Chapter 87: Perfect Plan!
Behind him stood a man with slicked-back hair, a long, horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose, and an earring in his right ear.
This man's left hand was missing, replaced by a golden hook. He wore a black fur coat over an orange plaid long-sleeved vest, bit down on a cigar, and looked down upon the crowd.
Any citizen of Arabasta would recognize him – the hero of Arabasta, the object of everyone's adoration.
"Lord Crocodile!" the surrounding dancers called out with respectful awe.
Marika paused slightly, then smiled, "Ara, quite the big shot."
"I heard someone was causing trouble in Nanohana. I thought it was just some small-time pirate…"
Crocodile exhaled smoke, sat down in the chair next to Sag, poured wine from the bottle in his right hand into a wooden wine cup, put the bottle down, picked up the cup with his only intact hand, took a sip, and said:
"What do you plan to do in Arabasta, Norton Sag?"
Crunch!
Sag finished chewing the entire huge piece of bone-in meat, swallowed it, and carelessly reached over to take back the wine bottle Crocodile had taken. He tilted it directly to his mouth, drank the remaining liquid, and slammed the bottle heavily onto the table with a bang.
"Serve wine! Don't just stand there dazed! I paid good money for this!"
"Yes, yes!" The dancers, after a moment's pause, quickly went to the nearby wine boxes to fetch new bottles.
Only then did Sag turn his gaze towards Crocodile, grinning fiercely. "If you're here to join the party, I'm quite welcoming…"
Crocodile didn't speak, just stared intently at Sag for a while. The latter met his gaze nonchalantly. After staring at each other for a long moment, Crocodile threw his head back and let out a series of modulated laughs:
"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Are newcomers nowadays this arrogant?"
Sag waited for the dancers to serve more wine. After his cup was filled, he finally raised it towards Crocodile and smiled, "Weren't you also a newcomer once?"
Hearing this, Crocodile's gaze darkened, but he still raised his cup and clinked it with Sag's. "Arabasta doesn't welcome you."
"What proper country welcomes pirates?" Sag chuckled.
"Well, as long as you don't cause trouble here, I'll turn a blind eye."
Crocodile put down his wine cup, swept his gaze over the crowd, and said, "Arabasta is very chaotic recently. It's best not to run around randomly…"
Whoosh!
Just as his words fell, his body dissolved into a stream of floating sand, disappearing from before everyone.
"Another Logia type?" Renettia looked at the seat where Crocodile had disappeared and pursed her lips. "So annoying. What did he come here for?"
"He's the Shichibukai here. Of course, he has the duty to stop pirates. What else could he come for? Naturally, to strike down pirates," Sag shrugged.
"Shichibukai?" Renettia tilted her small head, and Lily beside her also showed a probing look.
One was young and hadn't heard much; the other simply didn't know at all.
"Ōka Shichibukai (Warlords of the Sea)," Marika explained. "Along with Marine HQ and the Four Emperors, they are known as the Three Great Powers of the Grand Line. Every guy serving as a Shichibukai is extremely strong. They possess the qualification for legal plunder, but correspondingly, they are responsible for dealing with pirates like us."
"Robbery…" Renettia was somewhat stunned. "Can still be legal?"
"Yes, you won't be pursued by the Marines," Marika smiled.
"Seems very powerful, Sag. Was that Crocodile afraid of you? He came but didn't even make a move. If we defeat him, can we also become Shichibukai? That way, if you rob kings, the Marines can't manage you," Renettia's eyes lit up.
"There should be restrictions," Lily analyzed. "After all, the king is affiliated with the World Government. If he could be robbed, that Crocodile should be the king of Arabasta now. But I heard the king here is called Cobra, not him."
"They're employed by the World Government. Robbing a World Government member nation? Are they idle enough to shoot themselves in the foot?"
Sag rolled his eyes. "Don't even think about it. I can't become a Shichibukai. As for that crocodile, he wouldn't be afraid of people. These famous Logia users don't take anyone seriously…"
Him, a Shichibukai?
