Chapter 348: Premeditation
Alabasta, Rainbase.
Compared to most of the drought-stricken kingdom, Rainbase still appeared prosperous.
Rain fell here far more often than in other parts of Alabasta, keeping the city comfortable and lively even beneath the desert sun. To outsiders, a kingdom whose most prosperous cities still received rain should have had little reason to resent its ruler.
That illusion had already shattered.
Once the truth about Dance Powder spread, King Cobra became the target of public anger.
For years, people had believed the rain falling over favored regions was a blessing.
Instead, they were told that Dance Powder, the so-called rain-calling powder, had been used to steal rainfall from elsewhere.
While some regions received water, countless towns had endured more than two years of drought.
Resentment spread quickly.
Even those who had benefited from the rain found it difficult to openly defend the king in front of people who had watched their homes dry up and their families suffer.
On the surface, Alabasta remained standing.
Underneath, cracks were spreading everywhere.
Anyone familiar with politics could see it.
Without some drastic change, the kingdom was already heading toward collapse.
Inside an extravagant room sheltered from the scorching desert sun, a golden hook slowly pulled the curtains closed.
Blocking the sunlight was common in Alabasta.
For the man standing beside the window, however, comfort had little to do with it.
He simply preferred the darkness.
Crocodile stood there with a wineglass in his right hand.
He swirled the red wine slowly, almost elegantly.
The motion contrasted sharply with the golden hook replacing his left hand.
"A beautiful sight."
He looked through the narrowing gap in the curtains.
"This country is almost finished."
A woman stood several steps away.
Dark hair.
Calm eyes.
A faint, unreadable smile.
Nico Robin.
Within Baroque Works, she was known as Miss All Sunday.
Robin glanced toward the city.
"It certainly looks that way."
Crocodile turned toward her.
His smile became unpleasant.
"What's this?"
"Sympathy?"
"Since when did a woman like you bother with that?"
Robin's expression did not change.
"Was that a joke?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"I don't remember you being fond of those."
The atmosphere inside the room cooled.
Crocodile stopped swirling his wine.
He stepped closer.
Only a few paces separated them now.
His golden hook rose.
A faint bluish sheen coated its surface.
Poison.
Robin knew perfectly well what it meant.
She continued smiling.
After several seconds, Crocodile lowered the hook again.
He lifted the glass to his lips.
"I don't joke."
He drank.
"Enough of that."
"What do you have to report?"
"One of the Billions was attacked."
Crocodile looked unimpressed.
"And?"
"There are plenty more where that one came from."
His eyes narrowed.
"If that's all you came here to tell me, you wasted your time, Miss All Sunday."
Robin smiled.
"Of course not, Boss."
"The person responsible was someone you've been looking for."
Crocodile's hand stopped.
"Axel?"
The wine inside his glass trembled.
Then the glass itself began crumbling.
Its surface dried, cracked, and collapsed into sand between his fingers.
Robin watched without surprise.
"What are you going to do?"
"What else?"
Crocodile's expression darkened.
"Find him."
Robin raised an eyebrow.
"Personally?"
That would have been unusual.
Crocodile preferred operating from the shadows.
He assigned tasks, manipulated people, and allowed his subordinates to expose themselves while keeping his own role hidden.
Even if someone openly accused him of controlling Baroque Works, most citizens of Alabasta would have laughed at the idea.
To them, Crocodile was a hero.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea who protected their country from pirates.
That public image was one of his strongest weapons.
Crocodile resembled a desert scorpion hiding beneath the sand.
Patient.
Invisible.
Waiting until the right moment to sting.
"No."
Crocodile rubbed one of the rings on his hand.
"You're going."
Robin's eyebrow rose slightly higher.
She had no desire to provoke Axel.
People with bounties at that level were best avoided unless absolutely necessary.
But Crocodile had not phrased it as a request.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Negotiate."
His voice hardened.
"If that brat has what I'm looking for, get it from him."
"No matter the price."
"And if he refuses..."
Crocodile's eyes narrowed.
"Kill him."
Robin gave him a dry smile.
"I don't think I'm capable of killing him."
She paused.
"And what if he claims he knows nothing?"
The question was reasonable.
Robin still had value to Crocodile because of her ability to read the ancient Poneglyphs.
Axel, however, had no reason to cooperate with either of them.
If anything, Robin could easily imagine him responding to every question with a simple, irritating denial.
