Chapter 104: I Have a Plan! (8k)

Chapter 104: I Have a Plan! (8k)



The aura of dominance emanating from his hands was like a pitch-black stream of fire, constantly burning and causing the pupils of the two onlookers to constrict.

Bang!

His hands penetrated the smoke and flames, and with just one grasp, a loud sound reverberated as the surrounding smoke and fire dissipated.

The smoke and flames drifted left and right, condensing into the figures of Smoker and Ace.

Ace struck a battle-ready pose and said in a low voice, "Hey, it's best not to be hit by him; otherwise, it won't feel too good."

Back in Loguetown, just that one strike in that stance had knocked him down.

He still remembered that feeling of pain.

"No need to tell me that," Smoker said, biting on his cigar and exhaling a puff of smoke, his expression grave.

Although he hadn't witnessed this stance before, Smoker had also endured Saga's attack, having been knocked down just the same. He understood how outrageously strong this guy was.

Not to mention the aura, which had almost become a shock wave; just being grabbed by him would be unpleasant for them in their current state.

However, Smoker turned his gaze to the maniacal fellow lying on the ground.

Too difficult!

It wasn't even a matter of not being hit by him at all; it was that they absolutely must not be touched by Saga. That kind of power, which caused internal damage upon contact, was more outrageous than aura!

"What? You're not coming?"

Saga grinned menacingly and flexed his hands. "If you're not coming, then I'll come to you!"

As he finished speaking, his figure flashed, and in an instant, he appeared before Ace. As Ace wore a look of astonishment, Saga's huge fist slammed down.

Boom!

The fist plunged into a mass of flames, and the force it exerted compressed the flames. As he threw a punch to the side, he didn't even bother to look as he kicked sideways, striking the attacking Six Powers and sending Smoker flying with a dull clang.

"It's not sporting to ambush me, but it doesn't benefit you either, Smoker!" Saga laughed.

"Kenbunshoku?" Smoker leaped back and landed on the ground, lifting his head with a challenging look. "Looks like facing us isn't that easy for you either."

Kenbunshoku, as an application of one's mental and willpower, required a calm and rational state of mind to use and also demanded a certain degree of concentration. The higher the level of Kenbunshoku, the greater the concentration required.

For this man to block his sudden offense, he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared. During the fight, he was still focused and maintained his rationality.

Saga shook his head, and his palm suddenly lashed out, unleashing a burst of aura that detonated the flames attacking from above, causing them to disintegrate into sparks. As the sparks scattered, a trail of flames condensed beside Smoker, transforming into Ace's figure.

"As long as we deplete his stamina enough, he won't be able to maintain that state for long, right?" Ace flashed a confident smile.

One of them had a weakened will, resulting in the loss of his aura, and the other didn't know Kenbunshoku and, as a Logia user, didn't even need to use Armament Haki.

Facing Saga, who could use Kenbunshoku, they were indeed at a disadvantage. However, if they could exhaust Saga to the point of fatigue, he wouldn't be able to use that Kenbunshoku, and it would be difficult for him to dodge their attacks.

At the same level, without using Kenbunshoku, it would be impossible for Saga to hit both of them even with his aura. And the combined might of the two was not to be underestimated; Saga definitely wouldn't be able to defend against it.

Saga scoffed, "No wonder you're pirates; you guys sure know how to dream big. But against you two, I don't need to be that focused. That's just extra power."

Indeed, as they said, Kenbunshoku was an application of one's mental and willpower, used instinctively in a calm and rational state of mind while also requiring a certain degree of concentration.

However, it was impossible for anyone to maintain this state throughout an entire battle. As time went on, one would inevitably get tired, and the physical exertion would accelerate mental fatigue.

No matter who it was, it was impossible to maintain this level of focus throughout a continuous fight.

But Saga was different.

He wasn't focused at all, nor was he calm and rational when facing these two.

His ability to react subconsciously and launch attacks was purely because of...

Negative Emotion Slayer.

