Simplicity and Purity

The blazing flames had not yet fully extinguished.

But the Punk Dragon that had spewed them now lay dead on the ground, its head smashed to pieces.

Caesar was stunned, his mind replaying Lindsey's appearance from moments ago.

Crimson skin, thick limbs, sharp fangs, dark green demon horns, and pupils flickering with an eerie red light.

He himself liked wearing "demon horn" decorations and the like, but compared to the form Lindsey took when activating his ability, his own attempts seemed utterly mismatched and ridiculous.

Just now, Aiven Lindsey had looked like something straight out of legend...

"A demon?"

Caesar muttered.

He knew nothing of Lindsey's past, let alone that Lindsey's appearance had been carved by a sculptor.

That sculptor's skill was far too superb—it was as if a living person had been sealed into a stone statue!

Yes, sealed.

Caesar's intelligence was flawed, so a terrifying conjecture suddenly sprang into his mind.

With no one else to share it with, he could only voice it to Crocodile beside him.

"Shurorororo..."

Caesar forced a laugh, muttering to the man next to him: "Hey, Sand Crocodile, the ancients must have had a reason for sealing 'Aiven Lindsey' onto that stone tablet, right..."

The more he thought about it, the more horrifying it became!

But Crocodile was a man who focused more on the "present."

Unlike Caesar's doubts and terror, Crocodile simply took a drag from his cigar and sneered darkly: "Is that so?"

"What?!"

Caesar's face instantly twisted in terror as a chill shot through his mind. He instinctively elementalized his entire body, turning into a pool of pale purple gas.

The next instant, a blade of sand erupted from the ground, cleaving that gas cloud in two!

"Sand Crocodile, I was trying to talk to you nicely!"

Caesar fumed in fury: "That 'humanoid creature' calling itself Aiven Lindsey might be a 'danger' on par with the Ancient Weapons! I can't bear the responsibility of unleashing him!"

"Sound reasoning, but it has nothing to do with me."

Crocodile raised an eyebrow, already forming a plan in his mind.

From his observations just now, he had roughly grasped some of "Aiven Lindsey's" traits and personality.

At first glance, Lindsey was severely lacking in combat experience, his movements clumsy and awkward.

But as a Zoan Mythical Beast Type Devil Fruit User, Lindsey had an enormous margin for error in battle.

At the same time, he possessed an astonishing ability to learn.

Not only had he quickly mastered "walking" and "Earth Burrowing," but he had even conjured an Earthstone Heavy Hammer out of thin air during the fight with the Punk Dragon, successfully "crafting his own weapon"!

This man... no!

This "creature's" potential was absolutely terrifying!

But more importantly, Aiven Lindsey seemed extremely "naive." If properly exploited, he would undoubtedly make a useful pawn.

Thus, Crocodile seized the opportunity to ambush Caesar, forcing him to retreat.

He then waved at Lindsey and called out:

"Hey, follow me!"

"Ha!"

Lindsey let out an excited laugh and closely followed the sandstorm.

The two moved one after the other, soon reaching the southwestern coast.

Crocodile's ship was moored there—a medium-sized sailboat.

Lindsey's bare feet sank into the sand, feeling its soft texture.

He hadn't had his fill of fighting yet, so his expression was one of lingering excitement as he looked back toward the island.

"No pursuers?"

"Caesar doesn't have the guts."

Crocodile waved a hand dismissively and explained: "His research on you is severely illegal. He won't dare to blow things up. At most, he'll pin the Punk Dragon's death on me."

"I see."

Lindsey nodded, sizing up Crocodile with interest, then said no more.

Seeing this, Crocodile felt his plan was progressing smoothly.

They boarded the ship one after the other.

There were no other crew members on the ship, but for a Logia-type Devil Fruit User, sailing alone was a trivial matter.

The power of the Sand-Sand Fruit was activated.

Scattered grains of sand unfurled the sails, sending the ship speeding away from Punk Hazard.

Before long, Punk Hazard was no longer visible.

To avoid Caesar's pursuit, Crocodile changed course again, sailing a fair distance before finally slowing the ship down.