With his bounty, plus Nico Robin's wanted poster found on the warship mixed in with his, the facts were already clear. Someone had already linked him to the Ohara incident; it had probably been investigated.
Sag never doubted the World Government's intelligence capabilities. Besides, he was still young back then and had no chance to hide. If they traced things back from the beginning, it would be easy to find out.
If they investigated clearly, the World Government would have to be crazy to choose him as a Shichibukai.
Even if he, Sag, was illiterate.
…
Outside Nanohana, in the moonlit desert, a cluster of wind and sand quickly blew over, reforming on the spot into Crocodile's shape.
Nearby, two giant crocodiles waited.
Beside one crocodile, a woman wearing a white hat and a white coat, revealing a cool purple bra underneath, said with surprise, "I thought a fight would break out."
"Unnecessary," Crocodile bit his cigar and exhaled smoke. "Now is not the time to clash with that man. Our plan is right before us; there can be no changes."
The woman glanced towards the city. "'Fire Fist' Ace reportedly clashed with him here. Him staying here means Fire Fist left. Truly a terrifying man. Rumor has it he likes robbing kings. I wonder if he's interested in Arabasta."
"Isn't that perfect?" A corner of Crocodile's mouth curved up. He looked up at the bright moon. "I was just thinking, the reason for Cobra and the rebel army disappearing together in Alubarna might not be enough. Now there's another layer: Natural Disaster Sag robs Alubarna, detonates the bomb, taking the soldiers with him to heaven, while we become the true 'heroes' of Arabasta…"
"It's better if he's interested. If he's not interested, it doesn't hinder us either. Norton Sag is not a threat, no matter what…"
He spread his hand, reaching towards the moon. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! My plan is perfect!"
"Ho-hahahaha! I have a perfect plan!"
Back at the party, with food and drink consumed, Sag ignored the still-reveling pirates, took the three women plus Gin to the upper-level rooms, plopped down onto a chair, laughed a few times, and then addressed the group:
"I don't know if the other Shichibukai have money, but Crocodile definitely has a lot. We'll rob him first, then turn to the Arabasta capital, Alubarna, loot the royal palace, and leave! This plan is perfect!"
Where is it perfect… Isn't this just crude robbery?
Lily pursed her lips, saying nothing.
The other two also remained silent.
Gin, however, clenched his fists and said excitedly, "Captain Sag! Please give the order! No matter what the command, I will definitely complete it!"
Lily walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, looked down from the height at the desert bathed in silver moonlight, and said, "When I was shopping, I gathered some intelligence. Arabasta is currently in a civil war. Are we going to take advantage of the civil war to rob?"
"Exactly!"
Sag gave her an 'you understand me' look, took out a cigar from his pocket, sniffed it under his nose, bit it, smoothly took out a lighter, lit it, exhaled smoke, and said:
"The city where Crocodile is located is called 'Rainbase,' known as the 'City of Dreams.' It's a gambling city. Where there's gambling, there will be large amounts of money. This city is worth robbing!"
"After robbing Rainbase, we'll go to Alubarna again and rob the royal palace!"
The appearance of Straw Hat Boy, letting him see that blue-haired woman, plus the appearance of Crocodile, finally made him remember some things.
That blue-haired girl seemed to be the princess of this country. Coupled with the Straw Hat crew's involvement, that meant…
Crocodile was going to lose.
Although Sag found it incredible – the moment this man appeared, he felt he wasn't easy to get along with. Under the perception of Kenbunshoku, this guy should be somewhat more threatening than Ace.
If he remembered correctly, he ate the Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit), a Logia type, especially in a desert region.
But the fact was, he lost very suddenly. Once he failed, Rainbase would be ownerless. They didn't even need to wait for him to be defeated; they could just go straight over and rob it.
After robbing Rainbase, go to Alubarna again. If he remembered correctly, that would be right when the rebellion erupted. No one would pay attention to them at all.
Although Sag wasn't afraid of either Crocodile or the so-called rebel army, the main purpose was robbery, so fewer complications were better than more.
Just rob!
●●●
● 24 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
● https://www.patreon.com/c/Devmaya
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)