One Piece: Fist of the World.

Chapter 165: Interns and Direction
Just as the young men in the East China Sea were cheering for their newly acquired abilities, Smoker and Garp's warships passed through the calm belt and entered the East China Sea.

"You are amazing, Rod!"

Smoker looked at the newspaper in his hand and chuckled.

[The Seven Warlords of the Sea! The hero of the country? The thief who stole the country! ]

The front page headline of the latest issue of World Economic News has these words printed in bold letters, and below is a photo of Crocodile.

The newspapers detailed Crocodile's conspiracy to "steal the country" and also included some photos of the battle.

Although Smoker already knew that Crocodile's real purpose was not to steal the country but to seize ancient weapons, ancient weapons were too sensitive after all.

It is a happy thing to be able to reveal some of Crocodile's ambitions through things like "stealing the country".

At least, in this case, even the World Government would not be able to continue to let him serve as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

···
"Oh, you are worthy of being my captain. You actually have such a big ambition~"

On Crocodile's pirate ship, Feng Clay, who saw the news, happily spun around on the ship and practiced his dance.

"That's not good!"

Unlike Von Clay, Mr. 3's mind went off with alarm bells the moment he saw the news.

After doing such a thing, is it possible for Crocodile to continue to serve as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?

As a former Shichibukai, the World Government will surely send a heavyweight navy to hunt him down.

Will the generals be dispatched?

If it was the admiral of the navy, there would be no way for people like us to survive!
Thinking of this, Mr. 3 touched his chest calmly.

Although Crocodile rescued them and took them away before, their hearts are still in Law's hands.

It's just that they all tacitly didn't mention this.

If Crocodile knew that their lives were in the hands of others, he would probably abandon them without hesitation.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

After reading the news in the newspaper, Crocodile threw it aside with a confident smile on his face.

He is the King of the Desert, Crocodile!

Even if he loses his identity as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he is still a powerful man who once stirred up the storm on the sea.

Now that he has chosen to go out to sea again, he must regain his rightful position.

"I'll be waiting for you in the new world, Tyrant Rod!"

Crocodile looked forward and seemed to see the turbulent sea.

The New World will not be peaceful just because the 'Four Emperors' are established.

The new Four Emperors, like that little brat, all have red hair.

Crocodile remembered the news about 'Red Hair' Shanks he had read in the newspaper before, and his smile grew wider.

Let me weigh the value of the New World's 'Four Emperors'!
···
Red Continent, Marie Gioia.

"It's that little devil."

The bald Five Elder Stars Saint Vochuli looked gloomy.

"I said that this brat Rhodes is not a stable character."

They had just made the decision to cover up Crocodile's incident, but they didn't expect that the next day's World Economic Daily would reveal the news that Crocodile intended to "steal the country."

Although the relevant information about the "ancient weapons" was covered up, the scandal involving the Seven Warlords of the Sea still made the Five Elders furious.

Next year will be the quadrennial World Conference, and it is unknown how many countries will express their dissatisfaction with this incident by then.

"The most important thing now is to release the news as soon as possible and abolish Crocodile's status as a Shichibukai."

The bald Five Elder Stars Nasu Shouro Sei gave a warning.

Now that the matter has been exposed, Crocodile will not be able to continue to serve as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the news must be announced as soon as possible.

"Not only that, since that guy has been removed from the Seven Warlords of the Sea, we have to issue a bounty on him again."

"It's best to capture him before he enters the new world."

The five elder stars, Satan Saint with white curly hair, added.

Ambitious pirates like this who covet ancient weapons must be captured as soon as possible.

Especially Crocodile, he is different from ordinary pirates, he has a flexible mind and is full of schemes. If he is allowed to re-enter the New World, it is unknown what kind of changes he will bring to this gradually calming sea.

"Leave it to the Navy."

The bearded Mazsan nodded.

···
"Nott Rhodes!"

Zhan Guo hung up the phone and rubbed his head.

Ever since Tyrant Rhodes went out to sea, he seemed to be often annoyed by news related to him.

That guy has been extremely high-profile since he set sail, from the Don Quixote family, Vice Admiral Demon Spider, to Black Arm Zephyr, Golden Emperor Tezoro, and Aokiji.

