Landing on Darwin Island had been yesterday's affair. Today, Igaram and Vivi finally met Robin.
From Miss Sunday's mouth, they learned the truth about the real mastermind behind everything.
Of course—
Igaram and Vivi couldn't help but harbor suspicion: could Ren actually be the true boss of Baroque Works?
After all, the encounter at Whiskey Peak might've been nothing more than an elaborate act. Vivi's identity as a princess could easily have been exploited by their enemies.
But what struck them most was the speed. It was all too fast—unnaturally fast.
Igaram simply couldn't comprehend it. Those high-ranking Baroque Works agents—Devil Fruit users so powerful and terrifying that even imagining defeating them had seemed absurd—had all fallen in a single night of thunder and rain.
And in less than a day, they had unanimously acknowledged Ren as their new boss.
Damn it.He and Princess Vivi had risked their lives for an entire year of undercover work, only to claw their way up to a minor command position.
Yet Ren—this upstart—had somehow become the organization's leader in just about a week.
How could anyone believe that?
Even Vivi herself had doubts at first. If Ren had truly been the Baroque Works boss all along… then this entire "Whiskey Peak operation" might have been an orchestrated ruse—one designed to manipulate them, while Robin steered suspicion toward Crocodile as a convenient scapegoat.
It would all make perfect sense.
After all, Crocodile was the epitome of a hero in the public eye—shining, invincible, larger than life.
If Ren were the true boss, and he intended to eliminate Crocodile without alerting the World Government, such a plan would be essential. Even the Alabasta royal family might have joined forces to take down Crocodile under that pretense.
After seeing Ren's power with their own eyes, even Vivi no longer dared to say such a feat was impossible.
As they wrestled with hesitation, Robin produced the decisive proof.
Video recordings. Audio logs. Fragments of planning documents.
For someone like Robin—who'd long survived in the underworld—collecting blackmail material on her employers was second nature.
Of course…Ren hadn't yet "earned" that particular treatment from her.
This time, Robin came with numerous tasks.
Her current mission: to make Vivi certain that Crocodile was indeed the mastermind behind everything.
Tomorrow morning, she would report back to Crocodile—her former boss.
Crocodile fancied himself in total control of Robin. To maintain plausible deniability, he had always kept his distance from the inner workings of Baroque Works, receiving only reports through her.
That detachment gave Robin the perfect room to maneuver.
Still, neither Ren nor Robin underestimated him.Crocodile might be scheming and arrogant, but he was also a man of sharp intellect and caution.
All they sought was a brief window—a few days at most.
Inertia of thought would delay Crocodile's realization, and by the time he noticed something wrong… it would already be too late.
Tomorrow afternoon, Robin would travel to the capital with Vivi, Igaram, and all the incriminating evidence to meet with King Cobra.
They would also confirm whether the Poneglyph was indeed hidden within the Royal Mausoleum.
Once confirmed, she would copy its contents and deliver them to Ren—as an advance payment to the Revolutionary Army.
The following morning, she would rush to Rainbase to preside over the Baroque Works assembly.
During that period, Ren would also begin his move.
"You can depart now," Robin instructed calmly. "I'll arrange mounts and transport."
Leaving those words, she departed swiftly.
"So… we can return to the capital?"
Igaram and Vivi exchanged glances, then retreated to a cabin aboard the Enlightenment to deliberate.
Now that Crocodile's identity as the culprit was confirmed, their immediate task was to bring that information home.
Naturally, both saw this as good news.
But with good came bad.
For instance—Ten billion Beli.
To an individual, that sum was beyond comprehension.
Even one billion Beli could buy a man's soul, dignity, and life.
But if such a price were demanded of a nation, it didn't sound quite as impossible.
Alabasta was a great kingdom—with an army of six hundred thousand and a population in the tens of millions.
From Ren's point of view, it wasn't an outrageous demand. And from Vivi's perspective, it was even reasonable.
Ten billion Beli, in exchange for peace and stability—for the erasure of a threat to the crown. It was, in its own way, a fair price. After all, money was still just money.
But from Igaram's perspective, that sum might be beyond what the kingdom could bear.
"Do you know about the Celestial Dragons' Heavenly Tribute, Princess?" Igaram said grimly. "To pay it, we must surrender sixty percent of our annual budget."