The 'Negative Emotion Slayer' of the North Star Fist was a technique that allowed one to instinctively use their skills without sensing or intending to do so.

After mastering Kenbunshoku, this technique naturally followed.

There was no need to maintain calm in battle; as long as danger approached, whether he perceived it or not, his body would instinctively react.

But once he reacted, wouldn't he perceive it then?

If maintaining a calm and rational focus was the proactive aspect of Kenbunshoku...

Then Saga possessed the passive aspect of Kenbunshoku in all directions.

Ambushes would never work on him; he would never find himself in a situation where the so-called world's strongest man was suddenly stabbed from the front.

"Forget it."

Saga looked at the two, his eyes narrowing slightly before opening wide again. A red dot appeared in his pupil, and coupled with his ferocious build, he seemed like a menacing demon, causing the two to break out in a cold sweat involuntarily.

"If you want me to focus, then let me show you the true power of... Haki!"

Whoosh!

As his voice fell, his figure vanished from its original spot, startling the two. One transformed into smoke, and the other into fire, as they attempted to scatter in all directions.

But at that moment, a grotesque, thick palm suddenly materialized, penetrating the smoke and flames.

"Elementalization still has substance; I can see it!"

Saga appeared before the two, grinning malevolently at them.

Bang!

Smoker subconsciously used his Jitte to block, but his outstretched palm was struck on the steel stick, and the tremendous force sent the cloud of smoke flying upward.

Clang!

His other hand grabbed the "flame," and a dull thud sounded from within the flame as it scorched the hand covered in Haki, like a gushing stream of water flowing from between his fingers.

"Sky Destroyer!"

Seeing this, Saga spread his fingers and unleashed a burst of Haki, penetrating the flowing flame and knocking Ace's body backward, crashing into a building.

Boom!

It was at this moment of grasping and spreading his fingers that Saga stomped his foot on the ground, sending a wave of air as he swiftly shot towards Smoker, who had just been knocked into the air. He then lashed out with a fierce leg sweep.

Smoker gritted his teeth and forcefully transformed mid-air, using his numb arms to bring up his Jitte and block in front of him.

"You know, Smoker, no matter how hard a material is, there are many ways to shatter it. There's the realm of all things breathing, the skill of Haki destruction, or using a higher-grade material, and so on."

The Haki covering his leg naturally surpassed the hardness of the Jitte's material.

The internal destruction technique could shatter the steel stick from the inside out.

And with the secret acupoints of all things seen through the realm of all things breathing, he could accurately attack the Jitte's weak points.

So...

Bang!!

"I have mastered them all!"

While blocking, he was struck by this whip-like leg sweep, first breaking into two pieces, then cracking with fissures and shattering into countless fragments, not even leaving the handle for Smoker.

But it was this brief obstruction by the Jitte that allowed Smoker to successfully elementalize, and as the leg sweep only kicked up a cloud of scattered smoke, Saga grinned and abruptly changed his sweeping leg, stomping downward.

"Sky Destroyer: Black Moon!"

Shh!

A crescent-shaped slash was kicked out from the leg, hitting the swiftly descending cloud of smoke and pressing it down to the ground, creating a deep gully while rolling up debris.

Pa.

Saga landed on the ground, and his body returned to normal at this moment. He picked up his cape that had blown away due to the transformation and casually slung it over his shoulders, turning his head with a sinister grin, "Have you seen enough, gentlemen?"

Smoker lay in the gully, his abdomen covered in blood and unable to move.

Although the kick with internal destruction power didn't connect, the Sky Destroyer mixed with the slash of the Storm Leg had destroyed Smoker's abdominal body tissue. However, the temporarily manifested Logia ability had prevented him from being cut in half.

Lying on the rubble of the destroyed building, Ace had one limp leg, and his chest was sunken with blood flowing out.

The power of internal destruction had crushed his leg when Saga grabbed it, and the subsequent Sky Destroyer had also struck Ace's substantial body within the flame, causing severe damage.

"No matter how great the power is, if your body can't keep up..."

