Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

However, just as she drew her long sword, a hand suddenly appeared on her arm and used a chop to knock the sword out of Tashigi's hand.

Before Tashigi could even react, two more hands grew from her waist, like shackles, locking her hands to her waist.

Seeing his subordinate restrained, Smoker was furious and about to make a move when a figure appeared behind him without warning, and a long sword covered in Armament Haki was placed directly against Smoker's neck.

When the Straw Hat crew saw Wood appear behind Smoker, they were astonished to find that Wood had somehow disappeared from his original spot.

Despite the distance being nearly a hundred meters, the other party's figure had already moved in the blink of an eye. To them, this speed was practically the same as teleportation.

"Smoker, how about we stop the fight here? If I remember correctly, the World Government should have dropped the warrant for my arrest a long time ago, right?"

Even if you are a Marine and I am a pirate, you don't have enough reason to arrest me right now.

"But if I were to kill you, a naval captain, here, and cause me to be wanted by the World Government again, that would be quite a headache for me."

Smoker, who was self-willed and often ignored his superiors' orders, naturally had no intention of accepting Wood's suggestion at this moment.

Wood seemed to have anticipated this, and before Smoker could even refuse, he delivered a karate chop to Smoker's neck, instantly knocking him to the ground.

After taking down Smoker, Wood looked at Smoker's beautiful subordinate, Tashigi, and said, "Smoker has always been like this, a bit stubborn, there's no point in reasoning with him."

Corporal Tashigi, right? Your orders should be to help Alabasta quell the rebellion and arrest Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

That scarred man lying on the ground is Crocodile. The Alabasta situation has been resolved, and the ringleader Crocodile has been defeated.

"You take him back to claim credit, and everyone else can just pretend we never met. Is that alright?"

Tashigi is also a person with a strong sense of justice, and naturally she would not choose to compromise with the pirates at this moment. However, compared to Smoker, she is not as decisive.

When Wood held a knife to Smoker's neck and threatened his life, Tashigi had no choice but to compromise.

Even if they did have the right to arrest Wood and his group, their current combat strength is simply insufficient to do so.

Not only Smoker, but also herself and the other naval soldiers in Alabasta at this moment, if Wood really had any ideas, none of them would be able to leave.

After taking Smoker and the incapacitated Crocodile away, the Alabasta Navy began its retreat and reported the situation to headquarters.

However, Vice Admiral Momousagi, who was stationed at Marine Headquarters, soon set off from Marineford to Alabasta to escort Crocodile to Impel Down.

As one of the original Seven Warlords of the Sea, he still holds considerable status and influence. Therefore, it is quite normal for the Marine Headquarters to send Vice Admiral Momousagi, who is currently second only to the current Marine Admiral.

Of course, besides escorting Crocodile, the purpose of sending Momousagi was also to help Alabasta completely suppress the internal turmoil of the kingdom.

Although Alabasta has been largely pacified since Crocodile's downfall, the Seven Warlords of the Sea are a decision made by the World Government, and given the current situation, some appeasement is necessary.

Chapter 319 The Straw Hat Crew Wants to Challenge Wood

After enjoying a long-awaited royal bath experience in Alabasta, Wood and Robin, accompanied by Vivi, left Albana.

However, before Wood left, in order to thank him for his help to Alabasta, and also to improve the kingdom's overall combat strength and avoid being unable to resist pirate invasions in the future, Alabasta ordered a large number of weapons from Wood's weapons company.

Alabasta should be dirt poor right now, since it can't even afford to pay Nami the large sum of Berries Vivi was supposed to pay.

However, even after Crocodile's downfall, the wealth he left behind was still quite astonishing.

He was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and had amassed a fortune in Alabasta for many years. While his wealth might not be comparable to that of a nation, it was still quite considerable compared to that of an ordinary pirate.

According to the agreement between Wood and Crocodile, these treasures should have belonged to Wood after Crocodile's downfall.

However, when Wood took these treasures with him, he told Princess Vivi and King Cobra that the treasures should be considered as payment for Alabasta's order of weapons and water.

That's right. Before Wood left Alabasta, he made a special trip to several major cities in Alabasta and cast a few water king-level spells.

Although Crocodile was defeated, the three-year drought in Alabasta cannot be completely resolved overnight.

The main source of income for the entire Alabasta previously came from a few oases on the island.

However, the oasis, including the commercial center of "Yuba," has now become a desert. Even without Crocodile, it is impossible for Alabasta to restore its former prosperity in a short period of time.

Alabasta is already struggling to keep its citizens alive, but the challenges they face next are far more than that: the "Heavenly Gold" that is about to be offered as tribute to the Celestial Dragons.

Becoming an ally of the World Government and accepting its protection is not entirely without cost.

In addition to attending the World Conference in Mary Geoise within a specified time, these member states have other obligations, namely the so-called "Heavenly Gold".

The so-called "Heavenly Gold" is a nice-sounding name, but it is actually a disguised form of "protection money" paid by these kingdoms to the World Government.

Since Crocodile arrived in Alabasta, the kingdom's income has been declining day by day. The "heavenly gold" of the past few years has practically depleted Alabasta's previous wealth.

But this year, Alabasta probably really can't afford the "gold from the sky".

However, Cobra and his group also realized that although they had been paying tribute to Alabasta every year, the kingdom was still being ravaged by the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

It is clear that although they paid "protection money," the protection of the world government may not be useful when it comes to crucial moments.

