38 The Terrifying Monster Shrouded in Mystery

Two large men walked through the corridors of Marineford's Navy Headquarters. One of them was a muscular man with pink fur coat and distinctive sunglasses, Donquixote Doflamingo. The other was a black-haired man in a formal suit, wearing a black long coat over it, and a golden hook on one arm, Sir Crocodile, the Desert King.

Both were renowned pirates belonging to the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and they had been summoned to the Navy Headquarters for a meeting.

"Heh heh heh... You know, it's quite common for actions to backfire, isn't it? For example, you come early to avoid running into annoying folks at the harbor, but then you end up meeting the most annoying guy right away."

"Agreed. It's the worst way to start. Hey, you flamingo bastard, stay away and don't get in our way."

Doflamingo and Crocodile. These two were somewhat similar yet couldn't stand each other, even among the Seven Warlords.

Both were the type to manipulate things behind the scenes, with Doflamingo being the underworld broker known as the "Joker" and Crocodile being the president of a secret criminal organization. They had had numerous minor clashes in the past.

"Hey, you cowardly crocodile hiding in the first half of the Grand Line, you're speaking quite insolently."

"Hah, is there anything to boast about your location? Your standards are questionable... The important thing is not where it is but how much value it holds."

"Oh, so you believe that country you're obsessed with holds that much value?"

"Do you think I'll kindly tell you that?"

They exchanged sharp glares and tried to provoke each other. If not for this being the Navy Headquarters, one of them would have already made a move. With tense air surrounding them, they continued walking.

Crocodile was currently cautiously working on a plan to use the Revolutionary Army's ideology to incite rebellion and take control of Alabasta. He wanted to keep an eye on the Revolutionary Army's movements and the Navy's responses, hence why he responded to the summons and came here.

Doflamingo, on the other hand, was both the king who ruled Dressrosa and a broker in the underworld. For him, the spread of war, which meant rebellions and revolutions happening in various countries, would be beneficial. Therefore, he wanted to keep a close eye on the movements of the Revolutionary Army and the Navy.

They noticed it before anyone else... As they walked with the tense atmosphere, someone was approaching from the front of the hallway.

A black-suited man with black around his eyes and nose... It was Spandam.

When they saw Spandam walking straight toward them, both Doflamingo and Crocodile made clearly displeased expressions. Not only did they dislike government officials in general, but they were particularly irritated by Spandam's demeanor, who didn't even make way for them and walked confidently.

"Heh heh heh heh... There's quite an uppity dog here."

While laughing with a hint of disdain, Doflamingo raised one hand and made eye contact with Spandam as he walked past.

"..."

Both Doflamingo and Crocodile stopped in their tracks almost simultaneously. They stood still, staring at the empty hallway where Spandam had just walked through. After a moment, with a vein popping on his forehead, Doflamingo muttered:

"...Don't mess with me... Just because I... passed by him..."

"...What... the hell... is he..."

Crocodile spoke, looking as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. His cheeks were sweating.

They had just made eye contact and passed each other. That was all that happened. However, both Doflamingo and Crocodile had envisioned their own death.

"Hey, you damn crocodile. We may not get along, but there are things we can cooperate on... don't you think?"

"Yeah, I was thinking the same. That guy... is way too dangerous. Let's agree to share any information we gather about him, only concerning that bastard."

"...Sure."

Despite realizing that they didn't get along well, they made an instant decision to form a temporary alliance. No, they had no other choice.

The presence of Spandam, who they had just passed by, was so overwhelming that both Doflamingo and Crocodile were in complete agreement that they urgently needed to gather information about that monster.

***

After some time had passed since the meeting at the Navy Headquarters, in one of the bases of the criminal organization Baroque Works, Crocodile approached a woman who was the vice president.

"Miss All Sunday... You've been pursued by the government for a long time, haven't you? Have you ever been chased by CP9?"

"Out of the blue, aren't you? CP9... The government's elite assassination group. I know of them, but I've never been pursued by them."

"I see... Then, do you know a man named Spandam?"

"Spandam?... No, I don't know him. I know of a man named Spandine... Is he related to that person?"

As Crocodile spoke, Miss All Sunday... or rather, Nico Robin, calmly replied. However, her inner feelings were far from calm.

As she had answered, she had never been chased by CP9. However, she still remembered the name of the person who had ordered the Buster Call, which destroyed her homeland, Ohara. She had also tried to gather information about that person.

She was surprised that a name similar to that man's came out of Crocodile's mouth, even though she didn't know if they were related.

"...The current commander of CP9, apparently, the government strictly regulates information about him, so we hardly obtained any information."

"What's the matter with that man?"

"Miss All Sunday... I mean, Nico Robin. We are bound by a business relationship, right?"

"Yes."

While conversing with Robin, Crocodile lit a cigar, took a light puff, and then spoke with a serious expression.

"That's why I'm telling only you. If, hypothetically, that guy Spandam is involved in the incident in Alabasta... I will withdraw from this country."

"What...?"

That statement was unexpected from the bottom of her heart. Crocodile had deciphered the Poneglyph in Alabasta, obtained the ancient weapon Pluton, and had an ambition to create a military nation that could even surpass the government.

For that purpose, he had been carefully preparing, and he was about to execute his plan to steal the trust of the royal family and take the throne as the king, after spending years in meticulous planning.

He had formed a contract with Robin and established the Baroque Works crime organization, all for that ambition.

Despite that, Crocodile declared that he would abandon that ambition if necessary.

"If I already have Pluton in my hands, it's a different story. But if not... even if I'm on the verge of getting Pluton, I will completely withdraw."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, if I die, I won't have any ambitions left. At that time, I'll withdraw and think of the next plan. Regarding our agreement, if Spandam is targeting you, I'll break the agreement and abandon you. Otherwise, the agreement remains valid."

"Is he really that formidable an opponent?"

Crocodile was sincere in his dealings. That's why he informed Robin in advance of the possibility of the agreement being nullified.

In other words, it meant that if Spandam appeared, Crocodile would use all his strength to escape, as if declaring that Spandam was an opponent who would make him give up his pride and ambition. It was proof that Spandam was recognized by Crocodile as someone he had to run away from.

"...I'll tell you this as an apology for possibly unilaterally breaking the agreement, but if you tell anyone, I'll kill you. It happened by chance when I went to the Navy Headquarters. We just passed each other... Just that much, and I was prepared for death. He's at that level of an opponent."

"...?"

Whether she had nothing more to say or not, Robin looked at Crocodile with a serious expression. This conversation would remain in the corner of her heart, and it would be years from now when she faced the person whose name she heard here... Spandam.

***

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