'Dance Powder...' Setsuna understood, 'It seemed Crocodile's [Operation Utopia] hadn't started yet, he was still in the planning stages.
Hearing no response from the Den Den Mushi, Crocodile quickly realized something was wrong. His voice turned icy and piercing. "Who are you?"
Setsuna took the Den Den Mushi, sending his own voice. "Chiaki Setsuna."
The voice sounded very young... Crocodile was sensitive. "Someone from Wano? You want to ally with me against Kaido?"
Setsuna fell silent, 'Why did everyone associate me with Wano?'
'As for allying against Kaido, Croco-Mom, aren't you a bit too confident?'
A rather amusing idea suddenly popped into Setsuna's mind. First, he solemnly corrected, "I have no connection to that country..."
Then he shifted gears. "As for Kaido, you are the one who should fight Kaido."
"Me? Fight Kaido? What nonsense are you spouting?" Crocodile sneered. The person he truly wanted to defeat was Whitebeard.
Setsuna chuckled, countering, "Oh? Don't you want to obtain Pluton?"
The Den Den Mushi went silent for a moment, then exploded with fury. "Nico Robin! You dare betray me!"
Robin's face paled. But she didn't explain. She knew Crocodile wouldn't listen to explanations.
She looked at Setsuna with confusion, 'How did this boy know about Pluton?'
Setsuna suddenly lowered his voice, smiling as he said, "What if I told you Pluton is in Wano? Would you dare to go steal it?"
The breathing on the other end of the Den Den Mushi grew noticeably ragged, but quickly calmed. "Trying to incite me to fight Kaido with a fabricated lie? You're with the World Government, aren't you?"
Setsuna scoffed. "Fight? You think too highly of yourself. I'm urging you to steal it."
Crocodile fell silent for a moment, then asked with suppressed anger, "You think I'm not Kaido's match?"
Now it was Setsuna's turn to be silent. After a moment, he said, "You don't actually believe you can fight Kaido, do you?"
Crocodile answered proudly, "My only opponent is Whitebeard."
"Suit yourself," Setsuna sighed, then added, "Golden Lion told me this information. You can choose to believe it or not."
"Golden Lion?" Crocodile laughed coldly. "This gets more absurd. Golden Lion vanished nearly twenty years ago."
"In a few days, you should receive news about Golden Lion," Setsuna said, then hung up.
On the other end, Crocodile frowned.
This call was utterly baffling. He didn't want to believe the nonsense, but the other party's claim that news about Shiki would arrive in a few days bothered him greatly.
In the Battle of Edd War years ago, Shiki had said that with Roger's 'world-destroying weapon' and his own forces, they could immediately dominate the world.
Although, judging by the outcome, Roger likely refused the proposal.
But Shiki later stormed Marine Headquarters alone for Roger. Perhaps Roger entrusted the Ancient Weapon to Shiki before his death.
Crocodile's mind wavered. 'Wait and see if there's news about Golden Lion. Then find that brat who captured Nico Robin. If Pluton really is in Wano... I'll contact Moria and head to Wano together.'
Though he talked tough, he had some self-awareness.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Ace was completely confused. "Captain, what were you two talking about?"
Setsuna smiled. "Nothing much. The seas have been too quiet lately. Giving the World Government some entertainment, making the wheels of the era turn."
Ace rubbed his chin. "I don't really get it, but it sounds like something big."
Galdino wished he could deafen himself, 'Four Emperors, Pluton, the World Government... Was this something I should be hearing?'
Robin stared directly into Setsuna's eyes. "Is Pluton really in Wano?"
Setsuna smiled. "Miss Prisoner, you don't seem to understand your situation yet."
Robin couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. Indeed, she was just a prisoner now, and abandoned by her boss.
…
After confiscating the Log Pose fully charged with magnetism from Galdino, Setsuna didn't stay long on Cactus Island. Once all the acquired supplies were loaded, they set sail again.
Two days later, Mr. 3 and Robin once again led their subordinates to feed the monsters.
Along the way, Mr. 3 was terrified. Coming out, he noticed another subordinate missing.
He trembled as he asked, "What kind of pirate crew is this? Why keep such terrifying monsters? I hope the boss comes to save us soon. Otherwise, we'll all be eaten eventually…"
Robin shook her head with a bitter smile. "I'm afraid the boss can't save me… or you."
Mr. 3 asked in surprise, "Didn't you tell me yesterday our boss is that Warlord Crocodile?"
Robin spoke in a complex tone, "I gathered some intel these past two days. It's said the captain and vice captain together killed the Golden Lion. Marine Headquarters is sending someone to confirm. Once confirmed, they'll soon be famous across the seas."
Mr. 3 asked in disbelief, "You mean the great pirate Shiki the Golden Lion who once vied with the Pirate King for supremacy?"
Robin sighed, "Besides him, is there a second Golden Lion in the world?"
Mr. 3's face fell, on the verge of tears. He didn't know the exact strength of the Warlords, but however he thought about it, Golden Lion wasn't someone Crocodile could compare to.
But he quickly rallied. "To actually board the ship of such a great figure… This is our chance! To hell with Crocodile! As long as I work hard and prove my worth, I'm sure to gain the Captain's favor!"
"Prove my worth?" Robin's eyes were complex, 'A great figure who could kill Golden Lion truly had more power to protect me than Crocodile.'
When the fleet arrived at Little Garden, Mr. 3 quickly began proving his worth. "Boss! Little Garden not only retains the features of the ancient era, but also has prehistoric animals. But that's not the most valuable part. The truly valuable things are the two giants on the island."
"I've gathered intel on them. They are the two Captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates from 100 years ago: Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy. They were each worth a bounty of 100 million Berry a century ago."
Seeing Mr. 3 so eager to please, Kuro felt a twinge of anxiety, 'Was this bastard trying to replace my position on the ship?'
Setsuna smiled and asked, "You investigated so thoroughly... planning to hunt them?"
Mr. 3 rubbed his hands, smiling. "Those two big guys only have brute strength. I'm somewhat confident I can defeat them."
Setsuna was speechless, 'You couldn't even beat Kuro, yet was confident against two Giant Captains? Are you some sort of anti-Giant specialization?'
"Let's go. Move all the fine wine from the ship down…"
Just then, a gigantic goldfish suddenly appeared on the distant sea surface, opening its massive maw and heading straight for the fleet.