"Crocodile?"
Wright looked at the sand crocodile confined in his solitary cell and chuckled. "I originally thought Smoker would have a tough battle ahead."
"But alas... you're too weak. When I was still in training, your name had already spread across the seas—the first Warlord of the Sea... Ha!"
"For Smoker, defeating you was practically a foregone conclusion. What a disappointment—you've let us down, Crocodile."
"..."
Crocodile's expression was dark, his face nearly turning to coal, his teeth clenched so hard they were close to shattering.
"Marine Headquarters Admiral Candidate, 'Orange Horse' Wright..."
It took a moment for Crocodile to steady his emotions before speaking in a deep voice.
"I never imagined it would be you advising Cobra from behind the scenes..."
"As a Warlord of the Sea, you dared to strike against me without any solid evidence? Do you even care about the authority of the World Government?!"
"Of course not."
Wright looked at Crocodile as if he were an idiot. "Evidence? If I already know your true nature, why not just eliminate you? Now there's plenty of evidence, isn't there?"
"Besides, the moment I got my hands on the Baroque Works' senior agent list, your fate was sealed!"
"Mr. 0, your criminal syndicate operates far beyond the authority granted to the Warlords!"
"The list!"
Crocodile's face stiffened, then a look of realization dawned on him.
"Nico Robin..."
"That woman—who survives by betrayal and deception! Only she would do something like this!"
"She betrayed me! She wants to take the 'secret' of this country for herself!"
"Where is she!?"
Crocodile was nearly hysterical. A decade-long scheme, ruined by a woman he had merely used as a tool?!
Without that list, even if Cobra had discovered his plans, he wouldn't have been able to react in time. More importantly, Wright would have had no legitimate reason to intervene!
"She escaped... After more than a decade of running, Nico Robin has perfected the art of evasion."
Wright gave Crocodile a deep look. "But before she fled, she left behind a note."
"??!"
Crocodile snapped his head up, watching as a slip of paper fluttered down in front of him.
"Get ready—you and your senior agents will be spending the rest of your lives in Impel Down."
Without sparing Crocodile another glance, Wright turned and walked away.
"..."
Crocodile's face twisted as he hesitated for a long moment before finally picking up the note through gritted teeth.
"Heh... Haha... Ahahahaha!"
"So that's how it is... A mere illusion! Hahahaha!"
At the doorway, Wright paused for a moment before shaking his head and continuing on his way.
...
"Crocodile has taken quite the blow. Once Alabasta's affairs are settled, I'll personally escort him to Impel Down."
"If he weren't a former Warlord and a Logia user requiring a formal trial, I would have killed him in Alabasta myself."
Wright was reporting the situation in Alabasta directly to Sengoku.
With a Lightforged beacon, Wright had no need to use a Den Den Mushi—he could teleport straight back to headquarters and give his report in person.
"..."
Sengoku removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The Warlords... The Warlords..."
"These sea-faring scum—at least we finally get to clean one of them up."
Though he had allowed Wright to handle the situation in Alabasta, Sengoku hadn't expected Crocodile's scheme to be this grand.
This was Alabasta, not some insignificant little kingdom!
"Crocodile will undoubtedly be stripped of his Warlord title. The evidence is irrefutable—there's no room for debate."
Sengoku took a sip of tea before setting down his cup. "That leaves an open seat among the Warlords once again..."
His hand suddenly froze. Looking up at Wright with annoyance, he narrowed his eyes.
"?"
Wright blinked. "What's wrong, Old Man Sengoku? Have I become even more handsome?"
"..."
A vein bulged on Sengoku's forehead. "You little brat!"
This troublemaker—does he have a personal grudge against the Warlords? It wasn't easy for the higher-ups to maintain a full roster of seven...
"The Warlords..." Sengoku studied Wright for a long moment, prompting Wright to raise an eyebrow.
"For the time being, there aren't any suitable candidates."
Sengoku pondered. Finding a pirate powerful enough to be a deterrent, yet willing to cooperate with the World Government, was no easy feat.
"Fortunately, things are relatively stable right now. Crocodile barely left Alabasta anyway, and the Marines' forces in Paradise have significantly strengthened—we can handle it."
"Even if this incident reaches the Five Elders, they likely won't rush to fill the vacancy."
"After all, this was an attempt to overthrow a World Government member state!"
"And the most humiliating part? Alabasta nearly resolved the entire situation on its own. If not for minimizing civilian casualties, even the kingdom's own forces could have forced Crocodile into a corner!"
"Well, no matter," Wright said with a nod. "With the Marines' current strength, even if the Warlords were down to four or five, we'd still be fine."
"By the way!" Sengoku suddenly recalled something. "Zephyr's elite training camp is about to begin. Your recommendations—Tashigi and Cavendish—are currently on missions. Make sure they don't miss it!"
"Don't worry, I've already arranged for them to teleport back later. Smoker, Hina, and T Bone are overseeing Alabasta's aftermath—I trust them completely."
"Good."
...
After completing his report, Wright returned to his office, retrieved a spare fourth-generation beacon, and prepared to set off in search of Skypiea.
Skypiea's approximate location should be 10,000 meters above Jaya Island, within the White-White Sea. In other words, all Wright needed to do was head to Jaya and fly straight up.
However, since he carried the Lightforged beacon, Wright couldn't teleport directly to Alabasta, the closest landmass to Jaya. Instead, he had to travel from Marine Headquarters.
Taking out Jaya's Eternal Pose, Wright summoned his Holy Light wings and soared into the sky, vanishing into the clouds.
"As long as I follow the compass, I'll get there. Flying too low risks being spotted, so I'll cruise above the cloud layer."
With his endurance, Wright hardly needed rest for such a long journey.
His Justice coat billowed behind him as he maintained a steady speed—not too fast, not too slow.
After two days of flight, Wright encountered a massive cloud formation.
"At this altitude, I should be close to the White Sea. It's not a thundercloud, but I'd better be cautious."
Ascending higher, Wright flew over the clouds—only to be left in awe.
"This... this is beautiful..."
Before him lay a breathtaking scene straight out of a fantasy—an archipelago of floating islands!
Dozens of islands, varying in size, surrounded a massive central floating landmass.
Each seemed to belong to a different climate, embodying the distinct features of the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter, all represented by their own respective islands.
Some islands had their lower halves entirely submerged in thick layers of seawater, while others had water only on their surfaces. Yet, the majority bore clear traces of human activity—
Weathered structures, neatly arranged forests, and even islands with smooth, open fields that looked like cultivated farmland!
The central island was the most extraordinary of all. A towering mountain at its heart was blanketed in snow, while a thick ring of seawater swirled around its midsection. Cascading waterfalls flowed from the island into the surrounding waters, creating massive rainbows that arched over its edges.
"What an... unexpected discovery..."
"The Golden Lion—Shiki!"
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