First half of the Grand Line.
Alabasta.
Sss…
A cigar slowly caught, sparks blooming in an office atop a high building.
A gloomy man looked down at the view outside the window. Yellow sand churned through the sky, as if foretelling something.
"You've heard the rumors, haven't you? That pirate who's been making a scene on the Grand Line lately. I hear quite a few Baroque Works officers have already fallen to him."
The voice came without warning.
One of the great names of the sea, a title strong enough to intimidate an entire region, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea…
Sir Crocodile turned around, eyes landing on the long black haired beauty sitting by the sofa, calmly reading.
There was not a trace of lust in his gaze.
Only calculation, coldness, and the sharp cruelty of a predator.
To him, a pirate with a 30,000,000 bounty was nothing worth mentioning.
"Mmm. I've heard he's… a rather unusual man," Robin replied, her face full of probing intent, as if she wanted to test her boss's reaction.
But unfortunately…
The man who forced her into cooperation didn't change expression at all.
"Maybe…" Crocodile drew on the cigar. The ember flickered in the air for a moment.
"But in the end, he's still nothing special."
Beside him, a yellow crocodile crawled over, with a banana shaped bump on its head.
At the very beginning, it was Ozz who had used "Sand Crocodile" as a symbol for him.
So later, Crocodile really did raise a dusty yellow crocodile.
"In a place like the East Blue, and even in the first half of the Grand Line… he might look impressive."
Nico Robin's tone turned faintly strange.
"So Boss believes Straw Hat Luffy is no threat. Even though he's got our target in hand, Princess Vivi."
As she spoke, she rested her chin on one hand, calmly analyzing for him.
"He's not low bounty anymore. If he uses Princess Vivi's name, it could cause us some trouble."
Crocodile listened, but barely reacted.
"Straw Hat Luffy isn't a big issue. Even with Vivi included. In the end, this world still runs on strength…"
He bit the cigar between his teeth and glanced at the newspaper in his hand, then abruptly shifted the topic.
"Compared to that, the New World seems to have some trouble that needs handling. Not sure if the others will move."
That arrogance made his contempt obvious.
There were too many rookies on the Grand Line. Most of them never made a splash.
Naturally, he filed Luffy away as another ignorant kid who didn't know the sky's height.
In fact, if Luffy hadn't defeated Buggy, the clown Crocodile had paid extra attention to because of Ozz, and if he hadn't gotten tangled up with Alabasta's Princess Vivi…
Crocodile wouldn't have even noticed there was such a 30 million rookie out on the sea.
"The others?" Robin's eyes sharpened at the information packed into that sentence.
Crocodile's arrogance and self importance were things she understood very well.
For him to say "others," people vaguely on his level…
That could only mean one thing.
"Yes. The other Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Crocodile held the newspaper, clearly more interested in the larger movements happening across the sea.
If the other Warlords were all busy, then making a trip himself wasn't impossible.
But being stuck in the first half of the Grand Line, he obviously had less convenient access than some of the others.
"Ozz… that bastard really knows how to make work for us."
He turned and sat back into his boss chair, extinguishing the cigar.
His guard against Robin wasn't especially high right now, especially when the topic involved Ozz.
After all, Nico Robin knew both Ozz and Mihawk, and their relationship seemed… decent.
Years ago, when Mihawk visited Alabasta, he'd even mentioned Ohara's past to Crocodile.
So as long as it didn't involve true secrets, Crocodile didn't mind talking.
Besides, recent confidential reports suggested the World Government was already investigating what that "secret experiment" really was.
Strictly speaking, the existence of the experiment wasn't even a secret anymore.
Mentioning Ozz seemed to put Crocodile in a better mood.
With Robin, someone he half considered "on the same side," he grew more talkative.
"Honestly, I don't care what the sea turns into," Crocodile said lazily.
"Straw Hat Luffy. The Marines. Alabasta. In the end they're all just… background props."
His shadowy boss face curled into a smile that looked down on everything.
He crossed his legs.
"On this vast sea, on this enormous stage, once that man returns… there's only one real protagonist left."
"Whether my Alabasta plan succeeds or fails, I'll be fine either way."
"Marines or pirates, nobody can judge me."
In Crocodile's eyes, no matter how far things went, he had someone holding the line behind him.
Naive Marine 'justice' or hot blooded pirates helping a kingdom reclaim itself, it was all children playing house.
That was the confidence Ozz's return gave him.
…
On the other side, Ozz, who had no idea Crocodile was already floating so high off his backing that his feet barely touched the ground, smacked his lips.
"Tch… those CP0 bastards have noses like dogs."
Yes.
It wasn't only the World Government noticing Ozz's secret experiment.
Ozz had plenty of intelligence people under him too, and they weren't useless.
They'd discovered CP0 was investigating them.
Against an elite intelligence agency with high level combat power and organized operations, underground manpower and Kuma alone were not enough. It was getting tight.
So Ozz wanted someone among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, someone with mobility, to lend a hand.
But Moria's strength wasn't enough. Sending him would just get him beaten.
Crocodile, Doflamingo, Hancock… they had territories and influence to manage, distance limits, and moving freely wasn't convenient.
Jinbe was durable and could take a beating, but to be safe, against a CP0 squad, it was better to send someone who could crush the field with sheer presence.
"…I understand."
In the end, the best choice was Mihawk.
No affiliations. No territory. No chains. He moved wherever he pleased.
Perfect for going over and putting pressure on the situation.
"Just right. I haven't been to the New World in a while."
He didn't really care either way. He'd originally planned to sail with Ozz for a time, but now that would have to wait.
"It's fine," Ozz said easily, smiling as he patted Mihawk's shoulder.
"We'll definitely meet again soon."
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