Crocodile was earnestly and responsibly carrying out his duties as a Shichibukai. Among the current Shichibukai, aside from the exceptional case of Oran, Crocodile was the one most cooperative with the Marines and the World Government.
He was also cracking down on nearby pirates, using this method to win the trust of the World Government and the Marines in pursuit of greater things.
Things had been going well. He had intended to relax with a cup of coffee and the newspaper, but his blood pressure immediately shot up.
[Though both are Shichibukai, some were forced to retreat after facing Whitebeard. That cannot be helped. It now appears that while the Shichibukai are nominally an organization, the differences within are enormous.]
Morgans had not named anyone, but he might as well have been reciting Crocodile's ID number. There was no Shichibukai other than Crocodile who had lost to Whitebeard.
"That damned albatross really is infuriating."
Comparisons highlighted results more clearly. Lyliana had used Whitebeard's strength to demonstrate her own military might, but that was bound to trigger certain events. The pirates who had provoked Whitebeard after seeing the newspaper report were one such example.
As the one being stepped on in this comparison, Crocodile dearly wanted to turn Morgans into dried bird and let him know that while Crocodile could not defeat Whitebeard, handling him would be easy.
"Siderial... What exactly is he trying to do? And what does he want?"
Crocodile began putting himself in Siderial's shoes. What if he had a child this powerful and such a powerful country in his hands?
"Could it be that he wants the entire world?"
Crocodile's ultimate goal was still to become Pirate King, then gain more power and strength before ruling the entire world.
For now, he was merely accumulating strength. Judging