As soon as Spandine finished speaking, Crocodile's expression grew even more gloomy.
"Are you threatening me?" Crocodile said in a deep voice.
A stream of yellow sand overflowed from his body, floating up and down around him. It seemed that in the next instant, he would turn Spandine into a dried corpse if the CP9 Commander displeased him.
Spandine, however, remained completely unfazed and said calmly: "I am merely stating the statutes and regulations of the Warlord of the Sea system. In times of necessity, a Warlord of the Sea must cooperate with Mariejois's actions. I reiterate, I have received the highest authority from Mariejois. Crocodile-san, you should understand what this means. If I submit a reasonable report, something like... you are unwilling to cooperate with Mariejois's operation, then I can immediately strip you of your Warlord of the Sea status!"
After a slight pause, Spandine continued, enduring Crocodile's murderous glare: "If you, Sir, believe you no longer need the identity and standing of a Warlord of the Sea, then you are absolutely free to make a move here. I just wonder if you have the ability to kill every one of us CP9 members in Alabasta without letting the news leak to Mariejois?"
Crocodile stared darkly at Spandine for a long time, then he withdrew his gaze and suddenly laughed heartily.
"Kuhahahahaha! An interesting fellow. Are all your CP agencies filled with people like you? If so, I seriously question how strong the Revolutionary Army has become, managing to grow to this extent under your supervision!" Crocodile asked with a loud laugh.
Spandine also laughed, shaking his head: "It is precisely because I am more excellent than my peers that I was sent to Alabasta, isn't it?"
"A fair point," Crocodile replied, nodding.
Although he didn't explicitly state his intentions, Spandine already understood Crocodile's attitude. This was not unexpected. It was precisely because Spandine was confident from the start about the choice Crocodile would make that he dared to be so audacious.
"Sit," Crocodile said concisely.
Spandine sat down on a sofa in the room without hesitation. Who's-Who stood quietly behind him like a shadow and bodyguard. Nico Robin naturally went to pour a cup of tea for Spandine.
Then, she looked at Crocodile and asked: "Do I need to leave?"
Crocodile was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking.
Spandine noticed this small action and realized something: Nico Robin appeared to be highly trusted by Crocodile, but in reality, that trust was conditional. It wasn't surprising; analysis of Crocodile's character in the CP agencies indicated that, due to his past experiences, he seemed extremely distrustful of everyone else.
After only a brief moment, Crocodile shook his head: "Listen in."
Robin didn't waste any words, she simply nodded, poured herself a cup of tea, and sat quietly on the other sofa, listening to the CP agency's plan.
"As a Warlord of the Sea, I am, of course, happy to serve Mariejois. I merely wanted to see what kind of person was sent here to represent Mariejois's will. Please..." Crocodile paused here.
Spandine naturally filled in: "Spandine, CP9 Chief."
"Yes, please disregard my earlier behavior, Spandine-san," Crocodile followed up.
Spandine smiled and nodded: "We are all working for Mariejois. It's nothing."
Seeing this, Crocodile said no more. Uttering such words was already rare for him.
"So, what do those bigwigs in Mariejois want me to cooperate with you on? Is the plan to eliminate the Revolutionary Army within Alabasta? With all due respect, that won't be easy..." Crocodile asked calmly.
Crocodile assumed the people in Mariejois wouldn't be so brainless as to force such a preposterous mission upon him.
Indeed, Spandine shook his head: "No. The Revolutionary Army is a very troublesome organization, so Mariejois does not harbor the hope of eliminating them in Alabasta in one go. Of course, if the opportunity arises in Alabasta, we won't hesitate to try."
"Then what do you intend to do?" Crocodile nodded and asked again.
"Firstly, of course, is to sabotage the Revolutionary Army's plan and intentions in Alabasta. Currently, we tentatively believe the Revolutionary Army wants to subvert Alabasta's monarchy, or perhaps seize control of Alabasta. I personally lean towards the latter possibility. I even have reason to believe that the Nefertari family has already formed an alliance with the Revolutionary Army," Spandine said.
Crocodile's expression changed, and he frowned slightly, saying in a low voice: "The Revolutionary Army is constantly subverting monarchies and cleaning out nobles worldwide. The Nefertari family is the greatest noble family in Alabasta. They would cooperate with the Revolutionary Army? Would that guy Cobra make such a choice? If he really did cooperate with the Revolutionary Army, his already shaky authority within Alabasta's noble class would instantly collapse!"
"While that sounds incredible, the truth is that Alabasta's problems are far more complex than you imagine. If I may be so bold as to ask, Crocodile-san, have you learned, or do you know, the true bloodline origins of the Nefertari family?" Spandine inquired.
