Beneath Rain Dinners, in a conference room most guests would never know existed, Mr. 1 through Mr. 4 had all gathered, along with their respective partners. Each officer agent sat at the long table, their expressions ranging from suspicious to outright hostile.
Robin presided over the meeting from the head of the table. But compared to how things should have gone according to the original plan, the situation had already deviated.
She studied the seven people before her, cataloging each of their reactions with the analytical eye she'd developed over years of survival in the underworld.
Earlier, she'd laughed at Crocodile's predicament. It had been amusing. But now that she was the one stuck cleaning up this mess, the humor had evaporated pretty damn quick.
In the original plan, she would have merely opened this meeting as a formality, laying the groundwork before Crocodile himself took center stage to explain the next phase of operations. Her role would have been minimal: introduce the topic, then step aside and let the Warlord handle the details.
But that script had been thrown out the window.
Now, because of the public opinion war, Crocodile had chosen to remain hidden. Which left Robin, who'd always been more comfortable as an intermediary than a leader, to explain Baroque Works' true ideals to a room full of increasingly skeptical agents.
And as someone who made a living reading people, she could already tell this was going to be a disaster.
She didn't need to be a mind reader to see the writing on the wall. Even if she laid out the entire plan in detail, it wouldn't matter. The damage had already been done.
Bon Kurei wore an expression of suspicion.
Mr. 3 sat with forced calm, fingers drumming against his coffee cup. For someone who prided himself on composure, his constant scanning of the room was a dead giveaway.
Then there was Miss Merry Christmas, Mr. 4's partner. The normally chattering old woman hadn't said a word since arriving. Instead, she fidgeted in her seat, wringing her hands and shooting nervous glances at the others.
The only agents who seemed stable were Mr. 1 and his partner Miss Doublefinger. But that was hardly surprising, Robin had long suspected those two had figured out who their real boss was.
She took a breath and began. "Thank you for responding to this urgent summons. I'm sure you've all guessed why you're here. It concerns the entirety of Baroque Works' Utopia Plan, and the true nature of—"
"Miss All Sunday," Bon Kurei interrupted. Gone was his typical flamboyant tone. "At a time like this, you're really the one explaining things? When exactly is our dear Boss going to meet us face to face?"
Robin glanced at him before spreading her hands. "My task is simply to inform you all of the Utopia Plan. As for when Mr. 0 chooses to reveal himself, that decision is his alone to make."
The others exchanged looks. Some skeptical, some resigned, all uncertain.
Once upon a time, Baroque Works had been an organization with a compelling vision, or at least, that's what they'd all been told. They were going to create Utopia by liberating the first half of the Grand Line from pirates' control. Sure, they had to get their hands dirty sometimes, but it was all for the greater good. Kill a few to save thousands. Standard revolutionary logic.
But ever since Vivi had publicly connected Baroque Works to Arabasta's corrupt old nobility, the entire organization had started to fracture.
Of course, if Mr. 0 had appeared immediately to stabilize morale and provide clear direction, it might not have been such a problem.
But he hadn't.
And now, after everyone had been summoned to Rain Dinners, they had begun to harbor suspicions.
After all, who was the most powerful figure in Rainbase?
Crocodile.
A pirate. Sure, he was a Warlord of the Sea, technically on the World Government's side. But a pirate was still a pirate, and everyone knew the rumors about how he'd established his power base here. The casino itself was a place where nobles came to piss away their citizens' tax money.
Robin watched the tension in the room ease slightly. She knew she had to seize this moment before doubt turned into rebellion.
She began outlining the full Utopia Plan, building on what they'd all been told before but expanding it significantly. The ultimate goal wasn't just about cleaning up pirates, it was about establishing an independent nation on the Grand Line.
A nation that didn't answer to the World Government or the Marines.
A nation backed by a weapon capable of destroying an entire island with a single strike.
"With that kind of military power, we wouldn't need to fear the World Government or the Marines. We'd be beyond the reach of the Four Emperors. Only then could Utopia truly become Utopia, a place where people are free to live without oppression."
