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"Father, who is he?" At last, Vivi, who had been standing to the side, couldn't help but ask.
"Call him Uncle!" Cobra looked at Vivi and spoke in a deep voice.
"Uncle?!" Vivi was stunned.
As far as she could remember, she had never had such an uncle!
"Don't remember me?"
"When you were little, I even held you in my arms."
Kojin looked at Vivi with a smile, appearing rather sentimental.
"Time really flies! You've already grown into such a graceful young lady, just as beautiful as your mother."
The typical elder's pleasantries left Vivi completely bewildered and even more confused.
If she wasn't mistaken, the young man before her, over three meters tall and packed with muscles that looked ready to burst through his skin, was a Marine officer.
She actually had a Marine uncle?
If that were true, then why had her father been kidnapped by a great pirate? Why had Alabasta nearly been overthrown?
"My name is Nefertari Kojin. There is no doubt that I am your uncle." After a pause, Kojin sighed. "The reason you've never met me all these years is that I encountered some unexpected circumstances."
Upon hearing the word "unexpected," Cobra's expression changed slightly, and he cast a questioning glance toward him.
Kojin gently nodded.
Cobra immediately fell silent.
Now he finally understood why Crocodile, who had secretly protected Alabasta all these years, had suddenly undergone such a drastic change and forced him to hand over the mysterious stone.
"But... he's a Marine?" Vivi asked in confusion.
"That's right. I am also a Marine Headquarters Admiral." Kojin nodded.
"An Admiral?!" Vivi froze, shock filling her eyes.
She naturally understood the significance of those two words. Admirals represented the Marines' greatest military power.
Her uncle was actually someone of that stature?
But if so, why had she never heard of him anywhere in the world?
"I heard you've recently become acquainted with a group of pirates?" Kojin suddenly asked.
Before Vivi could reply, he continued.
"As a Marine, pirates are my natural enemies. Therefore, Vivi, you'd better avoid getting involved with those pirates."
In an instant, the uncle before her transformed into one of those annoying elders in Vivi's eyes.
"Luffy and the others are good people! They're completely different from ordinary pirates!"
Kojin smiled faintly.
"The Straw Hat boy, Luffy?"
"He seems to be a very promising rookie. If I ever encounter him, I'll personally send him to Impel Down. If someone is truly a good person, they shouldn't become a notorious pirate. And if they're a pirate, they belong in prison for the rest of their lives."
After speaking, he looked at the blue-haired girl with amusement.
"Hey! As a Marine, can't you tell the difference between good and evil?"
"Luffy and the others are the best pirates in the world!"
Vivi protested angrily.
"If they represent goodness, then what about me, a Marine?" Kojin stared at her and asked in return.
Vivi was momentarily speechless, but soon remembered something and fired back.
"Then what about Crocodile?"
"When he was causing chaos throughout Alabasta, where was the great Admiral of Justice?"
Kojin let out a sigh.
"I was delayed by certain matters."
"A Marine of Justice couldn't eliminate evil, yet it took evil pirates to save Alabasta!" Vivi replied with a smile.
"Enough! Vivi!" Cobra shouted sternly. "Apologize to your Uncle Kojin immediately!"
Vivi was stunned.
At that moment, a figure stepped into the hall.
"What I did to Your Majesty Cobra was selfish and foolish. It has absolutely nothing to do with Senior Officer Kojin."
A deep voice echoed through the chamber as the man came to stand before Cobra and Vivi.
Then he bowed deeply.
"I apologize to you and Princess Vivi for my previous mistakes. But Senior Officer Kojin is undoubtedly the Marine who upholds justice more than anyone else in this world. He is also the faith and inspiration of countless people who pursue true justice."
"I will not allow anyone to question that."
By the end, his voice had become hard and cold.
Kojin remained silent.
Vivi stared at the fearsome former Warlord before her. Seeing him bow and apologize left her unable to process what was happening.
"Crocodile… The fault wasn't yours."
After a long moment, Cobra sighed.
"Everything is in the past now. As long as you follow Kojin and do your duties properly, there's no need to apologize to me."
Crocodile slowly raised his head and straightened his back.
Although he wasn't wearing a Marine uniform, his bearing was no different from that of a Marine officer.
"Vivi, apologize," Cobra spoke sternly once more.
Vivi hesitated for a moment before bowing to the man before her.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Kojin."
Kojin smiled lightly and nodded.
Since the misunderstanding had been resolved, he had no intention of wasting more time here.
"I still have many matters to deal with. When the opportunity arises in the future, I'll return to Alabasta and spend some time with you."
Kojin sighed softly.
"Go." Cobra nodded.
He knew very well the tremendous pressure his younger brother was facing, and he felt guilty that, as the elder brother, he could do nothing to help him. He had even refused to hand over the clues to Pluton when Kojin's subordinate had requested them in an attempt to help his younger brother.
...
Three days later.
Crocodile's ship departed from Nanohana Port.
Smoker stared at Buggy before him.
Their gazes collided, neither speaking a word as they fiercely glared at one another.
