The Grand Line, on a battleship.
Inside the cabin, Bullet sat on the sofa eating dessert.
At the desk, Sakazuki placed the two fruits in his hand into a box and sealed it.
He handed it to Karol and said:
"Take it to Punk Hazard, to Vegapunk."
"Give the Shroom-Shroom Fruit to the 'Pacifista.' As for the Munch-Munch Fruit, let him handle it himself."
"He knows exactly what to do with it."
Karol took the two boxes.
"Understood."
Whoosh—
He disappeared instantly...
Sakazuki turned back and picked up the newspaper on the desk.
On the second page, the headline showed Crocodile being completely embraced by the people of Alabasta as their 'hero.'
The photo angle was excellent.
Crocodile's golden hook on his left hand pierced through a pirate, raised high.
On the ground lay scattered, dried corpses, while behind him countless grateful civilians cheered with tears in their eyes.
He really did have a different sort of aura...
Of course... this so-called hero had no official recognition from the state, so technically he was illegal.
But with the entire Alabasta population worshipping Crocodile, even if the royal family had objections, they could only hold their noses and swallow their anger.
Sakazuki sneered lightly.
"Fools..."
Whether he meant one person or all of them... no one knew.
Crash—
He set the newspaper down.
"Let's go, Bullet."
"Find an uninhabited island."
...
Alabasta, Rainbase.
In the lavish Rain Dinners hall, Crocodile tossed a sack of treasure onto the floor.
His men quickly gathered it up and carried it away.
This was the loot from another group of pirates Crocodile had just wiped out.
The surrounding guests looked at him with absolute admiration and a sense of security.
Crocodile waved casually and walked deeper into Rain Dinners.
Clang—
The great doors at the back shut behind him.
Past the doors, Crocodile's expression turned cold.
He headed for the basement—this was his real stronghold.
Passing through the herd of banana gators, he entered a massive office.
Slumping into the boss chair, his face carried a trace of exhaustion.
No wonder... anyone would tire of pretending day after day for decades.
But life had to go on... his goals were still unachieved.
Crocodile pressed a button on the desk. Soon, Robin—already a competent agent—entered the room.
Seeing Crocodile's exhausted face, Robin smirked slightly.
"Playing the hero again, Boss?"
At some point, Robin had developed a hint of slyness in her tone.
Crocodile snorted coldly, suppressing the fatigue in his eyes.
"How is the Baroque Works organization coming along?"
Robin smiled faintly.
"The basic framework is set up."
"But there are still some stubborn elements at Whiskey Peak."
"They refuse to join us but also won't leave."
"Otherwise, in two more months, we could be fully operational."
After all, under Crocodile's secret guidance, the place had become famous in the bounty hunter world.
As long as you were strong enough to claim a spot, the endless stream of pirates from all four seas meant endless money...
Crocodile's face darkened.
"They want the benefits but don't want to give up their freedom? As if things were that easy."
"Ungrateful fools."
He flicked a sheet of paper toward Robin.
On Robin's arm, limb after limb sprouted to catch the fluttering page.
It was full of names—infamous killers and ability users from the underworld.
"This is?"
Crocodile's low voice rumbled.
"These are assassins I want recruited into Baroque Works."
"Each one has a price tag listed. If they join, fine. If not, forget it. Don't cause conflict."
"As for those idiots at Whiskey Peak, I'll handle them myself."
"You're dismissed."
He leaned back in the boss chair, closing his eyes.
Robin nodded and left.
No one knew how much time passed.
Suddenly, Crocodile began laughing maniacally.
"Ha ha ha ha ha."
"So that's how it is..."
"Truly... so stupid..."
"Ha ha ha ha ha!!"
Bloodshot eyes, a twisted smile—it was a terrifying, deranged sight.
He kept replaying Robin's words: "Playing the hero again, Boss?"
Irritated and exhausted, he suddenly remembered when he'd tried to use the people against Sakazuki years ago...
Like a sudden revelation, everything clicked.
Why hadn't Sakazuki cared about public opinion, even crushing him, the so-called 'national hero,' in front of countless civilians?
Because Sakazuki was strong enough. Strong enough to bury all his recklessness beneath overwhelming power.
Strong enough to never care about anyone's opinion.
But him... for the sake of that 'Ancient Weapon,' he'd donned a disguise, becoming the 'hero' he despised.
Day after day, playing the hero, looking at those foolish people—the irritation had piled up, driving him nearly insane, making him want to destroy them all.
To crush those disgusting flies.
To make the foolish masses writhe in suffering, drowning their nation in endless darkness.
"How stupid..."
Crocodile sat up, mocking his own foolish mindset.
Perhaps Sakazuki had viewed the people just like this—
Something to crush effortlessly.
Breaking through the mental barrier of 'playing the hero,' his aura grew stronger.
"Different heights, huh..."
He stared into the distance, expression unreadable.
His entire presence seemed to deepen...
...
The New World, Punk Hazard.
Inside a vast underground chamber.
Karol waited for Vegapunk to arrive.
He wasn't alone.
A little girl stood silently nearby.
Apart from her white hair and dark skin, there was nothing unusual about her—except for how motionless she was, like she wasn't alive.
Late at night, Vegapunk entered through a hidden passage.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Karol smiled.
"Not at all."
"This is from Admiral Sakazuki for you."
Vegapunk accepted the box and opened it.
"I already know."
His eyes lit up at the sight of the Munch-Munch Fruit.
"Excellent. Perfect."
"Such a marvelous fruit."
He didn't yet know how to use it, but just its ability to synthesize memory metals made it priceless.
He carefully stored it away, then picked up the Shroom-Shroom Fruit and looked at Karol.
"The Pacifista I prepared—you've seen it, right?"
Karol froze.
"Don't tell me... it's that little girl?"
Vegapunk nodded.
"Correct. That little girl."
"This is the latest Pacifista."
"No code name yet."
"After all, this is only the prototype."
"And not perfect."
"But she's the best candidate to eat this fruit."
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total