Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

For Rowan, who had experienced countless wars, the meaning of the word "war" seemed to be completely different from that of people today.

War is the end game, not the beginning.

What does it mean?

To accept war only as a last resort? Wouldn't that be a complete waste of our initial advantage?

As Crocodile was deep in thought, Rowan suddenly disappeared, then abruptly moved close to Crocodile, his eyes widening in surprise.

"hiss……"

Rowan was incredibly fast, causing Crocodile to instinctively take a half-step back. "What are you doing?"

"Little crocodile."

Rowan stared into Crocodile's eyes and said slowly, "War is a terrible thing!"

Crocodile couldn't help but sneer, "Oh, how terrifying?"

"People will die."

Rowan replied seriously, "A lot of people will die, whether they are related to us or not."

"Dead people? Is that so strange?"

Crocodile shrugged. He wasn't a good person. In order to secure his title as a "national hero," he had killed quite a few pirates.

But Rowan's next words sent a chill down Crocodile's spine.

"Death is not uncommon."

Rowan's voice was calm, yet it depicted a chilling scene:

"But it is most terrifying when a desert made of bones and ashes becomes commonplace."

……

After Luo Wen said this, he did not lower his voice, so Weiwei, who was not far away, heard it clearly.

A desert made up of corpses and ashes.

These words echoed in the little princess's mind, causing her pupils to constrict and leaving her unable to recover for a long time.

Crocodile took a puff of his unlit cigar and gestured with his chin toward Rowan.

"Hey, aren't you going to comfort her? Be careful Cobra doesn't come after you!"

Luo Wen nodded upon hearing this.

He came up to Vivi and stroked the little princess's sky-blue hair.

"We are never afraid of war, but we should not say that we like war either."

"War is the end of everything, so remember to be prepared before the end comes."

Weiwei listened to Luo Wen's words thoughtfully and nodded.

Crocodile, however, was quite disdainful of Rowan's teaching methods.

"Tsk, all flashy and gaudy."

Rowan shrugged, gesturing, "You do it?"

Why should I teach it?

Crocodile turned his head and looked out the window. "After experiencing so much, you have to know whether you want to or not!"

Rowan ruffled Vivi's hair and pointed at Crocodile, saying:

"This is a little crocodile. The little crocodile just taught you a lesson. Quickly say: Thank you, little crocodile."

"Thank you, Mr. Crocodile!"

Crocodile: "..."

……

Boom boom boom!

Cobra knocked on the study door, then pushed it open and entered, where he saw Crocodile with a furrowed brow, clearly in a very bad mood.

He was taken aback. "Did I come at the wrong time?"

Rowan's voice came from behind the bookshelf.

"No, you've come at just the right time."

He pushed aside the huge bookshelf with one hand, clearing a space in the study, and then tidied up the documents on the table to the side.

Then, he snapped his fingers lightly.

The sand then gathered on the table, forming a map sand table.

The Sand-Sand Fruit user's ability to create sand tables is indeed top-notch; the location, shape, and details of each island are almost identical to those on a world map.

Crocodile can do that.

But what he couldn't do came next.

Rowan rotated his finger, and the position displayed on the sand table also changed.

As the sand surged, the entire island of Alabasta was magnified and then suspended in mid-air, surrounded by floating specks of sand, mimicking the nearby sea conditions.

Crocodile watched this scene with a furrowed brow and a hint of surprise in the depths of his eyes.

As a fellow user of the Sand-Sand Fruit, Crocodile was all too aware of the difficulty in controlling Logia-type Devil Fruits.

When he first tried to use the ability to transform into elements, he couldn't even maintain stability in his human form!

As for creating a sand table, Crocodile can indeed do that, but only by manipulating the sand to come together.

Whether it's a sandstorm or a sand-covered scimitar, all of them are moves with wide, sweeping motions.

Not just him, but every Logia-type Devil Fruit user Crocodile knows is like this!

There's a saying on the high seas: Logia-type Devil Fruit users are "nature" itself.

When they make their move, it's like natural rage, and ordinary people are powerless to resist!

Every Logia-type Devil Fruit user is thinking about how to make their techniques more powerful, but Rowan is clearly an exception.

He seems to have gone to the other extreme.

In terms of the precision with which he used his Devil Fruit powers, Rowan was perhaps the most exaggerated person Crocodile had ever seen.

Whether it's the lifelike sand soldiers or the sand-black guns with clearly visible metallic textures, they all prove this point.

Is this the boasting of the arrogant? Or the useless pride of the strong?

Crocodile initially thought so, but when he saw the "living" sand table in front of him, he suddenly realized that he was wrong.

The Sand-Sand Fruit ability, Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, and even Observation Haki, which has not yet been fully revealed...

The word "precision" is a consistent thread throughout the abilities that Rowan has demonstrated so far!

In his search for Hades, Crocodile had memorized almost the entire terrain of Alabasta, so he was certain that the sand table Rowan had created was incredibly accurate.

Even a small protruding corner on the coastline has been recreated!

Is this useful?

Perhaps it's useless, after all, a battle isn't some art sculpture competition, and no one will care about that little corner.

But what if Rowan used this "precise" power in battle?

Crocodile can easily imagine that scenario:

Rowan's enemies will definitely feel an overwhelming sense of despair!

Rowan noticed Crocodile's gaze as he looked at the sand table and said with a smile:

"The Sand-Sand Fruit, isn't it amazing?"

Crocodile glanced at Rowan, but his mind was elsewhere:

Can I do this?

Crocodile has always been like this; he will not yield to anyone, not Whitebeard, and not Ryan Rowan before him.

Rowan shrugged and said to the astonished crowd:

"Now, let's discuss the first step in establishing the Four Seas Alliance, shall we?"

……

About an hour later.

End of the meeting.

An island floats in the center of the sand table; it is not Alabasta, but their destination as discussed in this meeting.

"Speaking of which, it's been so long since I've been out to sea, I really miss it!"

Rowan waved his hand, dispersing the elaborate sand table, his voice gradually becoming more excited.

"Drum Island, a land of medicine..."

[Chapter Thirty-Two: Naïve Ideals]

After the meeting ended, everyone left to make their own preparations.

Cobra was to stay behind in Alabasta, while Crocodile and Vivi decided to travel with Rowan to Drum Island, the home of the "Medical Kingdom".

As the current king, Kobra represents the Kingdom of Alabasta itself, and his every move involves many people, so he naturally wouldn't easily travel to other countries.

Cobra wanted to send Bell or Jaka as envoys, but Rowan refused.

According to Rowan, the first stop of the Four Seas Alliance is of great importance, and he wants to go there personally.

But when Rowan said this, Crocodile, who was standing next to him, felt that this reason was very unlike Rowan's style.

That's too formal.

Later, Crocodile thought about it and probably came to an answer: Rowan himself couldn't sit still and wanted to go out for a stroll.

In fact--

indeed so.