Saga walked to Smoker, took out a Serpent Cobra cigar from his chest, and walked to the other side, holding the cigar to the burning flame. Once it was lit, he took a puff and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

He grinned widely and laughed, "Then it's meaningless to me! Whoo-ha-ha-ha!"

In terms of attack strength, Saga could tell that the attack woven from smoke and fire was very powerful. If it were just that move, Saga would have used up a considerable amount of time to block it.

If not for his rapidly recovering Haki, he might not have withstood the move, as the technique's power surpassed his Haki's strength.

The power was sufficient, but as for their physical bodies, they were far too weak. Under the combined effect of his Haki and the North Star Fist, they couldn't even withstand a single blow.

The two were like brittle paper before him, easily torn apart.

Especially with the Kenbunshoku allowing him to sense their next move, Saga displayed overwhelming destructive power.

No matter how many killer moves they had hidden, such as a combination technique where the smoke could increase the temperature of the flame, causing the smoke to also rise in temperature, they wouldn't be able to use it, and thus, it was entirely meaningless.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Smoker, lying on the ground, suddenly coughed a few times, spitting out a mouthful of blood that landed on his face and flowed down his cheeks. His heaving chest indicated that he was still alive.

"Oh? I thought you would die first. Looks like you used Elementalization at the last moment to barely reduce some of the damage."

Saga pointed one hand at Ace and the other at Smoker, and the pitch-black, fire-like Haki reappeared. "Forget it, that's enough. Sky Destroyer..."

Just as he was about to continue his attack, his eyes flashed with a red light, and subconsciously, he covered his entire body with the Haki that had been coiling around his hands.

In the extremely high altitude above him, behind the Alabasta Palace, a dazzling white light suddenly appeared, carrying the power to shatter everything. It crushed the nearby buildings, and the blast wind created an extremely strong air current that blew violently towards him.

Bomb!

A high-altitude exploding bomb!

It wasn't time yet...

In the dazzling white light, Saga even saw a figure flying upwards.

Crocodile?

Boom!!!

The bomb expanded in the air, and the intense white light made the sky piercingly bright. Despite the high-altitude explosion, the enormous shockwave from the blast also destroyed countless buildings.

"What the hell!"

Without bothering to check if Smoker and Ace had been blown away or buried under the rubble, Saga rushed forward and kicked away a rectangular building that was stuck in the debris. He reached into the wreckage and pulled out a familiar collar, lifting a golden-haired, big-breasted beauty from the ruins.

"Sa...Saga." Lily was still conscious and instinctively protected herself with her sword. On the thin blade, one could clearly see the receding blackness.

Without wasting time talking to Lily, Saga put her down and frantically searched the rubble, pulling out one subordinate after another. Compared to Lily, these subordinates had been knocked unconscious by the impact.

After setting down his men, he rushed off again, his figure becoming a blur as he stomped out wave after wave of air with Moonwalk and soared towards another location.

Just as he reached out, the rubble shifted, and a girl named Marika, surrounded by hair like a cocoon, reached out and smiled at Saga, "Ah, Captain, don't worry, I protected myself in time."

He turned and searched the surrounding area, pulling out seven or eight subordinates. He then moved to another pile of rubble and rescued a pink-haired child.

"Saga!" Renetia called out loudly.

Without a word, Saga set Renetia down and continued to pull out the rest of his men from the wreckage. In addition to seven or eight subordinates, there was also Palu, who was charred black with white eyes and looked like he had been struck by lightning.

Finally, his Observation Haki sensed Akainu's location, and he pulled out the man along with his subordinates. Akainu had clearly sustained some injuries.

"Captain Saga, I didn't fail. I managed to hold back Mr. Sanji," Akainu said weakly as he was pulled out.

"Who cares about that!" Saga retorted impatiently. With a powerful stomp, he rushed towards the tallest clock tower in Alba, creating waves of air with each step. Within just ten minutes, he reached the location of the large clock on the tower.

At that moment, the clock face was open, revealing an empty space inside. There stood a blue-haired woman with tears streaming down her face but a determined expression, along with a man in a white robe adorned with numerous black four-cornered symbols.

