One Piece Chapter 169: The Kingdom's Strongest Warrior

A text box introduces 'Rain Dinners, the largest casino in Rainbase'. The exterior of the massive casino is shown, a large pyramid-like structure topped with a giant statue of a crocodile. Palm trees and a pool of water surround the entrance. In the bottom panel, Luffy is shown from a low angle, his mouth open incredibly wide as he screams at the top of his lungs, 'SHOW YOURSELF! CROCODILE!'

Inside the bustling Rain Dinners casino, Luffy stands right in the middle of the gambling floor, his arms raised high as he continues to scream, 'GET YER ASS OUT HERE!' Casino patrons and staff stop what they are doing to stare at him in confusion. Nearby, Usopp and Nami are panicking. Usopp frantically points out, 'Wait, hold on! If Vivi's not with us, how the hell are we supposed to recognize who Crocodile even is!?' Nami, equally stressed, asks, 'Then... What do we do!?' Usopp wonders where Vivi is. Usopp then yells at Luffy, 'He's considered the hero of Alabasta right now! Are you TRYING to turn everyone here into our enemies!?' Nami joins in, screaming at Luffy with sharp teeth, 'YOU THINK YELLING IS ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE HIM SHOW UP!?' Luffy looks back at them, his eyes wide and mouth clamped shut in surprise.

Despite their previous complaints, Usopp and Nami join Luffy in screaming at the top of their lungs, all three with their arms raised: 'VIVI! CROCODILE! WHERE ARE YOU!?' Zoro stands behind them, looking unamused, and asks, 'What happened to not yelling?' Suddenly, a casino worker approaches Luffy, saying, 'Sir! I'm afraid members of the World Government are barred from Rain D-'. Before he can finish, Captain Smoker shoves the worker aside, declaring, 'I've got you now, Straw-Hat!' Luffy gasps in shock. Meanwhile, another worker reports to the casino manager, 'Sir, a strange group of people are causing a ruckus in the casino!' The manager, a man with spiky hair and a mustache, orders, 'Tell the security to quickly deal with them.' Back on the casino floor, Smoker charges toward the pirates. Usopp spots him and screams, 'IT'S SMOKIE! RUN!' The entire crew turns and sprints away through the casino.

Three large, imposing security guards in suits block the hallway. One of them commands, 'Hold it right there!' while another adds, 'We're gonna have to ask you to step outside...' Suddenly, Smoker bursts through them at full speed, sending the massive guards flying with a loud 'CLANG!' Smoker doesn't even slow down, casually wondering, 'Huh? Did I just run over something?' Nearby, Miss All Sunday appears and speaks to the casino manager. 'Crocodile's orders,' she says. The manager looks surprised and asks, 'Pardon?' Miss All Sunday instructs him, 'Invite them into the V.I.P. room.' The manager stammers, 'Manager! Some strangers are-'

Casino workers stand by a grand set of double doors marked 'V.I.P', gesturing welcomingly. 'Welcome, sirs!' they say, 'Please come this way to the V.I.P. room!' Usopp spots the open doors and points, 'Hey, look over there!' Zoro smirks around his swords, deducing, 'V.I.P. room!? So there is some sort of connection between Crocodile and them...' Luffy looks determined and shouts, 'ALRIGHT! LET'S GO!' Smoker, still in pursuit, narrows his eyes and thinks, 'A man who gets down right to business, eh?' Nami smiles confidently, 'Is that a challenge for us to "bring it on!?"' The four pirates sprint toward the V.I.P. room, with Smoker running right behind them. Luffy asks, 'By the way, what the heck's a VIP?' Smoker, chasing them, thinks, 'Great! This might be a chance to send all these pirates to the gallows!'

A massive metal cage slams shut with a resounding 'CLANG!!' Through the thick, grid-like bars of the cage, the faces of Nami, Usopp, Luffy, and Zoro are visible, looking out in shock. A wider view of the room reveals the full situation: the four pirates are trapped inside a large, sturdy cell within the V.I.P. room. Outside the cage, Captain Smoker stands with his back to the viewer, looking at the trapped pirates. Zoro sits on a bench inside the cage, while Luffy, Usopp, and Nami stand near the bars.