"We're lucky. Our kingdom is vast, with enough revenue streams to rely mainly on taxation rather than squeezing the people dry. Other nations aren't so fortunate."
"Military and administrative costs take another twenty percent. Ten percent goes to the royal family, and the final ten into the national treasury."
"But after years of drought, the treasury's been bled dry just to keep the people alive. His Majesty Cobra has already begun cutting royal expenditures to fill the gaps."
Igaram sighed deeply.
As captain of the royal guards, he knew more than Vivi ever could. Not because of favoritism, but because the king would never burden his daughter with such worries.
And yet—he had to bring it up now.
Even if Cobra wanted to pay, it wasn't certain he could.
Before leaving the capital, Igaram had already learned that some cities had stopped paying taxes entirely.
One of them was Yuba.
Because of Crocodile's schemes and the use of Dance Powder, the royal family had lost its people's faith.
Yuba was only the beginning. Rumors said a rebel army had already formed.
Vivi was unaware of this.
"Then can we just give up?" she asked firmly, her sapphire eyes locked on Igaram's.
"I'm afraid… we can't."
Igaram smiled bitterly. "Crocodile is an opponent born of despair. They say his enemies are all reduced to sand. Even if we call off the deal now—even if Ren agreed—we'd still have no way to solve this."
"Exactly," Vivi said coldly, tying her pale-blue hair into a high ponytail. "That man—Ren—has clear goals. If we renege after promising payment, he might turn against us. Alabasta cannot afford to make an enemy of another Crocodile."
"He dismantled Baroque Works and subdued it in less than a week. Tell me, Igaram—what chance would we have against such a man?"
"…Then let's just hope His Majesty has enough left in the royal coffers," Igaram murmured.He said no more; after all, he was but a soldier. Matters of state were for the king to decide.
"Don't worry, Igaram. Everything will work out."
Vivi suddenly smiled, patting his shoulder before walking out, hands clasped behind her back.
If the nation truly couldn't afford ten billion Beli…then she had another idea.
After talking with Nojiko, Nami, and even Bonney, Vivi had come to realize something.
Ren wasn't the villain she once thought him to be. In fact, judging by his actions, he was more good than evil.
So she had prepared a plan—for dealing with good men. A plan she would only use when absolutely necessary.
Not until the kingdom's state was clear. Not until Crocodile was dead and Baroque Works destroyed.
Because the cost of that plan—to her—was immense.
Meanwhile, under Robin's precise arrangements, the surviving senior agents had been transferred to Rainbase for recovery. It wasn't luxurious, but for those who had just suffered crushing defeat, it would do.
Soon, the organization would hold a general assembly—where they'd finally meet their true boss.
The dark-haired man who had annihilated them in a single night.
The one who had killed the former Mr. 1 and taken his place—the new Mr. 1: Shura.
Personnel reshuffles were underway. No senior agent dared to be absent.
All they could do was wait for orders.
Outside Rainbase, amidst the endless desert storm, Crocodile had just finished obliterating a band of unlucky pirates when Robin's report came through.
"All dealt with?"
"Yes. But the enemy was strong. Mr. 1 was injured—he's been sent to recover at the usual place."
"Oh?" Crocodile smirked. "Not surprising. After all, they were once defeated by an Emperor."
He took the report, scanned it, and threw it aside with a cold laugh."Pathetic. Flaunting defeat as if it's glory. Trash like that deserves to die."
"A Yonko's defeated challenger? Who isn't, these days?" he sneered, rising to his feet and waving dismissively. "That's all for today. Keep an eye on pirate movements. If anything happens, I want to know immediately."
"The plan is entering its crucial phase. I'll make sure the name of the Desert King drowns out the voices still loyal to Cobra!"
"That man—and his authority—are the true enemies of Baroque Works!"
In Crocodile's mind, this was the real battle.
Alabasta's royal line had long been revered as wise and benevolent kings. Their prestige among the people was immense—too immense.
Unless that faith was shattered, Crocodile could never seize control of the kingdom.
And to rule the nation, to claim Pluton, to maintain it—he needed manpower, infrastructure, obedience.
There was no better way than usurpation.
"Yes, understood." Robin bowed respectfully, but as Crocodile's footsteps faded down the corridor, her gaze hardened.
You're wrong, Crocodile.
The real enemy of Baroque Works… is you.
Her dark-blue eyes shimmered with cold light.
(End of Chapter)