Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

"You are... Crocodile? [Crocodile]?"

"Hehehe, you know what I mean, so you're not a ghost after all."

Crocodile twirled his left-hand golden hook. "You're here to rob graves? Your drying ability is useless. Are you a Logia-type Devil Fruit user?"

Swish!

Crocodile waved his hand, summoning a sandstorm that blew towards the man.

The power of this move is enough to flatten a sand dune!

Even if the opponent is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, this move is enough to force him to transform into his elemental form.

But the strange man simply extended his right hand.

wow...

The sandstorm vanished instantly, disappearing without a trace.

Crocodile stood there, stunned.

He was certain that it was "dissipated," not "counteracted" by some other attack!

The next instant, several figures suddenly appeared around Crocodile.

Those were "humanoid soldiers" made entirely of yellow sand, each wielding a sand spear!

Swish!

Several spears pierced through Crocodile in an instant; he had no time to dodge, let alone defend himself!

The man grinned and said:

"Watch closely, this is how I use the Sand-Sand Fruit."

A few drops of cold sweat trickled down Crocodile's forehead.

He wasn't sure if the other party "didn't know" how to use Armament Haki, or "didn't want" to use it.

If it's the latter, then he has already died once!

Crocodile took a slight step back; the situation was now far beyond his expectations!

The Sand Fruit, the Tomb, Alabasta—one question after another remains unanswered.

He looked at the other person cautiously and tentatively asked, "Who...are you?"

"I?"

The man stroked his chin, then suddenly beckoned with his finger, and the sand soldiers instantly vanished into a pile of yellow sand.

Immediately afterwards, a rumbling sound began to emanate from around the tomb, and the walls cracked, as if they had been given life, opening an exit for this sealed tomb.

The Alabasta sun shone on their faces.

The man said slowly:

“I am Ryan Rowan.”

"The first emperor of the Alabasta Empire, and a former user of the Sand-Sand Fruit."

Oh, right—

The man paced around, found his spear-shaped scepter, and pulled it from the ground.

He looked up at the sun in the sky.

"It seems I died eight hundred years ago."

[2. Chapter Two, Rowan]

Rowan, full name: Ryan Rowan, a time traveler.

At the beginning of his journey, Rowan spent a long time before he finally realized that he had arrived in the world of One Piece.

But it's a bit early.

685 in the Haiyuan calendar.

He arrived in an era before the establishment of a world government.

Navy, pirates, Four Emperors, Five Elders... none of these exist.

In this era, only the maritime nations are constantly at war in their struggle for world hegemony!

Rowan shrugged and stepped into this chaotic era.

Having been given a second chance at life, it's best to live it to the fullest!

During his adventure, Rowan ate the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit and attempted to develop its abilities.

The power and usage of Devil Fruits largely depend on the user's own efforts and imagination.

Rowan did not reference Crocodile's abilities from the future; instead, he developed a completely different method of using them based on his own memories!

Based on the abilities of Azir, the "Emperor of the Desert".

Using the three colors of Haki, he condensed the sand into one fearless sand soldier after another!

In this era of constant warfare, Rowan, commanding his gravel soldiers, made a name for himself.

By chance, Rowan met a young man named Nefertari.

The two joined forces and successfully established a superpower in this chaotic world, named the Alabasta Empire!

Ryan Rowan was the first emperor of the Alabasta Empire!

Time flies, but the wars between nations continue.

719 in the Haiyuan calendar.

To cover the evacuation of Alabasta civilians, Rowan personally went to the battlefield and single-handedly summoned hundreds of thousands of Sand Guards, halting the enemy's advance despite being at a significant disadvantage!

The crazed enemy forces detonated the volcano with explosives.

Before them, magma gushed forth, and fire rained down from the sky.

Behind them are the people of the Alabasta Empire.

Rowan shrugged again and stepped forward, just as he had done years ago when he set off.

The walls of the Imperial Guard stand tall!

……

In Rowan's last memory, the lava solidified, and the volcano ceased its roar.

But he was powerless to look back at his people again.

Rowan doesn't remember what happened after that.

He probably died from exhaustion? It doesn't matter.

But it was truly a wonderful life!

Rowan didn't care what impact his actions would have on future generations; after all, he wasn't a guardian of history.

The World Government and the Great Pirate Era are things that come later.

After he dies, who cares about the raging flood?

……

The water did indeed flood the area.

Rowan awoke from his dazed state, seemingly freed from some kind of shackles.

When he finally regained consciousness, he saw someone he never expected—

Crocodile.

This man, who should have been from countless generations younger than himself, was standing there alive and well.

The gravel scimitar swung across.

Crocodile launched an attack.

Crocodile's attack was ineffective.

Luo Wen calculated that approximately eight hundred years had passed.

He was somewhat surprised. If he was still alive, where did Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit come from?

So Rowan gave it a try, and although he was a bit rusty, he still managed to summon the gravel soldiers.

eccentric.

Rowan looked at his hands, his mind filled with too many questions.

But problems can always be solved little by little.

Rowan was eager to see this era, which was familiar in his memory but which he had never truly experienced.

A new era eight hundred years from now!

……

Rowan's eyes gleamed.

To Crocodile standing nearby, it was an "eerie" light.

A person whose surname is not Neferutari, yet claims to be the Emperor of Alabasta;

A person who claims to be a user of the Sand-Sand Fruit;

A person who claims to have died eight hundred years ago;

Surprising!

Besides this, Crocodile couldn't find any other way to describe it!

But being as clever as he was, he quickly found the loophole in the other person's words.

"Don't joke around, you liar!" Crocodile frowned. "You said you died eight hundred years ago. Even if you could be resurrected, how could you possibly know my name?"

Rowan then realized that he had subconsciously called Crocodile by his real name.

But this minor oversight was easy for Rowan to resolve.