Next to them was a cannon barrel that was only slightly smaller in diameter than the enormous clock.

Saga landed inside and glanced at the blue-haired woman before shifting his gaze to the two frog-suited man and woman lying on the ground.

The one Old Sha had mentioned, who was supposed to be in charge of detonating the bomb...

"What did you do?" Saga asked, looking at the man.

The moment he appeared, this man had already shielded Vivi behind him and was warily eyeing Saga, but he didn't respond.

Saga recognized this man; the bounty notice had already reached the royal palace.

Saga looked at the cannon, noticing that it had been moved from its original position and was no longer aimed at the square.

The blue-haired woman was injured, but this seemingly formidable man was unharmed.

Apparently, she had come first to stop the explosion and had ended up fighting with the two agents, clearly at a disadvantage. However, it seemed that she had managed to get them to detonate the bomb earlier than planned.

Then the man had appeared, dealt with the two agents, but failed to stop the explosion in time, resulting in the blast.

However, it seemed that he had redirected the cannon and fired it at a higher angle, sending the projectile farther away from its intended target.

So...

"Not bad, you're Vivi, right? Princess of Alabasta." Saga clicked his tongue. "You redirected the blast towards the royal palace? Because of the war, that's the only place without civilians. You'd rather destroy the palace than hurt the people. Impressive."

"The people are the country!" Vivi wiped her tears and stood up from behind Bell, her voice resolute. "The palace can be rebuilt, and the four-thousand-year history is made by the people. As long as the people are here, the country remains! Even if I'm no longer a princess, as long as the country stands, that's enough!"

"Who cares about you!" Saga rolled his eyes and didn't bother with them anymore. He turned and leaped from the clock tower, using Moonwalk to rush towards a specific location.

He was only here to confirm why the explosion had occurred earlier than expected. As for the rest, he didn't care.

What truly mattered to him was Crocodile!

"Mr. Crocodile!"

"Why is Mr. Crocodile lying here?"

"No, why is he in the royal capital?"

Saga arrived at a small square where several thousand people were engaged in a chaotic battle. Although the massive explosion hadn't reached this area, it had caused the fighting to cease momentarily.

The appearance of Crocodile rising from the ground also attracted their attention.

At that moment, Tashigi led a group of marines through the center of the battle and declared loudly as she faced the fallen Crocodile:

"Secret criminal organization 'Baroque Works' President and Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile, for conspiring to use Dance Powder to overthrow a country, I, on behalf of the World Government's direct subordinate, the Navy Headquarters, hereby revoke the authority granted to you by the government and place you under arrest!"

Overthrow a country?

Everyone around them fell silent.

A rebel said with a trembling voice, "Is it Crocodile using the Dance Powder? Then, what about this war..."

"Yes, after our confirmation, Crocodile has indeed been using Dance Powder and framing the King of Alabasta to incite this war, with the intention of seizing the country. Now, there's no longer any need for the war."

Tashigi tightened her grip on 'Shigure', pointing the blade towards the sky as she declared loudly, "The war... is over!"

Boom!

Perhaps due to the high-altitude explosion, or maybe some other reason, amidst the scorching sun and swirling sand, a massive cloud formed, and with Tashigi's shout, a thunderbolt descended.

Along with the thunderbolt, a figure suddenly dropped from the sky, landing beside Crocodile.

The man's white hair danced wildly in the raging storm, his black fur cape billowing alongside. And that exceedingly gloomy face now looked down at Crocodile with narrowed eyes.

"A natural disaster!"

Tashigi's pupils contracted as she exclaimed, "This country has ceased its war, and your plot is now in ruins!"

As she spoke, the nearby King's Army and rebel forces subconsciously raised their weapons, all aimed at the white-haired man.

"War? Who gives a damn about that!"

A crimson glint flashed in Saga's eyes, and the surrounding raging storm seemed to freeze momentarily, the entire space as if smeared with a layer of dark red.