Crocodile considered it.
"Handle the negotiation yourself."
"If he refuses to talk, report back to me."
"I'll make other arrangements."
He paused.
"And if he says he doesn't know, treat it as though he truly doesn't know."
Robin nodded.
"Understood."
She appeared obedient.
Crocodile did not mistake that for loyalty.
Robin was useful.
That was all.
He wanted her ability to decipher ancient texts.
She, in turn, was clearly using him for something.
Trust?
Affection?
Loyalty?
Meaningless.
Profit was the only reliable foundation for cooperation.
Crocodile had no illusions about the woman standing before him.
One day, those hidden claws of hers might turn toward him.
He simply intended to make sure that when the time came, he struck first.
Robin spoke again.
"There's another complication."
Crocodile waited.
"Princess Vivi is traveling with Axel."
"That means the chances of our operation being exposed have increased considerably."
Crocodile's expression barely changed.
Robin asked,
"What do you want to do?"
"If Axel refuses us, move Operation Utopia forward."
Robin thought for a moment.
"The Rebel Army isn't fully prepared."
"And Koza, their leader, grew up with Princess Vivi."
Her gaze sharpened.
"If the two of them meet before the operation begins, Vivi may convince him of the truth."
"That could destroy the plan before we finish setting the board."
A breeze stirred inside the room.
The curtains shifted.
Except there was no wind.
Sand flowed around Crocodile's body.
The floor beneath his feet began drying and crumbling.
Nearby decorations lost their moisture and gradually broke apart into grains.
Crocodile smiled.
"Then we help them."
Robin watched him.
"Help them?"
"Imagine it."
Crocodile's voice became almost amused.
"The princess finally reunites with her childhood friend."
"And then..."
His golden hook gleamed.
"Princess Vivi murders the leader of the Rebel Army in the name of restoring peace."
Robin's eyes narrowed.
Crocodile continued,
"What do you think happens after that?"
"The rebels won't care whether they're ready."
"They won't wait."
"They won't negotiate."
"Once their beloved leader is murdered by the supposedly cruel princess of Alabasta..."
His grin widened.
"Rebellion becomes their only choice."
Sand swirled around him.
The elegant room slowly deteriorated at the edges.
Robin stared at him for a moment.
"You really are an excellent villain."
She meant it.
If not for the Poneglyph she sought, she would never have willingly worked with a man this dangerous.
Crocodile looked at her.
"No."
His smile sharpened.
"I'm a pirate."
...
"Is this really a city?"
Crunch.
The dry earth broke beneath Chopper's hooves.
The ground had been deprived of moisture for so long that it had hardened into brittle clumps.
Around him stretched the ruins of a dead settlement.
Vivi's expression grew heavy.
"This is Erumalu."
She looked over the abandoned streets.
"The Green City."
Chopper stared around.
Broken buildings.
Withered plants.
Sand.
Nothing green remained.
"Green City?"
He tilted his head.
"But there isn't anything green here."
Axel glanced at him.
"Obviously."
"It all died."
Chopper's face fell.
Vivi looked into the distance.
"It hasn't rained here for more than two years."
Her voice softened.
The last time she had seen Erumalu, it had not looked anything like this.
Axel noticed the expression on her face.
Then he looked toward Chopper.
"People can't survive long without water."
"Even if the city had large reserves, stored water only lasts so long."
"Months, perhaps."
"But two years?"
He looked across the abandoned streets.
"In a desert, once the water runs out, staying means dying."
"So everyone who could leave had to leave."
Axel looked at Chopper.
"Imagine not drinking anything for three days."
Chopper became thoughtful.
Then he acted it out.
His mouth fell open.
His tongue hung out dramatically.
His eyes rolled upward as he staggered around like someone dying of thirst.
After several seconds, he straightened.
"That would be horrible."
Axel stared at him.
"You could probably become an actor."
"Huh?"
Chopper looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
Axel continued walking.
"Just an observation."
Traveling had become noticeably less boring since Chopper joined them.
Axel was beginning to understand why someone like Luffy surrounded himself with strange companions.
Interesting people made long journeys considerably easier to tolerate.
He glanced toward Wapol.
At some point, the former king had wandered over to one of the half-collapsed buildings.
Crunch.
He bit into the wall.
Chewed.
Then swallowed.
Axel stared for a moment.