Inside the cage, Usopp and Luffy stare blankly ahead. Nami erupts in anger, screaming at them with sharp teeth, 'CUNNING, MY ASS! YOU GUYS JUST RAN HEAD-FIRST INTO HIS TRAP! GOD! YOU GUYS ARE ALL A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!' Usopp mutters, 'Most cunning, indeed,' while Luffy agrees, 'A cunning plan.' A flashback shows how they ended up there: they reached a sign pointing left for 'V.I.P.' and right for 'Pirates'. Usopp noted the split hallway, and Luffy said the V.I.P. room was to the left. However, Zoro declared, 'We're pirates, so we go right!' Nami tried to stop them, 'Wait, but-', but they all fell through a trap door, screaming as they plummeted. Back in the present, Luffy is leaning heavily against the cage bars, sweating and looking exhausted. Usopp asks him, 'Why, are you hungry or something?' Luffy replies weakly, 'I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT IT FEELS LIKE ALL MY STRENGTH IS BEING SUCKED OUT...'

Luffy looks up weakly, saying 'Hm?' as Smoker approaches the cage from the outside. Usopp yells 'LUFFY!' in warning. Smoker thrusts his jutte through the bars, striking Luffy. The impact knocks Luffy to the floor, and Smoker pins him down by pressing the tip of the jutte against the back of Luffy's neck. Luffy groans 'UGHH!' in pain. Usopp screams in panic, 'GYAAA! LUFFY!' Smoker stands firmly outside the cage, holding the jutte down to keep Luffy immobilized. Inside the cage, Zoro draws his swords, preparing to fight.

Smoker holds Luffy down with his jutte and says, 'I'll have you know that I've finished off a explosive-human in the past!' In the background, Usopp strikes a fighting pose, trembling as he yells, 'H-h-hey you, smoke monster! Y-y-you want s-s-some of this, huh!? Do ya!?' Smoker presses the jutte harder, and Luffy groans 'UGH!' Usopp panics, 'H-HEY! WHAT DID YOU DO TO LUFFY!?' Luffy lies on the floor, his tongue hanging out, completely drained of energy. '...HUH? I CAN'T MOVE...!? IT'S LIKE... I'VE FALLEN IN THE SEA...' Smoker replies coldly, 'Yes, that's how you should feel...' A close-up shows Smoker smoking his cigars as he explains, 'The tip of my jutte is made with a substance known as "seastone." It's a mysterious stone said to be only found in a certain area of the ocean...'

Smoker continues his explanation while standing outside the cage. 'It's best to think of it as a solidified form of the sea. There's still a lot of mysteries surrounding this mineral but what we do know is that it emits the same type of energy as the sea. The prisons at the Marine HQ all have cages made with seastone, to prevent devil-fruit users from using their abilities and escaping.' Usopp realizes, 'So that's what's been sapping Luffy's power...' Smoker glares and adds, 'Then these cages too are made with- If they weren't, I'd already be long gone from here. That is, after I've personally seen to it that none of you would ever be able to head out for the seas again...' Smoker then turns his attention to Zoro, who has his swords drawn. 'That's right. I suggest you stop.' Usopp frantically yells at Zoro, 'GYAAA! NO, WAIT, WAIT! YOU CAN'T FIGHT NOW! AND ZORO! YOUR SWORDS WON'T WORK ON HIM!'

A new voice speaks up: 'As fellow prisoners doomed to the same death, why not make peace with each other...?' Crocodile is revealed sitting comfortably in a large chair outside the cage, smoking a cigar. He smiles mockingly at Smoker. 'You certainly live up to your reputation as a wild dog, Capt. Smoker. It appears you mistrusted me from the start.' Smoker glares back, growling, 'Crocodile...!' Crocodile continues calmly, 'You were wise to do so, of course. I don't know what brings you to this country but I'm sure you weren't under any orders. Probably acting independently as usual. And since the World Government will have no reason to doubt me, I don't think any more marines will come here to check up on me... I'll tell the World Government you tragically died in an "accident," while bravely fighting that small-time pirate Straw-Hat, haha.'

