Crocodile sat inside the underground chamber. , staring at the smiling face on the wanted poster before him. The bounty of 30 million Berries made the corner of his mouth twitch nonstop, and the veins bulging on his forehead were so pronounced that one could almost hear the blood flowing through them.
He was Crocodile!
A former silver-tier contender of the seas. , a top-ranking officer under one of the Fifth Emperors of the New World, The man known as Sir Crocodile. , with a bounty exceeding 2 billion Berries!
And now, some brat with a bounty of only 30 million Berries actually wanted to challenge him?
For a proud powerhouse like him, this was an insult!
"There's even a Fire Fist Ace with him? Doesn't matter. Even if I slaughter him, that old bastard Whitebeard won't be able to do anything to me!"
A trace of killing intent flashed through Crocodile's eyes.
He had already made up his mind. Aside from Luffy and Ann, who had some connection to Roldy, everyone else would be buried beneath this sea of yellow sand!
He was no saint. He was a pirate who had once roamed the seas. With Luffy's current level, any random squad captain under Roldy could beat him flat into the ground!
"Yo. Who made our little Croc this angry?"
A light, drifting voice came from behind him.
Crocodile's pupils shrank. Even though he could not use Haki at the moment, anyone capable of sneaking silently into his headquarters was definitely no ordinary person.
His cautious survival instinct overrode all thought. Crocodile suddenly swung out his golden hook, only for it to be caught firmly by a large hand.
"No way, no way. It's been seventeen years, Little Croc. Are you trying to kill your boss and start your own faction?"
Roldy's figure finally emerged from the shadows, and only then did Crocodile clearly see who had arrived.
He froze at first, then his heart surged with wild joy. However, none of this showed on his face. He merely put on a look of surprise, stepped aside from his own main seat, stood beside the table, and poured Roldy a glass of red wine.
"Welcome back, my dear boss!"
For him, this was already the highest form of courtesy.
Roldy laughed twice and stepped forward. He had just been about to give Crocodile's head a rough rub, but no matter what, his hand could not bring itself to come down.
"Uh… has the world's technology really advanced this much? Little Croc, when did you become a man?"
That black-market boss aura was honestly a little hard for Roldy to accept. Although Crocodile had always carried this kind of presence in the past, she had at least been a woman back then. It was not that Roldy had any particular issue with it; it was just that Crocodile had completely overturned the image in his memory.
"Whoa!!! Look at those thick arms, those solid thighs, those exaggerated pecs! Are you really the Crocodile I remember? Hurry up and take off your socks!"
Sheen had the most exaggerated reaction.
Tiger merely froze for a moment and said nothing, but Sheen charged straight forward. Before Crocodile could react, he wrapped both arms around Crocodile's left leg. Without a word, he yanked off Crocodile's leather shoe. Just as he was about to pull off the dark gray sock as well, the furious and embarrassed Crocodile had already placed his hook across Sheen's neck.
"If you want to die, I don't mind granting your wish."
"I was just wondering whether someone had swapped you out! I remember you had a mole on your left ankle…"
Sheen muttered under his breath.
Roldy burst into loud laughter when he heard this. Crocodile gnashed his teeth, then slammed a heavy punch onto Sheen's head.
"That strength… Yeah. That's it. That's the familiar feeling!"
Sheen clutched the huge bump on his head, grimacing in pain.
"Hmph!"
Crocodile snorted coldly. Knowing Sheen's personality all too well, he had no intention of paying any more attention to him.
"By the way, Little Croc, how much of Alabasta has fallen into your hands?"
During the casual conversation, Roldy asked the question offhandedly.
"The territory under my control is roughly one-sixth of the country."
Crocodile thought for a moment before answering.
Indeed, he had been carrying out his plan to usurp the kingdom all this time. However, what he wanted was to swallow the entire kingdom in one bite. Because of that, he had not occupied much territory directly, only a few places where ordinary civilians had already moved away.
"Only one-sixth? No way, no way. Crocodile, the self-proclaimed strategist of the Roldy Pirates, spent several years and only took one-sixth of the country?"
Sheen rummaged recklessly through Crocodile's collection and found a box of cigars that looked outrageously expensive at a glance. After lighting one for Roldy, he tossed another to Tiger.
"Shut up!"
Crocodile snapped irritably.
"I'm trying to devour the entire kingdom in one bite! Alabasta can't hold on much longer. The kingdom's rebel army will reach the capital in three days at most. When the time comes, as long as I kill the king, frame the rebels, and slap a few crimes onto them, I can suppress everything with force and finally sit upon the throne!"
"At that point, Alabasta 's million-strong army will become a blade under our command! By using the strength of an entire nation to turn Alabasta into a powerful military kingdom, even if we attack Marine Headquarters directly, we'll have more than enough basic fighting power!"
Crocodile's plan was indeed ambitious.
At present, the lower-level forces under Roldy numbered only a little over 1.6 million, even after counting all his subordinate powers and kingdoms. Crocodile's move alone could directly double that number of rank-and-file troops.
"Enough. As long as you know what you're doing. This is your first independent operation, after all, so I won't interfere. There's a group of brats who don't know the height of the sky or the depth of the sea trying to meddle. Just don't kill them all."
"Understood, boss."
"Spare the one called Fire Fist Ace. I still owe Mr. Newgate a favor. Also…"
Roldy turned his gaze toward the doorway.
"Little girl eavesdropping at the door, come in."
Crocodile's expression became extremely ugly.
Because the one who walked in was none other than the vice president of his Baroque Works—
Nico Robin, her eyes filled with terror.
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