A gentle storytelling wind swept across the sand, lifting dust from the ground and forming a small swirling vortex around Crocodile. It dissipated quickly, leaving him standing in the stillness.
Crocodile's eyes deepened, as if recalling memories from a distant past.
For the first time, a rare trace of warmth appeared behind those crocodile-like, ruthless eyes.
"Heh…"
With a long sigh, Crocodile stirred Luffy's curiosity immediately.
Yet, Luffy didn't focus all his attention on Crocodile.
Instead, as the story began, he cast more of his gaze toward his crew, the Starry Sky Pirates, standing behind him.
Luffy's curiosity about the legendary "Pluton" was mild at best.
After all, he wasn't someone who liked to dwell on history or live in the past.
His eyes were always fixed on the future.
But…
Among the Starry Sky Pirates, there was one person whose life was intricately tied to these hidden truths.
Though Robin had already decided, under Luffy's influence, not to seek out the tedious truths of history, her heart still stirred with a complex excitement as the past was unveiled.
After all…
Her homeland, Ohara, had been destroyed because of this Pluton.
Noticing Luffy's glance, Robin smiled faintly, shaking her head gently to indicate that she was fine.
The past was behind her.
Luffy was right, no matter what the truth of history was, it was written by those who came before.
The Starry Sky Pirates would carve a path no one had ever walked, creating a history beyond all predecessors!
So their eyes only needed to look forward.
After a moment of silence, Crocodile began to speak, his voice calm as if recounting a tale:
"That was a long time ago…"
"At that time, I had not yet become a pirate.
I hadn't even considered becoming one…"
Crocodile's words drew the full attention of the Starry Sky Pirates.
After all, given his current achievements and status as a Warlord, no ordinary person without ambition could have reached such heights.
Yet Crocodile, suspected as he was, didn't seem inclined to explain these details. He simply continued his story:
"That year, I met a girl…"
The world fell silent.
Luffy couldn't have imagined that one day, in the pirate world, he would be listening to a Warlord recount a tragic romance!
Crocodile, seemingly oblivious, continued:
"She was kind, always smiling at everyone.
Compared to me, who at the time only wanted a quiet, happy life, she was completely different.
Her heart held a dream far greater than anything I could imagine.
Even knowing that she might never achieve it in her lifetime, she never once thought to give up. She always kept moving forward."
Recalling these sweet memories, a strange, almost wickedly soft smile crept across Crocodile's fierce face:
"To help her achieve her dream, I abandoned my comfort and began a journey with her.
We crossed mountains and rivers, visited countless islands, and had many adventures together.
Then one day, she told me she needed to return home to organize the information she had gathered and share it with her people.
I agreed to wait for her on a secluded, rarely-visited island.
And I waited… for over a year!"
Luffy, though able to roughly guess the story's ending from Crocodile's tone and current state, was still deeply drawn into the tale.
He wished he could grab some popcorn from the Going Merry, set up a chair, and listen carefully as Crocodile recounted his story.
Not just Luffy, the entire Starry Sky Pirates crew was captivated by the Warlord's love story.
Even the inexperienced Chopper and Koby began to tear up, moved by Crocodile's loyalty to love.
Crocodile's expression shifted to a rare, painful sorrow as he continued:
"After a year and a half, she returned as promised, ready to start a new adventure with me.
But when I asked why it had taken her so long… she… she…"
Crocodile raised a hand to cover half of his face, as if trying to shove the despair back inside. He bent forward and roared, fangs bared:
"She said…!!!"
"She had married someone in her hometown… and had a daughter!!!!!!"
A heart-wrenching, almost incomprehensible pain, mixed with long-suppressed tears, filled Crocodile's face.
The atmosphere turned oppressive; no one dared speak.
Everyone waited…
Waiting for Crocodile to emerge from the shadow of that memory.
It didn't take long; Crocodile had already made peace with it.
The tears stopped, though his eyes still flickered with nostalgia as he continued:
"From that day on, I left her and entered the New World.
I felt betrayed.
I couldn't bear it.
And at that time, by chance, I killed the person I used to be, becoming the man I am now."
He clutched his chest; the scar stitching twisted slightly as his lips trembled:
"However…
I never expected that years later, I would hear news of her death on the seas…
She died in her hometown…
With that unfinished, ridiculous dream still in her heart!!!"
His expression erupted into madness.
"Ha ha ha ha ha…"
"What dreams, what truths!!!
In the end, all are ashes beneath absolute power!!!"
"This world!!! Only strength is faithful!!!"
"Driven to despair and madness, I challenged the strongest man alive!
I never intended to win!!!
I sought only death!!!"
"But… that damn Yonko!
Even that much… he wouldn't grant me!!!
I hate him! I hate myself even more!!!
I hate my weak, powerless self for not having the courage to avenge her!"
"After some reflection, I changed my approach!"
"I compiled everything she told me.
Using our research over the years, I searched and finally… found it."
"The legendary Ancient Weapon hidden here, the one that could destroy islands with ease, Pluton!!!"
"I will find that legendary power!
The power we discovered together!"
"I will use that power to make the world feel pain!"
"I will avenge her!!!"
As Crocodile spoke, his fury whipped up the sands into a sharp, hurricane-like storm, releasing the long-suppressed hatred within him.
Buildings around were shredded and flattened by the raging sand.
Yet Luffy did not intervene.
He knew Crocodile would not continue unless he fully unleashed his anger.
After a while, the storm calmed. Crocodile's expression returned to its earlier calmness, though tears of remembrance still glimmered in his eyes.
Looking up, Crocodile's gaze fixed on Robin among the Starry Sky Pirates, and he asked Luffy quietly:
"If I'm not mistaken, that girl behind you… is the wanted Nico Robin, with a bounty of seventy-nine million, right?"
Luffy glanced at Robin, startled by the sudden mention, and then calmly replied to Crocodile:
"Ah… yes…"
"Then… do you know what she bears on her shoulders?"
Crocodile's expression remained unchanged as he asked.
Though Luffy didn't know what he meant, he answered calmly:
"Of course I know."
Crocodile pursed his lips, hesitating as if unsure whether to speak. Finally, he continued:
"Then you should know, if her identity is exposed, the power that will come after you… is incomprehensible!"
"Huh?"
This time, Luffy suddenly laughed.
Seeing Crocodile's fearful look, Luffy's confidence surged, reshaping the very air around them.
BOOM!!!
A breeze erupted from Luffy, flowing outward, not from Haki, but from sheer presence. It altered the direction of the surrounding air.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!"
Crocodile burst into laughter, head thrown back, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
Was it laughter or regret at his own helplessness?
Afterward, Crocodile returned to his heroic composure, radiating a deep confidence as he spoke to Luffy:
"Reliable answer indeed!"
He turned his gaze to Robin again.
Now, fully restored to his Warlord stature, Crocodile spoke not as a coward but with reverence:
"Your eyes… are exactly like hers…"
Pffft!
Luffy internally groaned at the melodrama.
Crocodile's words flashed through his mind:
Pluton…
Unfulfilled dream…
Returning home to bear a daughter… then leaving…
Dying in her hometown…
An enemy impossible to avenge…
Connecting the dots, Luffy realized a terrifying possibility:
Crocodile's old lover… could it be Nico Robin's mother, Nico Olvia?!
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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