The desert night was bitterly cold. Howling wind whistled through the gaps in the crumbling buildings, wailing like ghosts. In a basement deep inside the workshop, a few Lamp Dials gave off a faint glow, barely illuminating the temporary hideout.
Zhou Yu, Ma Chao, Princess Vivi, and Sand Fox sat around a crude stone table. Spread across it were the files and plans they had brought back from Crocodile's secret chamber, along with the vial of blood that had drained the color from Vivi's face.
"That beast..." Vivi clenched her fists, her nails almost digging into her palms. Looking at the sample of her own blood, she felt not only anger but a bone-deep fear-Crocodile had collected such a precise sample without her knowing a thing. It meant her infiltration of Baroque Works had been exposed long ago.
"Your Highness, please remain calm." Zhou Yu pushed a file toward Vivi, gently waving his feather fan. "Crocodile's methods are indeed vile, but they also reveal his urgency. He needs royal blood to unlock certain mechanisms in the Funerary Temple. That proves his search for the ancient weapon has reached its final stage, forcing him to take desperate risks."
"For that very reason," Zhou Yu continued gravely, "the evidence we obtained is far more important than we imagined. It is not merely proof of Crocodile's personal crimes, but crucial intelligence concerning the safety of the entire world. We must report it to your King Cobra immediately."
"Then when do we leave for Alubarna?" Vivi asked urgently. "Father must be frantic by now. Crocodile opening the Funerary Temple is bound to trigger a chain reaction. I'm afraid even Alubarna may no longer be safe."
Sand Fox spoke in a low voice beside her. "Her Highness is right. Half an hour ago, my informants