Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 49 Garp: Huh? He killed Crocodile?

Bane made no attempt to collect Crocodile's body, leaving it lying on the ground.

It was at this moment that Zoro and Issho came down to the office after receiving Nami's notification.

As soon as they entered, they saw the deep crater in the ground, Crocodile, who was already dead, and Bane sitting in the boss's chair, enjoying a Crocodile cigar.

"You know what, this cigar is definitely stronger than mine," Bane said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

He doesn't know if other people inhale through their lungs when they smoke cigars, but he does, because that's what makes it strong. And with his physical condition, he doesn't need to worry about any problems it might cause.

With a slightly surprised look, Yixiao glanced at Crocodile's corpse, then murmured in astonishment, "It seems Lord Bane's strength is greater than I imagined."

Ikko is a true top-tier expert; he can glean a great deal of information from a single glance at Crocodile's corpse.

For example, this Shichibukai appeared to be one-sidedly beaten; in other words, he posed almost no threat to Bane, and his injuries were limited to his head. In other words, Bane beat him up with ease!

In particular, it was a very short time. He only had a cup of tea with Zoro up there and felt some vibrations, and then it was over!

What does this mean? It means quick, accurate, and ruthless!

The fact that Bane was able to defeat Crocodile in such an overwhelming manner, regardless of the method, shows that Ikko has already acknowledged Bane's strength.

"It was just a clever trick," Bane said modestly, waving his hand.

Just then, Nicole Robin walked in from outside and looked at Bane, saying, "I've already notified the officers to gather here; they'll be here soon."

The reason why the senior executives of Baroque Works were able to assemble so quickly was that Robin, as the vice president, had already issued a summons to them before Bane arrived in Alabasta. At this moment, these executives were waiting in the rain.

"Understood." Bane nodded, then looked at Nami and said, "Nami, my Den Den Mushi."

"Here it comes." Nami quickly retrieved the Den Den Mushi from her valley and handed it to Bane.

In fact, besides being a navigator, she also works part-time as Bane's secretary, and so far, she's doing an excellent job.

Therefore, she strongly demanded that Ben pay her two salaries.

Bane took the Den Den Mushi and dialed Smoker's number directly.

But after ringing for a while, no one answered. This puzzled Bane.

He didn't give up and called several more times, but no one answered, as if Smoker was very busy.

"Strange, why isn't this guy answering the Den Den Mushi?" Bane muttered in confusion.

As soon as he finished speaking, Smoker called back the Den Den Mushi.

"Bane? What is it?" Smoker's voice was a little hoarse, as if he had just been doing physical exercise.

"Why can't I get through? Is something wrong?" Bane asked.

"We did encounter some trouble, but it's resolved," Smoker replied initially, before explaining, "We were supposed to head to headquarters a few days ago, but Mr. Garp discovered his other grandson."

"I saw it in the newspaper, Monkey D. Luffy? That surname, with a 'D' in it, it sounds like a member of Garp's family." Bane joked with a smile.

"Yes, anyway, his other grandson also became a pirate and caused a huge disturbance at one of our East Blue naval bases. After Mr. Garp found out, he decided to wait for him in Loguetown for a while. After all, if that guy wants to leave the East Blue, he will most likely have to come here," Smoker said.

"And what did you just see?" Bane asked curiously.

He really wanted to know what Luffy's current situation was.

"When I got there, I took him down, but then the Revolutionary Army's Dragon showed up and almost kidnapped the kid. Luckily, Mr. Garp was also in Loguetown. He fought Dragon and destroyed a large part of Loguetown," Smoker said through gritted teeth.

His naval base wasn't even finished being built yet, and half of Loguetown was destroyed!

Thankfully, he didn't have to pay for the repairs himself, otherwise the two hundred million that Bane gave him wouldn't have been enough.

"So Garp captured Dragon too!?" Bane asked, slightly agitated.

