Deployment

After lunch, Buggy summoned Crocodile.

"I can agree to cooperate with you, but I don't believe you're making decisions based solely on subjective assumptions without any ulterior motives..."

Buggy leaned forward slightly, looking at Crocodile. "And what can you offer me?"

"Are you underestimating the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit?" Crocodile revealed a sinister smile. "Or do you think I'll just stand by and do nothing in this cooperation?"

"Neither your power nor the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit is enough to convince me. Let's talk about something practical."

Buggy shook his head slightly and leaned back. "As far as I know, you don't even own a single territory in the New World. What you possess now is merely a portion of the capital you had when you Shichibukai. That being said, you can come and go freely in the New World without any constraints. But I'm different from you. I have a terrible relationship with Big Mom's Four Emperors, and we could be at war at any time, so my actions are severely restricted."

Crocodile asked noncommittally, "What are you trying to say?"

"We can cooperate to attack Blackbeard, but that alone isn't enough... Here's what we'll do: I'll write a letter, and you can deliver it to the Whitebeard Pirates. It contains my Den Den Mushi number, and I'll persuade them to join forces with us to increase our chances of victory."

"You want me to be a messenger..." Crocodile said arrogantly, "I'm not familiar with the Whitebeard Pirates, and I'm not going to do such a trivial thing that anyone can do. It's boring and a waste of time."

"Is this your sincerity, Crocodile?" Buggy's face instantly turned cold. "Cooperation is a two-way street. If you just want to use me as a pawn, then you can leave before I get angry."

Seeing Buggy's expression, Crocodile narrowed his eyes, revealing a cunning and ruthless gaze like that of a crocodile. He was no idiot; he had carefully considered his options before choosing Buggy as his partner from among so many forces in the New World.

Upon returning to the New World, he could feel that the waves of the new era were even more turbulent than during the period after Gol D. Roger's death. Without Whitebeard's suppression, countless demons and monsters poured into the New World. Although he didn't care how much power he possessed, he still needed to seize a territory of his own to establish himself. Then, like a crocodile lurking in the water waiting for its prey, he would lie in wait, lurking, and seize the opportunity to become the Pirate King.

The territory in the New World is always limited. Kaido, Big Mom, Shanks, and the Navy are powerful and not to be trifled with. Other powerful nations are also isolated and isolated. The best option is the territory controlled by the Blackbeard Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates, who are constantly at odds with each other.

Although Crocodile was defeated by Whitebeard in his youth, he acknowledged Whitebeard's strength and domineering spirit. Blackbeard, who indirectly caused Whitebeard's death, instilled in him a certain degree of disgust, perhaps also stemming from the mutual repulsion between ambitious individuals. Therefore, given the choice between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates, he leaned towards defeating the Blackbeard Pirates.

"It's not impossible." Crocodile offered a fake smile. "Since it's a collaboration, I will certainly do my duty. However, I'm only responsible for delivering the message; the rest is not my responsibility."

Faced with Crocodile's compromise, Buggy placed the prepared envelope on the table and pushed it towards her, saying, "You'll be glad you made this choice later."

"Hmph." Crocodile merely snorted, took the envelope, and turned to leave.

Buggy rested his hands on the table and said calmly, "If we conquer Blackbeard's territory, I'll give you a piece."

Crocodile's steps faltered involuntarily, a bead of sweat sliding down his cheek. The next instant, his expression returned to calm, and he left the room.

The matter of the weapons deal with Kui San was handed over to Daoer to handle, and then two more days passed in haste.

Buggy invited Stussy to the study again; before confirming the action against Blackbeard, there was one more thing he absolutely had to do.

"I heard that Big Mom's summer tea party is about to start?"

Stussy laughed, "Yes, that's what she's been looking forward to the most."

Buggy said, "You should be on her invitation list, right?"

"Yes, she always sends someone to deliver the invitation to me..."

As Stussy spoke, a thought struck him, and his gaze lingered on Buggy's face for a few more seconds.

Buggy said, "Let me hitch a ride on your ship to the Totto Land."

Stussy's pupils widened slightly, but she quickly concealed the surprise in her eyes, her expression becoming hesitant. "But I can't bear the consequences of bringing outsiders to a tea party so rashly."

"No one else will know that you took me there, you can rest assured."

"But... but..." Stussy's hesitant expression was half genuine and half feigned. As a member of the World Government, although she hoped to cause trouble for Big Mom, she was also worried that if Buggy's whereabouts were exposed, it would implicate her.

"I'm going alone. Your merchant ship should be exempt from inspection. I'll disembark immediately once we land and won't implicate you."

"What!"

Stussy couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, quickly coughing twice to cover his embarrassment, thinking to himself, "What exactly does he want to do! Is he just going to intrude into the enemy territory of the Totto Land alone?!"

Finally, persuaded by Buggy and offered land to build an entertainment venue as a bargaining chip, Stussy "reluctantly" agreed.

After Stussy left, Lilina came in and asked worriedly, "Buggy, are you really going to venture into the territory of Four Emperors yourself?"

"I'm not going to go alone; I'm going to cause a huge ruckus." Buggy's eyes gleamed. "For the past six months, Charlotte Linlin has been sending people to attack my territory. She thinks I can just defend myself? I can't do that. Besides, attacking Blackbeard would require a lot of manpower, and I'm afraid she'll make a move then. So, it's necessary to make her think twice before she dares to mess with me again. She'll have to consider the pros and cons before she dares to provoke me again."

Lilina fell silent for a moment.

"Don't worry about me, I don't fight unprepared battles."

After Buggy finished speaking, he added, "By the way, you're in charge of conquering the three chain-like islands next to the Festival Island and developing the uninhabited island."

After giving various instructions, Buggy dialed a Den Den Mushi), Inuarashi answered the phone.

Buggy inquired about the current situation in Wano Country, and Inuarashi gave a brief overview. With the help of the Revolutionary Army, Kozuki Oden was advancing rapidly, pushing the battle line northward and creating a suppressive force. However, the Genji clan had a solid foundation and was allied with the Izumo Society. Although they were suffering repeated defeats, they still had the power to resist.

Buggy said, "Inuarashi, I have a favor to ask you."

Inuarashi accepted Buggy's kindness and said, "The battle situation isn't too urgent right now, so I can do things for you, but I need to get Kozuki's permission first."

"Since the battle situation isn't urgent, and Kozuki won't refuse me, then I'll speak first."

Buggy said, "I need you to act as my lobbyist and persuade someone to ally with me. If you were to do it, the success rate would be much higher."

"Who..."

"Red-Haired Shanks."