There was no point in dwelling on why Crocodile and the others had appeared in the desert and found them so precisely.
Kuzan sensed an extraordinary aura from these people. During all his years in the Marines, there had not been many pirates capable of making him feel pressured, and there were virtually none like that in the first half of the Grand Line.
Yet Crocodile and his people were different.
"You three, take care of yourselves."
"Ace, Sabo, Luffy—they're in your hands."
Kuzan tilted his head slightly and instructed the three children behind him. His attention remained fixed on Crocodile and the others, and he did not dare let his guard down in the slightest.
Crocodile was a man who had escaped unscathed from the Whitebeard Pirates. An enemy like that had to be handled carefully.
"Heh heh, Admiral Aokiji."
"I don't think you need to be so tense."
"I only came this time to say hello."
"And to invite you over as my guest."
"Rest assured, I'll treat you well."
"Come to think of it, while I may merely be a pirate, the World Government has taken a liking to me. They hope that I can become one of the Shichibukai."
"Strictly speaking, we'll be family in the future."
Crocodile wore a broad smile. Judging from his expression alone, no one could have imagined that he was the one who had just tried to kill Luffy and Ace.
His outward emotions were entirely different from what he was actually doing.
"The Shichibukai?"
Hearing a familiar title from Crocodile, Kuzan's expression grew grave. Kuzan had never received any news that Crocodile was going to become a Shichibukai. If the news was true, then Marine Headquarters would need to reconsider its attitude toward Crocodile.
Kuzan did not know what kind