The Kingdom of Prodence borders the Kingdom of Dressrosa, and King Elizabello II is a formidable figure in his own right. These two nations are among the more powerful within the New World, though Dressrosa holds a higher international standing. Like Alabasta, Dressrosa is one of the twenty founding nations that established the World Government 800 years ago.
Vivi examined the map again and again. Comparing her current surroundings with her memory, she estimated that the town she was searching for was likely located within the Kingdom of Prodence.
She flipped through the map, deep in thought, while Karoo, the duck, squatted beside her, offering its input.
Due to Vivi's tendency to get lost, Karoo had been forced to study sailing and navigation. At this point, he could almost be considered a half-qualified navigator duck.
They roughly charted a route: first, they would visit Admiral Zephyr at the Marine G2 base near the Lulusia Kingdom. Vivi hoped to gain a systematic understanding of Haki. Zephyr, who had taught elite Marines for over 30 years, was more than qualified to guide her. After that, they would head to Torrance, a town in the Kingdom of Prodence, in search of Devil Fruits. If both objectives were achieved, Vivi's capabilities would see a major boost.
But before setting out, Vivi needed to improve her current abilities, so she trained rigorously at Whiskey Peak for half a month.
While she had not yet awakened the Haki "light points" related to Armament Haki, her personal training had still borne fruit—raising her Armament Haki to level 2 (5/50). Her rate of Haki condensation had improved significantly, and the defensive layer provided by Armament Haki had become impressively reliable. Along with her enhanced skin, obtained from a giant, and the Six Powers technique "Soru" she learned from Smoker, her survivability had increased dramatically.
She had also fully digested Golden Lion's swordsmanship. Thanks to her relentless effort, her "Chop" technique had reached level 3, "Lion Chiakigu" was at level 2, and her overall swordsmanship stood at level 4 (155/1000).
After extensive repetition and sharpening of skills, "Soru" reached level 2. In terms of escaping dangerous situations, she had reached peak capability.
During this time, Karoo also spent the half-month diving into research, finishing an impressive stack of books: Learn to Sail from Scratch, One Hundred Problems Encountered at Sea, How to Handle Giant Foxtail Cats, How to Fish Like a Pro, and others.
While Vivi and Karoo stayed home honing their skills, something small but noteworthy happened back in Alabasta—Bucky the Clown had led his pirate crew back to the Grand Line.
For pirates like the Krieg Pirates—dominators of the East Blue—the Grand Line was like a death trap. But for people like Vivi and Bucky the Clown, returning to the Grand Line felt more like going home. They came and went as they pleased.
It wasn't that Bucky couldn't return before—he simply hadn't wanted to. He knew the routes well.
Moving almost in tandem with Vivi, Bucky also re-entered the Grand Line and made his way to Rainbase, the oasis city of Alabasta, where one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Crocodile, the Sand Crocodile—resided.
At the time, Crocodile was enacting his long-term plan to take over Alabasta. He posed as a heroic protector of the country, staging daily battles against pirates in front of civilians to gain public favor.
To Bucky the Clown's crew, Crocodile wasn't worth dealing with.
Though Bucky lacked overwhelming combat ability, he had an extensive network. As a former crew member of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, he had fought in legendary naval battles—like Roger's clash with the Golden Lion—and had witnessed Roger's execution at Loguetown. He knew many powerful figures, and those figures knew him.
From Crocodile's perspective, Bucky was an unpredictable clown with connections. And with Bucky's ties to Shanks—now a Yonko—Crocodile didn't want to get entangled. He wasn't afraid of Shanks, but picking a fight with someone of Bucky's status, who had Shanks' favor, wasn't worth the trouble.
Ideally, Crocodile hoped to pretend Bucky didn't exist—let him pass through Alabasta, unchallenged, and avoid unnecessary friction. That would have been the smartest outcome. But to Crocodile's misfortune, Bucky brazenly marched into his Rain Dinners Casino with his crew.
What followed was pure chaos—fighting, looting, and destruction.
Out of respect for his own reputation and Shanks', Crocodile held back from killing Bucky, but he thoroughly beat him and his crew. Despite his fury, he ultimately let them go.
News quickly spread. Vivi received word that Crocodile had thrashed Bucky's gang and driven them out. But somehow, it also leaked that Bucky possessed Captain John's treasure—a legendary hoard second only to the One Piece.
The entire first half of the Grand Line erupted in excitement. Greed overtook fear. Countless pirates demanded that Crocodile hand over the treasure and "share" it with everyone.
But Crocodile was a Warlord, a kingly figure. He didn't bend to threats.
His response? One word: kill.
Bucky might be hard to kill, but regular pirates were no challenge. Crocodile unleashed a massacre. Corpses piled up, blood flowed through the streets.
…
Deep within the Alabasta desert stood Rainbase, the oasis city known as Rainland.
Originally sparsely populated, Rainland became Crocodile's base of operations.
Operating in secret, Crocodile had assumed the identity of Mr. 0 and founded Baroque Works, a covert organization. Publicly, he acted the hero and entrepreneur.
Most of Baroque Works' profits were funneled into developing Rainland. Before the Bucky Pirates arrived, Rainland had become the biggest den of decadence in a thousand-mile radius. It was a gold mine, drawing the people of Alabasta into dreams of sudden wealth.
Now, it lay in ruins—thanks to Bucky's personalized "Bucky Bombs."
Half the city was reduced to rubble. Glitzy casinos were buried under debris. Crocodile, made of sand thanks to his Suna Suna no Mi powers, avoided harm himself. But he could do nothing to protect the structures under his feet.
As he lay asleep that night, the deafening explosion jolted him awake. Just like that, his life's investment—the funds, the dream, the Baroque Works empire—was blown to dust.
"That beast! I'll make him pay!" Crocodile roared. He stood tall at 2.5 meters, his left hand a gleaming golden hook, his black fur coat flaring in the wind. A long scar cut across his face. Looking every bit like a mafia boss, he stood over the wreckage, seething with fury.
"Bucky the Clown is trash! But everyone fears that damn red-haired Shanks!"
Vivi hadn't been the first to give Bucky face, and Crocodile wouldn't be the last. In the world of pirates, when interests clashed, there was no need for courtesy—only bloodshed. If it came to it, Crocodile would fight Shanks himself. But this? This wasn't even a fight. There was no direct conflict of interest—only humiliation.
Crocodile stood on a high ledge, fists clenched, veins bulging in his forehead. His face was pale with rage, as if he were deathly ill from fury alone.