Allies

"BOSS~"

A slightly excited yet low voice rang out from within the sealed cell.

His hands bound in Seastone handcuffs and his feet shackled, Crocodile seemed as though he had not been captured at all, but was merely resting in a room. Raising his head slowly and seeing Daz Bones suddenly appear outside the cell, he frowned slightly and said flatly, "Why are you here? Did you get captured?"

"BOSS..."

However.

Seeing his BOSS again, Daz Bones felt relieved. He seemed to return to his usual taciturn self, offering no explanation and simply lowering his head.

But Crocodile had known his underling for years. As the only underling who knew his identity, Daz Bones's reaction let him immediately guess what had happened.

"Stupid fool~" Crocodile looked at Daz Bones with an indifferent tone, then said expressionlessly, "That fallen Marine came? How laughable~"

What was the point of coming now?

He had thought his ambitions were about to take another step forward, but... he had received the call in the morning, and by the afternoon, he was behind bars.

Thinking of this, Crocodile felt utterly despondent. If his hands were not cuffed right now, he would have pulled out a cigar and taken a deep drag, just as he usually did.

With a cold sneer, he said, "What a fallen Marine. I've already been captured, yet he still dared let you come visit me."

He raised his head again and looked at the silent Daz Bones. "What price did that bastard name this time?"

"BOSS's treasury at Rain Dinners!" Daz Bones lowered his head in shame upon hearing his boss's question. "And Baroque Works!"

As soon as those words fell.

Crocodile:...

Though he had already guessed that greedy bastard would ask for an outrageous price, he had not expected... damn it, the man had directly emptied out the fortune Crocodile had painstakingly accumulated over the past several years.

And those eight hundred million...

Crocodile's mouth twitched. Thinking of how that bastard had cheated him three times in a row, he had originally planned to settle the score properly once the man came. Yet he had never expected... to end up in such a state.

His man had been arrested, and all his assets had been emptied out by that fallen Marine!

Seeing the usually stern Daz Bones show such a guilty expression, Crocodile gave a cold smile. "Stupid and greedy Marines. He even wanted a bunch of useless tools. I really thought too highly of him back then."

Then he calmly closed his eyes and sat upright in the cell. "You can get lost too!"

"BOSS, I came to rescue you!" Hearing Crocodile's words, Daz Bones remembered why he had sneaked in and hurriedly said, "That fallen Marine Colonel has already lured away the Marine Hero and the Marine Admiral. As long as we open this place, BOSS can leave quietly."

This was also part of the deal he had made with that fallen Marine Colonel. After the Marine Admiral and Marine Hero arrived, that Marine Colonel had intended to take the money and do nothing.

In the end, only because of BOSS's treasure and Daz Bones's promise that he would personally step forward and fully cooperate with the man in taking control of all Baroque Works agents had he agreed to let Daz Bones see his BOSS once.

However.

On the surface, he had come to secretly meet BOSS, but in truth, he had secretly come to rescue BOSS. As for whatever punishment that fallen Marine would receive afterward, what did it have to do with them?

They were pirates, after all!

Yet.

"Leave quietly?" Crocodile slowly opened his eyes again, glanced at Daz Bones, and curled his lips with a trace of disdain.

Leave quietly right under the noses of a Marine Hero and a Marine Admiral?

What a joke!

Especially that fallen Marine. He did not look like the sort to keep his promises.

Besides...

"I'm not in the mood for that right now!" Crocodile turned his head back, his eyes calmly fixed ahead. As though he had remembered something, his gaze gradually became hollow. Then he looked coldly at Daz Bones and said, "Who do you think you are? You're nothing more than my tool. Get the hell out of here!"

"BOSS~" Daz Bones clearly had not expected BOSS to refuse without hesitation and say something like that. His face froze.

But seeing BOSS ignore him and sit cross-legged to one side, he fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head and sat cross-legged outside the cell without saying a word.

At once.

The two simply sat there in silence.

A moment later.

Seemingly sensing that Daz Bones had still not left, Crocodile opened his eyes again and said impatiently, "What are you still doing here? Why haven't you gotten lost?"

