Chapter 36: Hot-blooded

At this time, Crocodile was far from becoming the ruthless "Desert King" that the world would come to fear. He had only recently set out to sea, and somehow, he'd gotten his hands on the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit. Captain John, recognizing the potential in him, had taken Crocodile under his wing, grooming him to be a future right-hand man.

Captain John wasn't wrong in his judgment Crocodile had immense potential. A Logia-type Devil Fruit user, especially in a crew full of seasoned pirates, was a major asset. If trained properly, Crocodile could have become John's most trusted lieutenant.

But right now, the immediate concern was escaping the Marines. John had bigger problems than nurturing Crocodile, and Crocodile's future as his second-in-command was suddenly uncertain.

"Captain, let's fight them head-on!" Crocodile said, full of youthful energy.

Captain John looked at his crew and then, with a fierce grin, declared, "Yeah, we can't let those Marine dogs think they've got us cornered. Even if we die, we'll go down biting! Fight to the death!"

Crocodile, fired up by John's words, shouted, "Yes, captain! Let's show them we're not to be trifled with!"

But John wasn't about to charge into a suicidal battle. He was a cunning man, and he'd long anticipated that they might be forced into a situation like this. He had already made preparations for a secret escape route.

"Of course, we won't just throw our lives away," John said in a low voice, his eyes gleaming with a calculating light. "There's a secret port on this island. We can use a submarine I've hidden there to make our escape."

John was always careful to leave himself an out. In every situation, he made sure he had an escape plan. Here, on this island, was no different. But the submarine was too small to carry everyone. His plan was simple: leave a group of his men behind to act as a distraction while he slipped away with a few chosen ones.

One of the younger crew members perked up. "A secret port? As expected of the captain!" he said, impressed.

"Of course!" John continued, keeping his voice steady. "But we can't just flee without a fight. That would make us look weak. Here's the plan: I'll take a few of you to the submarine while the rest stay behind to hold off the Marines. Once their warships are close enough, we'll attack them from the submarine, cause some chaos, and grab one of their ships to break through their blockade. Afterward, we'll head to East Blue, where I've got a stash of treasure buried. With that treasure, we can rebuild the crew and come back stronger!"

John's plan sounded inspiring, but it was full of holes. If anyone had stopped to think about it for a moment, they would've realized that most of them were being set up to be cannon fodder. Claudius, if he were here, would have seen through the scheme immediately John was setting his crew up as decoys while he made his own escape.

As for the treasure in East Blue? There might have been something there, but more likely than not, John was just spinning tales to keep his crew motivated.

Even Crocodile, who would later become a master of manipulation himself, didn't pick up on the deception. At this point in his life, he was still a hot-blooded teenager, full of idealism and loyalty to his captain.

Perhaps it was this very betrayal that would later shape Crocodile into the ruthless and untrusting man he would become. Maybe it was Captain John's betrayal that taught Crocodile not to place his faith in others.

"In that case, let me lead the charge!" Crocodile declared, eager to prove himself.

Captain John blinked in surprise. He hadn't planned on sending Crocodile to his death just yet Crocodile had too much potential. John had intended to take him along on the submarine and let the others die buying them time. But here was Crocodile, volunteering to lead the suicide mission.

John tried to stop him. "No, Crocodile, you should come with me. I need you at the submarine."

But before John could finish, Crocodile thumped his chest and said, "Captain, do you think I'm weak? I'm a Logia-type Devil Fruit user! It's my job to be at the front lines. I'll draw the Marines' attention and buy you time. Just be sure to move quickly on your end!"

John was at a loss. Crocodile's words made sense Logia users were notoriously hard to kill, and if anyone could buy them time, it would be him. And if John objected too much, the rest of the crew might start to get suspicious. He couldn't afford to reveal his true intentions now.

"Since you're so eager, I can't argue with that," John finally said, patting Crocodile on the shoulder. "Once you've dealt with those Marines, I'll make you my first mate!"

Crocodile's eyes lit up at the promise. "You got it, Captain! I'll do you proud!"

With that, Crocodile rallied a group of the John Pirates' remaining men and led them out of the cave, determined to face the Marines head-on.

As soon as they left, John let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, let's get to the submarine," he muttered to the few remaining men he had chosen to accompany him.

