As expected, Crocodile didn't hesitate for long and spoke the truth that was almost impossible to accept:
"That's right!
Just as you all thought!
The person who was so important to me… is none other than your crewmate Nico Robin's mother, Nico Olvia!!!"
"Wh… what!?"
Usopp and the others, unaware of the truth, gasped in shock. Even the usually composed Zoro's face twitched in surprise.
A wave of astonished gazes immediately turned toward Robin.
Robin herself stared wide-eyed, utterly stunned. Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out.
Luffy, slightly pensive, rotated his deep gaze.
Thinking it through carefully in his mind, it made sense.
In the original story, Crocodile indeed trusted Robin deeply.
In Baroque Works, aside from Robin, no one knew his true identity.
He had even revealed all his schemes and plans to her.
Perhaps, at the time, he believed that the daughter of his deceased close friend, sharing a common enemy, would always stand by his side.
But unexpectedly, in the end…
Even with the legendary Ancient Weapon Pluton nearly within reach, Robin suddenly betrayed him!!!
That feeling of betrayal probably reminded Crocodile of past wounds, fueling his anger.
Yet in the end, he poisoned only King Cobra of Arabasta, sparing Robin entirely.
So now, it all made sense.
Robin was, in fact, Crocodile's niece!
Luffy, after processing this, gave a slightly awkward smile.
This should have been a grand reunion scene, yet they had stormed in and beaten up all the elders,
And it had been Robin herself who dealt the blows!
It felt a little hard to justify, morally or logically.
Luckily!
Crocodile had no intention of forming a bond with Luffy's group. Instead, he continued the prior discussion:
"During the time Olvia and I adventured together, we came across many historical records.
With Olvia's knowledge, we organized them into several different fragments."
As he spoke, Crocodile's gaze suddenly shifted to Vivi at the edge of the Starry Sky Pirates' formation. His expression darkened.
Since Crocodile began recounting his story, Vivi had kept a tense face, lost in thought.
Fixing his eyes on her, Crocodile continued:
"As you know, the current World Government was formed from twenty powerful kingdoms united together.
The descendants of these First Twenty are today's World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons."
"Huh?"
Luffy let out a soft, curious hum, wondering why Crocodile had suddenly turned the topic this way.
Crocodile ignored him and continued, his voice low and grave, revealing a secret that could shake the world:
"But!!!"
Crocodile's voice suddenly rose.
"Of the First Twenty that founded the World Government, only nineteen remain in their holy land, Mary Geoise.
Only one family was left in the outside world.
Don't you find that… strange?
If they didn't want to join, why didn't they withdraw from the start?"
Crocodile's eyes zeroed in on Vivi.
His tone sharpened, almost interrogative, as he addressed her:
"What do you think?"
"The so-called 'descendants of the gods,' the Nefertari family… Vivi!?"
Following Crocodile's cue, everyone's attention shifted to Vivi.
The princess immediately shook her head and stepped back two paces.
At that moment, she felt as if she had walked straight into a den of wolves.
Vivi, always distinct from others, looked down, confused, pitiful, and helpless.
Nami, frowning, turned to Crocodile to explain:
"Vivi is just a normal princess. She doesn't know much about these world-level secrets…"
"Hah!"
Crocodile chuckled lightly at Nami's explanation but let Vivi be, returning to the story he knew.
"Nefertari!
The only family that left Mary Geoise eight hundred years ago!"
"And from the information Olvia and I obtained…
The First Twenty never had a family called Nefertari!!!"
"What!? That… that's impossible!!!"
Vivi's face went pale, dark shadows clouding her eyes.
She stumbled backward, shouting in disbelief.
Yet deep down, she realized Crocodile had no reason to lie.
Helpless, she stepped back further, gradually separating herself from the group.
But Crocodile, unmoved, revealed an even harsher truth:
"Through Olvia's analysis, we concluded:
The Nefertari family was merely a subordinate branch of one of the First Twenty.
Back then, the world was in extreme chaos, a dark era!
But!
At the critical moment when that era was ending, the ancestors of Nefertari betrayed their masters!
They secretly assisted the enemies of that family!
And by some unknown means, they completely erased that family from the world…"
A cruel, bloodthirsty look shrouded Crocodile's face as he spoke, his aura pressing down on Vivi, a descendant of the Nefertari line.
"Then…"
Just as Vivi felt she might break under the weight of this revelation,
Luffy suddenly spoke, breaking the oppressive silence and saving Vivi from that terrifying mental crucible.
As always, Luffy's curiosity about pirate history never clouded his judgment.
He would not blame Vivi for the actions of her ancestors.
Her kindness and dedication to her people were genuine.
Even her father, King Cobra, was no different.
As long as the Nefertari family continued ruling Arabasta, the citizens would be happier.
Besides, the Celestial Dragons were hardly righteous to begin with.
Viewed this way, Vivi's ancestors might have actually done a great service!