On a Marine warship flying the flag of the peace dove...
Buru buru buru buru...
A hand reached out slowly and picked up the Den Den Mushi. The man holding it had a toothpick dangling from his mouth and wore a pair of slightly sleazy-looking tinted sunglasses.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Reporting to Admiral Kizaru. Unit 172 has crossed the Calm Belt and arrived in the East Blue."
"Oh, it's Smoker-kun~ Is something wrong?"
"Admiral... we lost the ship." The Den Den Mushi's face contorted into Smoker's expression of frustrated rage.
"No worries~ That sort of thing happens all the time. Catching pirates is a marathon, not a sprint. Nobody gets it right on the first try~" Kizaru said nonchalantly.
"But I've made a major discovery!" Smoker continued over the line. "That giant cruise ship has technology that allows it to cross the Calm Belt! The last time we saw them, they were disappearing into the windless zone. That ship's speed... it's insane. I'm positive they're heading for the East Blue!"
Kizaru gave a casual nod. "You did a good job~ I've received the intel and I'm already on my way to the East Blue."
"Great! I'm currently tracking the direction where they were last seen. With you there, Admiral, we'll definitely bust them in the East Blue!" The Den Den Mushi's face set into a look of grim determination.
"Understood."
Clack.
The call ended. Borsalino strolled out onto the deck.
"Tch..."
"The East Blue is massive. Finding one specific ship is going to be a real pain."
He looked out at the calm, mirror-like sea ahead and sighed. "The East Blue really is the symbol of peace, isn't it? The public order here is so good you can't even spot a single pirate ship~ The weather is just perfect~"
Naturally, he set up a beach umbrella, leaned back comfortably in a pure white lounge chair, and took a long sip of the watermelon juice on the side table.
"Since I'm in such a peaceful sea, I might as well take a nice long vacation~"
"Admiral Kizaru, we've entered the East Blue. Please give us our next set of coordinates," an adjutant asked, interrupting his relaxation.
"Where should we go~?" Borsalino looked puzzled for a moment before a lightbulb went off. He held up a finger. "I've got it—let's go to... Loguetown."
"Understood, sir." The adjutant turned to relay the orders.
Kizaru was left alone on the deck, soaking up the sun with his legs crossed and a look of pure enjoyment on his face. Loguetown was the mandatory stop for anyone heading from the East Blue to the Grand Line. He could use "blocking their exit" as a perfect excuse to stay there and do nothing.
What's that? The enemy's ship can cross the Calm Belt, so they don't have to go through Loguetown? How should he know that? Old people get so forgetful, after all.
"A crew that can steal the Heavenly Tribute right under the nose of CP0... so scary~"
"If I don't have to run into them, I'd really rather not~"
---
"What? You're saying Dragon will show up in Loguetown in about three months?"
"How do you know that?" Bonney asked, looking suspicious. Dragon's movements were legendary for being impossible to track. She was practically family to the Revolutionaries and even she didn't know where he was. How could Chrollo?
Chrollo nodded confidently. "Of course I know. Don't forget, one of my abilities is telling the future."
Bonney looked enlightened. "Oh, right! That's great!"
That meant they could make the deal with the Revolutionaries in three months! Bonney jumped for joy while Chrollo watched her with a smile.
(Of course, Lovely Ghostwriter couldn't actually give details that specific. Chrollo only knew because of a "world-shaking" event that would happen in three months: Luffy setting sail. Luffy's last stop in the East Blue would be Loguetown, where Buggy would capture him. Just as he was about to be executed on the gallows, Dragon would step in to save him and escort his "beloved son" out to sea.)
"So, if we go to Loguetown in three months, we're guaranteed to run into Dragon."
Bonney nodded like a bobblehead, but then looked confused again. "So what do we do until then? We've got three months to kill..."
"For now..." Chrollo's lips curled into a smile as he looked ahead. "We're going to go poach Monkey D. Luffy's most important crew members."
Having survived the Hunter x Hunter world, Chrollo knew that the major life events of "Children of Destiny" were hard to change. Just as he couldn't kill Hisoka or recruit Gon, Luffy would likely still set sail no matter how much he messed with his potential crew. At most, the Straw Hats would just have a different roster.
Nami and Robin were irreplaceable figures in this world; he had to have them. He needed to make his move before Luffy even started! To Chrollo, recruiting Nami and Robin seemed simple. He knew their personalities and their backstories—it was an open-book test. With his master-level manipulation skills, he just had to follow his golden rule: Make them feel despair first, then give them hope.
"Sorry, Luffy. If you have trouble getting out to sea, I'll find you some replacements."
---
East Blue, Orange Town.
Inside the Cocoyasi Tavern, a man sat at the bar, leisurely sipping his drink. He had messy, rebellious hair that fell over his eyes, and his dark pupils radiated a lethal charm.
He wore a clean, simple white shirt, a platinum watch peeking out from his cuff. On his long, slender fingers was a silver ring set with a deep black onyx, and blue crystal pendants dangled from his ears, swaying slightly with his movements. Everything about him screamed elegance and depth.
That man was Chrollo.
Countless women in the tavern were already shooting him suggestive glances; some looked like they wanted to "devour" him then and there. Chrollo's base appearance was already "top-tier beauty," and with this outfit, his aura of sophisticated elegance was turned up to eleven. Though he still felt he was a bit of a step down from his "shockingly handsome" self in his previous life, it was more than enough for his current "Honey Trap" plan.
Ting-aling—
The bell above the door rang, and Chrollo's target—the "Cat Burglar" Nami—walked in.
At this stage, Nami was still a bit green, but her beauty was already undeniable. Her blue-and-white striped shirt highlighted her energy, her denim hot pants showed off her long, shapely legs, and her curves were already starting to take shape.
After a series of aimless, drifting voyages, destiny had finally led Chrollo to her trail in this town.
Nami: A genius navigator with an unparalleled "intuition" for sea routes and weather. Her hobbies: money and tangerines. Her weakness: handsome guys (her eyes would literally turn into hearts). Right now, she was trying to scrape together 100 million Berries to buy back Cocoyasi Village from Arlong, which is why she was drifting around looking for targets to rob.
This was exactly why Chrollo was dressed like this. Being handsome and looking filthy rich hit both of her buttons at once. She would definitely take the bait.
High-end hunters... often present themselves as prey.
---