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"What did you just say?! The people of Alabasta actually see Crocodile as a hero?!"
Tashigi's eyes widened in disbelief, her voice shooting up an octave.
The other girls looked just as stunned, completely losing their composure as they stared at Vivi.
Their journey had been cheerful and full of laughter so far, but as they neared Alabasta, the group finally turned their attention to the enemy waiting ahead—Crocodile.
Valentine and Golden Week both lowered their heads awkwardly, not daring to say a word.
No one needed to ask why.
"I don't get it—are the people of Alabasta stupid or something?!" Karumen blurted out, never one to filter her thoughts.
The others exchanged uneasy looks.
Crocodile had only been in Alabasta for, what, four years? And already the whole country worshiped him like some national hero?
The king worked tirelessly for his people, yet they refused to believe him and instead put their faith in an outsider—a pirate, no less.
Seriously?
None of them could wrap their heads around the logic of Alabasta's citizens.
Even Logan had to admit he agreed. The only explanation he could come up with was… maybe they were just too simple-minded.
Vivi forced a smile as everyone criticized her homeland.
She was, after all, Alabasta's princess—there were some things she just couldn't say out loud.
Sensing her discomfort, Logan gave her shoulder a reassuring pat and offered a confident smile. "Once we get to Alabasta and take down Crocodile, everything will fall into place."
"Mm. I believe in you, Logan." Vivi nodded firmly, clenching her fists.
She'd waited long enough for this day. So had the people of Alabasta.
Rainbase.
One of Alabasta's few bustling cities—and Crocodile's stronghold.
Inside the smoky office of the Rain Dinners casino, every senior agent of Baroque Works had gathered at Crocodile's command.
But their numbers were noticeably smaller than before.
"Just you few?"
Crocodile's gaze swept down the long table, his expression darkening by the second.
Half his agents were gone.
"Boss, Mr. 2 is on his way back just like you ordered," Robin reported calmly. "But things happened suddenly. He might not make it before the operation starts."
"As for Mr. 3, Mr. 5, Mr. 9, and their partners…" Her voice trailed off.
"I know." Crocodile waved a hand impatiently.
He'd been so focused on his plans to seize Pluton these past few days that he'd almost forgotten—those agents were all dead, killed by Logan.
And their partners? They'd turned their backs on Baroque Works to join the Logan Pirates.
"We can't wait any longer," Crocodile said, his tone cold and sharp. "Even without them, the plan goes on."
He slowly lifted his head, his eyes glinting as they passed over the remaining officers.
There was Mr. 1, his most trusted subordinate—and the strongest member of Baroque Works aside from Crocodile himself. The man with the power of the Dice-Dice Fruit.
Next to him stood his partner, Miss Doublefinger, her figure graceful and dangerous, the Spike-Spike Fruit user.
Then came Mr. 4, Babe, along with his partner, Miss Merry Christmas.
None of them were top-tier fighters, but for taking a small kingdom like Alabasta? More than enough.
"Tonight," Crocodile declared, his voice echoing through the room, "failure is not an option. You understand?"
"Yes, Boss!!"
"Yes, sir!!"
The four officers responded in unison, then left the room to make their preparations.
Once they were gone, Crocodile lit another cigar and exhaled slowly.
"Robin," he said without turning around, "any word on Logan's crew?"
Behind him, the elegant and composed Nico Robin shook her head.
"Not yet. Mr. 2 reported no sign of them near Drum Kingdom."
She paused, her voice calm but thoughtful. "If I had to guess, they've probably already reached Alabasta."
She glanced at the clock, then looked up with a faint smile. "Given the timing, they might even be flying over us right now."
Crocodile's pupils narrowed as he shot her a sideways glance.
"…Could you not say it like that?"
"It doesn't matter. As long as they dare to show up here, none of them are leaving alive."
"Whether it's Princess Vivi, the Logan Pirates, or those two traitors—this time, I'm killing them myself."
Crocodile's gaze was as dark as a storm, his fingers slowly tracing along the curve of the golden hook on his arm.
They just kept provoking him one after another. Did they really think they were on the same level as Whitebeard?!
"You can go now. Stick to the plan." Crocodile waved his hand dismissively.
"Understood." Robin's elegant steps carried her out of the room, but a subtle, unreadable look flickered in her eyes.
For a while now, she'd been secretly investigating Logan behind Crocodile's back.
