Chapter 12: Sir Crocodile of the Shichibukai
Miss All Sunday watched the four Baroque Works agent each took their seat, "Thank you all for taking the long trip out here for this meeting. It's quite a sight, seeing all of you gathered in one place."
"Where exactly are we, Miss All Sunday?" asked Mr.1, eyebrows raised and his head only slightly turning towards Miss All Sunday.
"Oh. that's right. You don't know because Banchi brought you here using the back door, I welcome you officer agents to Rainbase, the city of dreams… and the building you're in right now is sitting right in the middle of the Rainbase oasis. Rain Dinners, the largest casino in Rainbase." She explained. Crocodile had used his position and corrupted the city. Gambling addictions started appearing, Rainbase became a den of criminals and bounty hunters alike and public services were destabilised. If Crocodile succeeds in taking over Alabasta, it would be even worse.
Observing the agents quiet, no longer asking any question, Miss All Sunday suggested that they would start the meeting.
"Fine by me! Start the meeting already. Start! Begin! Go! Duh" started Miss Merry Christmas as she slammed the table repeatedly and hastily.
"There is someone I must introduce to you before that. The boss whom you've known nothing about except his codename. Until now, I've been acting on his behalf to keep his identity a secret, but there's no longer a need for that. You understand why don't you?"
Crocodile took that as his cue to introduce himself. "Because the end is near, that's why. Operation Utopia. That is the name of the final plan that we the Baroque Works shall carry out." He said as he turned his chair and his officer agents took their first look at their boss. Mr.0.
"!?" "Wha?" "Crocodile!" "Cr…" were the various reaction that came out from the four of them. Miss Merry Christmas commented that their boss was a big-name all along. Miss Doublefinger looked confused. Mr.1 seemed to take in the information the easiest.
"Any complaints?" asked Crocodile, a shadow covering the upper half of his face, faint traces of his veins bulging on his forehead and his iris yellow and sharp.
"We're not complaining here. I'm just confused why a Shichibukai, a pirate officially sanctioned by the world government would go out of his way to form a secret criminal organisation."
Crocodile opened the cap of his lighter and lighted a cigarette. "Allow me to explain from the beginning. My true objective and the full picture behind the final operation of Baroque Works
"It's high noon…" said Tashigi as she looked up at the scorching sun.
Now how would she go about delaying Crocodile? She had made it to Rainbase. Her Shigure at her hip, Tashigi scouted the town.
It was strange, she thought. The town seems to be flourishing, but at the same time, it was dead. People walk on the streets with eyes that didn't show life. The way people communicate, was as if things only centred around themselves. There were a lot of casinos in Rainbase. Tashigi hated them with a passion. They took advantage of the poor population that believed they could obtain fortune with a shortcut, while those with stable income listened to their common sense and avoided it. The reason why Tashigi hated it… was because it took advantage of the weak.
She believed in justice where the strong should stand for the weak until they could stand themselves. Tashigi disliked pirates because they took advantage of people who are weaker than them and was not fighting for anyone but themselves. That is until she met the Straw Hats… A gang of pirates that formed a family seeking adventure together.
"About this Operation Utopia, could you hold up for a second?" said Mr.3 as he stood on the stairways down to the meeting room.
"Mr.3, how did you get in here!?"
"I've been trailing you guys since Spider's Café, hitching on Banchi's back, you see." The candle man explained. He was soundly defeated by the Straw Hats at Little Garden. Here he was, hoping for another chance to be a part of Baroque Works. He wanted to be in the side of the victor and reap all the benefits of being a victor.
"A pleasure to meet you for the first time, boss… I've come here in hopes of being given a second chance, you see. After failing to carry out my mission, it's only natural that you'd seek to eliminate me… I've met Mr.2 on my way here."
"You failed… to carry out your orders? What are you talking about!?" Crocodile was still as calm as he usually was, but he sounded a little confused. He had called Mr.3 through the Den Den Mushi for an update of his mission in Little Garden. The mission was a success, but he still sent Mr.2 to eliminate Mr.3 to silence him and tie up loose end.
"I was saying I failed to eliminate Princess Vivi and the Straw Hat pirates…" Mr.3 gulped, now confused as well. He properly explained and avoided lying as to not further aggravate his boss.
