Randall had actually made his position perfectly clear: he wanted Crocodile to sign the contract.
But Crocodile was so used to throwing his weight around that he instinctively tried to seize the initiative without even thinking.
So when he saw the soldiers, his eyes lit up.
He sneered.
"Vice Admiral Randall, you certainly are powerful.
But your soldiers are rather fragile.
In a battle at our level, getting caught up in it would mean certain death for them."
Crocodile thought those words would be enough to hit Randall where it hurt, but Randall's reaction caught him off guard.
Randall did not so much as shift his gaze. Without a trace of tension, he said evenly,
"Oh? Is that so?"
That single "Is that so?" left Crocodile utterly baffled.
Wait, how could you react so calmly?
Crocodile figured that even if Randall was not the sort of superior who cared about his subordinates, he would surely protect them to save face.
But what was this completely indifferent attitude supposed to mean?
Was he genuinely unconcerned, or was he putting on an act to stop Crocodile from pressing the issue? Crocodile could not quite tell.
Then his eyes shifted, and another cold smile appeared on his face.
"Heh, what a fine commanding officer. You don't care whether your subordinates live or die?
I suppose you wouldn't even blink if they died right in front of you.
How naive of me."
The deck was already quiet, and Crocodile deliberately raised his voice as he spoke, so the soldiers heard every word.
But to his disappointment, Crocodile immediately discovered that the soldiers really had not even blinked.
He was baffled again. What was going on now?
Were these soldiers really that ready to face death?
What he did not know was that every soldier