Luffy, despite his weakness, grabs the seastone bars of the cage, his face tense with anger. 'YOU'RE THE ONE CALLED CROCODILE...' Zoro looks at Crocodile and notes, 'So that's one of the Shichibukai...' Usopp and Nami look on in shock. Luffy suddenly screams at the top of his lungs, 'HEY YOU!' Crocodile remains unfazed, stating, 'After all, our guest of honour has yet to arrive. But don't worry, I've sent my partner to escort her here.' Crocodile stands up from his chair and approaches the cage. 'Well done in making it all the way here, Straw-Hat Luffy... I never imagined I'd be meeting you in person. I'll kill you in due time but do wait a little longer.' Inside the cage, Usopp yells at Luffy, 'STOP TOUCHING THE BARS, YOU IDIOT!' while Luffy weakly mutters, 'FIGHT ME...'

Outside in the streets of Rainbase, Princess Vivi is collapsed on the ground, panting and covered in dirt. A Baroque Works agent stands over her, holding a sword. 'Quite the fight you put up, princess. You live up to your reputation as an ex-frontier agent.' Vivi looks up desperately, thinking, 'I CAN'T DIE IN A PLACE LIKE THIS! I STILL HAVE TO GET TO RAIN DINNERS...!!' The agent raises his sword, laughing, 'But your resistance ends here! Hahaha!' Suddenly, a shadow falls over the agent, and he is struck violently from above, crying out 'GYAA!' as he is thrown back. Vivi looks up in shock.

A massive falcon dives down from the sky at incredible speed, attacking the Baroque Works agents. The agents scream in terror as the bird swoops through them. The falcon grabs one of the agents by the head with its sharp talons, lifting him off the ground as he screams. Another agent yells in confusion, 'WHAT'S WITH THAT BIRD...!?' Vivi watches in awe, exclaiming, 'A FALCON!?' The large bird continues its assault, scattering the agents with its powerful wings and talons.

The Baroque Works agents open fire on the giant bird. 'SHOOT IT DOWN!' one yells. Another questions, 'WHY DOES A BIRD HAVE A GATLING GUN!? IT'S HUGE!' Vivi watches with a joyful, relieved smile, tears forming in her eyes. The falcon swoops down, grabs Vivi gently, and flies up into the air with her. An agent curses, 'CRAP! IT TOOK THE PRINCESS!' The bird lands gracefully on a nearby rooftop. As it lands, it transforms into a human-bird hybrid form. It is Pell, the strongest warrior of Alabasta. He turns to Vivi and says, 'It's been a while, hasn't it, Princess Vivi? Please wait here for a short moment.' Vivi happily calls out his name, 'PELL!'

Down on the street, the Baroque Works agents are in shock. One of them stammers, 'THE STRONGEST WARRIOR IN ALABASTA!?' Others look up at the roof, realizing, 'AS IN "PELL THE FALCON!?"' 'PELL?' On the roof, Pell stands in his hybrid form, with falcon wings and talons. He explains, 'Tori Tori fruit, model: Falcon. One of the 5 identified devil fruit types which gives the user the ability to fly...' With a sudden 'FLASH!', Pell disappears from the roof. The agents panic, 'WHERE'D HE GO!? JUST KEEP SHOOTING!' Pell flies rapidly through the air, a blur of motion as he descends upon the agents.

Pell unleashes a devastating attack on the Baroque Works agents. He swoops through them at high speed, shouting his technique name: 'TOBIZUME! (Flying Talon)'. The impact sends multiple agents flying into the air, completely defeating them. Pell lands smoothly on the ground, his large wings spread wide, standing victorious amidst the fallen enemies. From the rooftop, Vivi watches with immense relief. 'Thank god for Pell! Now I have to hurry and meet up with the others...!'

A woman's voice calls out, 'VICE... PRESIDENT...!' The defeated agents look up in surprise. 'Who are you?' Vivi gasps in shock, recognizing the woman: 'MS. ALL SUNDAY!?' Miss All Sunday (Nico Robin) stands calmly before them. 'Good,' she says, 'If that's what you want too, then this should go a lot more smoothly.' She looks at Pell with interest. 'Magnificent... This is my first time seeing a flying man. But I wonder if you're stronger than me...?' Pell glares at her intensely, his face marked with his signature purple makeup. He asks Vivi, 'Princess Vivi... Is this woman, A member of the organization threatening our kingdom...!?'

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