By the window of a tall building.
King Cobra glanced at the gradually darkening sky and then looked down at the largest casino in the country. The sense of unease in his heart grew stronger.
"We can't see anything from here..."
Cobra muttered.
"Your Majesty."
The captain of the royal guard, Igaram, immediately changed his expression:
"Sig is a notorious pirate with a bounty of 400 million berries. Even if Crocodile can handle him, it will undoubtedly be a earth-shattering battle. Going there recklessly would only put us in danger..."
However, Cobra remained calm.
"Of course, I know that."
"Do you think I came here to throw my life away?"
Cobra knew his own limits. He had come here only because he felt uneasy and wanted to observe the situation from a distance. He had no intention of putting himself in danger or confronting Sig directly.
Bringing Igaram and Pell along was merely to ensure his own safety as the king.
"By the way, why hasn't the Marine reinforcements arrived yet?"
Cobra glanced at Pell, the vice-captain of the royal guard.
To be on the safe side, Cobra hadn't just informed Crocodile about Sig's presence—he had also notified the Marines to ensure nothing went wrong.
"The Marines said they should be close to Rainbase. They'll arrive in at most half an hour."
"They've sent a Marine Vice Admiral. With Crocodile's help, Sig won't stand a chance."
Pell spoke with confidence.
"The Marine fleet? Pell, use your ability to fly up and take a look. If you don't see the Marine fleet, hurry them along."
"We must ensure that Sig, this heinous criminal, is brought to justice here."
Cobra still looked restless and deeply worried.
Pell nodded. He stepped onto the windowsill and leaped out of the tall building.
While still in mid-air, his body rapidly transformed. His arms spread out, turning into wings, and with a few flaps, he soared into the sky, quickly shrinking into a small black dot in Cobra's vision.
Pell, known as the strongest warrior in Alabasta, was a user of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Falcon, a Zoan-type Devil Fruit that granted him the rare ability of long-distance flight.
After flying out of the building, Pell quickly flapped his wings and shot into the clouds.
He changed direction, scanning the nearby coastal areas.
In his falcon form, Pell possessed the keen eyesight of a bird, allowing him to see even the smallest details from great heights.
But this time, he didn't spot any Marine warships.
"Didn't the Marines say they were almost here? Are they lying to us?"
Pell frowned, but then his expression shifted as he looked toward the distant horizon where the sea met the sky.
He still didn't see any Marine warships cutting through the waves, but he did see something even more shocking.
It was a figure—a man running across the sea.
At this moment, it was nearly dusk.
The setting sun hung like a massive blood clot at the junction of the sea and sky.
Half the sea shimmered, while the other half was dyed red by the sunset.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, a man was running alone across the sea.
He was a lonely man, no longer young, chasing after his lost youth.
Pell, who was also no longer young, felt a pang of nostalgia.
He, too, remembered his lost youth... Wait, no!
Pell's eyes widened.
The man running across the sea was carrying a... bicycle on his shoulder?
And the sea beneath his feet was frozen, with no waves in sight.
As if sensing Pell's gaze from high above, the man running on the sea looked up, his eyes meeting Pell's from a distance.
He was a tall man dressed in a white suit, with black curly hair and a green eye mask on his forehead.
Despite running at high speed, his expression was completely devoid of excitement. He looked utterly bored, even yawning lazily.
"Just a bird? I thought someone had spotted me."
Marine Vice Admiral Kuzan lowered his gaze and glanced at the faint outline of the island in the distance. He slowed down and placed the bicycle he was carrying on his shoulder onto the frozen sea.
"There's no commotion in Rainbase. It seems the fight hasn't started yet. I'm too early..."
He leisurely mounted the bicycle and continued forward at a much slower pace than when he had been running.
The bicycle on Kuzan's shoulder was just an ordinary one, without any modifications.
If he rode too fast, the chain might come off.
Yes, that made perfect sense. It was a completely reasonable excuse.
......
Meanwhile.
On the third floor of the Rain Dinners casino.
After thinking for a moment, Sig immediately gave an order to the bald man:
"Go exchange some chips. I'm going to play a few rounds."
"Mr. Sig... Our boss has been waiting for you..." The suited man standing nearby wiped his sweat, growing even more anxious.
"What's the rush?" Sig snorted coldly.
"Is your casino afraid of losing?"
"After I'm done gambling, I'll naturally go see your boss."
Sig ignored the suited man and, after giving the bald man his instructions, walked over to the gambling table.
The man who would later become Admiral Fujitora, Issho, was currently at a simple odd-or-even betting table.
Three dice were rolled, and players bet on whether the sum would be odd or even.
Sig didn't speak immediately but instead observed from the side.
Issho's luck seemed terrible—he had lost several times in a row. Each time he lost, the crowd around him erupted in laughter.
After a few rounds, the chips in Issho's hand were nearly gone.
"Hey, do you want some chips from me?"
"I don't like gambling myself, but watching you gamble is quite entertaining. If you win, the chips are yours. If you lose, it's on me."
Sig approached and spoke up.
Issho slightly turned his head, "looking" at Sig with his closed eyes.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Sig suddenly felt a bit nervous.
After all, he was now a notorious pirate with a 400 million berry bounty. What if Issho recognized him through some means?
After a long pause, Issho shook his head:
"Is this the casino's loan sharking? I can't afford to pay it back."
With that, he pushed all the remaining chips in his hand onto the table.
"Bet on odd."
Issho said.
Sig frowned. If Issho ran out of chips, would he just leave the casino?
There was no time to hesitate.
Thinking this, he pushed the million-berry chips the bald man had just exchanged onto the table.
However, he bet differently from Issho—he bet on even.
Sig believed in his own luck and intended to give Issho a boost.