Duke didn't want to meet the crocodile, but the crocodile tried his best to get close to him. On the edge of the port town, he appeared alone in front of Duke and Robin.
"I'm so lucky. I almost missed you two. If you had gotten on the boat and left, I would have been helpless." Crocodile, covered in dust, blocked Duke's way.
"Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, is truly a big shot! I wonder why you stopped us?" Duke frowned slightly. Judging from the other party's appearance, he didn't seem to be looking for trouble.
"Duke, the 'Navy traitor' with a bounty of 800 million berries, you are the real big shot!" Crocodile sneered twice: "Take off your mask! In this border town, no one is worthy of your hiding your identity."
"Oh, I've been seen through!" Duke took off his mask and held it in his hand, and said calmly: "Why, is the great hero of Alabasta here to arrest me?"
"Hero? Hahaha, that's just a crude trick to fool people. Don't worry, I have no intention of making an enemy of you." Crocodile shook his head and looked at the figure beside Duke: "This lady with the mask must be the 'Devil's Child' Nico Robin! The two distinguished guests have come from afar, they should say hello to me, so that I can show my hospitality."
"It's really an honor to be recognized by the Seven Warlords of the Sea at a glance." Robin took off her mask generously. With her captain by her side, she had nothing to worry about.
Judging from the level of performance he showed in the war on the top, his bounty is far more than 81 million berries, at least several times more. Unfortunately, after becoming a Shichibukai, the original wanted order will be abolished and the bounty will never increase, so Crocodile will always have to bear a bounty of less than 100 million.
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"How can you carry such a huge weapon? It must be hidden somewhere in this country." Crocodile smiled coldly: "I have already announced it frankly, but you are pretending to be so. A pirate with a bounty of 800 million is just so magnanimous."
Crocodile said: "I just want to be the Pirate King, I don't need anything else."
"One Piece!"
"Well, think about it! I control all the transportation in this country. Without my approval, no craftsman can come in. Instead of fighting to the death, it's better to benefit each other. After all, there is no conflict of interest between us." Crocodile said proudly. "Sorry! Again, I don't know where Pluto is!"
Crocodile looked fierce and asked sinisterly, "Tell me, why?"
"Whatever you say! You've got the wrong person. I really don't know where Pluto is!" Duke said sincerely.
Robin smiled calmly and took a half step towards Duke: "I think so too."
Crocodile chuckled and said sarcastically, "Bounty... since when did bounty become the standard for measuring strength?"
"There is no 'Pluto'. Can't you see that we have nothing in our hands?" Duke spread his hands, indicating that he had nothing on him except two swords.
"It's you!" Crocodile narrowed his eyes slightly, and his gloomy eyes could not hide the greed: "Nicole Robin, you really found a good backer!"
"Hahahaha... That's right, I wouldn't tell anyone if it was me." Crocodile smiled nervously: "If I guess correctly, you found the 'Pluto', but it was too damaged to start, so you planned to go out to sea to recruit a group of craftsmen. Am I right?"
Crocodile put away his smile upon hearing this and said angrily: "Don't take yourself too seriously. Do you think I'm afraid of your 800 million bounty? If you think so, you are totally wrong. As long as I take control of this country and become the new king, I will find out where Pluto is sooner or later. I just don't want to waste time, otherwise you have no qualifications to cooperate with me at all."
"It sounds good, but we have taken all the benefits. What do you want?" Duke sneered. The crocodile was blinded by greed and even dared to make such a boast to deceive children.
Crocodile's face darkened and he asked in a deep voice: "Is there something wrong with the Nefertari family?"
"The Nefertari family was one of the 20 royal families that created the World Government 800 years ago, but their family refused to move to the Holy Land and chose to stay in their homeland to protect Hades for generations..." Duke slowly said the shocking news: "The Nefertari family is the descendant of the Creator!"
