It caught Crocodile completely off guard. His eyes nearly turned green with envy. God knew how Gato had stuffed such a huge hunk of grilled meat into his mouth. Even if Crocodile wanted to spit it out, it would have been difficult. He could only slowly chew and swallow the massive piece of meat.
"You bastard! Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Burp, hahahaha! That's more like it. Don't always look so lifeless. Come eat with us. The more you can eat, the better you can fight. Look at Enel—if you don't eat more meat..."
Before Gato could finish, he felt the marketplace-like clamor around him vanish. It was as if he were the only person nearby still speaking.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Gato had no idea what was going on. He looked around, only to discover that every passerby was staring at their group.
Crocodile was utterly helpless. How had he ended up with such a pig-headed teammate? Why else did they think he had avoided joining in the fun?
Crocodile was a well-known figure in Alabasta. It was easy for others to recognize him. Earlier, he had worn a common desert headscarf and face covering that concealed most of his face, so no one had recognized him at first. But after that commotion just now, everything had already been exposed.
And they were making such a racket. Of course they would draw attention. It was only natural that Crocodile would be discovered.
"Th-That's Crocodile!"
"Damn it, didn't he already set sail again? Why has he come back here?"
"Just as I thought—he still has designs on Alabasta. That damned pirate!"
"Don't let him get away! Go notify Lady Vivi first!"
"Right!"
Seeing that things had already come to this, Crocodile said nothing. He simply sat down beside Gato and