Since the poneglyphs of Alabasta Kingdom have been found. It seems my cooperation with Crocodile should come to an end..." "Then, would you like to work for me in the future?" Sephiroth asked with a smile. If Nico Robin agreed, he planned to have her help him integrate Umbrella Corporation's intelligence network...
This way, it wouldn't delay her search for the poneglyphs, and she could also use her talents to work for him, which could be considered beneficial to both parties. After all, for her to collect the remaining two Road poneglyphs, she would also need an extremely vast intelligence network...
Hearing this, Nico Robin felt a little moved, but she still subconsciously asked in return:
"Aren't you afraid of being targeted by the World Government?" Back then, a large part of the reason Sephiroth didn't take her in was because of the threat from the World Government.
Over the years, Nico Robin had also fully felt how much the World Government wanted to capture her, an Ohara survivor who could read ancient texts! For the past decade or so, she had been investigating the whereabouts of the poneglyphs, and the CP Organization had also been relentlessly pursuing her.
The organizations and forces she had joined would be targeted by the World Government within a year or two and suffer devastating blows... Therefore, Nico Robin also fully realized how troublesome her existence was, so she didn't want to cause trouble for Sephiroth, her benefactor. "Well! If it were ten years ago, I might still be a little wary...
However, the Umbrella Corporation, which I established myself, although it cannot completely defeat the entire World Government yet, it won't be easily defeated either. Therefore, providing you with protection is something I can still do." Hearing these words, Nico Robin couldn't help but show a look of surprise and said:
"Ah! Umbrella Corporation was founded by you!? Isn't its leader Tesoro?"
As a master of information gathering, Nico Robin naturally knew the general structure of Umbrella Corporation and had a relatively rough yet clear understanding of it. However, she never expected that the behemoth that is Umbrella Corporation was actually founded by Sephiroth himself! No wonder he said he wasn't short on money at the time.
As the founder of Umbrella Corporation, how could he possibly lack money...? "Uh!? Tesoro is my subordinate. He is the person I put in charge of the Company on the surface." "I have to say, you've given me so many surprises today... I'm completely dumbfounded!" Nico Robin smiled wryly, covering her forehead with her hand.
As if she had thought of something, she suddenly spoke:
"Then, after you take me in, will you forbid me from searching for and researching the history of the Void Century, like before?" Hearing this, Sephiroth smiled. He raised his right hand, patted her shoulder, and comforted her:
"Don't worry about that! My current goal is to overthrow the World Government and establish a new order.
Do you think I would still hinder your research into the Void Century, which is forbidden by the World Government?" Nico Robin slightly raised her head and looked at his calm and relaxed smiling face. She inexplicably sighed:
"You really are a surprising man... Please take care of me in the future!... Boss!" As for how Crocodile would react after she left Baroque Works...?
Nico Robin didn't think that the useless man, whom Sephiroth almost knocked unconscious with a wine bottle, could do anything to her. At worst, she would just pretend to be weak at that time and beg Sephiroth for help, asking him to hit Crocodile on the forehead with two more wine bottles. Sneaking a laugh.JPG
......... One week later. Alabasta Kingdom, Rainbase.
The private room of Rain Dinners casino shimmered with gilded excess. Around the long mahogany table sat Baroque Works' elite—Mr. 1 Daz Bones in his sleeveless coat, Miss Doublefinger Zala adjusting her glasses, Mr. 2 Bon Clay striking a pose, Mr. 3 Galdino fidgeting with his wax, Miss Goldenweek Marianne sipping tea, Mr. 4 Babe cracking his knuckles, and Miss Merry Christmas Dorophy grinning with rodent-like teeth.
A whirlwind of golden sand coalesced at the table's head. The particles solidified into Crocodile's imposing form, his crocodile-skin coat settling around him as he took a slow drag from his cigar. "I am Mr. 0," he announced, voice like gravel underfoot. "Your true boss. The one who's been pulling your strings all this time." His hollow eyes swept over them, promising violence in every exhaled wisp of smoke.
Seven voices rang out in perfect unison:
"Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile!"
Bon Clay slammed both palms on the table, his painted lips trembling. "I can't believe it! Our boss is a pirate?!"
Crocodile's gaze sharpened. "Problem?" The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.
A week had passed since Nico Robin's betrayal. One phone call—that was all he got. No explanations, no farewells. Just her calm voice informing him she was leaving. The realization that she and Sephiroth had played him festered like an open wound.
First, Mr. 5 destroyed Umbrella Corporation's rain machine. Then Sephiroth waltzed in demanding a hundred billion Berries. And Robin? She delivered the payment and vanished. The timing was too perfect. Crocodile's paranoia, honed by decades of treachery, saw conspiracy in every shadow.
Without Robin's network, his control over Baroque Works' upper echelons frayed. Desperate times called for desperate measures—he summoned them all, revealed his face, and prepared to purge any lingering traces of her influence.
Daz Bones met Crocodile's stare and immediately raised his hands. "No objections here."
"None from me," Doublefinger added smoothly.
"Same," Galdino squeaked.
One by one, the agents voiced their allegiance under Crocodile's withering scrutiny. Survival instincts trumped shock.
"My Utopia Plan is compromised." Crocodile ground his cigar into the table's polished surface. "Umbrella Corporation's interference has undone years of preparation. Which means we escalate—stoke the rebellion hotter, push the royal family to breaking point."
We were originally just one step away from success, but due to those meddling outsiders, everything unravels. Again.