Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

However, now that Arn knows he is hiding under a Hades warship, and that its cannons are the kind that can destroy a small to medium-sized island with a single shot, Arn can't help but feel a chill down his spine and become distracted from time to time.

If that thing were to blast you in the butt, not only would Yann be unable to withstand it, but even Kaido would probably be unable to endure such dazzling brilliance.

After all, what does it mean to completely destroy a small or medium-sized island with a single blow?

In Arn's previous life, that power was usually given nicknames such as "Little Boy," "Fatty," "Miss Qiu," and "Mushroom Bomb."

Under Yann and Dragon's initial inspection, the Hades warship, which had been dormant in the Kingdom of Alabasta for over eight hundred years, was found to be mostly intact and capable of firing its cannons.

Putting everything else aside, now that Arn has come to his senses, he can't help but wonder if the Hades warship has the potential to misfire.

Princess Vivi noticed that Yasuo, who was usually quite aloof, seemed a bit off and asked with concern, "Teacher Yasuo, did you not get enough rest last night?"

Yann replied, his voice slightly weary. "Yeah, I got so engrossed in thinking about some things last night that I didn't get much sleep."

At this point, Yann couldn't help but envy Princess Vivi, who could sleep soundly every day without knowing it; he also admired King Cobra, who could still sleep soundly even though he was lying on top of a mushroom bomb every day.

In addition to that, Yann also had to figure out how to steal the mushroom bomb, which was almost equivalent to being reusable.

"Ugh……"

Yaen sighed deeply, his gaze becoming somewhat vacant again, his thoughts trapped in this difficult problem.

[Chapter 322: Upright Character]

Princess Vivi carefully observed Arn's condition and asked, "Teacher Arn, is something bothering you?"

Yaen shook his head and said, "Even the free wind will be troubled by what it cannot obtain."

"Teacher Yaso, what do you want?" Princess Vivi asked tentatively.

Yann ruffled Princess Vivi's hair and said, "You'll understand these things when you grow up."

"Oh~"

Princess Vivi responded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Behind a large tree closest to Arn and Princess Vivi, Icarum, the captain of the royal guard with peculiar curly hair, witnessed the intimacy between Arn and Princess Vivi. He bit his sleeve tightly, his eyes filled with both tears and rage.

At that moment, Icarum felt as if he were watching his beloved daughter being vigorously nudged by another pig.

"How dare this swordsman bastard be so disrespectful to Princess Vivi!"

Icarum muttered angrily, but due to King Cobra's orders, he could not easily interrupt the teaching between Arn and Princess Vivi. He could only frantically record Arn's evil deeds in his little notebook.

"Shameless, presumptuous, disregarding social hierarchy, harboring malicious intentions..."

In fact, Princess Vivi may not have been aware of Icarus's surveillance, but Yann was aware of it from the beginning.

But Yann was a man of integrity...

Well, at least when it comes to Princess Vivi, Yann has always been upright and has no malicious intentions, so he doesn't care about King Cobra's most basic surveillance.

In the following days, Yann and Dragon considered a total of ten options for the Ancient Weapon Pluton, and had the Revolutionary Army's technology personnel perform calculations and simulations.

The final results were all feasible!

At the very least, to prevent the Alabasta Royal Palace from experiencing any major upheaval and thus avoid detection by the Alabasta royal family, there was simply no possibility of secretly moving the Ancient Weapon, Hades.

The Ancient Weapon Pluto was like the only supporting pillar in that underground space, with the terrifying weight of the earth above bearing its entire weight.

Therefore, even if the Revolutionary Army could use various Devil Fruit abilities and spend a lot of time secretly opening up an underground passage to transport the Ancient Weapon Pluton away.

However, the instant the Ancient Weapon Hades moved, there was no force that could instantly and completely replace it in supporting the ground.

In other words, even in the most ideal circumstances, a strong earthquake could occur at the Alabasta Royal Palace.

At that time, it will inevitably arouse King Cobra's suspicion, making him want to go underground to confirm the ancient weapon, Hades.

Therefore, the Revolutionary Army's desire to obtain the Ancient Weapon Pluton is almost inextricably linked to King Cobra.

Either gain the support of King Cobra, or kill King Cobra.

However, the former option is too risky for the revolutionary army at present, while the latter is not in line with the revolutionary army's style of operation.

……

Late at night, in the shadowy corner of Yann's room, Dorrag's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

So, for now, is giving up the only option?

"It seems that this is indeed the case. At least until the Revolutionary Army is fully prepared for a complete encirclement and annihilation by the World Government, we currently have no way to truly possess the Ancient Weapon, Pluton..."

After a pause, Yann said reassuringly.

"However, I know that the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon Pluton are kept elsewhere. Before we encounter any problems in studying the blueprints of the Ancient Weapon Pluton, we can secretly take our researchers to the Ancient Weapon Pluton for an inspection, which will be of great help."

"Ugh……"

Dorrag sighed, but had no choice but to accept it.

After all, being able to confirm the location of the Ancient Weapon Pluton is already exciting news for the Revolutionary Army, whose goal is to overthrow the World Government and usher in a new era.

"But wouldn't it be a little unsafe to leave the Ancient Weapon Pluton here in the Kingdom of Alabasta?"

Still uneasy, Dragon raised a question and spoke up.

"Although the Kingdom of Alabasta is a famous great power on the sea, with a terrifying military force of up to 600,000 soldiers as initially confirmed, there are no truly top-notch experts among them. For example, the strongest captains of the kingdom's guard are only at the level of ordinary naval officers, and they don't even know Haki."

"Indeed, that's the problem..."

Yann also harbored some concerns about this.

The Alabasta Kingdom's military strength of 600,000 regular troops truly lives up to its reputation as a superpower that has stood firm in the first half of the Grand Line for 800 years.

