precious life is? When you targeted the people of Drum Nation, why didn't you consider how valuable life was?"

Mshuru is now filled with regret; he regrets not bringing more guards.

He regretted encountering such a brutal navy.

The only thing he didn't regret was the crimes he committed in Drum Kingdom, because he didn't think he had done anything wrong.

After the Devil Fruit Collector finished collecting all the Devil Fruit energy, Mushuru was left with only half a breath left.

Enel kicked Mushuru hard in the side, and a crisp sound rang out, indicating that Mushuru's spine had been broken by Enel's kick.

"The power to judge evil - Lei Ying!"

Enel waved his hand, and a small black cloud appeared in the sky. A bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket struck Mshuru's ship, shattering a huge hole in the cabin.

Seawater rushed into the cabin, and the keel made a cracking sound.

Enel transformed into lightning amidst this sound and vanished into the sky in the blink of an eye.

A few days later, after waiting for Mushuru's minister from the Drum Kingdom to contact King Chiravia of the Fire Kingdom again, they learned that Mushuru had left the Fire Kingdom the very first day he received the message.

Feeling guilty towards his friend, Chiravie immediately dispatched his guards to search the seas near the Land of Fire.

Then, the captain of the guard rushed in, carrying a tattered piece of ship plank.

"Oh no, Your Majesty!"

We found a piece of ship plank in the offshore area, as confirmed by workers and soldiers at the port docks.

This is the material the ship was made of when Mshuru set sail.

Unfortunately, I must inform you that Mshuru has likely died in the waters near us!

King Zilavia abruptly stood up, unable to believe the words of his guard captain.

Even if he dislikes Mushuru, it doesn't change the fact that Mushuru is his friend's only orphan and the only legitimate heir to the Drum Kingdom.

The excitement combined with her advanced age caused Zilavia to experience oxygen deprivation after suddenly standing up, resulting in her swaying and falling backward.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You must hold on!"

"Where's the doctor?! Call the doctor right now!"

His Majesty the King of Zilavia has fallen into a coma!

Enel returned to Raleigh's ship after completing his mission, while Raleigh had already gone back to his office.

Enel knocked on the door and barged in without waiting for Raleigh's reply.

Raleigh was resting with his legs propped up on his desk when he saw Enel walk in, and he knew that everything was over.

"How's it going, Enel? Has no one found out yet?"

Raleigh asked casually.

Enel took the Devil Fruit out of the Devil Fruit Collector and casually tossed it into Raleigh's arms, then made himself a cup of tea.

He spoke up only after drinking the tea:

Brother Raleigh, I don't understand why there are people like this in the world.

"Even as he was dying, he showed no remorse whatsoever towards the people of the Drum Kingdom that I mentioned before his death. What did he value human life?"

Upon hearing Enel's words, Raleigh immediately stood up from his office chair, ignoring the Fungus Fruit in his hand.

He casually put it down, then got up and walked to Enel's side, patted Enel on the shoulder and said:

Enel, I'm so glad you understand how I feel, but I hope you won't let those feelings weigh you down.

In this world where order has collapsed, there is too much inequality and utter evil, existing in the minds of all kinds of people. The pirates we usually encounter are basically these kinds of people.

"But let me tell you, the root cause of this mindset stems from the Celestial Dragons' view of other races as a top-down evil. The Celestial Dragons treat other races like pigs and dogs, and the kings and nobles of the country have inherited this mentality."

"What they take for granted is precisely the evil we find most intolerable, and that's what I've been doing for all these years. Only with great power can we rewrite the rules of this world."

Raleigh was delighted that the exceptionally talented Enel had encountered such a problem.

The others, having followed Raleigh for a longer period, unconditionally trusted him and had already formed their own opinions on such matters.

Of Raleigh's followers, only Enel and Barrett did not share this sentiment.

However, Barrett's mindset was already formed, and he was deeply hurt by the endless war, which led to his bloodthirsty and belligerent personality.

