In the World of One Piece: I Can Copy Any Talent

"Ah! I love you, Lord Crocodile!"

Crocodile had clearly played the part of this country's hero well.

Noil found that surprising.

Crocodile was far more popular in the city than Noil had imagined.

Nearly everyone genuinely loved and admired the pirate from abroad.

A few young women even gave Noil coy, inviting looks.

Too bad Crocodile was a brute who couldn't take a hint...

To maintain his image, Crocodile kept a cold face and ignored the people who saw him as a hero.

The people were used to it.

That was just how the Shichibukai was. He drove away their enemies without a word and never sought their praise!

A true hero!

Wherever Noil went in Rainbase, cheers and fervent gazes followed him.

Amid all that enthusiasm, Noil found "his" property here: the Rain Dinners casino.

Rainbase already looked out of place beside the desert.

But Rain Dinners stood just as far apart from the rest of Rainbase.

The enormous casino even had a forecourt and a rear courtyard.

Expensive jade tiles covered the grounds, and precious water was treated as though it cost nothing.

There were even fish swimming happily in the forecourt.

The casino had an interesting design. Noil crossed a carved stone bridge over the water before he finally saw the entrance to Rain Dinners proper.

Noil pushed the door open. The guards stationed there froze, then respectfully pulled it wider for him.

Once Noil was inside, one guard asked in confusion, "Didn't Lord Crocodile just leave? Why's he back so soon?"

Another guard nodded. "Yeah, and he's changed clothes. Even his Golden Hook is gone."

They had barely exchanged a few words when the patrol captain came over and barked, "Keep your mouths shut! Who are you to talk about him?"

The two immediately fell silent and stood properly at their posts.

Noil stepped into the casino and was nearly dazzled by the decor.

Calling the place magnificent would be no exaggeration.

Gold carvings, gemstones, and other luxuries were everywhere.

Well-dressed men and women, clearly wealthy or influential, crowded around the gambling tables, calling out nonstop.

The scene was lively yet orderly. Compared with an ordinary casino, it felt more like an elegant club for high society.

Noil had only glanced around when a fat man in a black suit and a pencil mustache hurried over.

His fleshy cheeks quivered as he smiled ingratiatingly. "Boss, didn't you say you had business to take care of? Finished already?"

Noil looked him over. He must be the man Crocodile put in charge of the casino.

Speaking in Crocodile's seductive voice, which he had taken on automatically, Noil nodded. "Just a few small matters. They didn't take long."

As though showing concern for a subordinate, Noil gave the manager's shoulder a few vigorous pats.

"Hey, big guy... Your boss has a question for you."

The pats knocked the fat manager off balance. He gritted his teeth against the pain and hurriedly smiled. "You honor me, boss. Just say the word."

Smiling like an old fox, Noil pulled the manager into a corner and asked outright, "Tell me, where do we keep the casino's earnings?"

"Huh?"

The manager shot Noil a suspicious look. How could the boss not know that?

Noil saw the suspicion on his face and put on a stern expression.

"What are you looking at? I've got a thousand things to handle every day. Is it so strange that I forgot one little detail?"

"But..." Before the manager could say more, Noil threw an arm around his plump shoulders.

The force of his grip nearly left the manager unable to breathe.

Then Noil held out a hand. A small sandstorm formed in his palm, blasting the manager's face until he couldn't open his eyes.

His boss's voice grew cold beside his ear.

"Do you think anyone could impersonate me, a Shichibukai?"

The manager shuddered violently.

Of course!

Control over sand was his boss's unique ability. How could anyone copy it?

Struggling to open his sand-filled eyes, the manager pleaded through tears, "Have mercy, boss! I was blind! I made a foolish mistake!"

Only then did Noil withdraw his power. He patted the promising manager with satisfaction. "That's more like it!"

"Now hurry up and take me there."

The manager nodded frantically and led Noil, bowing all the way, into "his" office.

They descended the stairs, and Noil soon entered Crocodile's private domain.

