Alabasta, Rainbase, inside the basement of a luxury casino.
All the senior agents of Baroque Works—Mr. 1 Daz Bonez, Mr. 2 Bentham (Bon Kurei), Mr. 4 Babe, Miss Doublefinger, Miss Merry Christmas—were gathered here, sitting around a round table, waiting for the true helmsman of the organization—President Mr. 0.
Before long... on the stairs leading to the basement, a figure with an immense oppressive aura slowly walked down.
He was tall and imposing. Despite being in the desert, he wore a mink coat. A luxury cigar dangled from the corner of his mouth, and his right hand bore a huge golden hook. His pointed leather shoes made a clack-clack sound as they touched the ground.
Behind him followed a tall, black-haired woman with profound features, a signature high nose bridge, and slender eyebrows, wearing a faint, enigmatic smile on her face.
Seeing this scene, the knowledgeable Daz Bonez reacted first, his face full of shock...
"Sir Crocodile and... Nico Robin!!!"
Immediately after, cold sweat instantly poured down the faces of the others, their expressions grave. No one expected... that their mysterious president and vice-president... were actually a Warlord of the Sea and the Devil Child!
Crocodile's face was gloomy, clearly in a bad mood. He walked down the stairs, slowly took the main seat, then scanned everyone expressionlessly and spoke slowly: "Operation Utopia has failed..."
"I suspect there is a traitor among us."
Crocodile suppressed his anger...
Operation Utopia: Incite riots through Dance Powder. When the Rebel Army grew strong enough to attack the capital, he would have Bon Kurei use the Clone-Clone Fruit ability to transform into the King and publicly announce that he was the one who used the Dance Powder, betraying the people's trust.
This would thoroughly enrage the Rebel Army, making civil war inevitable.
When both sides were locked in a fierce battle, he would appear as the national hero.
In the eyes of the people, he would be the savior who "stopped the civil war and defeated the evil king."
In this way, he could legally take over all of Alabasta without bloodshed, and then search for the whereabouts of "Pluton."
What a perfect plan!
But it was ruined because information was leaked...
The last message he received from the spy in the Rebel Army was: Princess Vivi suddenly appeared at the Rebel Army's headquarters and identified him as the mastermind behind everything!
Damn it—
How did Vivi and Koza meet in advance?
And Vivi had learned some means from somewhere to incite the Rebel Army to start planting trees and controlling desertification throughout the country...
Most hateful of all... for some unknown reason... various places originally suffering from drought due to Dance Powder had coincidentally started raining a few days ago. It was said to be large-scale sun showers under clear skies, as if someone had transported seawater and poured it down from the sky!
How were the droughts everywhere stopped?
Crocodile's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, completely baffled.
Damn it, is even God helping her?!!
That idiot Vivi absolutely couldn't do this! Therefore, there must be a mole in the organization!
"Someone among you must have been bewitched by Vivi's beauty and helped her!"
"Today I must root out this traitor. I want him to know the consequences of betraying me—"
With a gloomy face, Crocodile smashed the teacup in his hand onto the table. With a crash, it shattered into pieces—looking at Crocodile's cold face and the intense killing intent released from him, everyone present fell silent, their bodies starting to tremble involuntarily.
No one doubted that the man in front of them would kill them at the slightest disagreement—
Robin sat beside him, wondering what she was thinking... she actually started adding fuel to the fire, purseing her lips and smiling: "Hehe... a group of senior agents, actually being played around by a child, how laughable~"
She leaned forward, elbows on the table, looking at everyone present with an ambiguous expression. "Is Vivi's charm really that great~"
Silence...
The atmosphere in the room was heavy to the extreme. Influenced by Robin's words, the killing intent around Crocodile grew stronger. He first looked at Daz Bonez. Daz Bonez, scared into sweating more and more, slowly explained: "BOSS, you know me... I only like killing people. I have always disdained taking the initiative in matters between men and women..."
Crocodile didn't buy it. Daz Bonez hesitated, then said: "I like being passive..."
"...."
Crocodile turned his head and looked expressionlessly at Babe. Babe, who already spoke slowly, was so scared that he spoke even slower, with a thick lisp, "B... BOSS, you... know... m... me..."
"My... h... habit is... never asking others for help."
He added directly: "I... I a... always... do it by hand!"
"...."
Crocodile looked impatient and turned to Miss Doublefinger and Miss Merry Christmas. The two women waved their hands in fear... pointing at their chests in horror.
Right, no matter how charming Vivi is, it doesn't work on women...
Veins popped on Crocodile's temples. Finally, he turned his head to Bon Kurei.
"Then it can only be you..."
Bon Kurei was so scared his leg hair stood straight, curing his years of bending. He stammered: "B... BOSS... you know me... if it were me... the one using a honey trap should be a man!"
"I... am an okama—"
"Pfft—" Robin, listening on the side, almost couldn't hold back.
Crocodile looked at her unkindly, then turned back, suppressing the urge to strike.
Robin was most useful to him. Only she, as a historian, could obtain the whereabouts of "Pluton" from the Poneglyphs. Therefore, no matter what she did, Nico Robin was useful to him before the plan was completed.
She knew this too, which was why she was so presumptuous.
Seeing everyone deny it, Crocodile expressionlessly extended his hand. Immediately, a sand blade flashed. A clear line of blood instantly appeared on the neck of Babe, who sat in the fourth seat. Babe widened his eyes in disbelief, trying to say something, but due to his lisp, he couldn't say anything... slowly falling to the ground and dying with reluctance.
Virgins are annoying!
After killing someone, Crocodile's mood eased and became more comfortable.
There were three men present. Daz Bonez had strong combat power, Bon Kurei was still useful to him, and he was an okama. Therefore, Crocodile could only use Babe to make an example of.
Seeing blood slowly flowing all over the floor along the table corner, everyone's face was full of fear. Seeing the effect achieved, Crocodile slowly stood up and said coldly, "Alright... now that the traitor is dealt with, let's get back to business."
"I announce, Operation B is executed from now on. We head directly to the Royal Capital Alubarna."
He turned to Robin. "Robin, you and I will be responsible for infiltrating the interior of the Royal Palace directly and kidnapping King Cobra!"
Robin nodded.
"Bon Kurei, after we act, you will impersonate Cobra to temporarily stabilize the situation and prevent the Royal Guard from discovering that the King has been kidnapped."
"Your wish is my command—"
"Miss Doublefinger and Miss Merry Christmas, you are responsible for planting massive explosives within the Royal Capital. I will use the lives of everyone in the Royal Capital to threaten Cobra to take us to the location where the Poneglyph is hidden and obtain the whereabouts of Pluton!"
"Yes, sir—" The two women said in unison.
"Daz Bonez, you take the Billions and be responsible for dealing with the Royal Guard that might appear. Leave no one alive!"
"Yes, BOSS."
"Good, then we set off now—" Crocodile's eyes flashed with killing intent. "Target... Alubarna!"