After about half a day of discussion, the two sides exchanged information.
After finishing the tea in his cup, Spandine stood up and said: "As for the specifics, I'll have to wait until my subordinates summarize the situation in Alabasta for me before making further plans. If Crocodile-san is not in a hurry, you can wait for me for a few days..."
Crocodile calmly replied: "For a crocodile, hunting always requires patience. Coincidentally, I have plenty of it." He had already waited more than ten years in Alabasta; a few extra days wouldn't matter.
"Then I shall take my leave first," Spandine smiled.
Crocodile did not rise, but instead said quite naturally: "Robin, escort our distinguished guests out."
"Understood," Robin nodded.
Just then, Spandine seemed to remember something and suddenly looked at Crocodile: "By the way, there's one more thing."
Crocodile glanced at Spandine, showing no impatience, and said patiently: "Please speak."
"The Warlord of the Sea organization was established in the year 1503 of the Sea Calendar. It has been over ten years since then. In these ten-plus years, the Warlord of the Sea has never been forcibly drafted, nor have they engaged in any cooperative joint operations. The only action that was somewhat satisfactory to Mariejois was the recent major operation in the New World by 'White Hunter' Smoker..." Spandine paused here and observed Crocodile's expression.
After all, from a macroscopic perspective, Smoker could be said to have defeated the Whitebeard Pirates. Conversely, this fellow Crocodile had suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Whitebeard Pirates. However, Crocodile showed no particular emotional change, leaving Spandine unsure of his state of mind.
Crocodile cast a strange glance at Spandine and said, "So?"
Spandine dismissed his thoughts and continued: "So, taking this opportunity, Mariejois also hopes to genuinely see the operational capability of the Warlord of the Sea organization... consider it a true inaugural show."
After speaking, without waiting for Crocodile to speak, Spandine took a dark red, bat-like Den Den Mushi out of his pocket and placed it on Crocodile's desk.
"The so-called highest authority is not just for threatening people. Crocodile-san, you should be very clear what this is..." Spandine said with a slightly wicked smile.
Crocodile looked at the Den Den Mushi, his expression shifting slightly as he murmured: "The Warlord of the Sea Call Den Den Mushi."
"Exactly. Each of you received one back then, but over the years, Mariejois has rarely used this authority to instruct you to do anything. Before I came here, the higher-ups granted me this authority. I am now authorizing it to you, Crocodile-san. Mariejois prioritizes the overall situation and is unwilling to force you to do anything or cooperate with anyone, as that would be unpleasant for both of us. Now, you can decide for yourself whether to summon, and which Warlord of the Sea or Warlords of the Sea to summon to Alabasta to coordinate the operation with us," Spandine said with a very earnest tone.
Crocodile looked at Spandine with a playful expression, then reached out and picked up the Den Den Mushi from the desk, smiling: "Interesting. Authorizing me, one of the Warlords of the Sea, to summon the others to battle? Hehehe... Indeed, this has never happened in over ten years. I will consider it carefully."
Crocodile didn't immediately refuse. He was indeed arrogant and generally wouldn't cooperate with anyone, but this time, truthfully, the Revolutionary Army and Dragon were putting a lot of pressure on Crocodile. This was why he had so readily agreed to cooperate with Mariejois and the CP agencies.
Now, if he could really summon a few powerful Warlord of the Sea colleagues to fight in Alabasta... it was quite appealing to Crocodile.
Although Spandine didn't say it explicitly, by giving this summoning authority to him, Crocodile would, to some extent, be considered the leader if the Warlords of the Sea were summoned this time. He would possess a certain degree of power and authority. Very interesting.
Crocodile didn't even consider Smoker. Regardless of how one viewed that war, he was now, in a true sense, one of the Yonko. He was thriving in the New World and riding high on his reputation. Mariejois also had to give him some face.
From a relationship standpoint, Smoker clearly had a better relationship with Mariejois. Hadn't Gold City, a neutral zone, been specially approved? Crocodile believed that bastard Smoker must have funneled a lot of money to Mariejois.
Furthermore, Smoker's prestige was second to none among the Warlords of the Sea. His presence could easily undermine Crocodile's own authority. Therefore, even though he hadn't decided whether to use the authority, Crocodile had subconsciously excluded Smoker from the list.
Next was 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe. Crocodile felt that this Fish-Man wouldn't be very useful in Alabasta. The environment severely limited his power here. He might end up turning into dried fish if he came, possibly becoming a liability or a weak point, which would be awkward. Moreover, Crocodile naturally disliked Fish-Man Island due to their past friendly relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates. So, he quickly excluded Jinbe as well.
That left only four Warlords of the Sea, excluding himself: 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo, 'Pirate Empress' Boa Hancock, 'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma, and 'World's Strongest Swordsman' Dracule Mihawk!