Glass walls lined both sides, with crocodiles swimming in the water behind them. The decor was simple and tasteful, very much Crocodile's style.

The manager led Noil to a wall in the corner of the room.

A huge square safe was set into it.

The manager smiled eagerly. "Here it is, boss."

"You know the combination, right?"

Noil waved a hand casually. "Of course. You can go."

"Yes, sir." The manager closed the door behind him and left the office.

As he walked away, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. But he soon shook his head and cast the thought aside.

The same face and the same ability? What were the odds of that?

With the troublesome manager gone, Noil could finally drop the act.

He pressed Crocodile's face against the wall, Beli signs dancing in his eyes, and grinned foolishly.

"Mine, all mine... Heh, everything Crocodile owns is mine..."

The safe's combination...

Noil certainly didn't have it.

But in a world of pirates, how safe could a safe really be?

Noil slipped his hand into the gap around its door. With a little effort, his whole body turned to fine sand and flowed inside.

Hah!

Come on, who ate a Devil Fruit and still used the front door these days?

Wait!

How was he going to get the money out...?

Meanwhile, Crocodile, who had gone out to catch his quarry, had no idea his home had been robbed.

He had chased in the direction Miss Doublefinger had pointed, moving as fast as he could.

But he had covered nearly half of Alabasta. Why hadn't he seen so much as Noil's shadow?

Had the man vanished into thin air?

Crocodile's patience was gone. Though he stood under the blazing sun, the chill around him was frightening.

"Damn it! Did Miss Doublefinger lie to me?!"

At last, Crocodile gave up the chase and headed back the way he had come.

After another long stretch of travel, a dusty Crocodile returned to Spider Cafe.

He stepped inside. The place was empty.

Crocodile looked around in confusion, and a bad feeling suddenly rose in him.

After searching the cafe, Crocodile finally reached the hidden room.

The first thing he saw was Miss Doublefinger—Paula—unconscious on the floor, stripped bare and looking as though someone had done something to her.

Crocodile's bad feeling grew stronger.

Showing all the tenderness he could muster, Crocodile slapped Paula across the face.

The pain jolted Paula awake. She opened her eyes wide and stared at Crocodile in bewilderment.

"Who are you?" Paula looked at the man with his face covered, then suddenly clutched her chest and screamed.

"Where are my clothes?!"

Her shriek made Crocodile's ears ache. Furious, he seized Paula by the throat and roared, "I'm Mr. 0! What happened here?!"

Her face turning purple, Paula hurried to answer. "Boss... that new recruit... he knocked me out..."

"He... Noil turned into me!"

"What?" Crocodile stared at her in shock. Noil had taken someone else's appearance?

Wasn't that Mr. 2's Devil Fruit ability?

Wait. Could it be?!

Crocodile's face went ashen. His casino!

That damned Noil!

Crocodile had no time to wonder why someone else could use Mr. 2's ability. Only one thought filled his mind.

He would drain that brat who had dared fool him dry and dump him in the desert!!

Paula watched Crocodile storm out. She huddled there, trembling and helpless.

First someone had stripped her naked, and then she had been slapped for no reason...

Was this Crocodile's depravity, or Noil's shamelessness...?

Back at the casino, Noil had infiltrated Crocodile's private vault.

The sight of a whole room full of treasure left Noil utterly entranced.

With a blissful look on his face, he lay among the gold and silver jewelry, tossing a handful of banknotes into the air.

The vault probably held all the casino's profits.

And on top of that, Crocodile had Baroque bringing in money for him.

Just thinking about it made Noil jealous.

As a Shichibukai, Crocodile must have made a fortune every single day.

But Noil couldn't carry away this much treasure...

And judging by the time, Crocodile would probably be back soon.

Noil stared at the roomful of gold, silver, and Beli in frustration. He packed an enormous bag by every means he could think of, but it still held less than a tenth of the total.

Unless...

Noil's eyes gradually lit up, and a sly grin spread across his face.

Taking on Crocodile's imperious appearance once more, Noil reached out and pressed his hand against the vault door.