Chapter 398: Showdown in Alabasta: Sand, Steel, and Ambition

“I’m here to track someone down.” Ace smiled, then glanced over at Luffy. “Honestly, I didn’t expect you to move so fast—you made it to Alabasta in no time.”

Ace had no intention of telling Luffy what he was really after.

After all, Blackbeard stole the Dark-Dark Fruit from the Fourth Division captain, Thatch. Ace didn’t want to drag Luffy into Whitebeard’s private affairs—it was Ace’s responsibility to handle.

“Ahahaha, I have to say, Ace, I’m surprised you joined the Whitebeard Pirates!” Luffy grinned from ear to ear, genuinely happy for Ace.

Back when Ace first set out to sea, his dream was to become Pirate King. But looking at him now, Ace showed not a hint of discontent. That said a lot about how well the Whitebeard Pirates treated him.

Whitebeard—Newgate himself—was grooming Ace to be his successor.

“Whitebeard Pirates, you say?” Chopper’s face scrunched up in thought. He rummaged through his tiny bag, finally fishing out a wanted poster of Whitebeard Newgate.

One of the Four Emperors of the New World, known as ‘the world’s strongest man.’

He ate the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, gaining seismic powers. The Navy says he could destroy the world. His weapon is one of the twelve Supreme Grade Great Blades—the Cloud Cutter. Bounty: 5,046,000,000 Berries!

“What? Even Luffy’s bounty isn’t one-tenth of that! Just how strong is Whitebeard Newgate? The world’s strongest?” Sanji, excitement bubbling beneath the surface, quickly pulled out a cigarette to steady himself.

Since he set sail, this was the first time he’d seen a pirate with such a huge bounty.

Ever since learning Luffy wanted to be Pirate King—and they agreed to help him reach that goal—Sanji knew they’d have to clash with the Four Emperors sooner or later. Only defeating them would prove worthy of the Pirate King’s title. He just hadn’t expected it to come this soon.

Zoro, though, seemed unfazed. His aim was to become the world’s greatest swordsman, and Whitebeard wasn’t his target. Besides, Whitebeard’s weapon couldn’t really be called a sword.

What caught his interest most was Ace standing right there. Maybe only true warriors share that mysterious sixth sense.

Ace wasn’t like in the original story, obsessed only with developing his Devil Fruit. Back then he was taken down by Sakazuki’s Magma Fruit—a pure plot device, really. In truth, fire burns hotter than magma, and now history had already been changed beyond recognition.

Speaking of Whitebeard, Karl knew all too well how Whitebeard’s influence would decline in the future. He regularly ordered his forces to stir up fights across the New World, a kind of unspoken agreement between pirate crews—so long as nobody suffered major losses, the younger generation could fight as much as they wanted.

Right now, Ace was definitely a Second-Tier powerhouse. His Haki, combat skills, and fruit ability were all firmly at admiral level.

First-Tier warriors were those who’d pushed a power to its limits, unable to improve further—people at the very peak of admiral strength, maybe even touching on overlord class.

And there were actually quite a few like that across the sea, scattered among different factions.

“So, Luffy—what are you guys here for?” Ace couldn’t help but ask.

He wasn’t directionally challenged. This was the Alabasta interior. If all they needed were supplies, they could’ve done it at the harbor.

No need to venture this deep into the island—especially since Alabasta was huge.

He really couldn’t fathom what business Luffy and the crew had inland.

“Maybe you’re here for me?”

Everyone turned toward the voice. Striding over was a man draped in a black fur coat, wearing a long orange plaid shirt underneath.

His slicked-back hair, the scar slicing across his face, a gold earring in his right ear, and a gleaming golden hook for a left hand—all topped off by the cigar clenched between his teeth.

This was none other than Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords.

“You’re Crocodile! I’m gonna send you flying!”

The second he spotted Crocodile, Luffy shot forward like a bullet, aiming straight at him.

“Hmph, kids these days are too impatient.” In a flash, Crocodile’s golden hook turned pitch black as he pointed it forward, blocking Luffy’s path.

Clang!

A blast of wind and force rippled outward from where the two clashed!

Swoosh!

“Three-Sword Style—One Hundred and Eight Pound Phoenix!” Zoro wasn’t about to be left out. He unleashed a sword strike at Crocodile.

But the attack passed right through Crocodile, smashing into a nearby building instead.

The casino behind him took the full brunt of Zoro’s strike—the sign shaped like a crocodile shattered to pieces.

Daz Bones transformed his arms into blades and lunged at Zoro with swift, brutal swings.

Clang!

Zoro didn’t miss a beat—their blades met in a flash, sparks flying everywhere.

“As if I’d let you barge in and bother our boss right at the start!”

Daz Bones hurled Zoro back with a powerful sweep of his blade arms.

“A swordsman? No, a Devil Fruit user.” Zoro could tell from the force coming off Daz Bones—this was nothing like the strikes of a true swordsman.

But because of that, Daz Bones opened up a whole new world for him—one he’d never stepped into before.

It was a fresh experience for Zoro. If he could defeat this enemy, he was sure his swordsmanship would reach a new level.

Crocodile hadn’t expected Luffy and his crew to attack on sight. Earlier, chatting with Jiang Yifei inside, he’d learned some inside information. Looks like it was time to shake things up.

Even so, his expression barely changed. Raising his right hand, he murmured, “Let me see if you truly have what it takes—I hope you’re not just all talk.”

“Sandstorm!”

Blades of sand sliced toward them, moving so fast the eye could hardly follow. The golden crescent slashes came pounding in, slicing apart the crew and cutting them off from each other.

Bang!

A storm of sand blades shattered in response, splitting the battlefield and leaving everyone at least ten meters apart.

“Okama Kenpo: Swan Arabesque!” Bon Clay—also known as Mr. 2—made straight for Sanji, another fighter known for his kicks.

“Collier!” Sanji wasn’t one to just stand there and defend—offense was his specialty.

Without thinking, he lashed out, kicking Bon Clay straight into a nearby house, then chased right after him.

Whoosh!

Usopp noticed a strange bullet flying toward Luffy’s side. He instantly grabbed his sniper rifle and shot the odd projectile out of the air.