"So what do we do?" Zephyr asked with a frown. They had already settled on the Sand Crocodile as their target, but Moria's sudden interference had put them on the defensive.
"Well..." Loa rested a hand on his chin and considered the problem. Moria's sudden departure from the Florian Triangle had caught him off guard. But they couldn't just let him keep up his brazen pursuit, either.
Jones couldn't be exposed yet. That could only happen after Loa had finished putting his plans in place. By then, even if the World Government came after him, he would have a fallback that would let him evade pursuit and live openly.
The more Loa thought about it, the more it seemed that keeping Jones hidden served his interests best. He collected himself and said to Zephyr, "The Navy must already know Moria has left the Florian Triangle. If this keeps up, Jones could be exposed ahead of schedule."
"Have Jones avoid him for now. I'll see what Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the others decide. If I get the chance, I'll deal with Moria myself."
How many years had Moria spent in the Florian Triangle? Sengoku was bound to send someone to investigate and keep watch now that he had suddenly left.
Unless the assignment went to some other bored officer with time on his hands, it would probably land on Loa.
Zephyr understood that too. "That works. I'm tracking a merchant ship bound for Alabasta right now, so I can't get away anytime soon. If you don't get the chance, let Jones handle him himself."
They exchanged a few more words on the matter, then spent the rest of their time discussing the specifics of taking down the Sand Crocodile.
Meanwhile, beneath Rain Dinners, the casino in Alabasta's capital, Crocodile felt an