Evening had fallen over Rainbase, its streets bathed in lamplight, buzzing with life. Vendors hawked their wares, townsfolk strolled past, and here and there moved men with swords at their sides—bounty hunters, mercenaries, guards, or pirates. The city pulsed with a noisy, vibrant energy.
Whatever Crocodile's ambitions might be, one couldn't deny he'd brought prosperity to Rainbase. His presence alone had been enough to keep the worst of the scum, pirates and thugs alike, at bay. Peace had reigned under his shadow.
Until the blast shattered it.
Inside a luxurious suite on the fourth floor of Rain Dinners, Aeridar was in the middle of discussing Devil Fruit power development with Crocodile when the explosion's shockwave thundered through the walls.
"What the hell was that?!" Crocodile sprang to his feet, storming toward the window. "Someone, check that out, now!"
"Yes, sir!" came a voice, followed by the retreating clatter of boots on tile.
Aeridar stepped to the window beside Crocodile, gazing out into the night. "A few of my brothers are out there. If anyone's causing trouble, they'll deal with it."
Brrrp... Brrrp... Brrrp...
A Den Den Mushi buzzed in Aeridar's coat.
"Captain. Zidani Iman, one of Crocodile's men, he's a traitor," came Dimitri's urgent voice. "He nearly gave our plan away to the Navy."
Both Aeridar and Crocodile were stunned, especially Crocodile, whose mind instantly raced with paranoia. Was the Chris Pirates trying to take him out by cutting off his own men?
"I just took out seven Marine intel agents at the scene," Dimitri pressed on before either could respond. "Iman tried to run. He rallied nearby guards who didn't know what was going on to stall us."
With a snarl, Crocodile's form unraveled into a gust of sand and blew out the window.
Aeridar shut the Den Den Mushi and vaulted clean out of the fourth-story window.
"Crocodile-dono, there's been an explosion outside—uh... sir?" The soldier blinked at the empty room.
Five minutes earlier.
An unassuming house exploded in a thunderclap of fire and smoke. One of its walls disintegrated in the blast, spraying rubble through a narrow alleyway. Shattered stone embedded itself deep in brick and dirt.
"Ahhh! An explosion?!"
"Is it pirates again?!"
Screams rent the air as panic surged through the surrounding streets. Chaos reigned.
Then, through the settling smoke, a dark figure was flung from the wreckage, smashing hard into the alley wall. The impact left it cracked and crumbling, debris raining down around him.
"You bastard! You tried to tip off the Navy... I should kill you where you stand!"
A furious voice echoed out of the wreckage. A tall, handsome man in a sky-blue suit stepped forward—Gilbert Arlan. His blue hair was tousled, his sharp eyes burning with wrath. Brown leather shoes clicked against the rubble as he approached.
Opposite him, pulling himself from the cracked wall, was a burly man with long, wild brown hair. Dust coated his battered form. His sharp face was partially hidden beneath a black eyepatch over his left eye. He wore a white coat patterned with green and carried a massive sword—five fingers wide, nearly five feet long.
This was Zidani Iman, known across the seas as the "One-Eyed Ogre," and a trusted member of Crocodile's crew. But in this moment, he looked anything but composed.
"Kff— Some roads just diverge," Iman coughed up blood and wiped his mouth, his face pale. He'd been caught doing what should never be seen.
A corpse flew from the ruined house, landing with a lifeless thump on the alley stones.
Another man followed—tall, lean, dressed in a white shirt and draped in a blue coat. Blood dripped from the tip of the beast-tooth dagger in his right hand, its jade-like blade gleaming under the moonlight. It was Dimitri—the same dagger Aeridar had given him the day they met.
"You bastard. You almost ruined the captain's entire plan." Dimitri's face was dark with anger. He drew an ivory-handled pistol from his back with his left hand and aimed it squarely at Iman.
Three days earlier, after sealing their deal with Crocodile, Aeridar and his crew had lingered in Rainbase for sightseeing. That afternoon, Arlan and Dimitri had gone shopping when they noticed Iman sneaking off suspiciously.
Curious, the two followed him to a house where Iman slipped inside, guided by a stranger. They couldn't enter unnoticed, but thankfully, Dimitri had the strongest Observation Haki of the entire Chris Pirates, even sharper than Aeridar's.
Using Haki from outside, Dimitri eavesdropped on the meeting, and what he heard turned their blood cold. The house was crawling with Marine intel agents, and Iman was in there spilling the secret negotiations between Aeridar and Crocodile. Worse, the agents were about to report everything straight to Marine HQ.
There was no time to waste. Arlan burst in to keep Iman busy while Dimitri slaughtered all seven agents.
Iman tried to flee, but Arlan planted a boot in his ribs and sent him flying—though with Arlan's Bomb-Bomb Fruit powers, the explosion drew far more attention than intended.
On a nearby street, a man carrying two katanas looked toward the explosion. His lazy expression sharpened slightly.
"Over there, huh...? Whatever. Might as well take a look, it's our ally's turf after all."
With that, he broke into a run toward the blast.
A massive sword rang out as Arlan stepped on its broad back, pinning it.
"You're not getting away," he said coldly.
Iman swung the greatsword with raw power, forcing Arlan back. "That's not your call."
Iman twisted his wrist. His blade flashed, splitting the bullet in two midair. The halves hit the ground with twin thuds.
Almost simultaneously, a figure appeared before him, white light streaking straight for his skull.
Iman twisted his grip, bringing his sword up just in time to block. It was the beast-tooth dagger again, gleaming like ivory under the moonlight.
Steel sang again and again as Dimitri struck in rapid succession, every slash aimed at Iman's head or heart. But the One-Eyed Ogre parried them all with the sheer force of his massive blade.
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