This guy faced elites from all camps along the way. Everyone thought he would be quiet after joining the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but he first raided the Devil's Triangle, allowing Gekko Moriah to re-enter the New World, and then clashed with Crocodile in Alabasta, accidentally exposing the opponent's conspiracy, which led to him being directly removed from the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

The addition of the last Shichibukai not only failed to stabilize the Shichibukai system as expected, but made it even more unstable.

There was always an ominous feeling in the Warring States Period, as if the world was about to riot again.

However, what is now before his eyes is another matter.

"Crocodale!"

This pirate is one of the few with great brainpower. If he were to really re-enter the New World, things would probably get very troublesome.

The best option is to arrest him directly in the first half of the Grand Line while his strength has declined after being away from the New World for a long time.

But who should go?

It would have been better if Garp had captured him directly in Alabasta.

At this time, Sengoku thought of Garp.

However, he had considered maintaining the current situation and repeatedly reminded Garp before he set off.

Don't do it! Don't do it! Don't do it!

I didn't expect that such a question would remain.

The old guy now went straight back to the East China Sea for vacation.

Akainu is in the New World, preventing pirates from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble; Aokiji has also accepted a mission and is currently outside and unable to return.

In this case, I'm afraid Kizaru is the only one who can go. Although he is now in charge of the science corps, he can still be deployed temporarily.

"Kizaru!"

Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi and called Kizaru.

···
Alabasta Coast

Rhodes and his crew reboarded the Polaris.

As the sails were raised, the Polaris slowly sailed away from the coast. The hot wind blowing from the desert of Alabasta gradually subsided, and was replaced by the breath of the ocean.

"You see it."

On the second-floor deck, Rhodes stood at his own observation deck, looking at the coastline gradually disappearing from his sight. He suddenly turned to look at Robin and asked.

"Yes."

Robin nodded and glanced at the captain beside him who had pulled him out of the abyss.

Although he didn't experience anything special, and even his time joining was very dull, Robin always had a deep gratitude towards Rhodes in his heart.

The other party accepted me, giving me a safe haven after wandering around. He also protected me with absolute strength, helping me get rid of the demons in my heart that had been there for more than ten years.

Not only that, he really did as he said and took on his dream.

Even if what he pursued was the 'historical truth' that was strictly prohibited by the World Government, Captain Rhodes himself had no interest in the 'historical truth'.

"In fact, the historical text does record something about ancient weapons."

"So what?" Rhodes shook his head nonchalantly.

"You can't seize hegemony with that kind of thing."

It is hard to say how much effect the so-called ancient weapons can still play, even if they have really survived to this day.

Moreover, Rhodes is a firm believer in valuing the present over the past. He does not believe that what people in the past could do, people today cannot do.

What's more, compared to the so-called controllable weapons, Rhodes still believes in his fists more!
"Haha~~"

Robin covered his mouth and chuckled, his eyes slightly curved.

"Our captain is really domineering~"

"hateful!"

Nia took a swig from a glass of rum and slammed the bottle down on the table.

"I can't fight the nature type again!"

Last time on Drum Island, she failed to fight against Admiral Aokiji, and this time, because she had to take care of Bakara who was possessed by the God of Misfortune, she failed to fight against Crocodile. She missed the opportunity to fight against a natural ability user twice in a row, and Nia was very depressed.

"Very strong!"

Daz Bonis uttered this sentence lightly.

He held a huge iron rod in each hand and was swinging it again and again to exercise his body.

After training on Magnetic Drum Island for half a year, he thought his strength had greatly improved. However, when he fought with Crocodile, he was instantly sucked dry by the opponent and turned into a mummy. If it were not for the care of his companions, he would probably have died.

This blow suppressed Daz Bonis's originally complacent mood. After his body recovered, he immediately began his original ascetic practice. Even when other people on the ship were chatting and drinking together, he was still continuing his practice.

"Yeah, if it weren't for Boss Rhodes, I'm afraid we wouldn't be his match even if we fought together."

Peikin recalled the previous battle and nodded with lingering fear.

"He didn't even use his Haki, and he beat us to the point where we were helpless."

Xia Qi nodded at the side. The other party must be afraid of Boss Rhodes, so he left some room for him during the fight.

"All the users of natural devil fruits are monsters!"

Thinking of the other two natural admirals in the navy, several people couldn't help but nod.

