"What, you're not planning to kill me?" Crocodile, bound by Sea Stone Handcuffs, sat cross-legged on the ground, looking somewhat disheveled, but still spoke with a disdainful tone, seemingly not caring about his own life or death at all.
However, the wary look in his eyes when he looked at Roy proved that his heart was definitely not as calm as he appeared.
Indeed, that was the case. That sword strike, far surpassing any natural disaster, not only destroyed the entire Rain Base but also nearly shattered his mental defenses. However, his pride wouldn't allow him to admit defeat.
Robin stood aside with a slight smile, as if the events before her had nothing to do with her. There were no Sea Stone Handcuffs on her wrists, because there was no need for them.
She was a smart woman and naturally knew that with her strength, Roy couldn't escape even if he didn't take any precautions, so she might as well wait for his fate.
"It would be a waste to kill you. Do you remember what I said before the battle started?" Roy sat down and gently rubbed his temples. Even with his current strength, using that sword strike had already exhausted most of his mental energy.
Reiju gently walked behind Roy, placed Roy's head on her lower abdomen, and gently massaged Roy's head with her delicate hands. The rich fragrance lingered, which slightly relaxed Roy's tense mind.
Not to be outdone, Xia squatted down and massaged Roy's calves, making Roy indulge in a luxurious and decadent moment.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" The Crocodile the Sand narrowed its long, narrow eyes.
"How about coming aboard my ship?"
Crocodile the Sand stared at Roy for a long while before suddenly bursting into endless laughter, making no attempt to conceal his ambition. "Goohahaha, what astonishing courage! You dare to keep me on your ship? Aren't you afraid that I might turn against you and drag you to hell at any moment?"
Crocodiles are creatures that lurk beneath the surface of the water, waiting for their prey to reveal a weakness before baring their fangs and launching a fatal attack.
"No, you'll never have that chance." Roy knew that suppressing Crocodile was both very difficult and very simple: just keep being stronger than him and never give him a chance to betray him.
Although Crocodile's strength is such that even the Devil Fruit Ability could hardly affect his mind, over time, the seed of Roy's invincibility could be planted in his heart, which is Roy's greatest source of confidence.
"Hmph, what an arrogant fellow." Crocodile the Sand snorted unhappily, then turned his head away. "However, I still choose to refuse."
Roy's confident expression froze on his face. What kind of unexpected turn of events was this? It wasn't what he had imagined at all.
"Oh, I remember now, this guy seems to be quite arrogant. It seems that getting him to submit in a short time won't be an easy task." Roy felt a bit tricky. This guy was a ticking time bomb; if not handled properly, he might hurt himself and others.
"You'd rather die than submit to me?"
"Hahaha, if I were afraid of death, I wouldn't have set sail. What kind of pirate wouldn't even be prepared to die?"
Roy's eyes darkened. "If Crocodile the Sand still refuses to budge before leaving Alabasta, we'll have to erase his memories and hand him over to Judge to create a biological weapon, letting him make the most of his remaining energy. Although Judge's abilities aren't quite at the level of Vegapunk's, directly creating Pacifista shouldn't be a problem."
However, this was only a worst-case scenario plan. Roy wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary, since he still admired Crocodile the Sand to some extent.
Moreover, after the Crocodile the Sand's Devil Fruit Awakening, it still has a lot of potential for improvement, and making it into a biological weapon would be tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Moreover, biological weapons without combat awareness can only unleash 70-80% of their full potential, which is a complete waste.
Crocodile the Sand felt a shiver run through his soul, as if he were being watched by some evil being. He glanced at Roy suspiciously, but then quickly relaxed. He wasn't even afraid of death, so why would he worry that Roy would do something?
Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that for a devil like Roy, death was not the end.
"Let's take him with us. We have very important things to do next, and we don't have time to waste here." Roy decided to keep Crocodile with him. After all, he was too dangerous. If the Sea Stone Handcuffs were opened by someone with ulterior motives, it would undoubtedly cause him a lot of trouble.
Crocodile the Sand's eyes narrowed. If there was anything in Alabasta that people of their caliber would value, it was perhaps only that.
"So, Miss Nico Robin, the Demon Child's Child, I wonder if you would be willing to join my fleet? There is another very important matter that I need to rely on your knowledge for."
"Since Lord Roy has already investigated me, he must know the price that comes with protecting me, right?" Robin was actually a little helpless. She had finally found a backer, but before she could even enjoy a few days of peace, Roy had wiped her out in one fell swoop.
Even a top-tier force like the Shichibukai was destroyed; perhaps she really was a jinx who only brought disaster, Robin thought with a self-deprecating laugh.
"Hahaha, they're just some bugs from the World Government. ' Even Old Sand doesn't care, so naturally I'm even less worried."
Crocodile the Sand, listening from the side, was so enraged that his veins bulged. "What's with the name 'Old Sand'? Are you that familiar with him? And what else? What do you mean you don't even care about him? He's one of the Shichibukai, doesn't he have any pride?"
In Roy's view, the World Government was only afraid of the power of Ohara. After all, deciphering the Poneglyph was a huge undertaking, and only a power like Ohara, which gathered the world's top historians and a massive amount of documents, could accomplish it.
Robin, who slipped through the net, is not considered a great threat by the World Government. So they simply set a high bounty on her. It would be good if they could get rid of Robin, but it wouldn't matter if they couldn't.
Otherwise, given the immense power of the World Government," it would be an incredibly simple matter if they were truly determined to kill an 8-year-old child.
"Since Lord Roy has said so, I will naturally not refuse. May I ask what you mean by needing my knowledge to accomplish this?"
"Pluton." Although it's just two simple words, once it spreads, it's enough to shake the world.
"This guy really knew." Crocodile the Sand's heart sank. He had originally planned to use information about Pluton to exchange for his freedom.
Robin's pupils contracted sharply. This kind of secret information was something even the World Government might not know. She was already incredibly surprised that Crocodile the Sand could figure out the ins and outs of this place. Now that Roy was saying it so casually, had this secret already become common knowledge?