Simple and Pure

The roaring flames had not yet completely died out.

But the Punk Dragon that had spewed them had already had its head smashed in. Its corpse lay sprawled on the ground.

Caesar was stunned, his mind repeatedly replaying what Lindsey had just looked like.

Red skin, thick limbs, sharp fangs, dark green horns, and pupils that glimmered with an uncanny red light.

He liked wearing accessories such as "demon horns" himself, but compared with Lindsey when he activated his ability, he looked downright ridiculous.

A moment ago, Aiven Lindsey had looked just like a real...

"Demon?"

Caesar murmured.

He didn't know anything about Lindsey's past, much less that Lindsey's appearance had been carved into him.

The sculptor's skill had been so extraordinary that he looked just like a living person preserved as a statue!

That was it—preserved.

Caesar's information was wrong, and a terrifying suspicion suddenly surfaced in his mind.

With no one else around to share it with, he could only tell Crocodile, who stood beside him.

"Shurorororo..."

Caesar forced a laugh and murmured to the man beside him, "Hey, Sand Crocodile, the ancient people must have had a reason for sealing 'Aiven Lindsey' in a stone tablet..."

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

But Crocodile cared more about the present.

Unlike Caesar, who was riddled with doubt and fear, Crocodile merely took a puff of his cigar and smiled darkly. "Is that so?"

"What?!"

Caesar was instantly terrified. A chill shot through his mind, and he instinctively turned his entire body into gas, becoming a puddle of pale purple vapor.

The next instant, a blade made of grit thrust up from the ground and cleaved the cloud of gas in two!

"Sand Crocodile, I'm trying to talk to you!"

Caesar snapped furiously. "That 'humanoid creature' calling itself Aiven Lindsey might be a 'threat' on the level of an Ancient Weapon! I can't take responsibility for releasing him!"

"That's a good point, but it has nothing to do with me."

Crocodile raised an eyebrow, already making plans.

From his observations just now, he had gained a rough understanding of Aiven Lindsey's traits and personality.

At first glance, Lindsey had seemed to have very little combat experience. His movements were awkward and clumsy.

But as a Devil Fruit User of the Zoan Mythical Beast Type, Lindsey had a huge margin for error in battle.

At the same time, he had an extremely strong ability to learn.

He had quickly learned not only how to "walk" and "burrow underground," but had even conjured up an Earthstone Heavy Hammer out of thin air while fighting the Punk Dragon, successfully "making his own weapon"!

This person... no!

This "creature" had terrifying potential!

More importantly, Aiven Lindsey seemed extremely "simple." If Crocodile could make good use of him, he would be a very useful pawn.

So Crocodile took the opportunity to ambush Caesar, forcing him to retreat.

Then he beckoned to Lindsey and called out:

"Hey, come with me!"

"Ha!"

Lindsey laughed excitedly and followed close behind the sandstorm.

The two soon reached the coast in the southwest, one after the other.

Crocodile's ship was moored there, a medium-sized sailing vessel.

Lindsey's bare feet touched the beach, and he savored its soft feel.

He hadn't had enough of the fight, and looked back toward the island, still eager for more.

"No one's chasing us?"

"Caesar doesn't have the guts."

Crocodile waved a hand casually and explained, "His research on you is seriously illegal. He won't dare make a big deal of it. At most, he'll pin the Punk Dragon's death on me."

"I see."

Lindsey nodded and looked Crocodile over with interest, saying no more.

Seeing that, Crocodile felt his plan was going more and more smoothly.

They boarded the ship one after the other.

There were no other crew members aboard, but for a Logia Type user, sailing alone was easy.

He activated the Sand-Sand Fruit.

The swirling grit unfurled the sails, and the ship quickly pulled away from Punk Hazard.

Before long, Punk Hazard was out of sight.

To avoid being tracked by Caesar, Crocodile changed course and sailed a while longer before slowing down.

He went below deck, found a spare coat, and tossed it to Lindsey, who was on deck.

Seeing that Lindsey had finally put on some clothes, Crocodile found him a little easier on the eyes. He leaned back against the mast.

Now he had to persuade Lindsey to help him make use of this unknown creature.

Looking up, he saw Lindsey leaning over the railing, gazing out at the blue sea as though everything fascinated him.

Crocodile's gaze shifted, then he remarked, "Curious, are you?"

Lindsey turned around. "About what?"

Crocodile said, "Are you curious about this ocean, and this world?"

At that, Lindsey smiled, his gaze growing even more interested as he looked at Crocodile.

He nodded. "Of course."

"Hehehehe, good."

With a cigar between his teeth, Crocodile smiled faintly. "In that case, follow me!"

"Using my status as one of the Shichibukai, I'll take you to experience everything this ocean has to offer!"

"The so-called Shichibukai are outlaws recognized by the World Government for their great strength. There are still a few vacancies to this day."

Crocodile clenched his right fist and laughed in a low voice. "Adventure? Treasure? Status? Women?"

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

"What do you say?"

"..."

After saying all that, Crocodile watched Lindsey's reaction closely.

It was a little unexpected.

Lindsey, who had seemed extremely "simple" earlier, showed no sign of excitement or enthusiasm. He didn't even seem any more curious about what Crocodile had said.

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

His voice was steady, yet clear and bright.

"Sand Crocodile Crocodile."

Lindsey looked back at Crocodile, standing with his back to the setting sun, its light tracing the outline of his body.

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

"Far too long. I've seen far too much..."

"So to me, none of the things you mentioned are what I desire most. They're just 'accessories.'"

"The only thing I'm interested in, the one thing I desire, is—"

With his back to the setting sun, Lindsey stood tall.

"Freedom."

Two simple words.

And yet they were Aiven Lindsey's only desire!

The things Crocodile had mentioned were certainly wonderful, but none of them could satisfy Lindsey's one and only desire.

"..."

"Heh, freedom..."

Crocodile murmured.

He suddenly realized that he had misjudged one thing from the very beginning.

The creature named Aiven Lindsey wasn't "simple" at all!

"Simple" described people who had yet to experience the world—green newcomers just starting out;

If they experienced enough, simple people would grow complicated, becoming like most people on the sea;

But if such a "complicated person" went even further, experiencing more and more while still holding on to his original ideals—

Then he could be called "pure."

There was no doubt about it: Aiven Lindsey wasn't "simple." He was truly "pure"!

People like him were the most troublesome.

They wouldn't be swayed by what others said. They had their own way of doing things, one that others might not understand, but they would still see their chosen path through to the end!

A person—or creature—like that certainly couldn't be manipulated by Crocodile.

"I see. I understand..."

Crocodile let out a low chuckle.

He looked up at Aiven Lindsey, backlit by the setting sun, and changed his original plan.

The next instant—

Whoosh!

Crocodile stamped his foot and turned into a sandstorm, charging straight at Lindsey!

In a flash, Crocodile was right beside Lindsey, his dark voice carrying across the deck.

"Yeah, I'll beat you until you submit. Or should I turn you back into a pile of rocks?"

Fine grains of sand formed a sharp curved blade.

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

Slash!

Lindsey clenched his fist. Muscles bulged along his forearm as he slammed it into the blade.

Thud!

With a dull impact, the Grit Saber shattered and scattered, grit filling the air around them.

Lindsey and Crocodile...

Their gazes pierced the cloud of grit between them and collided.

Lindsey grinned excitedly. "Good! The Mythical Zoan really can boost my defense!"

"Heh..."

Hearing that, Crocodile realized he'd been looked down on. He was instantly furious.

His expression darkened. Gritting his teeth, he said coldly:

"You primitive man!"

He'd only just started fighting, and already he was calling him a primitive man!