Michael's expression turned strange as he looked at Crocodile.
This... actually worked?
After all, there were many theories about how Crocodile had been blackmailed by the 'Queen of Okama' Ivankov.
The most widespread conspiracy was that Sir Crocodile was originally a woman who had changed genders through Ivankov's power, thus giving Ivankov leverage over him.
There were even wilder claims, like Crocodile hating Whitebeard so much because he was actually Whitebeard's biological daughter, seeking revenge against the father who had never stayed by her or her mother's side...
Michael had only tried using this classic conspiracy to fish for information, but he never expected to hit the jackpot!
Seeing Crocodile's reaction, Michael immediately realized—it was probably true.
In the original manga, the difference in appearance before and after a gender change was massive.
And Crocodile's gender change likely wasn't because he wanted to be a man, but to hide the secret of his true identity.
Oda had dropped many hints about Crocodile's gender issues.
For example, when drawing the childhood versions of the Shichibukai, he deliberately made Crocodile's appearance androgynous.
Or take Chapter 938, where the title was "A Woman's Secret" but the cover featured Crocodile.
And in the illustration for Crocodile's character song, he was riding on the back of a camel, which only carried women.
The more you think about it, the creepier it gets!
Absolutely chilling!
"Crocodile, there's no need to worry. I'm not particularly interested in spreading gossip about others." Michael smiled kindly. "After all, I'm an angel, not some demon. I won't subject you to social death."
With every word Michael spoke, Crocodile inexplicably felt another layer of pressure weighing on him.
Each sentence sounded reassuring, but in reality, every word carried a veiled threat.
Crocodile suddenly felt like crying but had no tears left to shed.
How had he ended up being targeted by someone like this?
"Alright, enough with the act, Crocodile. The look of enduring humiliation in your eyes is a bit too obvious." Michael smirked. "I genuinely have no interest in your past. Instead, I'm more curious about the injuries you've sustained."
"My injuries?" Crocodile dropped the forced, ingratiating smile and sighed, regaining his composure.
"It's nothing major, really. I just happened upon the elusive headquarters of the Cross Guild while at sea. On a whim, I decided to challenge the legendary Dark King Rayleigh, and well..."
Crocodile gestured to his wounds but didn't elaborate further.
Michael nearly burst out laughing.
Challenging Rayleigh in his current state would yield a worse outcome than challenging Whitebeard.
At least with Whitebeard, if you lost, he'd likely spare your life—and if you were strong enough, he might even ask if you wanted to become his son.
But Rayleigh now? He was the leader of the Cross Guild.
Even if he didn't want to kill you, he wouldn't go easy on a challenger like Crocodile.
Maintaining authority and demonstrating absolute power to intimidate others was essential.
And Crocodile, the overconfident fool, had walked right into it, becoming the perfect example to make an example.
"These three wounds do look like Rayleigh's handiwork," Michael mused, stroking his chin.
"Come on, don't sulk. No matter how you look at it, Rayleigh clearly held back, didn't he?"
If Rayleigh in his prime had seriously fought Crocodile in his current stage, Crocodile's grave would already be overgrown with weeds.
But... these three wounds weren't entirely bad for Crocodile.
Though severe, they were far from fatal.
With proper rest, he'd recover just fine.
More importantly, these wounds served as a stark lesson—one that would likely keep Crocodile from getting too full of himself ever again.
Unfortunately, while he might have learned humility, his luck was still abysmal.
He'd just had to run into Michael.
Already severely injured, he'd been caught in the crossfire of Michael's "Starlight Judgment" technique, making his condition even worse.
That was how he'd ended up lying side by side with Hawkeye, both out cold.
"I've explained my situation. What do you plan to do with me? I do have quite a bounty on my head, after all..."
"I couldn't care less about your bounty," Michael said, tilting his head. "Believe me, I originally had a different path planned for you..."
"But now, I've changed my mind."
"You, a man steeped in sin, will from this day forward become a member of the SWORD Secret Special Forces!"
Initially, Michael had intended for Crocodile to become one of his Shichibukai.
Given that he didn't know Crocodile well and considering his pirate background, joining the Shichibukai would have been the best option.
But now, he had grasped the other party's biggest weakness and no longer needed to worry about disobedience.
As mentioned earlier, a sex change would drastically alter one's appearance.
Michael just needed Ivankov to lend a small favor and Crocodile would vanish from this world completely.
And most importantly...
The young Crocodile, obsessed with challenging the strong, meant that despite being a pirate, he had never harmed civilians.
In fact, he had destroyed quite a few pirate crews.
Compared to the ruthless Crocodile from the original story, this version was undoubtedly the epitome of naive stupidity.
But not beyond redemption.
"What the hell? What unit?" Crocodile felt like he was hallucinating, "Are you out of your mind! I'm a pirate! I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"
That's right—this guy's dream...
Was to become the goddamn Pirate King.
Even the original Crocodile had repeatedly emphasized this ambition.
"First, you'll never become Pirate King. Choose: dead pirate or living marine."
"Second, you're not a man."
Michael's two statements hit Crocodile like critical strikes.
So... was he really going from a free-spirited male pirate to a rule-bound female marine?
"Do I... have any other options?"
"Options?" Michael raised an eyebrow, casually sprinkling Holy Light over Crocodile.
"Only the strong have the right to choose."
Beside them, Bellemere's mouth twitched.
What the hell?
Had she just heard correctly?
How had this 81-million-berry bounty pirate suddenly been strong-armed into the Marines by Michael?
Had the world gone completely insane?
"Cro-cha.. Crocodile, I believe you're an intelligent person, aren't you?"
"...It sounds the same, but I swear my name just got distorted in your mouth, you demon marine!"
"I told you, I'm not a demon—I'm an angel."
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