The seven agents had varying reactions to this revelation.
Bon Kurei's eyes went wide. Clearly, he didn't believe such a weapon could exist. The whole thing sounded like a fairy tale to him.
Mr. 3 took a long sip of his coffee, then exhaled deeply.
Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas exchanged strange looks.
Robin let out a quiet breath. At least none of them had objected or stormed out. They might not be convinced, but they weren't rebelling either. Given the circumstances, that was probably the best she could hope for.
Her job here was done. Whatever happened next was out of her hands.
---
Hidden behind a one-way mirror in an adjacent room, Crocodile also exhaled with relief. At least his Operation Utopia hadn't been immediately rejected. No one had caused a scene or tried to leave.
When Baroque Works had been branded with the label of "corrupt nobility," he'd felt panic for the first time in years.
The whole point of his revolutionary rhetoric, all that talk about equality and people's rights, had been designed to avoid any association with the aristocracy. He'd wanted to position Baroque Works as the people's champion, not as another tool of the rich.
But then "the will of the people" had manifested in the rebel army. And it had grown completely out of his control.
His pawns no longer followed his commands.
What made it even more incomprehensible was that despite his best efforts to cut off the rebels' food and water supplies, the rebellion had only gotten stronger. In just the past few days, it had swelled to nearly three million people.
Three million.
That was almost a third of Arabasta's entire population.
If this continued, his plan wouldn't just fail, it would collapse before it even began.
And the longer things dragged on, the more his own organization would turn against him. Baroque Works was starting to crumble from within.
After all, the lower-level agents, the Millions and Billions who formed the backbone of his operations, hadn't all joined for money. Many of them had believed in the Utopia Plan. They'd wanted to create something better.
Without that ideological foundation, the entire structure was collapsing.
And it was happening fast.
Many of the Billions had already started defecting in droves. The trend was spreading like a plague. From a force that had once numbered over a million agents, he now had maybe three hundred thousand left. And if you filtered out the ones who were only sticking around out of fear, he probably had a hundred thousand loyal agents at most. Maybe fewer.
All of this in just a matter of days.
The speed of the collapse was so shocking it had left him unable to sleep, pacing his office at all hours, trying to figure out where it had all gone wrong. That was exactly why he hadn't shown himself yet. He had no idea what to say that would fix this mess.
Crocodile finally decided he couldn't hide any longer. He had to face his officer agents, even if he didn't have any good answers.
He stepped out from behind the mirror and entered the room.
But his appearance didn't trigger the reaction he'd expected. No one looked surprised to see him. No one seemed excited or relieved.
They just stared at him in silence.
Robin had watched the entire scene unfold. Her expression remained neutral, but internally she sighed.
How long had it been since Vivi had appeared on the scene? Three days at most?
And in just three days, everything had deteriorated to this point.
She couldn't help but recall the ideas Vivi had been spreading through the rebel army.
And to her own surprise, she felt a faint longing. After all, what was it she truly wished for after living all these years in the shadows of the underworld?
A world that could accept her.
A place where she didn't have to hide.
She'd been drifting since she became a fugitive with a bounty on her head before she'd even reached puberty. If a world like the one Vivi described could exist, a world where people like her weren't hunted for crimes they didn't commit, what choice would she make?
Perhaps there really would be no other choice.
Her obsession with uncovering the lost history was what had sustained her all these years. It was the only thing that gave her a reason to keep surviving when every hand was turned against her.
Because without that obsession, she couldn't understand why Ohara had been destroyed. She couldn't understand why she had to keep running, keep hiding, always fighting just to stay alive.
But now, she'd glimpsed a second path. A path of letting go of that burden.
Yet such a world could never succeed.
Because the World Government would never allow a nation like that to exist. They'd brand it as terrorism, declare it a threat to world peace, and crush it without mercy.
Just like they'd done to Ohara.
Just like they'd labeled the Revolutionary Army as nothing more than criminals and outlaws.
The cycle would continue, no matter how noble the intentions.