"Oh? So it's one of the Marines' elite officers?" Buggy was the first to speak, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Tsk, tsk. And here I thought it was the infamous pirate captain from the East Blue, Captain Buggy." Smoker immediately shot back.
Back when they had left the West Blue together, each had tried to persuade the other to join his chosen path. In the end, however, they had gone their separate ways.
Neither had ever truly gotten over it.
"Looks like you haven't amounted to much either!" Buggy sneered coldly.
"I heard you got captured and thrown into Impel Down?" Smoker chuckled.
Each sentence was a direct critical hit, breaking through the other's defenses. The bloodshot veins in their eyes became increasingly prominent.
In the end, neither hesitated any longer.
They charged at each other and started fighting on the spot.
Crocodile, now dressed in a Marine uniform with a cigar clenched between his teeth, glanced at the scene before casually looking away as though he hadn't seen anything.
Kuina and Fisher Tiger stared with wide eyes at the fierce battle between the two men, completely dumbfounded.
After quite some time, Kojin, who had been examining the bounty reports in his hand, finally looked up at the two figures fighting ahead of him and frowned.
The next moment, his figure suddenly vanished.
When he reappeared, both fists had already slammed mercilessly into their heads.
The overwhelming force drove both of their heads straight into the deck with a loud bang.
"Owww! That hurts!!" Buggy wailed.
"Hiss!" Smoker sucked in a sharp breath while clutching his head.
"Quiet down!" Kojin said coldly.
Crocodile narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the scene in silence while smoking his cigar.
Buggy and Smoker's strength had improved significantly over the years.
Both had awakened two types of Haki, and their combat experience and reaction speed had already reached the level of true powerhouses.
Yet against Kojin's punch, they hadn't even had the slightest chance to dodge.
It wasn't that they hadn't used Observation Haki.
Rather, they simply couldn't evade it, nor could they predict Kojin's attack.
And that clearly meant one thing… The man before them had become even stronger than before.
Returning to his chair in a flash, Kojin frowned once again and stared at the newspaper in his hand.
It was a recently published issue from a relatively obscure newspaper.
One small article from about two days ago mentioned that someone had reportedly spotted Fire Fist Ace near Marine Base G-2.
"How far are we from G-2?" Kojin asked.
Crocodile quickly calculated.
"Not far. At our current speed, we'll arrive by evening."
"Set course for G-2 Base." Kojin immediately decided.
The child who had once constantly shouted about becoming a Marine Hero…
What kind of man had he grown into now?
Kojin felt both anticipation and curiosity.
Then he looked toward the group of people standing on the deck with confused expressions and varying appearances.
He pointed at them a few times.
"Train them properly."
"These are the people you've recruited all these years?"
Crocodile's eyelid twitched, but he silently nodded.
The group standing before them were all members of Baroque Works.
At the front stood Daz Bones, followed by Mr. 2 Bon Clay and Mr. 3 Galdino.
Clearly, they still hadn't adapted to their sudden change in status and remained completely bewildered.
...
Near sunset, the battleship arrived in the waters surrounding G-2 Base.
Kojin spread out his Observation Haki, quickly covering the entire base.
After four or five breaths, he withdrew it.
"Let's head to Mock Town."
Although puzzled, Crocodile didn't ask any questions.
Standing at the bow, Kojin gazed at the setting sun, half-submerged beneath the sea, and let out a soft sigh.
"I'm one step too late."
While his Observation Haki had enveloped G-2 Base moments earlier, he had quickly learned that Fire Fist Ace had appeared there not long ago before escaping.
As for the direction he had gone, even the Marines didn't know.
Fisher Tiger turned the ship around, and before long they were sailing toward Mock Town under the cover of night.
...
The next morning.
As the first rays of sunlight illuminated the sea, Kojin opened his eyes and smiled.
"Southeast direction… Full speed ahead."
Fisher Tiger carried out the order without hesitation.
...
One hour later, a small boat appeared within everyone's field of vision.
Standing aboard it was a freckled man wearing a cowboy hat.
"Fire Fist Ace." Crocodile narrowed his eyes and spoke.
Kojin folded his arms and smiled.
Within the range of his Observation Haki, everything about the man on that boat was crystal clear.
"A Marine ship?" The freckled man turned his head slightly.
When he noticed the battleship that had suddenly appeared behind him, he frowned.
"Did the people from G-2 chase after me?" He muttered.
Because of the distance, he couldn't clearly see who was on board. He could only vaguely make out a golden object at the bow reflecting sunlight.
"What a pain. Let's speed up and shake them off."
Ace sighed.
Flames immediately erupted from beneath his feet. At the same time, his small boat shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Yet two hours later, his expression had become rather ugly. No matter how much he accelerated, that ship remained steadily behind him.
He simply couldn't shake it.
"This is getting troublesome," Ace muttered, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.
Suddenly, he stood up and turned toward the pursuing battleship.
"If you're this determined to chase me… Then let me see what you're capable of!"
(End of Chapter)