A few seconds later.

With a dark expression, Crocodile picked up the Den Den Mushi. His low, deep voice rang out:

“I’m Crocodile.”

Sakazuki’s cold voice came through from the other end of the Den Den Mushi:

“Enjoying playing the hero, are you?”

Crocodile narrowed his eyes slightly.

“What do you mean by that?”

From the other end, Sakazuki’s indifferent tone continued:

“What do I mean?”

“The purpose of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is to suppress the growth of pirates.”

“Not to hole yourself up in Alabasta, playing the hero.”

“Find a way to take the initiative and wipe out pirates.”

“You have one year.”

“If you can’t prove your worth…”

“Then you can kiss your head goodbye.”

“Useless waste.”

Clack—

The sound of the Den Den Mushi being hung up rang out.

That feeling—being scolded like a dog.

It made Crocodile grit his teeth so hard they were about to shatter. The Den Den Mushi in his hand creaked under the pressure, looking as if it would explode into pieces at any moment.

Bang—

With a loud crash, the desk in front of him was smashed apart by Crocodile’s fist.

The half-dead Den Den Mushi in his hand was tossed onto the floor.

His entire body turned into sand and surged out of the room.

That day… the wind and sand in Rainbase and the surrounding cities were especially fierce.

…

Evening.

Expressionless, Crocodile returned to the owner’s office of the Rain Dinners casino.

By now, the damaged desk had already been replaced with a brand-new one.

All of his subordinates stood trembling outside the door.

After all… this was the first time they had seen the boss this furious. No one even dared to breathe too loudly.

Ignoring them, Crocodile pushed the door open and entered the office.

“All of you, get in here.”

One after another, the subordinates filed in.

Crocodile sat down in the rotating chair behind the desk and lit a cigar.

The swirling smoke veiled his face and expression.

“If I wanted to suppress the growth of pirates…”

“Do you have any good ideas?”

“Anyone who comes up with one will be rewarded.”

The subordinates exchanged glances, at a loss.

With the organization’s current strength, they could barely keep Alabasta safe from pirate attacks.

To suppress pirates elsewhere? That was nothing but a pipe dream…

They didn’t know why the boss wanted to do this, but no one dared to bring up something that might displease him.

Not a single word was spoken for a long time.

Bang—

The newly replaced desk nearly fell apart again.

Crocodile’s voice was cold and sharp:

“Useless waste.”

“What use are you to me?”

A gust of sand whipped through the office, growing stronger and stronger…

At that moment, a subordinate in a black suit gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

“Boss! I have an idea.”

Crocodile looked at him with an impassive gaze.

“Speak.”

The black-suited subordinate began:

“We don’t have the power to suppress pirates in other places.”

“But we can make use of bounty hunters.”

“If we set up a small town at the entrance to the Grand Line…”

“Provide free food and lodging to attract bounty hunters there. Let them hunt pirates and bring them to us.”

“We offer them bounties slightly lower than the Marines’—since we provide free accommodations and other benefits, they’ll most likely agree. Plus, gathering together will be much safer for them.”

“Once the captured pirates are handed over, we exchange them with the Marines for their Belly according to the bounty amount.”

“We might lose money at first, but later we’ll earn it all back through the price difference.”

“And over time, it could even grow into an outer organization under our control.”

Crocodile listened to the plan, staring at him for a few seconds before suddenly chuckling.

“Good. You’ve got a brain.”

“Whose subordinate are you?”

The black-suited man answered nervously:

“I work under Steward Skro.”

Skro was the general manager of the Rain Dinners casino—responsible for overseeing everything in the establishment, essentially acting as the head butler.

Crocodile spoke calmly:

“You’ll be in charge of this.”

“If you succeed, that steward position…”

“Will be yours.”

Among the group at the front, a middle-aged man in a black suit felt his pupils contract sharply.

The young subordinate who had proposed the idea looked overjoyed.

“Thank you, Boss.”

“I’ll make sure this gets done!”

“You have my word!”

Crocodile smiled faintly for no apparent reason.

“Go on, all of you.”

Before long, the office was silent again, save for the sound of smoke being drawn from the cigar.

After a day of venting his anger, Crocodile had calmed down. But his desire for that thing… had grown even more urgent.

…

Alabasta, inside the royal palace.

In the eyes of outsiders, the king—Nefertari Cobra—was steady and kind. But now, he paced anxiously outside the Queen’s chambers.

Igaram, the captain of the royal guard with his distinctive curled hair, couldn’t help but speak:

“Don’t worry too much, Your Majesty. Her Highness the Queen will surely be fine.”

“This place has gathered the finest doctors in the entire kingdom.”

King Cobra stopped in his tracks and let out a sigh.

“That may be so… but… sigh…”

Just then, the sound of a baby’s cry suddenly echoed from within the palace.

“Ah—”

The people outside first froze, then broke into cheers. This meant the king’s heir had been born!

Cobra’s face lit up with excitement as he prepared to rush into the queen’s chambers.

But two female doctors stepped out, their expressions heavy.

“Your Majesty, your child has been delivered safely.”

“She is a beautiful princess.”

“But as for the queen…”

Cobra felt the world spin. He staggered backward, only to be caught by Igaram beside him.

Waving his hand and being helped back to his feet, Cobra asked with a trembling voice,

“What… what happened to the queen…?”

One of the female doctors hesitated before speaking with difficulty.

“The queen suffered greatly from a difficult birth, her vitality severely drained, and she has lost a large amount of blood.”

“I’m afraid… she doesn’t have much time left…”

The shock of joy and despair striking all at once was too much—Cobra collapsed into unconsciousness.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty!!!”

“Doctor!”

“Hurry!!!”

“Someone, quickly!!!”

…

Night fell over the palace.

After being unconscious for two hours, Cobra awoke with a start, bolting upright.

“Titi!!!”

The scene before he had fainted flashed through his mind. Throwing aside the blanket and ignoring the fact he was only in the sleepwear someone had changed him into, he rushed out.

Hearing his cry from the doorway, Igaram was just about to enter the palace when Cobra dashed out, running madly toward the queen’s chambers.

“Wait! Your Majesty!!!”

Igaram chased after him.

…

The queen’s palace was brightly lit.

Seeing the scene before him, Cobra’s steps quickened even more.

He reached the door and pushed it open with force.

“Titi!!!!”

Half-reclining on the bed was a blue-haired woman whose features closely resembled the Vivi of later years—Nefertari Titi.

She gazed gently at the sleeping blue-haired baby girl beside her, and to the man who had just rushed in, she raised a finger to her lips with a soft “shh.”

Overcome with emotion, Cobra hurried forward and embraced Queen Titi, his body trembling.

Titi lightly patted Cobra’s back and spoke softly.

“It’s all right, Cobra.”

“Right now…”

“I am… very happy…”

—

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