Strangely enough, she could still find traces of people like Kaya and Nami—but Logan? It was like he'd appeared out of thin air. No records, no past, nothing.
Everything about him began only after he met Nami.
And that same Nami—who used to be completely powerless—had somehow eaten the Thunder-Thunder Fruit after joining Logan's crew. Her strength had skyrocketed.
As for Logan himself… he was an enigma.
Most shocking of all, many people swore they'd seen him fight Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, at Baratie. He didn't win, but he'd pushed Mihawk so far the swordsman snapped and stormed off.
"Looks like the Marines' intel network still isn't worth much," Robin murmured with a quiet chuckle.
She hadn't told Crocodile any of this.
After all, their relationship was purely transactional.
The only reason he tolerated her was because she could read the ancient Poneglyphs.
Without her, he was blind.
"Crocodile… if even Mihawk couldn't take that man down, what makes you think you can?" Robin smirked faintly.
A twinge of regret crossed her mind—she really should've gone to meet that mysterious man back at Whiskey Peak.
—
By late afternoon, the Going Merry finally reached Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta.
"Vivi!!!"
A familiar voice rang out, making Vivi's whole body tremble.
She looked up just in time to see her father, King Cobra, rushing out of the palace.
"Father!!"
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she ran straight into his arms.
They clung to each other, speaking in choked voices, sharing all the words they'd held back for so long.
Meanwhile, the ministers Pell and Chaka hurried over to greet Logan and the rest of his crew.
Igaram had already explained everything to them—Logan was the man helping them take down Crocodile. They couldn't afford to offend him.
Soon, everyone gathered in a private room.
King Cobra, his ministers, and the members of the Logan Pirates all took their seats.
"Lord Logan… are you truly confident you can defeat Crocodile?"
Cobra's voice trembled slightly. This was the fate of his entire kingdom—they needed a clear answer.
After all, Crocodile was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Not someone to take lightly.
"Just call me Logan," he said casually, waving a hand.
Vivi was his woman, and Cobra was her father. Having the king call him lord felt… awkward.
"Yes, Father, you don't need to be so formal," Vivi teased, sticking her tongue out playfully at Logan.
That little gesture made Cobra pause. Their relationship seemed… a bit too close.
He glanced around at the other women in the room and suddenly got a very bad feeling.
Don't tell me…
"I'm one hundred percent sure I can beat him," Logan said confidently. "Actually, Crocodile's probably more anxious than you are. We'll just stay here and wait—he'll come to us."
Logan understood perfectly how desperate Crocodile was to get his hands on Pluton.
That was what truly mattered to him.
As for fighting them—it was just a chore along the way.
Hearing Logan speak with such certainty, Cobra finally breathed easier.
—
Night fell. Darkness swallowed the city, and the noise of daily life faded into silence.
Atop the palace roof, a swirl of sand formed in the night wind, slowly shaping itself into Crocodile's body.
At that exact moment, inside one of the palace rooms, Logan's eyes snapped open. His figure vanished instantly.
Not long after Crocodile's arrival, several shadowy figures appeared in the square below—four surviving Baroque Works officers.
Moments later, nearly a thousand assassins emerged behind them—the organization's elite "Million" and "Billion" agents.
The golden hook on Crocodile's arm gleamed coldly under the moonlight.
"Let's begin," he said, raising his hook.
At once, his men dispersed into the city like ghosts.
"I can already smell victory."
Crocodile closed his eyes, indulging in the fantasy for a brief moment before reopening them, a satisfied grin curving his lips.
By the end of tonight, Pluton would be his.
And once he had Pluton, the world itself would be his to rule.
He'd kill Whitebeard first, that arrogant fool.
Lost in his beautiful daydream, Crocodile's body dissolved into sand and scattered into the wind.
Everyone went off to carry out their assigned missions—everyone except Robin.
She stood there alone, her expression conflicted.
After a long silence, she sighed softly and turned to leave—only to stop in her tracks.
A shadow appeared ahead of her.
For a split second, panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Logan. When did you get here?"
"Just today," he said lazily, hands behind his head. "We were planning to wait for him here, but looks like Crocodile couldn't wait to die."
"He's already left. Aren't you going after him?" Robin asked curiously.
"He won't get far. Besides…" Logan's lips curved into a grin. "Right now, I'm a lot more interested in you."
His eyes roamed over her, appreciating every inch of her calm, mature allure.
She was stunning—and dangerously tempting.
