Resolution

Crocodile is dead.

The World Government and the Five Elders gathered together. Some frowned, some looked surprised, and some were angry.

"Crocodile was the longest-serving Shichibukai, and he's dead."

"He has been a member of the Shichibukai for over twenty years and has always lived a relatively stable life. For the last seven or eight years, he has been running a casino in Alabasta and has not done anything out of line." (Note)

"Not only that, he also became a hero of Alabasta, protecting Alabasta from pirates and perfectly achieving our original purpose of establishing the Shichibukai."

"Although no body was found, the report said that his office had been smashed open with a large hole, and the end of the passageway was damaged, causing lake water to flood in. Crocodile is Devil Fruit User, and it is unlikely that he would survive being attacked in such an environment."

"It seems someone is targeting Crocodile."

"The investigation revealed that a woman brought Giant Beast to the casino. The woman entered the casino, the Giant Beast entered the lake, and then the woman and the Giant Beast left and disappeared without a trace. If there are no surprises, she is the murderer."

"The woman was seen coming and going with Crocodile, which suggests it was the result of a long period of planning."

"The people we sent out made several portraits based on the eyewitnesses' descriptions. After the intelligence department compared them, they found that it was possible that it was Nico Robin, the Devil Child, and a survivor of Ohara."

"But Nico Robin is Devil Fruit User and cannot move underwater, so she can't do anything on her own. We can't let the Giant Beast she's carrying do so many things by herself unless someone cooperates."

"The Shichibukai were killed, and survivors of Ohara have appeared. This matter needs to be investigated. Also, why did Crocodile meet with Robin?"

"But regardless of the investigation results, this matter needs to be classified as soon as possible. At least Crocodile is highly regarded on the surface and is a benchmark of the Shichibukai. Since he is a hero, it is not appropriate to smear him and let the Navy use him."

"Let's end it with the story that he trusted others too much, was approached and his trust was taken away, and then he was killed. We can increase Nico Robin's bounty and then hunt him down."

"Also, the Shichibukai are missing one person, and we need to assess the new Shichibukai as soon as possible."

"A small hole left unrepaired will eventually become a big hole."

"If the three major power camps collapse, it will directly impact the world, and it is necessary to maintain a balance of power."

"Then let the Sengoku be in charge of selecting a successor."

"The bounty has been increased to one hundred million. My identity has been exposed, and the severity of the situation is beyond my imagination."

Nico Robin sat at a round table by the sea, looking at the wanted poster in her hand and the information published in the newspaper, her face extremely grim.

The newspaper headline read, "Shichibukai Crocodile was assassinated by Nico Robin, the Devil Child."

Robin's bounty was increased from 79 million to 100 million.

"It is indeed a rather bad result."

Before implementing the plan, Xia Qiu had already considered the possible consequences.

The worst-case scenario is that the attack fails and Crocodile escapes, but that's not very likely. In fact, if he could escape, Xia Qiu wouldn't have chosen to attack.

He escaped unharmed, but Robin is certain to die.

The second worst outcome would be that Robin's identity would be exposed.

After all, Robin had appeared in the casino, and Crocodile's death was no small matter; it would definitely be investigated.

The intelligence department has information about Robin; after all, Lucci and his crew had been infiltrating Water 7 for five years and were able to recognize Robin.

Therefore, the possibility of her being discovered depends solely on the accuracy of the eyewitness accounts and the level of intelligence available to the intelligence agencies.

But now it seems that this result has occurred.

It is foreseeable that there will be in-depth investigations and even a manhunt.

However, calling it a bad thing is not quite right; it is actually a double-edged sword.

If used properly, it will only bring benefits and no harm to oneself.

Xia Qiu had naturally thought about the answer, and wrote a few words on the ground, "I can protect you."

"Thank you, Little Qiu, but the Navy has many strong individuals, and you alone cannot protect me," Robin said with a wry smile.

Xia Qiu immediately wrote a few words: "Underwater, I am very strong."

"Underwater?"

Robin's eyes lit up when she saw this line of text. She said, "That's right. Although the Navy has many strong individuals, their abilities are limited in the sea, while your strength increases significantly underwater. Only Vice Admiral or higher can fight you in the water, and many of them are Devil Fruit User cannot enter the water and whose fighting power is weakened in the water. Of course, Aokiji's ability to influence seawater is a threat, but it's unlikely that Admiral would personally hunt me down."

"That's right."

Xia Qiu nodded. Right now, the only ones who could hurt him were lieutenant Vice Admiral and above.

Rear Admiral may be able to defeat himself on the water, but underwater he can only become his own food.

The Vice Admiral has mastered the Haki, and even with his strength reduced underwater, he can still easily injure himself.

Except for Aokiji, no other Devil Fruit User among the officers of Vice Admiral or above are allowed to go underwater, so a large number of strong individuals need to be eliminated.

Aokiji generally doesn't chase Robin. He did chase her once in the original work, mainly to repay the Straw Hat Pirates for saving Smoker.

As for non -Devil Fruit User, as long as they are not powerful figures like Garp, Momousagi, or Chaton, Xia Qiu even plans to strengthen himself several more times before actively attacking Vice Admiral to hunt them down and obtain Haki.

Robin frowned and said, "But considering the strength of the Navy, Little Qiu, you might get injured, and we may not be able to break through the Navy's warships. If we are surrounded by several warships, it will be difficult to escape."

Xia Qiu immediately wrote down a few words: "From underwater."

"You mean you want to take me underwater? But I can only stay underwater for a limited time, so it's hard to escape too far."

Robin, thinking about this, suddenly said, "But I can build a sealed cabin that can store a large amount of air. No, I can use underwater vehicles directly. The Sabaody Archipelago can coat ships so they can go underwater. Oh, and there are submarines that can move underwater. They carry fewer people, but once you get the hang of it, I can operate them all by myself. The shipbuilding company in Water 7 can do that."

"If we encounter the navy, we leave underwater while trying to avoid revealing our identities on land."

Robin had devised a plan and then said, "The focus now is on Baroque Works. If nothing unexpected happens, they should discover that MissallSunday is me. I wonder what their plans are, or if they have any other ideas. So we need to make contact with them in a few days, starting with Bon Clay."

Xia Qiu immediately wrote, "I'll follow you."

"Um."

When Robin saw the words, she suddenly felt a sense of certainty. Little Qiu was still by her side, which made her feel much more at ease.

Xia Qiu shook her head, looked at Robin, and had an idea in her mind.

Robin's identity has been exposed, and I've become Robin's identifier; perhaps I can use that to my advantage.

By landing in another location, I can not only draw the Navy's attention away from Robin, but also attract the Navy to come here and gain a lot of energy.

But where should we choose?

Oda responded on SBS that Crocodile became Shichibukai in the first half of his twenties. He was roughly between 20 and 25 years old. At the beginning of the original story, he had been Shichibukai for at least 21 years, and at most 26 years. This is earlier than any current Shichibukai, at least five years, possibly even ten years earlier. And he might be the first Shichibukai.