Crocodile

Duke had no desire to run into Crocodile, but Crocodile had desperately come looking for him. At the outskirts near the port town, he appeared alone before Duke and Robin.

"What luck. I almost missed the two of you. If you had boarded a ship and left, there would have been nothing I could do." Crocodile, covered in travel dust, blocked Duke’s path.

"Crocodile of the Shichibukai—what an extraordinary figure! May I ask why you’ve stopped us?" Duke frowned slightly. From the look of things, the man was not here to pick a fight.

"Duke, the ‘Navy Traitor’ with a bounty of 800 million Berry—you’re the real big shot!" Crocodile gave a cold laugh. "Take off that mask. In a backwater town like this, there’s no one worth hiding your identity from."

"Oh, oh, you saw through me." Duke removed his mask and held it in his hand, saying calmly, "What is it? Has Alabasta’s great hero come to arrest me?"

"A hero? Guhahaha, that’s just a clumsy little trick to fool people. Rest assured, I have no intention of making an enemy of you." Crocodile shook his head, then fixed his gaze on the lovely figure beside Duke. "This masked lady must be Nico Robin, the ‘Demon Child,’ right? Since you two distinguished guests have come from afar, you should have at least paid me a visit, so I could show you some hospitality as the host."

"To be recognized at a glance by one of the Shichibukai is truly an honor." Robin openly removed her mask. With her captain beside her, she had nothing to worry about.

"So it really is you!" Crocodile narrowed his eyes, unable to conceal the greed in his shadowy gaze. "Nico Robin, you really found yourself a fine patron."

Robin smiled faintly and moved half a step closer to Duke. "I think so too."

"Mr. Crocodile, you came all this way to find us. Surely you’re not here just to make small talk?" Before Crocodile had even finished three sentences, he had started flirting with Duke’s beautiful crew member. Duke was immediately displeased. In the original story, these two had been partners—Robin had served as Crocodile’s secretary for four years. To say there had been nothing between them, that they had merely been superiors and subordinates using each other… who would believe that?

"Of course it isn’t that simple. We’re all intelligent people, so I’ll be direct. You two secretly came to Alabasta and briefly appeared in the royal capital. One of you can read Poneglyphs, so I know exactly why you came… You’ve already obtained the Ancient Weapon Pluton, haven’t you?" Crocodile made no attempt to hide his desire for Pluton. "Would you be willing to share it with me?"

"There is no Pluton. Don’t you see that our hands are empty?" Duke spread his hands, indicating that aside from his two swords, he carried nothing else.

"How could such a massive weapon be carried around? It must still be hidden somewhere in this country." Crocodile smiled coldly. "I’ve been completely honest, yet you’re putting on an act. So this is the extent of an 800-million-Berry Great Pirate’s generosity."

"Say whatever you like! You’ve got the wrong people. I truly don’t know where Pluton is!" Duke said sincerely.

"Guhahaha… True enough. I wouldn’t tell anyone either, if it were me." Crocodile let out a nervous laugh. "If I’m not mistaken, you found Pluton, but it was too badly damaged to activate. That’s why you plan to head out to sea and recruit a group of craftsmen. Am I wrong?"

Duke and Robin stared at Crocodile in surprise. This guy had quite the imagination. His analysis was logical and well-organized enough that they did not even know how to refute him.

"Let’s work together!"

Crocodile raised his hands, the golden hook flashing with a frightening gleam beneath the blazing sun. "I have already taken control of this country in secret. I am the emperor beneath this country’s surface. No one can oppose me! Whether it’s supplies, money, scientists, or labor, I can provide as much as you need. Once Pluton is repaired, we’ll conquer the world together. Power, status, money… you can have all of it. I want none of it."

"That sounds quite good, but if we take all the benefits, what exactly are you after?" Duke sneered. Crocodile had been blinded by greed if he dared to make promises that would not even fool children.

"One Piece!"

Crocodile declared loudly, "I only want to become the One Piece. I need nothing else."

Duke was taken aback. He had not expected Crocodile to possess such determination, and he could not help viewing him with a little more respect. "I never thought you valued the title of One Piece so highly!"

