Chapter 331: Crocodile Overthinking It
"Let me see!" Ian couldn't help but reach out his hand, demanding the painting from Unlucky.
However, to his surprise, this little rascal jumped onto the back of the vulture, and the vulture flapped its wings, ready to fly away.
They'd take off at the drop of a hat—just like that camel BB before! The animals of Alabasta sure had personalities. But how could Ian let it slip away like that?
With a crackling sound, a ball of electric light gathered in Ian's hand, and he hurled a Thunder Spear toward the direction the vulture was about to flee!
This Thunder Spear blasted straight through the wall of the café, leaving a charred black hole behind, and grazed past the vulture.
Unlucky and the vulture, still in midair, stared dumbly as the lightning vanished into the sky, then slowly turned their heads, looking down at Ian through the hole in the wall.
Ian pointed at the ground in front of him, smirking at these two mischievous little creatures. His expression clearly said: If you don't want to get hit by one of those, get your ass down here!
Seeing Ian's expression, the two felt their fur stand on end, sweating profusely, and reluctantly flew down.
After landing, Unlucky rubbed his two paws together, bowing and scraping to Ian, as if to say: Boss, whatever you say!
Ian stared at him speechlessly, not knowing what to say. Was this guy actually trying to flatter him!?
Bola and Valentine had seen Unlucky before. These two animals were practically the representatives of the workshop's boss. When they usually appeared, they had a cool, arrogant look, and even the senior executives didn't dare to mess with them. But now, here they were with that expression...
You're a sea otter, not a lapdog, for crying out loud!
Ian extended his hand toward Unlucky. Unlucky paused for a moment, then quickly realized what was going on and pulled out the drawing board, handing it to Ian. Ian took it and looked it over, finding that the sketch of himself was incredibly lifelike. He couldn't help but glance at Unlucky, but instead of tearing it up, he picked up Unlucky's brush and quickly scribbled a message next to the sketch.
After finishing, he handed the drawing board back to Unlucky and said, "Give this painting to your boss! Got it?"
Unlucky quickly nodded, then climbed onto the vulture's back. Friday the vulture cautiously glanced at Ian before flapping its wings and taking off again.
After that was done, Ian glanced at the three people in the café and walked out without another word.
None of them dared to make a sound, watching Ian leave. Only when they were sure he was out of sight did Bola let out a scream, clutching her fist and frantically looking for medicine to bandage it.
But as she passed by Mr. 5, who was still lying on the ground, Bola suddenly remembered that it was this reckless idiot who had flicked his booger into that man's coffee, causing her to suffer this undeserved disaster. Furious, she stomped on Mr. 5's butt. Her Thorn-Thorn Fruit ability activated, and the heel of her high heel shot out a spike, piercing Mr. 5 and making him scream in pain as well.
"Dammit, how... how did he end up in Alabasta!?" Bola thought as she applied medicine to herself. "Could something big be about to happen here!? I need to let the boss know as soon as possible... Unlucky should be able to notify him, right!?"
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After leaving the café, Ian continued heading toward Alabasta. That BB guy had gone ahead into the city to find some fun, abandoning his master, which left Ian feeling quite resentful.
The sun was still blazing hot, making Ian's exposed arms even darker and shinier, but he decided not to wear that desert outfit again.
He might as well show off his identity as a Warlord of the Sea. This was Crocodile's turf, and his arrival would surely make Crocodile come out to meet him. As for whether Crocodile would admit to being the boss of Baroque Works, that would depend on the situation. Either way, as long as he could find a way to meet Robin.
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While Ian was heading toward Alabasta, in Rainbase, located to the east of Alabasta, at Crocodile's headquarters, the Rain Dinners casino, Unlucky and Friday had also flown there.
Crocodile was currently in the basement, smoking a cigar and feeding his pet banana crocodile. Hearing the sound of Friday flapping its wings as it landed, Crocodile said without turning around, "Unlucky, what's the matter?"
Unlucky wobbled over and handed the drawing board to Crocodile.
Crocodile initially took it casually, but when he saw the painting, his heart skipped a beat!
He immediately recognized the person depicted. He had a strong impression of Ian, the newly appointed Warlord of the Sea.