"You didn't kill them!? Then what the hell was that Den Den Mushi call about!? You told me over the phone that Vivi and the pirates had been taken care of!" His eyes darkened. If anything, Crocodile hated things not going his way.
"Den Den Mushi call? I'm afraid I don't follow. I never used a Den Den Mushi on Little Garden!"
Flashback
"Hello, this is the shitty restaurant. Would you like to make a reservation?" Crocodile heard the greeting he received from the other end of the call.
Flashback ends
Crocodile sat down on his chair as it dawned on him what had happened. The other end of the call was answered… by a member of the Straw Hat pirates.
"I see… Now I understand why the Unluckies never returned…"
"But you did manage to kill at least one or two of them, right?"
"Well, umm… No, because-" Mr.2 panicked and raised his hands in denial.
"What!?" Crocodile's eyes turned red.
"Y-You see, there was an error with the intelligence given to me prior. There were actually 4 pirates in the Straw Hat crew. I uhh… I was unaware of the pirate with this long nose, you see…! He had foiled all my plans and turned it back on us!" Mr.3 desperately reasoned. It was true! That long-nosed marksman took down his partners, Mr.5 and Miss Valentine's Day, as well as exploited his own weakness to fire.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
"Please boss, I swear to you that this time I'll finish them off if you give me a second chance!" Mr.3 begged.
"Shut up, incompetent buffoon!" Crocodile grabbed him by the neck.
"Do you know why I made you Mr.3, despite the fact that you're inferior to Mr.4 in terms of combat ability?" Crocodile started draining the water in Mr.3's body. Mr.3 struggled, only feeling a tingle at first, but felt weaker and weaker until it felt like he was a walking corpse.
"It's because I assumed your cowardly but cunning ways would help you achieve success! You disappoint me…There's nothing more worthless than someone who can't pull through when it matters the most!" The rest of Baroque Works held their breath as they witness their boss' power. Mr.3 was a hulk. His skin crumpling, his eyes red and his shout of agony chilling the bones in their body.
"Aghh! W… Water… Water…" begged Mr.3 as Crocodile put him down on the floor. The candle was too weak to stand up, struggling.
"Drink as much water as you like…" said Crocodile as he tapped on the glass wall separating them from the Bananadiles. Mr.3 fell down a pit as Crocodile pressed a button.
Mr.4, Miss Merry Christmas and Miss Doublefingers gulped as they finally got to chance to swallow and breathe.
'I feel like a criminal doing this… What if it really is public property?' Tashigi shrieked as the turtle let out a cry. Tashigi was trying to release the turtle from the carriage it is pulling. With no transport, Crocodile should be delayed.
"Nasty Rat! Mouse! Rodent! Duh." Oh no. Tashigi slowly stood up from her crouching position. Six imposing figures behind her had caught her red-handed.
Tashigi slowly moved her hands to her sword. She unsheathed her sword as she slowly turned, facing her opponents
"Crocodile of the Shichibukai! The marines have been informed of your travesty in this country! Surrender peacefully or be prepared to face the marines!" exclaimed Tashigi.
"Oh, where are the marines? All I see is one lone person I have to silence." Crocodile smirked; his imposing figure seemingly felt to Tashigi like she was facing a mountain. There was no way out for her today.
"I'm just a scout, marine backups will arrive in Alabasta in doves!"
Crocodile's face contorted for a split second before he took his cigarette with and blew a puff of smoke.
"Go. If what she says is right, we are in a hurry. I will deal with 'Justice' here." Nodding, the officer agents climbed on Banshi and took off.
"Stay where you are!" The rest of the Straw Hats followed Vivi and held their hands up after
she did. They were at the entrance of Katorea where a guard found them trying to enter the city.
Vivi removed her hood and revealed her face. The rebel guard's eyes widened as he recognised the crown princess of Alabasta.
"Princess Vivi!" he exclaimed.
The princess had gone missing from for years, now she's on their doorstep?
"I have crucial information about the culprit behind all the misfortunes in Alabasta. Let me see your leader so that I can explain what has happened to Alabasta these past three years!" Vivi declared. She can do this, she told herself. She had sent a letter to her father through Carue, now she just has to talk to the leader of the rebels!