Whether it was the surrounding military or the Navy forces behind Tashigi, in that instant, their eyes rolled back in their heads, and they fell to the ground, mouths hanging open in unconsciousness.

Plop!

Tashigi knelt on the ground, her sword slipping from her grip and clattering to the side. She gasped for breath, trying to reach for her sword again, but her outstretched hand trembled uncontrollably, unable to grasp it.

What was that?

Why did she feel such terror?

It felt like being crushed by a mountain, like being engulfed by the sea, and even the air she breathed seemed to have stopped in that moment, giving her a sense of suffocation.

"Haki of the Supreme King?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the ground.

Crocodile opened his slightly cloudy eyes, lifting his gaze to Saga, "So, it turns out you're a man with potential."

"Good that you're awake."

Saga said, "Hey, get up and come with me. Don't let them capture you here. Being a Shichibukai isn't that important to you, is it?"

Had Crocodile been defeated?

He didn't care about that!

Now, it was time for him to activate his Plan B!

Plan A had been to remind Crocodile and ensure the smooth execution of his plan, thereby also succeeding Saga's own plan. After all, if Crocodile succeeded, then his investment would be secure.

And Plan B was the contingency for Crocodile's defeat.

Seizing this country held no interest for Saga. The first half of the Grand Line was not suitable for such endeavors. Besides, he wasn't a Shichibukai himself. Crocodile's plan wasn't his either.

If Crocodile was captured, then Plan B would be to take him and set sail again. As long as he wasn't locked up, everything would be fine.

After all, as long as the man was alive, business would continue, and investments could still be made. What he wanted was Crocodile's business connections and that money-making brain of his!

Out at sea, they would still be pirates!

"Ah."

Crocodile looked up at the massive cloud in the sky, letting the pouring rain soak his body as he murmured in response, his eyes now gleaming with an odd light.

Defeat.

Once again, defeat.

After his challenge against Whitebeard in the New World had failed, he had retreated to the first half of the Grand Line, feeling that his strength wasn't sufficient. Instead, he had turned his attention to 'Pluto', thinking that with that power, he could establish a military powerhouse and continue his advance into the New World.

But after all these years of procrastination, he had failed again.

The strong remained strong, but he, Crocodile, had been defeated by a rookie.

Had his heart and will weakened to such an extent?

From extreme anger and refusal to accept his defeat, to now, where he lay defeated, his heart had become utterly tranquil.

Should he retreat further?

Where to?

To the East Blue?

That would be boring!

"Never mind."

Crocodile closed his eyes, "I've lost interest in everything now. So be it."

Saga glared at him, gritting his teeth as he said, "What about our collaboration now? You're not backing out, are you?!"

Crocodile didn't respond anymore, just lying there in a sprawled-out position, his expression gradually calming.

Veins popped out on Saga's forehead, "You son of a bitch!"

This guy was no different from a corpse now!

Forcing him along would be pointless!

"Saga!"

Lily, Marika, and Renetia appeared in the small square, their eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Crocodile lying defeated on the ground.

"Hey, how did he lose?" Renetia asked, astonished.

"Indeed, it is surprising." Marika's smile also froze, "He's a Shichibukai."

"What now, Saga? He's lost, so what's next?"

Lily turned to Saga.

Saga took a deep breath to calm himself down a little. "Never mind that rotten guy. Did you get the treasure?"

"Treasure?"

Lily pursed her lips. "Our people passed out, and Akainu is currently organizing the recovery. The surroundings have been reduced to ruins, and the collected treasures are all buried. There aren't enough people to retrieve them now."

Didn't even get that bit of money?

Had he come to Alabasta just to watch the fireworks?

Saga's mood, which had just calmed down, began to rise again.

However, he knew that it was unrealistic to continue searching any further.

There were still a lot of military forces in the city. Even if they couldn't muster a million soldiers, there were definitely several hundred thousand. Once they reacted, it would truly be too late.

Not to mention the constant stream of reinforcements arriving from outside.

