Crocodile and Nico Robin

After jotting these thoughts down in his notebook, Bane soon drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the city of Rain Dinners in Alabasta—the most luxurious casino in the entire Desert Kingdom, and indeed, the entire first half of the Grand Line—on the second basement level.

This was the headquarters of Baroque Works, and the office of its president, the "Sand Crocodile" Crocodile.

Though the night was deep, for a casino, this was prime time. Crocodile was not resting; instead, he was enjoying a rather cruel spectacle.

He was having those who owed debts to his casino thrown into his "gator pool" to watch the Banana Gator feed.

Just as the Banana Gator swallowed the unfortunate soul in one bite, a knock sounded at the office door.

Crocodile, cigar clamped in his teeth, hair slicked back, and draped in a fur coat, spoke with an imposing air: "Enter."

As his voice fell, the door was pushed open. A woman walked in, dressed in a white trench coat and a white cowboy hat. She possessed a stunning figure, healthy wheat-colored skin, and a beautiful face.

Nico Robin!

The woman dubbed the "Devil Child" by the World Government, with a bounty of 79 million Belly, and the sole survivor of the Ohara incident.

"What is it?" Crocodile asked in a cold, indifferent tone.

Although Robin was the second-in-command of Baroque Works, in reality, Crocodile maintained a deep sense of wariness toward her. Their partnership was essentially a transaction: Robin sought a backer who could shield her from the World Government's pursuit and help her search for the Poneglyph, while Crocodile wanted to leverage her knowledge to decipher the Poneglyph and obtain the Ancient Weapon, Pluton.

The reason they could not trust each other was that since the age of eight, Robin had lived in an environment defined by betrayal. As for Crocodile, he was a man of ambition with a dark, calculating mind; naturally, he would not easily place his trust in anyone.

Thus, their cooperation was built on mutual suspicion and constant vigilance.

"The people below have brought back some interesting news. I thought you might be interested," Robin said, unbothered by Crocodile's coldness. She sat on the sofa with casual grace and brewed herself a cup of coffee.

"Interesting news?" Crocodile laughed dismissively. "What kind of interesting news?"

"Bane, the man who finished off a division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, has appeared at Whisky Peak. This means the route they have chosen is the one we are on. Perhaps it won't be long before they arrive in Alabasta," Robin said in a steady tone, sipping her slightly bitter coffee.

"Bane, is it?" Crocodile's previously indifferent expression turned slightly more serious upon hearing the name. He rubbed the gold ring on his finger, lost in thought.

The primary reason he had retreated to the first half of the Grand Line years ago was his failed challenge against the Whitebeard Pirates, which had ultimately forced him out of the New World.

For all these years, Crocodile had never forgotten this grudge. He had always wanted to return to the New World, defeat the Whitebeard Pirates, dominate the pirate world, and become the Pirate King.

Currently, the method he had chosen was to hunt for an Ancient Weapon.

At the same time, he also wanted to recruit high-quality talent to serve as his subordinates. However, in all his years in Alabasta, no one had particularly impressed him—Daz Bonez was barely an exception.

This fellow named Bane had the strength to take down a Whitebeard commander and had managed to live freely until now without being hunted down by Whitebeard, which proved he certainly had some skill.

Crocodile wondered if he could recruit him as a subordinate.

"Have the people on this route keep an eye on their movements. If he really does come to Alabasta, I'd like to meet him. Such talent could barely serve as a tool for me; I hope he's easy to use," Crocodile said after a moment of reflection.

Hearing his arrogant words, Robin smiled. "You think highly of yourself, but he may not be willing to submit to you. Especially since you are a pirate, and he is a well-known pirate hunter. Who knows? He might even decide to treat you as his prey."

Although Crocodile was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the prerequisite for maintaining that status was not being defeated. Once defeated, the World Government would deem the individual to lack the strength and qualifications to hold the title, and it would likely be revoked.

If Crocodile were to be taken down by Bane, his status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea would almost certainly be voided, and Bane could absolutely trade Crocodile in for the bounty.

Hearing this, Crocodile let out a disdainful sneer. "Don't mistake me for those second-rate pirates. Besides, this is the Desert Kingdom of Alabasta. Do you think anyone could defeat me here!?"

Crocodile was a Logia-type user of the Sand-Sand Fruit, and as a desert nation, Alabasta was effectively his home turf. His abilities were vastly amplified here; Crocodile did not believe anyone could defeat him on this ground.

Nico Robin stirred her coffee spoon, thinking that Crocodile was right—in this desert kingdom, he was the true King of the Desert.

However, recently, with the help of Crocodile's power, Robin had already found some leads and clues regarding the Poneglyph within Alabasta. In truth, she only wanted to understand history; she had no desire to resurrect any Ancient Weapon, nor did she want to reveal information about it to the ambitious Crocodile.

Therefore, Robin had already begun to consider how to break away from Crocodile once she had read the Poneglyph and learned a portion of history.

Perhaps Bane is an opportunity I can exploit, Robin thought to herself. Regardless, if he could take down a Whitebeard commander in the New World, his strength shouldn't be lacking. If I stir up conflict between him and Crocodile and let them fight it out, no matter the result, I should be able to find a suitable chance to escape. It would be best if he could finish off Crocodile; then I would have no further worries.

Outwardly, however, she remained calm and replied as usual, "I understand. I will personally keep track of information regarding this Bane and report any developments to you immediately."

Crocodile stared at Robin with a meaningful gaze for a moment, then, without commenting further, shifted the topic. "How is the progress regarding Pluton?"

"It has been confirmed that the Alabasta royal family, the Nefertari clan, secretly holds a Poneglyph. However, exactly where this Poneglyph is located has yet to be discovered. So, it would be best if your side could speed things up. Once you take control of Alubarna and become the true King of the Desert, I will be able to see this history sooner," Robin said, sipping her coffee with a hint of anticipation.

"Hmph." Crocodile let out a soft grunt before saying, "The plan is already well underway. If nothing goes wrong, within this year, I will deal with the Nefertari clan and become the new king of this ancient nation!"

Thinking of this, Crocodile felt a surge of excitement. Alabasta possessed vast wealth, sufficient military strength, and, combined with the Ancient Weapon and his own power—if he could also find a few more formidable subordinates—tsk, tsk, returning to the New World would be no difficult task!

With nothing left to discuss, Robin finished her coffee in one gulp and left the office.

Once the office door closed, Crocodile's gaze turned dark and gloomy. Once I find Pluton, I'll just finish off this deep-thinking woman. That would be the safest course of action!