He fetched a spare coat from the cabin and tossed it to Lindsey on the deck.

Seeing that the other man had finally put on some clothes, Crocodile found it more agreeable to the eye and leaned back against the mast.

Now, he had to convince Lindsey to make use of this unknown creature.

Looking up, he saw Lindsey leaning over the ship's railing, gazing at the deep blue sea, as if filled with curiosity about everything.

Crocodile's gaze shifted, and he remarked, "Are you curious?"

Lindsey turned his head. "About what?"

Crocodile said, "About this sea, and this world—are you curious?"

Hearing this, Lindsey smiled, his eyes growing more interested as he looked at Crocodile.

He nodded. "Of course."

"Heh heh heh, good."

Crocodile bit down on his cigar, smirking faintly. "Then follow me!"

"By virtue of being one of the Shichibukai, I'll show you everything this sea has to offer!"

"The so-called 'Shichibukai' are 'outlaws' recognized by the World Government for their immense strength. Even now, several seats remain vacant."

Crocodile clenched his right fist, his voice low and amused. "Adventure? Treasure? Status? Women?"

"Just come with me, and you'll experience it all!"

"What do you say?"

"..."

Having said this, Crocodile carefully observed Lindsey's reaction.

It was somewhat unexpected.

Lindsey, who had seemed so "naive" earlier, showed neither excitement nor thrill, nor even further curiosity about those words.

He simply wore the coat, walked barefoot across the deck, and slowly made his way to the edge of the railing.

His voice was steady, yet clear and bright.

"[Sand Crocodile] Crocodile."

Lindsey looked back at Crocodile, the setting sun behind him outlining the contours of his body.

He smiled faintly. "I spent a long, long time as a stone, a tablet, or a sculpture."

"Too long, too much, I've seen too many things..."

"So for me, everything you've said isn't what I first desire. Those are merely 'byproducts.'"

"What I'm interested in, my only desire, is just one thing—"

Standing against the sunset, Lindsey remained still.

"Freedom."

Two very simple words.

And at the same time, Aiven Lindsey's only desire!

What Crocodile had described was certainly wonderful, but it alone could not satisfy Lindsey's sole longing.

"..."

"Heh, freedom..."

Crocodile murmured.

He suddenly realized he had miscalculated one thing from the very start.

That creature named Aiven Lindsey was not "naive" at all!

What is called "naivety" refers to those who have yet to experience the world—greenhorns fresh out of the gate;

If one has experienced much, the naive become complicated, like the majority on the sea;

And if this "complicated person" goes a step further, experiencing even more while still holding onto their original heart, Then such a person can be called "pure."

Without a doubt, Aiven Lindsey was not "naive," but truly and genuinely "pure"!

Such people are the most troublesome.

They won't be swayed by others' words; they have their own way of doing things, one that others may not even understand, yet they will walk their path to the very end!

A person—or creature—like that would never simply let Crocodile push them around.

"I see... now I understand..."

Crocodile let out a low chuckle.

He lifted his eyes toward Aiven Lindsey, who stood silhouetted against the light, and revised his original plan in his mind.

The next instant—

Whoosh!

Crocodile stomped his foot, his entire form dissolving into a sandstorm as he charged straight at Lindsey!

His figure flickered, and Crocodile was already close to Lindsey, his dark voice ringing out.

"Hmph, I'll just beat you until you submit—or maybe turn you back into a pile of rocks?"

Fine grains of sand coalesced into a sharp, curved blade.

Crocodile twisted his body and slashed at Lindsey's neck.

Shing!

Lindsey clenched his fist, muscles bulging along his forearm, and smashed it directly against the blade.

Boom!

With a dull thud, the Grit Saber shattered into scattered sand, dust swirling in the air.

Lindsey and Crocodile...

Their gazes pierced through the floating sand, clashing head-on.

Lindsey grinned excitedly. "Good! So a Mythical Zoan really does boost defense!"

"Heh..."

Hearing that, Crocodile realized he was being looked down on, and fury flared instantly.

His face darkened, teeth grinding, as he spat coldly:

"You Primitive Man!"

The moment the fight began, he already called him a Primitive Man!