Even though they are all devil fruits, there are still obvious differences between different fruits.

Compared to the ordinary superhuman type, the natural type still has more advantages in combat.

"That...that navy captain is also a natural devil fruit user, right?"

Brook put down the tea in his hand and suddenly spoke.

Smoker's face flashed through everyone's mind.

"The Nature Department... doesn't seem to be that powerful..."

Although they didn't fight, both Pekin and Xia Qi felt that they should be able to win against Smoker.

"The power of a devil fruit depends on how it is developed by the user."

Because Genos was wandering around the island with Sissi, he was unable to catch up with either the battles on Rhode's or Law's side.

However, he saw traces of battle left by Rhodes.

That bottomless pit in the desert will probably remain for a long time to come.

Captain Rod was able to cause so much damage purely by his own strength, without relying on the power of the Devil Fruit.

The three nature-type ability users their team has encountered so far have very different strengths.

“The ability itself is also important.”

Nia protested.

"If I were just an ordinary animal-type ability user, I would not be a match for the leopard-print man on Lavis Island."

"Everyone!!"

Minnina's brisk voice came from the kitchen.

"dinner time!"

"oh oh!!"

A group of people rushed into the restaurant. The huge dining table was filled with all kinds of food. Behind the table, there were several huge stew pots. The rich aroma emanated from it, stimulating everyone's taste buds.

"It's not too late to regret now."

After entering the restaurant, Rhodes walked to his seat and looked at Kosa who was standing next to Minina.

"I can!"

Kosha's hands trembled slightly, which was the body's instinctive reaction after excessive exercise.

"If I can't even maintain this level, what protection can I talk about?"

"Very good, I hope you can stick with it."

Rhodes patted the other person on the shoulder.

When they finished their dinner at the palace and were about to leave Alabasta, the young man, whom they had met once before, took the initiative to find Rhodes and asked to join them.

Rhodes still remembered the answer Kosa gave when he asked him why he wanted to join them.

"Everyone just wants to live a stable and peaceful life, but this world is not peaceful. We don't know which will come first, tomorrow or an accident. Those who hold power, whether on a whim or with long-planned actions, will bring unpredictable harm to the country.

I thought I was old enough to fight, but after seeing your strength, I realized how insignificant I am.

I want power, I want power! Power enough to protect this country! "

Rhodes could feel the firmness in Kosa's voice, as well as the other party's awareness.

In the original timeline, because of Crocodile's plan, there was no rain in Alabasta for many years, which caused many rebellions in the country. He became the leader of the Alabasta rebel army and led the people to fight to protect their own interests.

And now, he knew Crocodile's conspiracy in advance, and he also witnessed the top power in this world and understood the truth of this world - power determines everything!
So he seized the opportunity and applied to join the Rod Pirates.

However, he is just an intern now.

Just helping Minina to prepare the food made his arms tremble and he was exhausted.

After all, there are several big eaters on the Polaris, and they consume a lot of food at every meal.

"During this time, you should follow Minina and exercise your body!"

Rhodes had high hopes for Kosa.

In any case, as he is able to become the leader of a rebel army, his leadership and organizational abilities are not a problem. As long as he undergoes a period of training, he will surely become an excellent cadre.

Most importantly, he has extremely firm beliefs and the determination to become stronger.

And in this world, being steadfast is being powerful!
"Eat more, Kosa!"

Minina sat down and pushed a large bowl of food in front of Kosa.

"This is specially prepared for you and Bonis."

The food cooked by Minina has special effects, and this food specially prepared for Bonis and Kosa can help them quickly recover their strength and maintain their energy. When they were on Drum Island before, Minina used this kind of food to ensure nutrition for everyone.

"I win this time~!"

The Nth eating contest ended with Minnina's victory.

Without a fight, Rhodes didn't need to consume so much food, and Bonnie was still young after all, and was no match for Minina.

"Where to go next?"

After eating and drinking, Nia was the first to ask about the next direction.

After all, they are different from ordinary pirate groups.

Most pirate groups only need to follow the recorded pointers and keep moving forward along the direction, but they have a large number of permanent pointers in their hands. After entering the Grand Line, they rarely move forward in the direction of the pointers.

"Sky Island!"

"Sky Island!?"

Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

(End of this chapter)