After the Crocodile incident, Cobra also realized that if a kingdom wants to become powerful, it must rely on its own strength.

Therefore, Cobra, as the king of Alabasta, eventually reached some kind of cooperation with Wood in secret.

If Alabasta doesn't pay tribute to the "heavenly gold," it will lose the protection of the World Government, so it must become strong on its own.

Under these circumstances, the weapons needed to arm oneself are naturally indispensable.

While accompanying Princess Vivi on her journey through several cities in Alabasta, Wood used his Water King-level magic to provide water for each region, and also explored the geology of those places.

Finally, in a rather remote town in Alabasta, Wood found what he needed.

"You've provided Alabasta with so much help, even allowing them to order weapons on credit and paying for their city construction, all for something like this in your hands?"

Seeing Wood pinching a black, mud-like liquid between his fingers, smiling like a child, Robin asked curiously.

"A dark brown substance with a greenish fluorescence, a pungent odor, and a viscous, oily consistency..."

As Wood spoke, he snapped his fingers, and the black, oily substance between his fingers immediately burst into flames, acting like an accelerant.

"Hmm... the appearance and smell are correct, and it's so flammable, it must be crude oil."

After Wood confirmed that the black mud in his hand was indeed what he had been searching for, Princess Vivi, who had been accompanying them, breathed a sigh of relief.

There is no one in this world who is kind to you for no reason, and both Cobra and Princess Vivi, as members of the royal family, are well aware of this.

For a big shot like Wood to help Alabasta so much, it's either because he has ulterior motives like Crocodile before him, or Alabasta is useful to Wood.

The traitor Wood is not part of the Straw Hat Pirates, whose crew numbers are only in the single digits, nor is he a hot-blooded youth. He has a powerful force behind him and is even a big shot on the high seas.

If they were to help Alabasta without expecting anything in return, Princess Vivi and Cobra would be more concerned that the other party had ulterior motives, unless the other party was truly a relative of their Nefertari clan.

Wood's previous promises to Alabasta were all conditional on the existence of what he was looking for on the island.

Princess Vivi was naturally overjoyed to see that Wood had found what he wanted.

"So this is what Mr. Wood has been looking for? The locals seem to call it black oil."

Because of its unpleasant smell, and because prolonged exposure to its odor can cause physical discomfort, the locals have always considered it an ominous object.

Wood wasn't surprised by Vivi's words. The world already had more powerful things like gunpowder, so oil was naturally not valued.

Furthermore, for a desert kingdom, crude oil is neither drinkable nor safe due to the dangers posed by high temperatures, so it's normal to keep a distance from it.

However, Wood knew that if crude oil were used in warfare, its role would be at most similar to that of kerosene.

However, if this stuff is purified into petroleum using scientific methods, it can serve as an excellent kinetic energy fuel.

It's fair to say that the existence of this thing could propel the era forward by an entire stage!

With oil and the increasingly sophisticated technology of their weapons companies, who the hell would still use wooden pirate ships?

Once the massive steel ship carrying tens of thousands of tons set sail, even the fleets of the "Four Emperors" were smashed to pieces.

With oil as fuel, it's not entirely impossible that a rudimentary airplane could have appeared in this medieval era.

At that time, with steel behemoths leading the way at sea and aircraft providing aerial firepower, sweeping across the medieval seas would be a piece of cake.

Crude oil is generally buried in rock strata, and the principle of oil formation is said to be biological sedimentation.

Petroleum is formed from ancient marine or lake organisms through a long process of evolution. These organisms eventually deposited and turned into oil. In contrast, many ancient oceans and lakes have been transformed into deserts over time.

This is why Wood believes that Alabasta may contain oil.

“Princess Vivi, this is indeed what I’ve been looking for. I suggest you try building a new city here.”

"From now on, our weapons company will buy up as much of this black oil as there is. I can guarantee that it won't be long before Alabasta not only escapes its current predicament but also becomes one of the wealthiest kingdoms on the Grand Line."

Wood could not possibly tell Princess Vivi the method of refining crude oil, but the price he offered for crude oil purchases was quite sincere.

If Alabasta isn't completely stupid, they should already know who is the most advantageous partner to cooperate with.

Black oil was worthless in their hands, or even in the hands of others; it could only realize its greatest value in Wood's hands.

Upon returning to the royal palace in Albania, Princess Vivi, representing Alabasta, signed a series of agreements with Wood and established a cooperative partnership.

It's worth mentioning that while Wood and Princess Vivi were searching for crude oil these past few days, the Straw Hat crew, who had been recuperating in the palace, had also fully recovered.

Wood couldn't help but marvel once again at the incredible speed at which the people recovered from their injuries, marveling at how ridiculously strong the human physique was in the pirate world.

Despite the fact that after the battle with Crocodile and his Baroque Works crew, the Straw Hat crew were either dying or poisoned, and even Nami, who had the least serious injuries, had her hands and feet riddled with holes from the sea urchin woman's stabs.

Only a few days have passed, and these people have all been fully revived! If this were a world of "Mushoku Tensei," even using healing magic wouldn't be this outrageous!

"Wood, let's settle this once and for all!"

After waking up, Luffy learned from his crewmates that the person who had appeared in front of them earlier was Wood, the Navy traitor he had always wanted to defeat, and he regretfully lamented that he had woken up too late.

Now that Luffy has seen Wood return and his injuries have fully healed, he can no longer suppress his fighting spirit and wants to challenge Wood.

As for Ace's warning to him, Luffy has now completely forgotten about it.