If he had not seen that this man was quiet and exceptionally obedient back then, he would never have allowed him to manage Baroque Works.

As Crocodile, he had never trusted anyone!

"Stop bothering me!"

"BOSS, I'm not in the mood either." Daz Bones seemed to have returned to his usual self as he replied expressionlessly, "Then I'll get captured with BOSS!"

"Boring!" A faint sneer appeared on Crocodile's face when he heard Daz Bones's answer. He then closed his eyes and ignored him.

The two continued sitting cross-legged.

Who knew how much time passed.

Only then did Crocodile finally raise his head and look at Daz Bones. "Get the hell out of here already!"

"BOSS~"

"Keep an eye on my treasure for me! Tell that fallen Marine I'll come back someday!" Crocodile's eyes narrowed, and the long scar running across his face seemed to restore the aura of Crocodile. He said flatly, "When that time comes, I'll personally take it back from him!"

"BOSS, I..."

"Get lost already!"

"Yes! BOSS, I'll keep watching that fallen Marine!" This time, Daz Bones did not refuse his BOSS's words. A faint smile even appeared on his calm face.

Only this man was worthy of his loyalty!

"When BOSS returns, we'll start the plan again!"

With that, he walked outside without looking back. Just as he was about to leave.

BOSS's indifferent voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Don't you dare die by then!"

Those words made Daz Bones pause slightly, but this time, he did not stop. After only a moment, he continued onward with firm steps.

Until he finally disappeared from Crocodile's sight.

"Start the plan again?" Crocodile smiled disdainfully, shook his head, and raised his expressionless face toward the ceiling. "Sure enough, that was a boring plan!"

As though he had remembered something, his eyes narrowed and a savage grin appeared on his face. "A mere East Blue Overlord dared mock me!"

He would never forget that scene...

He had clearly beaten that man until he was running around with his head in his hands, yet after Crocodile fell, the man had still stood before him and said those words.

Is this the strength of a Shichibukai? Just as the boss said, people who immerse themselves in relying on external things have long forgotten their ambitions!

How ridiculous!

Crocodile's eyes flickered as he muttered, "East Blue Overlord—Moke, one day, we will meet again!"

"Achoo!" Moke rubbed his nose, a serious expression appearing on his honest face. "I think I caught a cold. Why do I suddenly feel so cold?"

As soon as he said that.

Kuma, beside him:...

Kuma reached out and touched Moke's shoulder, then glanced at him and said flatly, "No. You have a very healthy body!"

"Ah, is that so?" Moke scratched his head and looked at Kuma doubtfully. "Could it be that your medical skills are lacking, so you can't tell?"

"..."

"Forget it, I should go back and have Old Crocus take a look!"

"...It's Mr. Crocus." Kuma looked helplessly at Moke. But after saying that, he seemed to remember something and frowned as he glanced back toward Alabasta. "The Marine Hero and the Marine Admiral have both arrived. Do we really not need to help BOSS?"

Having experienced the God Valley hunt and once been a member of the Revolutionary Army, he knew very well how powerful a Marine Admiral and a Marine Hero were!

Yet.

"No need~" Moke remained unconcerned at Kuma's words. He waved his hand carelessly and said, "The boss is a Marine too, so what's there to worry about? Besides..."

Seeing Kuma still frowning as though he wanted to say something, Moke leaned close mysteriously and whispered, "I'll tell you a secret. Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Kuzan are actually our people."

"???"

Vice Admiral Garp? Admiral Kuzan?

Their people?

What was this guy talking about?

Before the shocked Kuma could say anything.

"Shh~, don't tell anyone! I promised Admiral Kuzan I wouldn't casually tell people!" Moke hurriedly winked at Kuma, then proudly patted his chest. "You should know that I, Moke, am the most tight-lipped man on the seas!"

As soon as he said that.

"..."

Kuma looked at Moke strangely and decided inwardly that he would absolutely never tell this man any secrets in the future.

Still, hearing Moke's words did ease Kuma's worries somewhat.

However.

Looking at the now vanished Alabasta behind them, his brows furrowed again as he murmured, "The Marine Hero, the Marine Admiral... is that really true?"

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