Should he go up against an army of millions just for that bit of money? Even if he exhausted himself, he wouldn't be able to defeat them all, and his Conquering King's Haki would be of no use.

"Rest assured, the plan hasn't failed! I still have Plan C!"

Saga shouted, "Let's go to Rainbase! We'll plunder it again!"

No matter what, his original plan had been to rob Rainbase and Alabasta. Everything else had been added on after he encountered Crocodile.

Now, he was just reverting to his original plan.

He hadn't failed! As for Alabasta...

"Take everyone and wait for me outside the city. See if those banana crocodiles we used for transportation are still there. If not, grab a few more camels. There's chaos outside the city, and there are plenty of camels around." Saga instructed.

"What about you?" Lily asked.

"I'm not giving up! I'm going to see if Cobra has anything left! I can't leave Alabasta empty-handed!"

With his Observation Haki, he could sense a relatively strong presence not far away underground.

The only one who could defeat Crocodile was that guy, right?!

Inside the royal mausoleum, Cobra sat slumped to one side, gazing at the rocks that continued to fall around him. He then looked at Nico Robin, who had been pierced through the chest, and asked in astonishment, "Why didn't you tell Crocodile the truth? You know where Pluto is, don't you?"

Robin closed her eyes and bitterly smiled. "I have no interest in that sort of thing, and I never intended to tell Crocodile. All I want to know is the true history."

"The historical text here isn't the true history either, but it doesn't matter. This is our last hope."

Beneath her long eyelashes, tears began to well up. She opened her blue eyes and murmured,

"To die here is fine with me. I'm tired, and there are too many obstacles on my journey to find the truth."

"If there are too many obstacles, just beat them all up!"

A voice sounded from above, "Dreams are always full of challenges! For example, I've never had a smooth-sailing moment!"

Just as Cobra was about to speak, he paused as someone suddenly dropped down from the hole above.

Saga landed on the ground and scanned the area, glancing briefly at the straw-hatted boy lying on the ground, catching his breath, before turning to Cobra.

"A natural disaster."

Cobra said solemnly, "What are you doing here? Are you here to take revenge for Crocodile?"

"I have no interest in taking revenge for that rotten guy, and besides, we have no grudge. Cobra, tell me, where's your treasure? Don't tell me it's in the royal palace." Saga asked.

"The royal palace is gone."

Cobra paused, then looked down and laughed. "So that's what happened. Was the explosion we heard earlier from the royal palace? Good thing there's no one left there. Everyone is outside, so it doesn't matter if it's gone."

"If the royal palace is gone, then there's no treasure. This country has been suffering from consecutive years of drought and has no money. We used up all our funds to pay for the Sky Gold, and the nation is poor."

He looked up at Saga and said,

"If you really want it, the historical text behind you might still have some value. You collaborated with Crocodile because of this, right? Too bad, what you're looking for isn't here."

Saga turned and looked at the square stone block, about three times the height of a person, with indecipherable writing on it.

Not here...

Saga hesitated, then remembered.

"It's not just Pluto that's in the Land of Wano, it's not even in Alabasta! What's the point of this useless rock?"

He clenched his fist and punched it hard. "It's not even worth money!"

Bang!

His fist, imbued with Haki, slammed into the stone block but left no mark.

It was very hard.

"How... How do you know this?!" Cobra and Robin, who had already resigned herself to death, were both shocked, their eyes wide as they stared at Saga.

Could he understand it too?

"Speaking of which..."

Cobra noticed something and looked from Saga to Robin. "You two look too similar."

If it was common to look alike on the sea, the fact that he knew this information meant that he could understand the text.

To be able to understand and look so similar...

Robin's eyes were filled with surprise as she stared at Saga.

Although she had thought he looked similar when she first met him, she hadn't paid much attention to it.

Ohara... She must be the only survivor.

Saga tapped the stone block and pondered, "It has excellent hardness. This thing seems like it could be used for tempering."

As he spoke, he turned to Robin and said indifferently, "Of course, we look alike. In terms of blood relation, Nico Robin, you're my older sister."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end