And the message Ian had left in the bottom right corner of the painting made him even more uneasy.
It read: "Crocodile, you're Mr. 0, aren't you? I'm in Alabasta. How about meeting me?"
Seeing this, Crocodile's heartbeat quickened.
"What does this mean!? What is this guy getting at!?" Crocodile's mind raced. "How does he know about me!?"
Crocodile took a hard bite on the end of his cigar, turned around, and sat down on the sofa, carefully studying Ian's message on the drawing board.
Unlucky, meanwhile, gestured wildly, describing the general sequence of events to Crocodile. Though he couldn't speak, Crocodile still understood his meaning.
A few of his subordinates had been taught a lesson, but Crocodile didn't care much about that. What bothered him was Ian's purpose for coming to Alabasta.
Crocodile was naturally suspicious, so without understanding Ian's intentions, he wouldn't act rashly. But just as he was deep in thought, footsteps approached, and Nico Robin appeared.
She was wearing a luxurious mink coat and a cowboy hat, walking slowly toward Crocodile. As she walked, she said, "Boss, Unlucky is back?"
"Perfect timing!" Crocodile turned his head from the sofa to look at her, then casually tossed the drawing board in her direction.
In midair, a suddenly appearing arm caught the drawing board and handed it to Robin. When she saw Ian's portrait on it, her eyes narrowed slightly.
But then, she let out a light chuckle and said, "Another Warlord of the Sea has appeared in this country? Boss, is he here for you?"
Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke, giving Robin a cold look, and then said, "It seems he already knows about my behind-the-scenes identity and wants to meet me."
"Then go meet him!" Robin said. "Weren't you always curious about this man?"
"More than curiosity, I'm concerned about his purpose for coming to this country!" Crocodile sneered. "I bet he's after Pluton too."
The royal family of Alabasta guarded a Poneglyph—Crocodile had long since found out about this. His Baroque Works, on the surface, was a scheme to overthrow the Nefertari family's rule and establish an "ideal country," but his real goal was to obtain the Poneglyph. According to the intelligence Crocodile had gathered, the Poneglyph guarded by the Alabasta royal family was likely related to the ancient weapon Pluton.
Projecting his own motives, Crocodile figured that Ian must have also learned about Pluton and rushed all the way from the New World to Alabasta. And the first thing he did was ask to meet him. Otherwise, how else could Ian's presence here be explained?
Crocodile was overthinking it. True, Ian didn't know him and had never met him before, so his sudden appearance in Alabasta was indeed strange. But what Crocodile didn't know was that Ian's real purpose was to find Robin, not Crocodile.
This asymmetry of information led Crocodile to unnecessarily complicate Ian's reason for coming.
Crocodile had partnered with Robin to have her decipher the Poneglyph and find the location of Pluton. That had been their agreement from the start. So when Robin heard Crocodile say this, she smiled, holding the brim of her cowboy hat, and said, "So, are you going to drive him away?"
"No!" Crocodile suddenly grinned, the scar on his face making him look ferocious. He looked at Robin and said, "I want to know how much he knows about Pluton... Nico Robin, I want you to go first and feel out this kid!"
Robin chuckled and said, "I can do that, but Boss, aren't you afraid I might run away? After all, he's a Warlord of the Sea just like you."
"That joke isn't funny at all!" Crocodile's body suddenly vanished from the sofa, turning into a gust of sand and reappearing right in front of Robin. He used the hook on his right hand to lift her chin and said, "Nico Robin, don't forget who you are. In my eyes, you're nothing but a stray dog, desperately hiding from the World Government's pursuit. Only I would take you in. Do you think that kid, who just became a Warlord of the Sea, would turn against the World Government for you if he found out who you are?"
Crocodile's words were harsh. A flicker of resentment showed in Robin's eyes, but she knew her situation. She understood that Crocodile was right—for now, only he could offer her protection.
So, Robin's eyes dimmed.
"Good!" Crocodile saw the change in Robin's expression and nodded with satisfaction. "Then do as I say. You'll go meet this kid first. Can you do that, Miss All Sunday?"
"Yes, Boss..." Nico Robin nodded and turned to leave.