"I have heard that the Nefertari family is one of the descendants of the Twenty Kings. I've always wondered why they, who should reside in Mariejois high above the clouds, ended up like this? However, precisely because I considered their bloodline background, some of the actions I've taken within Alabasta have leaned towards softer measures," Crocodile said slowly.
Had he not sensed that Mariejois seemed to be plotting against the Nefertari family, Crocodile might have feigned ignorance. But now, it seemed unnecessary to conceal anything.
Spandine confirmed that the CP agencies were not siding with the Nefertari family. Spandine explained: "That's right, the Nefertari family is indeed one of the descendants of the Twenty Kings. If they hadn't chosen to leave the Holy Land of Mariejois back then, King Cobra would now be a noble Celestial Dragon, holding certain authority in Mariejois, and wouldn't be reduced to this pathetic state."
"And what happened later?" Crocodile seemed interested in the story of the Twenty Kings as well, and asked.
Spandine continued: "Something unpleasant happened later. The specific reason is beyond my clearance to know. In any case, the Nefertari family did not settle in the Holy Land but returned to their ancestral country, Alabasta. It is from that time on that the Holy Land has viewed the Nefertari family as a family that willingly degraded itself and committed betrayal. However, out of respect for the grace of the Twenty Kings, the Nefertari family has enjoyed transcendent treatment for the past several hundred years, at least on the surface."
The simplest symbol of this was that the country of Alabasta, under the rule of the Nefertari family, barely had to pay any substantial Heavenly Tribute. Of course, to save face for Mariejois, the Nefertari family would give a little, but unlike the other nations who had to sell everything to scrape together the money, the Nefertari family only gave around 300 to 500 million Berries at most. It was a token gesture, as in terms of bloodline, no one was nobler than they were.
Furthermore, participating nations in the Reverie rotated every four years, with about fifty seats each time. In other words, out of the over 170 affiliated nations, only fifty royal families could go to Mariejois to discuss international affairs every four years. The Nefertari family, however, held a seat year after year; while others rotated, they did not.
Adding various other taxes, Mariejois was essentially unable to truly levy taxes on Alabasta. This was one of the reasons for Alabasta's prosperity—the country was greatly favored within the World Government system. The root of this lay in the Nefertari family's 'noble' Celestial Dragon bloodline, the bloodline of the Twenty Kings.
To the average person, it would seem that with such preferential treatment, Alabasta, the Nefertari family, and the Holy Land of Mariejois and the World Government should maintain an excellent relationship.
But the reality was otherwise. Hidden beneath the privileged treatment was the fiercely poor relationship between the two sides that had lasted for centuries.
From a position of interest, Alabasta was an undisputed superpower globally. Its population, economy, military, culture, politics, historical origins, and foundational background were all first-rate, even world-class. And yet, this incredibly powerful country barely paid taxes, provided no Heavenly Tribute, and the Commander-in-Chief could barely mobilize its vast military force. Who could tolerate this?
Therefore, from the standpoint of benefit, if Mariejois wanted to gain more from the ancient superpower of Alabasta, it was impossible for them to want the Nefertari family to remain the royal family. With the Nefertari family blocking the way, they were severely restricted. Without the Nefertari family, Alabasta would funnel colossal profits to Mariejois. This was the core conflict of interest.
From the standpoint of identity, the Nefertari family's choice to leave Mariejois back then was undoubtedly a betrayal of the alliance of the Twenty Kings and a betrayal of Mariejois. Without the Nefertari family, the major hidden weapon of Mariejois, the Ancient Weapon Uranus, could not be activated.
Furthermore, the Nefertari family knew too many of Mariejois's secrets. While many of those secrets might have been lost in the eight centuries of generational gaps, could Mariejois afford to gamble? If the Nefertari family leaked any classified information, it would be extremely dangerous for Mariejois.
Therefore, from this perspective, Mariejois still hated the Nefertari family bitterly and wished they could be destroyed sooner rather than later.
Similarly, the Nefertari family was aware of Mariejois's attitude towards them. Thus, for centuries, they maintained deep vigilance and caution toward Mariejois. In fact, the Ancient Weapon Pluton was held by the Nefertari family as a means to deter and warn Mariejois. Over time, the relationship between the two sides deteriorated to a profound level.
Look at the current situation: if Cobra had a close relationship with Mariejois, would Crocodile dare to cause such trouble in Alabasta? Would Dragon dare to casually approach Cobra, even intending to cooperate with the descendant of the Twenty Kings as the leader of the Revolutionary Army? That would be ridiculous.
Spandine roughly explained the points he could reveal to Crocodile, which served to reassure Crocodile. It proved that Mariejois was not allied with the Nefertari family.
"So your intention is to tell me that the big shots in Mariejois want to make a move against the Nefertari family during this chaotic event?" Crocodile asked Spandine with a strange look.
Spandine smiled, and replied: "That is indeed their intention."