"Crocodile?"
Mr. 5's eyes went wide with confusion. "Why would I listen to that guy?"
So, he didn't even know who his own boss was, huh?
"That means you attacked us of your own will?"
Shanu rubbed his temples, speechless for a moment. "You know who I am, yet you still came at me? Who gave you the guts for that?"
"M-Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!"
Mr. 5 was on the verge of tears, already regretting every decision that had led him here. He wished he could go back ten minutes and slap his overconfident self.
Was this really a rookie pirate crew that had just entered the Grand Line?!
The captain didn't even need to move—two random crewmates jumped out, and both were Logia users!?
Logia?!
When did Logia fruits become as common as cabbages?
He'd spent years on the Grand Line and had only ever seen one—Crocodile—back when he returned victorious to Alabasta. Even then, Mr. 5 had just barely caught a glimpse of him from the back of the crowd.
And now, he'd run into two at once… all because he wanted to show off in front of his subordinates.
Shanu sighed softly.
Seriously…
This sea was full of idiots who had either ambition or brains—never both.
Even an Admiral like Kizaru had personally kicked a few of these "super rookies" into the dirt, yet new fools kept coming, thinking they'd be the one to make a name by landing a lucky hit.
Just as Shanu was about to speak, Mr. 5 suddenly froze, his eyes widening in terror as he stared past Shanu's shoulder.
Someone else was coming.
Shanu frowned, turned around—
—and saw the figure emerging from the storm of sand behind him.
The air at the port turned heavy with swirling dust. A tall shadow—around two and a half meters—slowly took form within the golden haze.
A slicked-back hairstyle, a luxurious brown fur coat, a cigar between his lips. His expression was calm, almost bored.
If not for the golden hook that replaced his left hand and the scar slicing across his face, he could've been mistaken for a noble from some royal portrait.
"Your boss is here," Shanu said with a faint grin, glancing at Mr. 5. "So tell me—were you lying just now, or is this one big coincidence?"
"Coincidence?"
Crocodile's voice was low and rough as he exhaled smoke.
"Not at all. I've been waiting for you since this morning, Blade Master… Shanu."
"As for these two—"
He snapped his fingers.
A swirl of sand lifted Mr. 5 off the ground and tossed him to Crocodile's feet like trash.
"Boss! Crocodile—Mr. 0—it's really you!" Mr. 5 gasped, clinging to hope. "Please, save me! I'm one of your people! I'm a Baroque Works agent, code name—"
Before he could finish, Crocodile's hook liquefied into sand and pierced straight through his chest.
"You're nothing but a fool who got himself killed for no reason."
The crew watched in shock as Mr. 5's body withered like dried leather, collapsing into a mummified corpse within seconds.
"Wha—he just killed his own man!?" Nami yelled, eyes wide.
"This psycho's nuts!"
"You're next, Shanu."
Crocodile's eyes swept across the crew of the Fallen Star Pirates—calm, calculating, merciless.
"Attacking a town, murdering Marines… and you, former Marine Captain Smoker—killing a king of a World Government nation. The both of you are guilty of unforgivable crimes."
He blew a ring of smoke, the sand around him rising in waves.
"Since I'm here today, none of you pirates are leaving this port alive."
"…Hey," Nami whispered, nudging Smoker. "I'm not imagining things, right? His coat's black. No big white 'Justice' on the back?"
She squinted. "He's a pirate! Why's he talking like some Marine Vice Admiral at a press conference?"
Smoker sighed. "You're not wrong. But technically… he's allowed to."
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea," he said, narrowing his eyes at Crocodile. "They have the government's permission to hunt pirates."
"Especially this one."
He took a long drag from his cigar.
"Crocodile—one of the original Seven Warlords. For over twenty years, he's captured countless pirates for the Navy. He's the poster boy for the whole Warlord system. Even the old geezers at Marine HQ who hate the Warlords can't find anything bad to say about him."
Smoker's gaze flicked to the corpse at Crocodile's feet.
"But it looks like this 'model Warlord' has his fair share of dirty secrets too."
"Oh? So you know a lot about me, then."
Crocodile brushed the ash off his cigar, smirking. "In that case, you should also know that rookies like you are leagues beneath me. Why don't you just lay down your weapons and surrender? Save me the trouble."
"We know plenty about you,"
Kuina said coldly, her hand on her sword.
"But it seems you don't know much about us—if you really think you alone can take us all."
Shing—
Wado Ichimonji slid halfway from its sheath, a flash of white light gleaming between blade and guard.
It glinted across her calm, steely eyes.
A Logia user, huh?
Back in Loguetown, she might not have been able to handle one.
But after ten days of relentless training, she could now coat her blade with Armament Haki—ready for real battle.
She wanted to see…
if a Warlord could withstand her strike.
Shanu hadn't said a word.
Unlike his fired-up crewmates, his gaze toward Crocodile held only mild disappointment.
A Warlord ruling these seas should have had eyes and ears on every island nearby.
That Crocodile had tracked them down first wasn't surprising.
But coming here alone?
Where were his underlings?
Where was Mr. 1? Miss Doublefinger? Miss Merry Christmas?
Even Mr. 2 Bon Clay?
Shanu's eye twitched.
If the Warlord had brought his full team, Shanu could've had a proper payday—one glorious, all-you-can-fight buffet.
And instead, what did he get? One entrée.
Being underestimated like this…
"…really pisses me off."
Shanu grinned, cracking his neck as a faint static sound filled the air.
He looked up at Crocodile, eyes blazing with excitement for the first time in a while.
"Oi. Everyone—get back to the ship."
"This one's mine. No one interferes."