"Although the Nefertari family has given up their identity as celestial dragons and has not become the 'Nefertari Saints', they still bear the heavy responsibility of protecting Hades for generations. If they encounter an accident, many people will be buried with them." Duke looked at Crocodile provocatively: "Mr. Crocodile, do you want to bear the wrath of the World Government?"
Duke was stunned. He didn't expect Crocodile to be so aware. He couldn't help but look up to him: "I didn't expect you to value the title of Pirate King so much!"
How could a man who doesn't even take Whitebeard seriously be afraid of the shitty World Government? In this sea, there are many pirates who are willing to sacrifice everything for their ambitions or dreams. Crocodile, a great hero of his time, would never back down a step because of the World Government. The winner takes all, and he is willing to fight for his ambitions! "Don't cry until you see the coffin! Then you can look for your dream in the yellow sand!" Duke said, and was about to leave with Robin.
"Mr. Crocodile, you came all the way here, are you here to chat?" Crocodile started flirting with his beautiful crew member before he finished his three sentences, and Duke was immediately unhappy. In the original book, these two were partners. Robin worked as Crocodile's secretary for four years. Who would believe that there was no impurity between them and that they were purely a superior-subordinate relationship of mutual benefit?
Crocodile waved his hand, raising a curtain of sand to block the way, and said gloomily: "I didn't say you can leave! Leave Pluto's place, or leave Nico Robin!"
Duke laughed when he heard this: "You think you can control this country? Hahahaha... Mr. Crocodile, you are so naive! Do you know what the Alabasta royal family and the Nefertari family represent?"
"Let's work together!"
Not only Crocodile, but even Robin was shocked to hear that the Nefertari family had a close relationship with the Celestial Dragons. They never expected that the king of this barren desert country, who looked so unremarkable, would have such a great background.
"That incompetent king actually has such a background..." Crocodile's face turned pale, but soon his ambition overwhelmed his fear. He sneered and said, "If I get Pluto, the World Government can't do anything to me. What is there to be afraid of!"
The crocodile raised his hands, and the golden hook drew a terrifying light spot under the scorching sun: "I have secretly controlled this country. I am the underground emperor of this country, and no one can go against me! Whether it is materials, money, scientists, or labor, I can provide as much as you want. After repairing Pluto, we will conquer the world together. Power, status, money...you can take them all, I don't want any of them."
"Of course it's not that simple. We are all knowledgeable people, so I'll be frank. You two came to Alabasta secretly and made a brief appearance in the capital. One of you can decipher historical texts. I know why you came... You have already obtained the ancient weapon 'Pluto', right?" Caloquedal did not hide his desire for Pluto: "Can you share it with me?"
Duke and Robin looked at Crocodile in surprise. This guy had a really big imagination, and his analysis was so logical and clear that no one knew how to refute him.
Duke laughed in anger: "How dare you want my people? How dare you do that? Just based on your 81 million Baileys reward?"
"It seems like you really know nothing!" Duke shook his head and said regretfully, "If I were you, I would never think of targeting the royal family."
What the crocodile said makes sense, bounty does not represent strength!
Crocodile is the first real strong enemy that Luffy encountered after going to sea. When he first appeared, he was domineering and his fruit ability was also terrifying. The fact that he lost to Luffy can only mean that he was unlucky. When a person is unlucky, even drinking cold water will make his teeth ache.
The natural Sand-Sand Fruit can transform itself into sand, ignoring physical attacks. It can also absorb the moisture in rocks or soil to turn it into sand, and manipulate it to create sandstorms. What's more, it can absorb the moisture in the human body and turn the opponent into a mummy.
In terms of ability, Crocodile developed the Sand-Sand Fruit to perfection, and it has considerable attack power in both close and long-range combat.
It's a pity that he slacked off in the later period! He took the wrong path in the pursuit of his ideals and tried to borrow the power of Pluto to ascend to heaven overnight. This was too ridiculous.
(End of this chapter)