However, it is not particularly surprising that the Kingdom of Alabasta possesses such a formidable military force.

After all, when the World Government was first established eight hundred years ago, the Alabasta royal family was qualified to be one of the original twenty kings of the Celestial Dragons.

It is conceivable that the military strength of the Alabasta Kingdom eight hundred years ago was absolutely top-notch in the sea, and it possessed the strongest warriors in the sea.

However, over the past eight hundred years, the Kingdom of Alabasta has declined considerably without anyone noticing.

Even though it still retains a terrifying military force of 600,000, without the support of top-tier experts, the Alabasta royal family is at risk of being destroyed at any time.

For example, Crocodile Crocodile has already set his sights on the Kingdom of Alabasta and the Ancient Weapon Hades.

Although, according to the trajectory in Yann's memory, Crocodile the Sand Crocodile was also wary of the Alabasta Kingdom's terrifying military power and took various measures to disrupt the internal situation of the Alabasta Kingdom, only revealing his true fangs after the uprising of rebels.

And ultimately, Crocodile's long-planned scheme was thwarted by Dragon's son, Monkey D. Luffy.

But... I'm afraid of unexpected events!

After all, Crocodile the Sand Crocodile is no insignificant little guy who can't cause any trouble. As a user of the Sand-Sand Fruit, Crocodile's combat power is definitely not to be underestimated. Even in the latter half of the Grand Line, he can be considered a well-known figure.

Having confirmed that the Ancient Weapon Pluton is buried beneath the Alabasta Royal Palace, Crocodile continues to run rampant in the Alabasta Kingdom.

How are Dragon and Yann supposed to sleep at night?

That situation is like knowing your beautiful wife is sleeping at home while an old man is lurking outside, waiting for his chance. How can you feel at ease leaving home for a business trip?

[Chapter 323: The Story of Gods and Heroes]

“Crocodile is indeed a hidden danger that cannot be ignored,” Yann said.

Dorag looked thoughtful as he spoke.

"It's just that Crocodile is too cautious. I've actually been secretly looking for his whereabouts during this time, but I haven't been able to confirm his location."

"Furthermore, I have gathered information about Crocodile's deeds in the Kingdom of Alabasta and discovered that he is now considered a hero in the Kingdom of Alabasta because he has helped the people resist pirates on numerous occasions, and he is deeply recognized and praised by the people of Alabasta."

Yann stroked his chin and murmured, "Is that so?"

"And there's another piece of bad news. According to intelligence, the World Government and the Navy have approved Crocodile's request to become a Shichibukai. I believe that World Government officials and Navy personnel will soon come to the Kingdom of Alabasta to formally appoint Crocodile."

"Dorag spoke up."

"In other words, whether overtly or covertly, eliminating Crocodile or driving him out of the Alabasta Kingdom is not an easy task."

"But if we leave the Kingdom of Alabasta, with the organization's meager intelligence capabilities left there, we won't be able to resist Crocodile, let alone monitor his movements. That would be too risky."

Upon hearing this, Yann stood by the window with a thoughtful expression, looking down at the Alabasta Palace before him, and slowly began to speak.

“These won’t be a problem. Schemes only work when the two sides are evenly matched. Given the gap between Crocodile and us, Crocodile’s schemes to hide and protect himself will only expose more of his weaknesses.”

"Hmm? Chief of the General Staff, what are your thoughts?" Dragon asked, somewhat surprised.

Even though Dragon had always deeply admired Yon's ideas, strategies, and overall vision, and deliberately brought Yon into the fold when he first conceived the idea of ​​forming the Revolutionary Army, he never expected Yon to make such a decision so quickly.

"Um……"

Yann nodded, and then spoke.

"Since Crocodile is so fond of being a hero of the Alabasta Kingdom, let's give him a hand and let him die on this land as a hero. That would be a way of fulfilling his wish."

"What do you mean?" Dragon asked.

“The Kingdom of Alabasta needs a controllable and formidable enemy. Firstly, to eliminate pirates like Crocodile who harbor malicious intentions, and secondly, to subtly remind the Kingdom of Alabasta to be vigilant even in times of peace,” Yann said.

At this point, Dragon also realized what was happening and exclaimed, "Enel?!"

Yann smiled and said.

"Isn't it reasonable for someone who claims to be the enemy of God to descend upon Qinghai and choose the Kingdom of Alabasta as their first stop? Then, how about Crocodile, as a hero, resists the invasion of God and ultimately makes a heroic and moving sacrifice?"

Upon hearing this, Dragon couldn't help but laugh. "That sounds pretty good."

……

Meanwhile, Enel, who was parked in the desolate desert, was boredly finishing the last bit of fruit from the apple in his hand, and then casually tossed the core into the desert.

"When will the High Priest finally end that boring game with humans...?"

Enel, who was constantly monitoring the entire Alabasta Kingdom with his "Mind Network," muttered to himself, his half-closed, dead-fish eyes looking as if he might fall asleep at any moment.

At first, Enel was quite excited when he first arrived in Qinghai, and he kept listening to conversations between humans using his "MindNet".

But Enel quickly lost interest.

Boring!

The people of Qinghai are not even as interesting as the people of the Sky Island; their conversations are almost entirely about trivial and annoying little things.

If there was anything worthwhile to learn, besides gaining a lot of common knowledge about Qinghai, it was that Enel would occasionally hear the name "Lord of Hueco Mundo" in the conversations of those humans.

Through these fragmented combinations, Enel also subtly fleshed out the image of the "Lord of Hueco Mundo" as a god.

A god who transcends worlds bestows upon humanity the power to destroy the ocean, purely based on whether it's entertaining...