Looking for Fun

The instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm is inherent in "all" living beings.

But for an "individual," that instinct must, to a certain extent, submit to "nature."

What was Aiven Lindsey's nature like?

Crocodile pondered the question the entire way, finally arriving at a reluctant answer.

Lindsey possessed a nature that mixed "detachment" with "purity."

Something akin to "play."

If Lindsey found something interesting, he would do it.

Whether it was playing a giant monster on the Red Line to rescue slaves, or refusing to remain unknown after setting foot on his true "first island."

Everything, it seemed, was for the sake of "fun."

Just like now—

"Hey hey, look, it's Crocodile the Sand Crocodile, one of the [Shichibukai]!"

"The World Government doesn't just pick anyone; there are still vacancies in those seven seats."

"Tch, the World Government's lapdog..."

"Keep your voice down!"

"..."

"By the way, does anyone know who that guy next to him is? The one who punched a ship to pieces."

"..."

The crowd buzzed with chatter.

Some fearful, some curious, some disgusted, some itching for a fight...

Crocodile saw this and only felt annoyance. He hadn't wanted to be this conspicuous!

"Tch!"

Clicking his tongue, Crocodile grabbed Lindsey by the collar and turned into a sandstorm, quickly vanishing from the dock crowd's sight.

As they left, Lindsey was still laughing and waving goodbye to everyone.

"See you later!"

"Don't come back! Never see you again!"

Crocodile's head throbbed.

He just wanted to finish his business on Sabaody Archipelago as quickly as possible, then take Lindsey to Alabasta to see if he could decipher the secrets of the Poneglyph.

If not, they'd part ways, and let the whole sea worry about this Primitive Man!

Honestly, Crocodile was still curious. A Primitive Man from an era before the Void Century—just how much chaos would he stir up in this sea?

As he mused, Lindsey suddenly grabbed Crocodile's shoulder.

The word "grab" was accurate.

After all, Crocodile was currently in a semi-elemental state; ordinary people couldn't touch him at all. Only "Armament Haki" could make contact with his solid form.

But now, Aiven Lindsey had directly "grabbed" the sand on Crocodile's shoulder with his bare hand!

"A Devil Fruit ability?"

Crocodile's pupils contracted slightly.

He still remembered Lindsey's words: "The essence of the Earth Demon Form's power is the destruction and devastation of land."

Crocodile's body was "sand," which was also a type of "land."

In other words, even without using a Devil Fruit ability, Lindsey, in that "Earth Demon Form," could easily reach Crocodile's true body!

What a pain...

Crocodile sighed helplessly, stopping his elemental movement and solidifying back into physical form.

"What's wrong?"

Lindsey didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out the stack of Berries Crocodile had given him earlier, peeled off a few bills, and staggered off to the side.

Crocodile: "?"

Looking around, he roughly understood what Lindsey was up to.

This was one of Sabaody Archipelago's commercial districts.

Sabaody Archipelago was vast, formed from the roots of 79 trees, each tree an island.

The islands had many zones, including garrisons for the Marines and nobles, as well as lawless territories for pirates.

But more than that, it was actually a highly acclaimed sightseeing district, along with the docks and shipyards essential for navigation.

And right now, the first island where Crocodile and Lindsey found themselves was one of those bustling sightseeing areas.

"Hey there, young master, want a few Grand Line specialties? Grand Buns, fresh out!"

"Fresh grilled meat, coming right up!"

"..."

Walking along this path, Lindsey was seeing so many lighthearted trinkets for the first time, so naturally he couldn't tear himself away.

He dashed to a street stall, bought two giant cotton candies, then came back.

He ate one himself and casually handed the other to Crocodile.

Lindsey grinned: "Alright, let's go!"

Crocodile took it without thinking.

"..."

Smack!

Who asked you to buy me candy!

A dignified Shichibukai, and you want me to eat cotton candy on the streets of Sabaody Archipelago?

But Lindsey ignored Crocodile's murderous glare, looking a bit regretfully at the ground as he muttered:

"Who says a master can't eat candy?"

"..."

Crocodile felt a headache coming on, grabbed Lindsey by the arm, and kept walking.

After thinking it over, he warned seriously: "Listen up, Primitive Man. If you want to hitch a ride on my ship to Alabasta, you'd better behave from now on. At least don't mess up my deal."

Lindsey looked curious: "What deal?"

"I'm getting a sum of funds from the underworld and making it flow legally into Alabasta."

Crocodile explained.

He wasn't the patient type, but given how things had gone so far, if he didn't make this clear in advance, Aiven Lindsey would definitely cause even bigger trouble!

"I'm going to establish an organization in Alabasta, tentatively named 'Baroque Works.'"

This was part of Crocodile's "kingdom usurpation scheme."

But Aiven Lindsey was a primitive man—he probably wouldn't understand anyway, so it didn't matter.

"You know what?"

"On this sea, what's called 'Military Strength' is the most reliable."

"Even the Marines, and the 'Four Emperors' I mentioned to you before, don't dominate through 'individual power'—it's military strength!"

"..."

Crocodile looked at Lindsey.

Lindsey was eating his cotton candy.

Crocodile: "..."

Crocodile: "You didn't understand, did you?"

Lindsey shook his head and said frankly: "I wasn't listening."

He already knew the whole plot, even more than Crocodile did, so naturally he couldn't be bothered to listen.

Rehashing old news—how could that compare to real cotton candy?

But in Crocodile's eyes, it just meant this primitive man's brain wasn't up to snuff.

Great.

Crocodile had a feeling that if he brought Lindsey to the deal site, met those underworld people, and someone provoked him, they'd probably end up fighting again.

What to do?

Crocodile thought it over as he dragged Lindsey to the edge of the lawless zone.

Just as he was worrying, a few pleasant voices caught his and Lindsey's attention.

"Hey there, you two young masters, want to come play in our shop?"

Turning around, they saw several enthusiastic Dancers greeting customers at a bar's entrance.

Located at the edge of the lawless zone, these Dancers were naturally more passionate and forward than those in the sightseeing district.

Seeing this, Crocodile had an idea.

He pulled out another stack of Berries from his pocket, casually handed them to Lindsey, and said in a low voice: "The deal's nothing interesting. You go drink instead. I'll find you later."

"...Fine."

Looking at the smoky, chaotic Illegal Zone, then at those dazzling dancers, Lindsey still felt the latter was more interesting.

Life always gravitates toward more beautiful things.

To speak of so-called "restraint" or "equality" is merely a form of "oppression" against beauty.

To maintain such a perfect figure, the dancers must endure daily training and hardship—they naturally deserve that beauty.

So Lindsey smiled and walked toward the dancers.

"Let me have a taste of the Grand Line's liquor!"

"..."

Crocodile, seeing that Lindsey had finally left, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and vanished in a flash.

Meanwhile, on Lindsey's side.

Surrounded by the dancers, he arrived at the bar's entrance.

Just as he was about to go in, another person blocked his way.

The newcomer was a thin, short middle-aged man with a mustache, wearing a suit, flanked by two burly guards.

Mustache pressed down on his hat and grinned. "Nice physique, kid!"

"..."

Lindsey fell silent.

He pointed at Mustache and asked the dancer beside him, "Is this a specialty of your bar?"

The dancers looked flustered and shook their heads repeatedly.

"Oh, I get it."

Lindsey understood.

Mustache explained at the same time, "Looks like you've been working out. Interested in making a big pile of cash?"

Hearing this, Lindsey also grinned, looking at the ill-intentioned Mustache, and laughed:

"You guys are the fun I'm looking for too."