"Heh heh heh heh! Not bad. No wonder Dragon trusts you enough to give you such an important job."
A bald man appeared before them, his voice sharp and raspy. He was middle-aged and gaunt, with a head shaved so clean that even his eyebrows were gone. Though he could speak, clear stitch marks ran across his lips, as if someone had once sewn them shut.
At the sight of him, Sabo drew a sharp breath. "Atalante! Wasn't he brainwashed into an idiot?!"
"Oh? So that's him?"
Crocodile had heard the name. During the Straw Hat Pirates' battle at Enies Lobby, Atalante had been the one who tried to seize the Pluton Blueprints at the end. Later, during the upheaval in the Marines, he had helped Aokiji kill Sakazuki.
With him here, the situation was clear.
"So it wasn't the Five Elders who kidnapped Vegapunk after all. It was Xin Luo!" Crocodile said. Then he turned to Sabo. "You said he'd become an idiot? He doesn't look like one now."
"I don't understand it either. But our spies in the Marines and the World Government all confirmed it. After the trouble with the Pluton Blueprints, Caro held Atalante responsible and interrogated him. After that, he became an idiot—a puppet with no will of his own!"
Something was wrong here.
Sabo frowned deeply and said to Crocodile, "Supreme Commander, I'll test him first. Sorry for the trouble, but please protect Vegapunk!"
In a battle at this level, the people Sabo had brought and the Undead Soldiers arriving one after another would be of no use.
"Mm. Do as you like," Crocodile said flatly.
Sabo fell silent.
"What, you think you can beat me on your own?"
As Sabo drew closer, Atalante let out a cold chuckle. "You don't know your place,