Enel was trained by Raleigh when he was young, but his free-spirited personality prevented him from realizing this problem in advance.

However, it's not too late now. As long as Enel can come to his senses, he will become a person with firm beliefs.

After some gentle encouragement from Raleigh, Enel finally regained some of his energy.

Raleigh patted Enel on the shoulder and said:

"You don't need to worry about this. After all, it's not something you can figure out all at once. Anyone facing this problem needs time to resolve it."

If you can't figure it out, go out for a walk. I'll give you a holiday.

While you're at it, take the Fungus Fruit with you and go to Karakuri Island to give it to Vegapunk.

This time, I won't give you a time limit. You can come back whenever you want, until you've come to your senses.

Enel's eyes were filled with complex emotions, but he was still grateful to Raleigh.

He really needs to think about whether he should continue serving in the Navy and whether he should continue down this path.

As Enel got up and left, the Fungus Fruit was also taken away.

The messenger came in and handed the latest newspaper to Raleigh.

There were no sensational new events reported in the newspapers that would shake the Grand Line; they were all minor incidents.

On the third page, Raleigh saw Crocodile again, the Crocodile he had warned before, but now he was completely different from before.

In the photo, Crocodile's sharp hook is piercing a pirate's chin, lifting the pirate's body high into the air.

Behind him are pirates dying in all sorts of ways, and his subordinates slaughtering pirates.

It has to be said that after Raleigh gave him a lecture...

Crocodile has temporarily suppressed his ambitions and is now focusing on completing the tasks assigned to him by Raleigh.

In order to reduce the number of pirates, he, as the boss, personally appeared at the exit of Upside Down Mountain and began the slaughter.

The newspaper reported many other things, but the most important sentence was that Crocodile had been hailed as a "hero" by the people of Alabasta.

Raleigh didn't care that Crocodile was behind the scenes.

All he needs to do is ensure that Crocodile reduces the number of pirates.

Even if Crocodile's current appearance is an act, Raleigh has ways to make him keep pretending forever.

Who says someone who pretends to be a hero their whole life isn't a hero?

In the port of Alabasta, Crocodile stood on the deck of his large ship, looking at the cheering crowd around him, and a nameless fire rose in his heart.

He doesn't want to be some kind of ghost hero.

He's Crocodile, the man who's going to become the ruler of the new world!

How can you spend your days killing low-level pirates in small places like Alabasta and Reverse Mountain, becoming a hero to a bunch of idiots?

And so, Crocodile, with a gloomy face, a serious expression, and a hint of murderous intent in his eyes, appeared before the fanatical crowd.

"Lord Crocodile is so cool!"

"Lord Crocodile, you are a hero of the Kingdom of Alabasta!"

"Long live Lord Crocodile!"

"Long live Lord Crocodile!"

Looking at the reveling crowd, Crocodile cursed the fools inwardly, but on the surface he had to put on a serious face.

Before the ship even landed, he jumped directly from the deck onto the shore.

Crocodile's striking appearance was made even more dazzling by the public, with his sharp golden hooks, slicked-back hair, an expensive cigar dangling from his mouth, and a wide cape.

Of course, much of all of this is an added halo in the eyes of the public.

Crocodile waved his hand slightly, then said in a serious tone;

"Everyone, preventing pirates from wreaking havoc on the Alabasta Kingdom is what our Barrot Works should do. There's no need to bestow the title of hero upon me."

"If we must speak of heroes, then every member of the Barrot Works who fights against pirates is a hero of the Alabasta Kingdom!"

Upon hearing Crocodile's words, the already jubilant crowd nearly lost control, until a voice rang out:

Lord Crocodile, may I join your Barrot Works?

Crocodile was secretly delighted. He now realized that the title of hero wasn't so bad after all; at least it could attract a large number of fools.

At that time, a large number of young and strong men will be sent to Reverse Mountain to fight against pirates and gain fame, while the loyal Baroque Works executives and members can rest assured to do their work in the Kingdom of Alabasta.

"Yes, our Balot Workshop welcomes everyone to join!"