Among these four, Crocodile had only had some dealings with Doflamingo, and that was years ago. He had almost no contact with the others. After all, although Bartholomew Kuma was a pirate, he was always at odds with the pirate faction. After joining the Warlords of the Sea, he became an obedient task machine for Marine Headquarters; whatever the Marines told him to do, he did.
'Pirate Empress' Boa Hancock, whose beauty had made her famous across the world, had not made any moves since becoming a Warlord of the Sea. She was even quieter than Crocodile, lurking in the Calm Belt. He had no idea what she was up to, and he had never met or contacted her.
Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman, had erratic movements and a moody temperament, belonging to the true 'Chaos Alignment.' You couldn't guess what he would do next. He might help an old lady cross the street and perform a good deed. But he might also draw his sword for a massive battle, destroying an entire city, simply because the day's meal wasn't to his taste or because he saw an interesting swordsman on the street.
Overall, however, Mihawk was a master of the sword, only interested in swordsmanship. Crocodile knew nothing about that, so the two naturally had no common ground.
If he was going to summon some help, he should choose from these four...
But after thinking it over, Crocodile eliminated Bartholomew Kuma again. Thinking about it closely, that bastard Kuma was too close to the Marines, which naturally made Crocodile dislike him. Especially involving Bartholomew Kuma at this time might drag the Marines in, so it was better to forget it. Furthermore, if he remembered correctly, Bartholomew Kuma was also a king before, so maybe he had some connection with Cobra? What if they were good friends? That would be problematic.
Ultimately, Crocodile decided that if he were to summon any Warlords of the Sea for support, he would choose Doflamingo, Boa Hancock, and Mihawk.
Doflamingo, that bastard, although his relationship with Crocodile was somewhat hostile, or rather, Crocodile unilaterally disliked Doflamingo, Crocodile still secretly respected the guy's abilities, despite his disdainful remarks. Furthermore, the guy's powers were rare and strange, and might prove useful. Plus, he had successful 'pirate usurpation' experience... and his intellect was sharp. Setting aside personal grudges, he was indeed a good helper. And on second thought, he didn't really have much of a grudge.
Boa Hancock, the rumored incredibly powerful Pirate Empress, had only made one move, destroying an entire Marine fleet and looting a large amount of supplies in the area. Crocodile wasn't sure if she was truly that strong, but to be summoned as a Warlord of the Sea by Mariejois, she shouldn't be weak. This woman was very mysterious. This was the perfect opportunity to summon her, make contact, and see her true nature.
Mihawk needed no explanation. The title of World's Strongest Swordsman was a title he had truly earned in battle, step by step, by defeating every swordsman who challenged him or whom he challenged, all under the world's scrutiny. The value of this title was immense, and that aura alone was enough for Crocodile to value him.
Yes, thinking like this, the three he chose were reliable people. At least their identities shouldn't be an issue and wouldn't cause him too much trouble.
See, Doflamingo obviously couldn't be a problem, right? He was the head of the largest criminal organization in North Blue. He 'debuted' before the age of ten. He was a bona fide villain; there was no doubt about it. Could he possibly be one of the good guys? Crocodile said he didn't believe it!
And the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, was the legitimate Empress of Amazon Lily and the Captain of the Kuja Pirates. Which pirate hasn't heard of the Kuja Pirates? They were like the Giant Warrior Pirates, an ancient pirate force with a national legacy spanning centuries without interruption. Could they possibly be Marines? Crocodile would be the first to disbelieve that!
Yes, absolutely no problem!
In Crocodile's mind, these three were the most reliable and 'purely' pirate-based of the Warlords of the Sea.
A myriad of thoughts passed through his mind, yet only a moment passed in reality. Seeing that Crocodile had accepted the Den Den Mushi, Spandine followed up by saying: "In that case, I shall take my leave. I hope Crocodile-san will consider this carefully."
Crocodile, hearing this, collected his scattered thoughts, smiled, and nodded at Spandine: "Very well. I will give you a satisfactory answer as soon as possible, Spandine-san."
This time, there was no further delay. Nico Robin led the way, with Who's-Who following behind Spandine. The three quickly left Crocodile's office.
Looking at the Bananawani rolling in the water behind the glass, Crocodile's eyes were distant. After a long while, he finally withdrew his gaze and murmured softly: "Interesting..."
He quickly took a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed a number. After a moment, a magnetic, slightly hoarse male bass came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "Boss?"
"Daz Bonez, destroy all your movements and intelligence. Some interesting guests have arrived in this country. Don't do anything else. Just keep a close eye on His Majesty Cobra for me," Crocodile instructed.
The Den Den Mushi was silent for a moment, then replied calmly without any questions: "Understood."
If there was one person Crocodile truly trusted, it was Daz Bonez. He was Crocodile's true confidant, one whose existence not even Nico Robin knew about.