"K… Crocodile!!!"
Vivi's voice pitched nearly an octave higher, echoing across the Fairy Tail guildship.
"What's wrong with Crocodile?" Erza asked, puzzled.
"Crocodile… that name, I've heard it before!" Nami's eyes widened as well.
"That's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—the Shichibukai, pirates officially recognized by the World Government! President, why on earth are we heading toward someone like him?"
Sugisawa Yuuto only smiled faintly.
"Didn't I tell Robin to deliver a message three days ago? I gave that man a choice—to surrender within three days, or I would personally drag him out. Since he hasn't made a move… I'll have to do it myself."
"W-wait a second, President!" Nami sputtered. "The one you want to force into surrender is supposed to be the true boss of Baroque Works, right? That person… that person has ties to Shichibukai Crocodile—"
Her words broke off mid-sentence, realization dawning on her face.
"That means… the mastermind behind Baroque Works is Crocodile himself?!"
Erza's eyes sharpened. "So that's it…"
"President, how do you know Crocodile is the one pulling the strings?" Nami pressed.
"Robin told me," Yuuto answered casually.
"What?!" Nami threw up her hands. "Why don't we know about this?"
"Don't you?" Yuuto tilted his head seriously. "Strange… maybe I'm the only one who heard it."
"…" Nami fell silent, speechless. She remembered that conversation with Robin—they had all been present. Robin had never once said such a thing aloud.
Still, Yuuto's words carried a weight that made her chest tighten.
Vivi clenched her fists, fury flashing across her beautiful face.
"Crocodile… of course. I should have realized sooner! Who else could possibly command Baroque Works from the shadows but him?!"
Her fists trembled, then fell weakly to her sides. She looked up, guilt clouding her eyes.
"President Yuuto, the Shichibukai aren't ordinary pirates. Crocodile is too dangerous… I cannot allow you and your guild to be dragged further into my kingdom's crisis. From here, I should—"
Before she could finish, Yuuto's hand settled gently on her head. He ruffled her hair with a warm, unshakable smile.
"What nonsense are you talking about, Vivi?" he said softly. "We accepted your commission. Of course we'll see it through to the very end. If Fairy Tail can't even handle something this small, then how could we ever hope to stand tall in this sea?"
Vivi's eyes stung, her words stolen away.
Between Yuba and Rainbase.
The wilderness stretched in endless waves of weathered stone. Amidst jagged rocks, nine figures waited silently—sitting, standing, watching the horizon.
Had Vivi been present, she would have paled in terror. These were no ordinary men and women. They were the top-ranking Officer Agents of Baroque Works—the strongest assassins under Crocodile's command.
Summoned urgently after the torrential rains two days prior, they had assembled from across the seas for one purpose: to intercept and annihilate Fairy Tail.
"Why aren't they here yet?" an old crone barked in a shrill voice. She was squat and mole-like, known as Miss Merry Christmas. "We've been waiting forever! My back aches, my hips ache—ugh, it's all your fault, Mr. 4! Too bulky, sitting on me—my poor old waist! It hurts! It hurts!"
"Sorry," muttered the towering, slow-witted man beside her—Mr. 4—his dull eyes blinking apologetically.
"Hehehe… impatient as always, Miss Merry Christmas," drawled a man sipping tea with infuriating leisure. His hairstyle formed the number 3 atop his head: Mr. 3. He nibbled on senbei beside his partner, Miss Golden Week, who painted quietly with a bored expression.
"Mr. 3, the boss didn't summon us here for a picnic!" snapped Miss Valentine, a pretty young woman in a lemon-patterned dress, stamping her foot.
"Still, it is rare." A man in a trench coat, with the air of a rock singer, frowned. This was Mr. 5, a human bomb who wielded his explosive powers with unnerving calm. "For the boss to call together all the Officer Agents at once… who is it we're supposed to kill?"
"According to Miss All-Sunday's intel," Miss Merry Christmas explained with both hands raised, "the target is a guild called Fairy Tail. From East Blue."
"One, two! One, two! Hey hey, everyone!" a flamboyant voice rang out. Mr. 2 Bon Clay—a flamboyant ballerina in swan-feather tights—twirled gracefully on tiptoe. "If you're bored, let's all dance together—the Way of the Okama~!"
"Enough."
The words came sharp and cold. A tall, blue-haired man rose from where he had been seated cross-legged. His body radiated menace—this was Mr. 1, Daz Bones, a living blade.
His eyes narrowed toward the horizon.
"They're coming."
At once, the Officer Agents tensed, weapons readied.
And then they saw it.
From far in the distance, a massive shadow loomed in the sky.
Their jaws fell open in unison.
"The ship… the ship is flying?!" Mr. 3's teacup slipped from his fingers, his face frozen in disbelief.
"No! It's a mirage! A desert illusion! Ships don't fly!" Miss Valentine screamed hysterically.
But no—this was no mirage. The colossal Fairy Tail airship cut through the clouds, descending toward them with unstoppable momentum.
Miss Merry Christmas's face twisted in despair. "If they can fly, then all the traps I dug in the desert are useless!"
"Doesn't matter." Mr. 5 stepped forward with eerie calm. He raised his finger casually… and began to dig into his nose.
"Then I'll handle this."
At his side, Mr. 4 lifted his dachshund companion. With a pop, the animal transformed into a cannon.
Clack!
The cannon belched forth a baseball-shaped time bomb.
Mr. 4 gripped his massive bat, swung with terrifying force—
CRACK!
—sending the bomb hurtling skyward.
At the same moment, Mr. 5 flicked the booger from his finger.
Pop—!
The two projectiles collided in the air.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion rocked the desert. Smoke and flame lit up the barren sky.
The battle for Alabasta was about to begin.