Perhaps due to some kind of psychological impact, by the time Sasuke stopped Yamato's rampage and looked back, Crocodile had already vanished.
Along with him, the unconscious Mr.1 and Mr.3 had also been quietly swept away by a sandstorm.
Know when to bend and when to stand firm; no wonder he managed to escape Whitebeard even after being defeated.
As a formidable villain, the Desert King is qualified!
Of course, maybe intentionally, or perhaps because he was too close to Yamato and the others at the time, Crocodile didn't take Buggy along.
This led to Buggy suffering arrest.
"Why?! I didn't do anything from start to finish!"
Thrown into an iron cage, Buggy protested verbally while inwardly cursing Crocodile and the others for being disloyal.
He's completely forgetting that he had planned to abandon them and sneak away earlier.
Poke—
Yamato squatted outside the cage, examining Buggy as if he were some rare animal, even taking out a stick to try and poke him inside.
"Dummy... hurry up and come apologize!"
On the side, Sasuke was somewhat helpless, more so with a headache.
He directly grabbed Yamato by the collar, dragging her towards Fossa.
Knowing she was at fault, Yamato didn't resist.
Otherwise, if she really resisted, Sasuke might not be able to move her.
"I'm sorry, we almost caused irreparable consequences just now."
It was clear that, despite constantly complaining about Yamato, Sasuke had accepted her as a companion in his heart… even if only temporarily.
Thus, he also took responsibility for Yamato's mistakes onto himself.
Admit mistakes when you make them, stand straight when being beaten.
The prouder Sasuke usually was, the more he couldn't tolerate his own mistakes.
Yamato, forced to bow her head, also knew she was wrong and quietly said, "I'm sorry," completely different from her usual bold and unrestrained demeanor.
Baby-5 looked at Sasuke, then at Yamato, not sure if she should also apologize.
...Not because she thought she did anything wrong, but she felt that if she did nothing, her darling and that violent woman seemed to be getting closer and closer.
'That can't happen!'
Just as she was about to say something, Fossa, already bandaged and standing up again, waved his hand to reassure them.
"Don't say that. It's thanks to you guys that those dangerous fellows didn't wreak havoc."
"As for the destruction, it didn't actually happen in the end, right?"
Saying so, Fossa somewhat shamefully rubbed his bald head.
"I'm the one who should be ashamed, I was too weak. Seems like I alone am not enough to protect this island."
His words were immediately refuted by the surrounding residents.
"Commander Fossa, please don't say that!"
"You've protected us many times, so this can't be blamed on you!"
Hearing the residents' words of comfort one after another, this rough-looking man's eyes began to redden at the corners.
Seeing this scene, envy immediately sparkled in Yamato's eyes.
She could tell these residents sincerely thanked this bald uncle for his protection, even though he had almost been defeated by that hook-handed guy.
This sincere emotion! This is what she pursued!
"It's just a pity we let them slip away when we weren't paying attention."
When Sasuke said this, there was genuine regret on his face.
The envy on Yamato's face instantly turned into guilt.
"It's alright. We've already contacted other division commanders. Support will come here soon."
Fossa, however, waved his hand, indicating he didn't mind.
"But I never expected Crocodile to come to the New World."
"It seems he still hasn't given up on Oyaji."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Sasuke's ears perked up almost imperceptibly, unconsciously asking in a way that went against his usual image.
Crocodile's story wasn't exactly confidential information, at least not for the Whitebeard Pirates.
So, Fossa briefly explained the grudge between Crocodile and Whitebeard, and the subsequent miserable defeat by Whitebeard.
"Now he seems stronger than he was back then. Right, I need to inform Oyaji too."
"If it's that old man, I think this Crocodile fellow shouldn't be a concern yet."
Recalling Whitebeard's performance during the Summit War and comparing it to the Desert King who was almost defeated in a single encounter, Sasuke's inner scale quickly reached a conclusion.
"No... actually..."
Fossa hesitated, then, after looking at the many people around, decided not to say anything.
"Forget it, let's head into town first."
He changed the subject.
"I'm still not clear why you came here. Where are your previous companions? And these two unfamiliar ladies..."
At this point, a hint of teasing appeared on Fossa's face.
He had seen Sasuke before, but they had almost no interaction, so his impression wasn't deep.
After this righteous intervention, his assessment of Sasuke had risen several levels.
'A talented young man, strength not inferior to Ace's... no, maybe even Marco isn't his match.'
'His character is also commendable… A good person who's cold on the outside but warm inside!'
Unaware that he had just been given a 'good person card' by a middle-aged bald man, Sasuke looked at both sides upon hearing this. He first gently pushed away Baby-5, who had hugged him, then introduced them.
"Baby-5, Yamato... you could say they're companions I met on my journey."
Ignoring Baby-5's clear, resentful gaze because of his words, Sasuke added,
"As for the one you mentioned… you probably mean Karin. She also started sailing alone. She might be fighting someone somewhere right now."
"Oh! Adventuring alone? That's fitting! Your strengths indeed allow you to each form your own pirate crew."
Hearing this, Sasuke instinctively corrected,
"No, we are not pirates."
At this point, Yamato also leaned in.
"This one is a 'wandering hero', called by others as White—"
Her words were cut off by Baby-5 interrupting.
"I'm not a pirate either. Right now, I'm Sasuke's bride-in-training, still training..."
Seeing the interaction among the three, Fossa was stunned for a few seconds before bursting into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha... This is too interesting, Sasuke-kun."
Unconsciously, they had arrived in front of a tavern.
"Not being pirates is fine. You are friends of the Whitebeard Pirates anyway! And also my friend, Fossa's friend!"
Saying so, Fossa pushed open the tavern door.
"To express gratitude! And to celebrate the arrival of new friends, let's have a feast!"
"Woohoo!!"
Some surrounding residents and Fossa's crew members cheered along. The enthusiastic atmosphere even infected Yamato, who joined in.
Seeing this, a wry smile appeared on Sasuke's face.
'These people really love having feasts.'
But... he didn't mind it either.
Meanwhile, at the battle ruins, Buggy was still locked in his cage.
The people around seemed to have all followed Fossa and the others away.
A gust of wind blew, and Buggy seemed to suddenly snap back to reality.
"Huh?! Hey! You guys! Don't ignore the great Captain Buggy!"
Unfortunately, his shouts only attracted the attention of a few children and no one else paid him any mind.