"Well? Consider it! I control all transportation in this country. Without my approval, not a single craftsman can enter. Rather than fight to the death, we should both benefit. After all, there is no conflict of interest between us." Crocodile spoke confidently.

"Sorry! I’ll say it again: I don’t know where Pluton is!"

At that, Crocodile’s smile vanished. He snapped furiously, "Don’t think too highly of yourself. Do you think I’m afraid of your 800-million-Berry bounty? If so, you couldn’t be more wrong. As long as I control this country and become its new king, I’ll find Pluton sooner or later. I simply don’t want to waste time. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be qualified to cooperate with me."

Duke immediately burst out laughing. "You think you can control this country? Hahahaha… Mr. Crocodile, you really are naive! Do you know what the Alabasta royal family, the Nefertari Family, represents?"

Crocodile’s face darkened as he asked in a low voice, "What is wrong with the Nefertari Family?"

"Looks like you truly know nothing!" Duke shook his head regretfully. "If I were you, I would never set my sights on the royal family."

Crocodile’s expression turned vicious as he asked darkly, "Tell me why."

"The Nefertari Family was one of the twenty royal families that created the World Government eight hundred years ago. However, their family refused to move to the Holy Land and chose to remain in their homeland, guarding Pluton for generations…" Duke slowly revealed a piece of shocking news. "The Nefertari Family are descendants of the creators!"

A bolt from the blue!

Upon learning that the Nefertari Family had deep ties to the Celestial Dragons, not only Crocodile but even Robin was stunned. Neither of them had expected that the unremarkable king of this barren desert nation possessed such an astonishing background.

"Although the Nefertari Family gave up their status as Celestial Dragons and did not become Saint Nefertari, they bear the responsibility of guarding Pluton through the generations. If something were to happen to them, many people would be buried alongside them." Duke looked at Crocodile provocatively. "Mr. Crocodile, are you prepared to endure the World Government’s thunderous wrath?"

"That useless king actually has such a background…" Crocodile’s face went pale, but his ambition quickly suppressed his fear. He sneered. "If I obtain Pluton, even the World Government won’t be able to do anything to me. What is there to fear?"

A man who did not even put Whitebeard in his eyes—why would he fear the damn World Government? On these seas, there were countless pirates willing to give everything for ambition or dreams. Crocodile was a true overlord; how could he retreat even half a step because of the World Government? The victor became king and the loser a bandit. For his grand ambition, he was willing to gamble!

"You won’t give up until you see the coffin! Then go seek your dreams amid the endless yellow sands!" Duke said as he prepared to leave with Robin.

Crocodile waved his hand, raising a curtain of sand to block their path. He said grimly, "I never said you were allowed to leave! Leave behind Pluton’s location, or leave behind Nico Robin!"

Duke laughed in fury. "You dare demand one of my people? What nerve. And with a bounty of just 81 million Berry?"

Crocodile gave a low laugh and mocked, "Bounty… Since when did bounty become the standard for measuring strength?"

Crocodile had a point. A bounty did not represent strength!

Judging from the level he displayed during the Marineford War, his bounty was far more than 81 million Berry—at least several times higher. Unfortunately, after becoming one of the Shichibukai, his original wanted poster had been revoked and his bounty could no longer increase. Thus, Crocodile would forever carry a bounty of less than 100 million.

Crocodile had been the first truly formidable enemy Luffy encountered after setting out to sea. When he first appeared, he had an overwhelming presence, and his Devil Fruit ability was terrifying. His defeat at Luffy’s hands could only be blamed on poor luck. When someone was unlucky, even drinking cold water could make them choke.

The Logia-Type Sand-Sand Fruit allowed its user to undergo Element Transformation and become sand, ignoring physical attacks. It could also absorb the moisture from rocks or soil and turn them into grains of sand, manipulating them to create sandstorms. More than that, it could drain the moisture from the human body and turn opponents into mummies.

In terms of ability, Crocodile had developed the Sand-Sand Fruit almost perfectly, possessing formidable offensive power at both close and long range.

Unfortunately, he had grown complacent in the later stages! He took the wrong path in pursuit of his ideals, deluding himself into thinking he could use Pluton’s power to rise to the top in one step. It was utterly laughable.