Robin didn't flinch. She'd long since learned how to handle men like this.
After she'd learned Logan only recruited women for his crew—and after seeing Miss Valentine and Golden Week betray Baroque Works—she'd already figured out what kind of man he was.
So now it was her turn, huh?
What a charmingly shameless captain.
Too bad he had no idea who she truly was… or what kind of danger came with keeping her close.
If he did, he'd be running for his life instead of flirting.
Her lips curved into a knowing smile. "Logan, are you trying to recruit me into your crew?"
Logan shrugged with an easy grin—no denial needed.
Figures. Robin wasn't easily fooled.
"You really do have a thing for beautiful women," she said softly. "But didn't anyone ever tell you? The prettier they are… the deadlier."
"Dangerous, huh?" Logan raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly.
Logan smiled faintly as he looked at Robin and said softly, "You mean your background, right?"
"The lone survivor of Ohara, with a bounty of seventy-nine million berries—the so-called Devil's Child, Nico Robin."
Boom.
Robin's mind went blank. The smile on her face disappeared in an instant.
"How do you know that?!" Her voice turned icy.
Logan didn't answer her question. Instead, he continued calmly, as if reciting a history she'd tried to forget.
"Back then, to wipe out Ohara, Fleet Admiral Sengoku gave the order for a Buster Call. The ones who carried it out were the current admirals Aokiji and Akainu—though at that time, they were still vice admirals."
Robin's expression faltered again.
Those two names—Aokiji and Akainu—each carried weight in her life.
It was only because Aokiji had shown mercy that she was alive today.
But that mercy had also marked the start of her endless run. Since then, she'd lived in the shadows, surviving betrayal after betrayal, hiding her true self behind masks and lies, navigating every faction that tried to use her.
…
To stay alive, Robin had learned to wear calm like armor, to keep everyone at a distance.
Logan stepped closer.
Robin's eyes widened, and she instinctively backed away. "W-what do you think you're doing?!"
"Robin," Logan said gently, "I know everything about you. I understand your pain. You and Crocodile were only using each other. Join my crew. With us, you'll finally know what real happiness feels like."
Robin froze.
If he'd said that before, she would've brushed him off without a second thought.
But now… he clearly knew who she was. He had to know how dangerous her name was.
The World Government had never stopped hunting her—not for a single day.
And yet, he still wanted her to join him?
"So you're after the same thing as Crocodile, then?"
The fleeting warmth in her heart vanished as logic took over again.
After years in the dark, after countless betrayals, she didn't trust easily.
"You mean Pluton? Or my ability to read the Poneglyphs?" Logan asked with a dismissive wave. "I'm not interested in either."
"First of all, Pluton isn't in Alabasta—it's in Wano. All of Crocodile's years of scheming? Useless."
"Second, I don't care about the Poneglyphs. You don't need to translate anything for me."
He paused before she could reply. "Of course, you can check the Poneglyph yourself later. See if what I said's true."
Robin bit her lip. For the first time, her composure slipped.
"…And if I refuse?"
Logan's smile widened slightly. "I don't take rejection well. So you only have one choice—join my crew."
"Logan," Robin said quietly, stepping closer. Her eyes locked on his. "If you know who I am, then you should also know the kind of burden I carry."
Logan waved it off with a small laugh. "Robin, I know the World Government's been hunting you because you can read the Poneglyphs—and because you might uncover the history they've buried."
Then his tone hardened. "But do you have any idea what kind of burden I'm carrying?"
Robin shook her head, puzzled.
Logan sighed dramatically. "You probably don't know this, but the true ruler of the World Government is someone named Imu—a mysterious woman who controls everything from the shadows. The Marines, the Five Elders… they all answer to her."
"And me? My mission is to make her join my pirate crew."
He grinned. "So tell me—who do you think has the heavier burden?"
"You're being hunted by her subordinates. I'm going after her."
Robin: …
She didn't know who this Imu person was, but the way he said it made his situation sound a hundred times crazier than hers.
Why did it suddenly feel like they were in the same boat?
…Maybe teaming up wasn't such a bad idea.
Her tense shoulders finally relaxed.
"So?" Logan asked, eyes gleaming. "You in?"
"Hmm…" Robin tilted her head and let out a soft laugh. "Captain Logan's story does sound a lot more exciting than mine."
"Well then, you called me 'Captain,' so I'll take that as a yes."
Robin: …
I said Captain Logan, not my captain!
"....."