In truth, Crocodile had never fully settled on how to deal with Cobra and the Nefertari family.
Firstly, it was impossible for him to do it himself, as he was previously unaware of the true relationship between the Nefertari family and Mariejois. In the original story, Crocodile chose to cultivate a 'dark hand' to eliminate the Nefertari family for him. That dark hand was the Alabasta rebel organization. His original plan was to simply wait quietly behind the scenes. He would watch the rebels slaughter the Nefertari family, then he would step out to 'restore order,' suppress the rebels, and subsequently ascend to the throne as a national hero.
This plan went smoothly at first, until he ran into the Straw Hat Pirates. He was crushed by Luffy, the fated protagonist with a cheat code. Not only did he fail to become the Desert King of Alabasta, but he was also sent to Impel Down for 'advanced studies.'
In the current world, Crocodile had prepared a two-pronged approach. One prong was to continue funding the rebels; the funding for the Alabasta rebel organization actually came from Crocodile behind the scenes. The other prong was to leverage the banner of the Revolutionary Army. If the rebels proved incapable, Crocodile would personally intervene, doing it discreetly, and then pin the blame on the Revolutionary Army, the notorious scapegoat organization.
This was why he had previously used the Revolutionary Army's name to covertly cause trouble. He wanted to plant a seed so that the eventual outcome wouldn't be too abrupt.
In Crocodile's view, regardless of whether the Nefertari family was ultimately destroyed by the rebels or the 'Revolutionary Army,' it only mattered that he was not implicated on the surface. If this was handled correctly, once the matter was settled, he didn't believe Mariejois would turn against him for the sake of the dead. In fact, once he became the King of Alabasta, he wouldn't need to fear Mariejois's scrutiny as much.
Clearly, Crocodile was unaware of the true importance of the Nefertari family to Mariejois. At least until the Lineage Factor technology completely met Mariejois's required standards, the Nefertari family was still extremely valuable.
What even Diarmuid didn't know was that, in the original story, even without the appearance of the Straw Hat Pirates, Cobra and Princess Vivi wouldn't have died by Crocodile's hand. Mariejois had already made arrangements to evacuate Cobra and Princess Vivi at the critical moment. They were not as oblivious to the turmoil in Alabasta as they appeared; they were merely borrowing a knife to kill someone—borrowing Crocodile's knife to smoothly dispose of the Nefertari crown. Once Crocodile took Alabasta, it wouldn't be a major issue for Mariejois to deal with him. They had a hundred ways to settle the score.
"Hehehe. I always thought that the Nefertari family's status was a hurdle I couldn't bypass when dealing with them. I never imagined that this seemingly most difficult problem was actually the one I least needed to worry about?" Crocodile smiled wickedly.
At the same time, he felt a faint sense of regret. He regretted not having investigated these secrets earlier, otherwise, he wouldn't have framed the Revolutionary Army. Now, those bastards like Dragon had 'naturally' come to Alabasta to bother him.
But on second thought, if he hadn't done those things in the first place, the situation might have been completely different now. Maybe he didn't need to regret anything?
"That's absolutely right. The Nefertari status is not an obstacle for us," Spandine said softly.
"So, according to the will of the big shots in Mariejois, they want to use my hand to eliminate or kill them?" Crocodile asked after a moment of thought. He roughly understood why Mariejois had sought him out. It wasn't about changing the ruler of Alabasta, but primarily about the Nefertari family. Mariejois was constrained by many factors and couldn't easily dispose of them, just as he cultivated the rebels. They needed him to be the dark hand to deal with the descendants of the Twenty Kings.
However, Spandine shook his head: "On the surface, it only needs to appear that the Nefertari family was destroyed by your hands. In reality, the Nefertari family must be escorted back to Mariejois by me..."
"You're not going to tell me that Mariejois is waiting to welcome them back as Celestial Dragons, are you? Wouldn't that put me in a very awkward position?" Crocodile gave Spandine a sidelong glance.
Seriously? I, Crocodile, do all the hard work to take out the Nefertari family for you, and then they turn around and go back to become Celestial Dragons? What happens to me? Do you think they won't seek revenge?
"Please rest assured, Crocodile-san, that would absolutely never happen..." Spandine stated seriously.
"Do you think there's any basis for mutual trust between us?" Crocodile countered disdainfully.
Nonsense. Crocodile would never believe a verbal guarantee. Just as he was sure to dispose of the rebels once he was done with them, Mariejois would certainly have other plans waiting, but that was a matter for later consideration and counter-strategy. At least for now, he didn't need to worry about it.
"Of course not, which is why I'm very happy to establish a basis for trust between us," Spandine smiled, then beckoned to Who's-Who.
Who's-Who quickly retrieved a document from his pocket and handed it to Crocodile.
Crocodile looked curiously at Who's-Who and Spandine, then took the document and began to read it.