Back at the hot spring hotel, Claudius and his group were gathered in the main room. Nia was looking around in confusion. "Your Highness, where is Mr. Dragon?"

Claudius answered casually, "He said he didn't want the Marines to harm too many civilians, so he's gone to help evacuate people."

Nia was about to ask more questions when Stussy entered the room, holding a transponder snail.

"Did you get through?" Claudius asked, glancing at her.

"No luck," Stussy replied with a frustrated shake of her head. "The entire island's transponder snail signals have been cut off. I tried contacting Marine Headquarters, but they're using encrypted lines. I can't access them."

Claudius had anticipated this. When the Buster Call started, he had immediately ordered Stussy to try to contact the or the World Government to let them know that a Celestial Dragon was on the island. If they knew he was here, they would definitely call off the bombardment. But as expected, the Marines had cut off all communication in the area as soon as the Buster Call was initiated.

It made sense. Even if they were targeting the remnants of the John Pirates, wiping out an entire island, especially a civilian hot spring resort, would be a huge scandal. The Marines didn't want any word of this getting out. Afterward, they could easily blame the destruction on natural disasters Cornillo Island was, after all, a volcanic island. Once the mission was over, they could have someone like Akainu trigger a volcanic eruption to bury the truth, quite literally.

"Well, if we can't contact them, we'll just have to sit tight and wait for the Marines to land. Once they see who I am, they won't dare continue this nonsense," Claudius said with a sigh.

While a Buster Call sounded like the end of the world, Claudius wasn't too worried. As long as he wasn't killed outright by the shelling, his status as a Celestial Dragon would protect him once the Marines realized who they were dealing with. The warships' cannons couldn't hit every part of the island, and the hot spring hotel, nestled on the mountainside, hadn't been affected yet. He figured the bombardment was just to soften the island up before the real operation began Marines would eventually come ashore to clean up.

As expected, before long, Claudius spotted the Marine warships approaching the coastline. Soon after, he saw groups of Marine soldiers disembarking from the ships, led by officers.

Stussy, peering through a telescope, lowered it and said quickly, "It's Admiral Sengoku. I saw him getting off the ship."

"Sengoku, huh?" Claudius murmured. "He really likes to throw around Buster Calls, doesn't he?"

While Claudius watched the Marines, something else caught his eye. A group of rugged-looking men suddenly charged down the mountainside nearby, heading straight for the Marines. It was obvious from their appearance that these were pirates, likely the remnants of Captain John's crew, now making a desperate attempt to fight back.

At first, Claudius didn't pay them much mind. He didn't really care who these pirates were or what crime had earned them a Buster Call. But then, his eyes landed on one particular figure leading the charge a young man who seemed oddly familiar.

"Wait… is that…?" Claudius squinted. "No way, I must be mistaken. That guy looks way too young. He shouldn't have even gone to sea yet…"

Just as Claudius was questioning his own eyes, a burst of yellow sand appeared from the battlefield. A small sandstorm whipped up, tearing through the Marines who had just landed.

Claudius's jaw dropped in shock.

"Holy crap, it is Crocodile!" he exclaimed, recognizing the young pirate now. "What the hell did he do to get the Marines to pull a Buster Call on him?"

Among the group of pirates, Crocodile was still relatively weak compared to the more seasoned crew members, but the flash of his Devil Fruit powers was unmistakable. His abilities, even in their undeveloped state, were already dangerous enough to wreak havoc on the Marines.

In a matter of moments, Claudius saw a Marine Rear Admiral go down, slashed and thrown by the sheer force of the pirates' attack.

"Wow, that's brutal. These aren't your run-of-the-mill pirates, huh?" Claudius muttered to himself. "Makes sense, though. Crocodile wouldn't join just any weak crew. If he's on board, they've got to be pretty strong."

Claudius observed the battle for a few more seconds, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. Then, a grin spread across his face.

"Well, well… looks like fate has brought you to me, Crocodile," Claudius said to himself, chuckling. "You're still so young, caught up with pirates like this? What a waste of talent.

With that, Claudius's form shimmered, turning into a gust of wind as he vanished from the rooftop.

"Your Highness!" Nia called out in a panic as she saw Claudius disappear.