The guard complied, as Princess Vivi 's reputation still remained untainted despite the friction between the king and the dissatisfied citizens. As Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats were escorted to the main office of the rebel forces, the princess was shocked to see a familiar face in the office.
"Kohza!?" "Vivi!?"
"I'm glad. I'm glad, Vivi. I've stalled the rebel from attacking first and requestioned my doubt on the king because I had hoped we were wrong." Tears fell down Kohza's face as he remembered his conversation with the king that made him join the rebels.
Flashback
"I don't want to doubt you, but the fact is, there are starving people out there! So regardless if you have used it or not in the past, the fact is there should still some dance powder left." Standing before the Alabasta throne, Kohza had asked to see the king. A final plea of suggestion to the king. Kohza couldn't stand by and watch the country suffer anymore!
"Absolutely not! We must wait for the rain to fall naturally! Dance Powder is a powder that calls forth misfortune. Its use is prohibited! Alabasta is not the only country that needs rain." The king protested, reasoning to Kohza that using fire to stop fire will only worsen the situation.
"I'm sure using just a little won't hurt! If we could just make a little bit of rain… Just enough to get the people through this drought… Then the rebellion might stop!" He pleaded.
"That would only exacerbate the situation. You're underestimating the dangers of Dance Powder, Kohza…"
"I won't stand by and watch the towns dry up one by one any more!"
"You haven't changed at all, have you…"
Kohza's fist tightened, his emotions flaring up. "No, I've changed… I can fight now. Just you watch! I'll come back to steal your rain!"
End of Flashback
"Now that I know Crocodile was really the one behind it, I'm so glad I was wrong…"
Tashigi let out a cry as she charged forward, her Shigure held up in the air. Aiming for a high blow, she swung her sword vertically down towards Crocodile's head. The sword cut Crocodile in half all the way following her swing.
'W-Wwhat!?' Tashigi momentarily staggered. She didn't expect her sword to swing so smoothly through her opponent. But there's no blood!
Crocodile burst into sand. The sand moved backwards away from Tashigi and reformed back into Crocodile.
"A logia user!" Tashigi exclaimed.
"If you know what a logia user can do, then you should know the advantage I hold over in a fight. Now… Shall I dry you up into a mummy?" remarked Crocodile confidently, smirking.
Tashigi bit her lip, using pain to send away the crippling fear cast over her.
"I don't have the slightest hesitation in backing away," Tashigi claimed. She couldn't. Her objective was to delay Crocodile, in any way possible. Tashigi charged in again, firming her grip on her sword.
"Ah. A strong-willed marine. Kuhahaha!" laughed Crocodile as he stood still, taking all the slashes Tashigi sent.
Crocodile manoeuvred around her, wrapping his hook around her sword arm, disarming her. He pulled extra hard, dislocating her shoulders. A sick crunch was heard as Tashigi let a scream no one could hear.
"Let me tell you something. Losers can't uphold justice. You should have stayed at your base and 'discuss' your justice as much as you want there."
Struggling with the pain of her dislocated right arm, Tashigi couldn't even sit straight. Taking a breath, Tashigi pushed herself and pushed her right arm back into place with her left arm, letting out another scream.
"*Pant*Y-You seem to misunderstand something. I don't uphold justice because I'm a marine. It's the other way around. I became a marine… to uphold the justice I believe in! Even if I'm not a marine, I will still fight for those who are in need of a sword to defend themselves." Thrusting her sword on the hard sand with her left arm, she used it as a crutch to help her stand up.
"Kuhahaha, a preacher of justice! This civil war in Alabasta. Do you want to know what the outcome will be?"
Tashigi kept silent. The more Crocodile talk, the better.
"As citizens of the country have their homes burned down by the order of their king, the rebel forces will cry for justice. The royal army will claim that their king was being framed and also cry for justice. This country will destroy itself in the name of justice! Kuhahaha!"
"You won't get away with it. Marines will come here and arrest you, and even as I speak, Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats pirates are now clearing the mistrust that you sow. Your plan will fail!"
"Pfft. Don't get conceited. What can small fries from the East Blue do to stop me? The marines will be of no matter when my plan succeeds." Crocodile assured himself. When he gets his hands on Pluton, marines will cease to be a problem.