"A wicked royal family that conspires with an evil organization like the Revolutionary Army, attempting to overthrow the authority of the World Government—even with the bloodline of the Twenty Kings, how could they possibly regain their status as noble Celestial Dragons?" Spandine smiled wickedly.
Crocodile quickly closed the document, which was only two or three pages long. It was clearly the 'trust' Spandine was offering, containing 'solid evidence' that the Revolutionary Army and the Nefertari family were conspiring.
Of course, this was only 'solid evidence' on the surface. As to whether it contained any outright fabrication... Crocodile could tell just by reading it that it was mostly fabrication. For example, it mentioned the Nefertari family funding the Revolutionary Army to burn Mariejois, and providing them with funds and the city defense blueprints of Mariejois.
This was clearly slander. When Mariejois caught fire, Crocodile, the esteemed Sir, was having tea with Cobra. He was certain Cobra did not do any of those things.
But it didn't matter. As long as the Nefertari family fell, no one would speak up for them, and this document, stamped with Mariejois's official seal, would be the most authoritative evidence.
Moreover, while Crocodile was suspicious of the document's contents, he also genuinely didn't believe the Nefertari family would regain their status as Celestial Dragons. That was unrealistic. Mariejois's power structure was already very well-established. Adding another Celestial Dragon family wouldn't be a simple matter. Furthermore, there was significant animosity between them.
So he believed that if Cobra were truly taken to Mariejois, his fate wouldn't be good. He only needed this document for peace of mind, as an insurance policy. It was also the first step in building trust with Spandine.
"Barely acceptable," Crocodile commented. Then, he looked at Spandine and asked: "So, once I've done this dirty work for Mariejois, what reward will I receive?"
"Speaking of which, Crocodile-san has been gradually cleaning up his image over the years. Although you wear the mantle of the Warlord of the Sea, a pirate, you haven't plundered at sea in a long time. At the same time, you are strictly cracking down on piracy within Alabasta. I want to confirm first, do you still intend to continue being a pirate after this?" Spandine asked softly.
Crocodile was silent for a moment, then said: "If one can be a king, who would want to be a pirate?"
It sounded like he didn't plan to continue his wicked life as a pirate afterward. But in reality, Crocodile wasn't telling the truth. His intention in usurping Alabasta was merely to gain the support of Alabasta's vast military power, along with the Ancient Weapon, and massive amounts of funds and resources. With these in hand, Crocodile believed he could develop well and completely penetrate the New World, and crush that bastard Whitebeard! At that point, he could use Alabasta as a base to attempt to conquer the New World, or even the entire world. Being a mere king could not satisfy his ambition.
But why tell Spandine any of this?
Spandine glanced at Crocodile and proceeded as if he had spoken the truth, saying: "Since you have this intention, Mariejois promises that as long as you can seize the throne of Alabasta in a reasonable, legal, and popularly supported manner, the World Government will recognize your status and allow Alabasta to retain its affiliate nation rights. Furthermore, for five years, you will not be required to pay Heavenly Tribute in full."
After a slight pause, Spandine stated firmly: "That is the sincerity and bargaining chip offered by Mariejois."
"Do you have anything like this?" Crocodile asked, raising the document he held earlier.
Spandine laughed and waved his hand: "How could such a transaction have paper documentation?"
"That's truly unsettling..." Crocodile muttered.
Spandine didn't speak, he just watched Crocodile.
After a long time, Crocodile finally said: "However, it does not conflict with my objectives... I will tentatively trust you this one time..."
Spandine's expression remained unsurprised. It truly wasn't surprising, after all. Even without this promise, would Crocodile not have moved against the Nefertari family? Would he not have attempted to seize the kingship of Alabasta? No, he would have done so anyway.
So, the answer was obvious from the start. Now, there were just some additional 'safeguards' and 'benefits.' If they materialized, he, Crocodile, would profit immensely. But even if they didn't, he wouldn't lose anything.
After all, he, Crocodile, had never banked on becoming the true Desert King easily!
"Then, a successful partnership?" Spandine stood up and smiled at Crocodile. He was about to extend his hand for a handshake but suddenly realized something and pulled his hand back.
"Does my hook not meet your aesthetic standards?" Crocodile jested.
"No, I was just afraid of turning into a dried corpse," Spandine said with a laugh.
"Hehehe. Your attitude doesn't suggest fear," Crocodile chuckled. Then, before Spandine could speak, he replied: "A successful partnership."
After establishing the terms of cooperation, Spandine did not leave immediately. Instead, both sides engaged in a more detailed discussion regarding their respective intelligence. Robin also participated nearby.
The Revolutionary Army and the Nefertari family. The Warlord of the Sea and the CP Agency. The contest and confrontation between the various forces in Alabasta had finally begun in earnest...
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