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Crocodile arrived, bringing the agents of Baroque Works with him. Of course, he hadn't brought the entire organization—only his most elite senior agents.
The weaker ones would be completely useless, if a real fight broke out, they'd only get in the way.
Crocodile stared at Shin and the members of the Kuja Pirates from a distance. Steeling himself against the immense pressure rolling off them, he forced a slick, artificial smile and walked forward.
"Captain Shin. Didn't realize you were paying a visit. You could have at least sent a postcard."
Shin asked, his tone flat and unimpressed. "Are you saying I should have called ahead?"
Though Shin's words were spoken calmly, they hit Crocodile with the force of a tidal wave, a heavy pressure that made it hard to breathe.
"Of course not... I wouldn't dream of questioning you, Captain Shin."
No matter how arrogant he was, Crocodile knew he had to swallow every last drop of his pride right now and grovel.
"Crocodile! You're the one who stirred up the rebellion in the Alabasta Kingdom, aren't you?" Vivi demanded, her voice shaking with rage.
"Kuahahaha, Princess Vivi, I don't think you have any right to speak here," Crocodile laughed, his tone dripping with contempt.
He could be meek in front of Shin, but he didn't have to show this little princess a shred of respect.
"Who the hell gave you permission to act so tough around here?" Hancock cut in, her eyes flashing with annoyance.
A guy like Crocodile didn't have the right to be so smug in front of them.
Before he could even process her words, she drew her blade and slashed. The attack passed straight through him—if he hadn't reflexively turned his body to sand, he'd be dead right now, cut clean in two.
"Right, I almost forgot. You're a Logia user," Hancock remarked, only now remembering his Devil Fruit ability as his sandy form reformed.
"..." Crocodile scrambled back, his heart pounding in his chest. That was too damn close.
If Hancock had used Armament Haki, he knew he would've been finished.
"Don't move," Crocodile snapped, not at them, but at his own men standing behind him.
He couldn't afford to get on Shin's bad side. If things really went south, they'd all be wiped out in an instant.
The power gap was just too massive to ignore.
His most loyal agent, Mr. 1—a man who could turn any part of his body into a blade thanks to the Dice-Dice Fruit—froze in place. His real name was Daz Bonez.
"Captain Shin, I mean you no harm," Crocodile said, turning his attention back to Shin.
"Tch. If you did, you'd already be dead," Hancock scoffed.
Crocodile's face darkened, but he kept his mouth shut.
He was a master at masking his emotions, quickly forcing his expression back to neutral. Not that it mattered—if Shin wanted to, he could read Crocodile's mind like a children's book.
"What, you got a problem with that?" Hancock pointed Ame no Habakiri at him, looking like she was one second away from slicing him to ribbons.
Crocodile was practically choking on his own pride. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
It was the first time he'd ever backed down . The shame ate at him from the inside. He found himself powerless to speak, forcing himself to bite his tongue.
He knew she meant every word. One smart remark, and she'd end him without hesitation.
After a tense silence, Crocodile finally looked at Shin. "Captain Shin, I believe we can work together."
"Work on what??" Shin asked, glancing at him with a completely bored expression.
"Pluton. I'm sure a man like you has heard of the three legendary Ancient Weapons, right?" Crocodile gritted his teeth and laid his cards on the table. He knew he'd probably never find Pluton on his own.
Without someone to read the Poneglyphs, it was impossible.
His plan? Use Shin to find Pluton, then find a way to snatch it for himself.
Yeah, he had balls...
Plotting to steal from Shin Uzumaki was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.
"Heh, of course I have." Shin's expression turned odd.
Crocodile saw the look and took it for shock, completely missing the real meaning behind it. The rest of the crew exchanged amused glances.
Pluton? They knew it better than anyone—they were basically sailing on it. Their ship had been built straight from the original blueprints, after all.
"I've already found clues to its location. Why don't we find it together? We could rule the world," Crocodile said, a mad glint in his eyes. His ambition was sky-high, even if his strength wasn't.
"Rule the world? I'm not interested." Why would Shin need some ancient weapon to do that?
"Crocodile, I'm giving you two choices. Either you get the hell out of the Alabasta Kingdom... or you die."
Shin had no time for Crocodile's bullshit. The choices were simple.
Crocodile's face fell. He asked, "Captain Shin, can't we... discuss this?"
"You think you're in a position to negotiate with me? Crocodile, you really don't know your place, do you?" Shin looked at him with pure disdain.
He had zero respect for this clown.
All ego, no substance to back it up. If the guy wasn't such an arrogant prick, he wouldn't have gotten his ass kicked by some rookie like Luffy in the original story.
Sure, plot armor played a part, but Crocodile's massive ego was what screwed him over.
"I know you're powerful, Captain Shin, but don't think you can just push me around—" Crocodile said, his voice laced with a threat.
"Are you threatening me?"
Shin asked, genuinely amazed by the guy's balls. Did this idiot really not grasp how outclassed he was?
"Shin, stop wasting time on this nobody. Just put him out of his misery." Hancock had run out of patience ages ago. This pathetic worm still had the nerve to act tough in front of Shin?
Who the fuck did he think he was?
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