"No, Dragon ran away, but we caught that brat in the straw hat. Mr. Garp's idea is to take him back to headquarters for a good lesson. Well, we investigated this guy, and although he caused some trouble at the naval base, he didn't do anything too outrageous. The naval lieutenant commander he killed was also a problematic person. I couldn't find out about him before. Although he calls himself a pirate, it seems he's not beyond redemption," Smoker said.

"Hahaha, if he weren't Garp's grandson, how could he receive such preferential treatment?" Bane laughed loudly.

Smoker didn't deny anything upon hearing this, and changed the subject, saying, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Why did you suddenly contact me? Have you arrived at Sabaody Archipelago? I don't have time to get there yet, and even going through Mary Geoise will take some time. How about I have my friend pick you up? Why don't you go to headquarters and wait for us?"

Smoker's words resonated with Issho, further solidifying his belief that Bane had connections within the Navy.

"No, not at all. I'm in Alabasta. I contacted you to let you know that I just killed Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. The news hasn't spread yet. If your Navy needs it, you can plan ahead and see if you can get some benefits." Bane said with a smile.

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Smoker was sitting on a pile of rubble in the ruins of Loguetown. Hearing this, he was completely stunned.

Just then, Garp, holding Luffy by the back of the neck and ignoring his struggles, carried him over and said, "What's wrong? Why do you look so shocked?"

Smoker finally snapped out of his daze and looked at Garp in disbelief, saying, "That Bane guy killed Crocodile in Alabasta!"

Garp? ???

"What?" Garp snatched the Den Den Mushi from Smoker's hand and said into the other end, "Bane, you really killed Crocodile?"

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

"Kapper?" Bane paused for a moment, then said, "How could this be fake?"

"Why did you suddenly go and cause trouble for him?" Karp asked, puzzled.

"Well, I can't say for sure right now, but you'll understand later. Anyway, it's very important, and it's also very important for your navy," Bane said mysteriously.

Hearing this, Ichisho thought to himself that it seemed that Senior Zephyr of the Navy had secretly entrusted Bane with this task.

"Of course it's important to our navy!" Garp said in a deep voice. "Are there many witnesses?"

"There were almost no witnesses, and I could easily have kept the news under wraps," Bane replied.

"That's good. Don't reveal this news yet. We're planning to recruit the Seven Warlords of the Sea to fight together. If word gets out that you killed one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea at this critical juncture, it won't be convenient and will make the other Seven Warlords of the Sea have concerns," Garp quickly said.

"I see." Bane nodded in understanding. "I understand. I'll keep this news under wraps. We'll discuss the rest when we get to headquarters."

Garp responded, "Alright, we'll talk about it at headquarters. I'm growing to admire you more and more these days, kid. Hahaha, well done!"

"Don't just talk the talk, take some real action. Crocodile's bounty is supposed to be 81 million Berries, right? That's really low," Bane said with some disdain.

In the original story, this guy found enlightenment in the Dragon Field of Impel Down and rediscovered himself. He then shone brightly in the Battle of Marineford, and two years later his bounty soared to 1.9655 billion Berries. But now, he only has a mere 81 million Berries, which makes Bane very heartbroken.

But then I thought, if he already had the strength he would have two years later, I definitely wouldn't be able to beat him in Alabasta. Oh well.

"You little brat, you've got your eyes on money. The news can't be made public right now, so I can't give you a bounty. Besides, you're going to join our navy later, so we'll all be on the same side. How about I count it as a merit for you? I'll guarantee you a promotion then!" Garp said shamelessly.

However, Bane is about to inherit Crocodile's vast fortune, so he doesn't really care about these meager sums. After arguing with Garp for a few moments, he hung up the Den Den Mushi.

But his performance and the familiarity he showed when talking to Garp completely dispelled any doubts Ichisho had. Hmm, this Bane really does have a powerful background in the Navy!

Didn't you see that Garp, this naval hero, is being promoted?

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(End of this chapter)