From a certain perspective, Wapol really was the perfect omnivore.
Chopper was also looking in that direction.
His attitude toward Wapol had softened slightly during their travels, but he had never forgotten what happened on Drum Island.
Wapol's actions had indirectly contributed to Hiriluk's death.
That was not something Chopper could simply forgive.
Still, right now, Chopper seemed less interested in Wapol than in the ruined structure beside him.
Its collapsed passages and broken walls almost resembled a maze.
Axel noticed immediately.
"Want to go inside?"
Chopper jumped.
His fur puffed up.
"W-What?!"
He shook his head furiously.
"Of course not!"
"I'm not some little kid who wants to play in a place like that!"
His eyes immediately drifted back toward the building.
Axel smiled.
Chopper's mouth and body were apparently having different conversations.
A gust of wind swept through Erumalu.
Woooooo...
Air passed through the hollow ruins.
The sound resembled a distant wail.
Chopper froze.
Every hair on his body stood upright.
Axel looked at him.
"Still want to go play?"
Chopper shook his head so fast his hat nearly came loose.
Vivi sighed.
"Stop teasing him."
She crouched slightly beside Chopper.
"It's only the wind."
"The buildings have been eroded and hollowed out by sand. When air passes through the gaps, it makes that sound."
Chopper relaxed.
"Oh."
As long as it was not a ghost, he could handle it.
He looked around again.
"It sounds like crying."
His ears drooped.
"Like the whole city is crying."
Crunch.
Everyone looked toward Wapol.
He swallowed another mouthful of wall.
"Crying or not, it doesn't taste very good."
Silence.
The solemn atmosphere vanished instantly.
Axel looked at him.
"You really have no idea when to keep your mouth shut."
Wapol ignored him and took another bite.
For a moment, Axel wondered whether his interference with events would still lead Wapol toward the woman he was originally supposed to meet someday.
Then he discarded the pointless thought.
He looked toward Vivi.
"So."
"Where next?"
Vivi considered their route.
"First, I'll send Karoo ahead."
Karoo looked toward her.
"I need Father to know that I returned safely."
"And I need him to know that Crocodile is the one behind everything happening in Alabasta."
Axel frowned slightly.
"Is telling him now really useful?"
Vivi looked at him.
"Alabasta doesn't have anyone capable of dealing with Crocodile directly."
Axel continued,
"If Cobra knows too early and reacts carelessly, Crocodile may notice."
Vivi remained silent for several seconds.
Then she shook her head.
"He still needs to know."
"Knowing the truth is better than knowing nothing."
Her eyes moved across the ruined city.
"Most people still believe Crocodile is Alabasta's hero."
"They would never imagine that the man supposedly protecting this country is the one destroying it."
Axel nodded.
"That's fair."
He paused.
"So what about us?"
Vivi looked at him.
"We're going to the Rebel Army, aren't we?"
Her eyes widened.
"How did you know?"
Axel gave her a flat look.
"Because it's obvious."
Vivi frowned.
"To you, maybe."
"You have evidence now."
Axel continued walking.
"And you want the rebellion stopped before it becomes irreversible."
"Koza leads the Rebel Army."
"You grew up with him."
"So naturally, you're hoping you can convince him."
Vivi stopped.
Axel kept walking for another step before looking back.
Her expression had changed.
Not merely surprise.
Suspicion.
Even a little fear.
How did he know that?
Throughout their journey, Axel had barely had an opportunity to investigate her life.
Yet he knew about Koza.
He knew about Baroque Works.
He knew Crocodile.
He knew far too much.
One possibility surfaced in Vivi's mind.
Baroque Works.
Axel sighed.
"You're wondering whether I'm one of them."
Vivi stiffened.
He had read that too.
"Stop thinking about pointless things."
Axel turned back toward her.
"If I belonged to Baroque Works, I wouldn't waste my time escorting you across the country."
His voice remained matter-of-fact.
"The safest solution would be killing you."
Vivi's expression darkened.
Axel continued anyway.
"Without interference, Alabasta is already headed toward collapse."
"There'd be no reason for me to complicate things."
Vivi fell silent.
His words hurt.
Mostly because they made sense.
After a moment, she looked away.
"I'll prepare Karoo."
Karoo straightened immediately.
Vivi took a breath.
"Once he leaves with the message, we'll head for the Rebel Army."
…..
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Frieren: The Demon Who Learned to Love