Crocodile flew towards Tashigi as his legs turned to sand and held her neck up in the air with his right hand. Using his powers, the marine fell down, all dried and weak from losing water. Crocodile left her there to die as her last water is being dried by the sun. No one will pass through here.
At the day before The Straw Hats split up
"Carue. There's a task that I can ask only you to do." Vivi asked as she caressed Carue's feathers.
"Quack?" Carue responded, lifting in his hand in a salute.
"Head north to Alubarna and deliver this letter to my father. This has all the information about Baroque Works and Crocodile that Igaram and I dug up as well as everything Miss All Sunday has told us. Other than that, I've written down how I'm still alive and will return soon to Alubarna with reliable friends after I personally give this same information to the rebel leader in Katorea."
"Quack!"
"Can you do it? You'll have to cross the desert all alone."
"Quack!"
"Good! Just remember to conserve your water in the desert. Send the word to my father that we can still save the country!"
"QUAAACK!" cried Carue spiritedly, confident that he will do it.
A few hours later…
Carue was intercepted by an officer agent that followed the Straw Hats in Nanohana.
In another timeline, Carue would have arrived at Alubarna and delivered the letter. An officer agent by the codename Mr. 11 would not even have a chance to intercept Carue since he had been arrested near the shore of Alabasta by a group of marines looking for the Straw Hats. The officer agent would have the sword he stole, Kashu, one of the Meitos taken from him by a marine onboard named Tashigi.
Mr. 11 smiled as he slipped in the letter meant for the king alongside a note he wrote and sent it to Crocodile instead using a lizard runner. Too bad that duck got away. Not that it matters, he will surely move up the ranks of Baroque Works with this stunt! What a lucky day! He was glad that he decided to tail them instead of confronting them stupidly.
Present time
Tashigi helplessly laid on the ground, her face facing the hot scorching sun. Her eyes closed to due to the blinding brightness of the sun. With her breath becoming shorter and shorter, this would be the end of her.
She was hearing less and less. She opened her eyes slowly and saw the figures she looked up to one by one
Her grandfather, as he taught her the importance of the sword. His smiling face as they talked about what they both like.
Captain Smoker, who had guided her and mentored her. She was a clutz but yet he saw the potential in her and brought her up to become the marine she saw today.
Then she saw Luffy, who saved her twice despite them being enemies. Never would she think a pirate exuded the most compassion she had seen.
Closing her eyes, Tashigi thought it was a good cause to die. Grandfather, I stood up for those who need me…
"Ta..i…gi" Huh? Why is she hearing her own name being called? She could barely hear anymore though…
Then she was shocked back into consciousness as she felt her upper body being lifted and water being fed to her. Her eyelids fluttered and her eyes opened slowly to see something orange.
Crocodile hastened as he flew through the desert with his lower body in sand form. He should be able to catch up with Banchi soon. To his surprise, an animal was catching up to him. Only two animals can catch up to him in the desert… A supersonic duck… or a lizard runner. He turned his head and saw a lizard runner running up to him with a letter on its neck.
Stopping, Crocodile stood still and the lizard ran to him, instead of passing by. Crocodile picked the letter and opened it.
His eyes widened at the content of the letter. It was an intercepted letter from Princess Vivi to the King. Based on the accompanying note, Mr.11 intercepted the letter near Nanohana… Then Princess Vivi should have already made contact with the rebels!
A blood vein popped visibly on Crocodile as he read the rest of the letter. How did Princess Vivi even know Operation Utopia!? Crumpling the letter, it turned into dust as Crocodile held it firmly in his fist.
There was only one person that can know this much of his plans and leaked it to Princess Vivi… It looks like there is a need for a change in his plans…
Author's Note:
To Flevantein: I'm glad you liked the subtle hints of future plots. Secondly about Conqueror's Haki, I need to get it out that Luffy won't be using it left and right... The majesticness of the power becomes desensitised the more it is used... To keep the awe when the power is used, I'll have Luffy only use it in strategic situations.
To Guest: About pairings, I feel that dating or something like kissing will ruin One Piece. So romance will be limited to displays of love and affection that is not in that direction. For example like complimenting them or being there for them when they are down. Acting differently in front of the person you have affection for. There are pairings though. Luffy and Nami are a pairing if it is not noticed yet.
Thank you for the rest of the reviews and compliments!