In the deepest part of the G-8 fortress's great prison.
"An exercise? What on earth is that guy Jonathan up to?!"
The speaker was a tall, thin young man. Long, thick golden bangs covered the upper half of his face, revealing only the tip of his nose and everything below it, making it impossible to see his actual appearance.
He wore a sharp, high-end suit as black as ink, with a pristine white Marine officer's greatcoat draped over his shoulders, creating a striking contrast of black and white.
However, this young man's somewhat frail build and demeanor weren't enough to pull off such an incredibly flashy outfit. When he wore the Marines' most iconic, classic uniform, it gave off a bizarre sense of a child secretly wearing their parents' clothes.
"And what was that explosion just now?" After pondering for a moment, the blonde man pulled a Transponder Snail from his coat.
"Hello? Investigate what just happened for me."
"Yes, Rear Admiral Fred!"
Hanging up the Transponder Snail, Fred looked again at the guy in the cell who was securely bound by Sea Prism Stone handcuffs.
The golden hook on his hand and the centipede-like scar stretching across his entire face were both so familiar. However, his original magnificent coat had been replaced by a tattered black-and-white striped prison uniform, and his slicked-back hair, which was always combed perfectly, was now as messy as a chicken coop.
There was no doubt about it—the man sitting on the ground against the stone wall was the former Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile.
Looking at his current pathetic state, where was the high-and-mighty spirit the Desert Crocodile had possessed back when he was revered by millions in Alabasta?
"Heeheehee..." Tucking the Transponder Snail away, Rear Admiral Fred let out a strange laugh.
"What's the matter? Hearing the commotion outside just now, you didn't actually think your former crewmates came to rescue you, did you? Heeheehee... How ridiculous. I thought you were past the age of daydreaming, Crocodile."
"No. I never thought those subordinates of mine would come to save me."
Looking up to shoot a cold glance at the annoying young Marine outside, a dark haze flashed in the Desert Crocodile's eyes:
"From beginning to end, the only person I've ever trusted is myself."
Upon hearing this, Rear Admiral Black Crow clapped his hands vigorously with incredibly exaggerated movements, his loud applause echoing continuously through the dim stone room.
"Well said! Splendidly said! I'm very gratified that you have this level of self-awareness. Truly gratified!"
Stopping his applause, Fred approached the cell bars and squatted down to be at eye level with the Desert Crocodile. "Well then, in that case, you should be very clear about your current situation."
"Right now, you are a prisoner of the Marines. You're a crocodile that has had all its teeth pulled out, been tied up, and is about to be sent to the kitchen! If we want to braise you, we'll braise you; if we want to deep-fry you, we'll deep-fry you. By the way, I personally prefer making soup, heeheehee..."
Ignoring Crocodile's increasingly ugly expression, the young blonde Rear Admiral continued on his own: "So, to make your life a bit easier in the future..."
Clang!!! Fred suddenly reached out both hands to grab the prison bars and whispered slowly, word by word, in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"...Don't you think you should tell me the location of [Pluton]?"
The light in the stone room was extremely faint, casting flickering glows on the faces of the two men separated by the cell bars, making it impossible to see their exact expressions.
"Oh? You still haven't given up?"
A trace of mockery flashed in Crocodile's eyes. This Rear Admiral Black Crow had been personally coming here almost every day lately to fish for information. He had no idea why this guy was so convinced that the Desert Crocodile already knew the specific whereabouts of that Ancient Weapon.
"I've already told you, I don't know anything about Pluton. And even if I did, do you really think I'd just obediently tell you?"
"You'd better think this through, Desert Crocodile."
Fred's expression turned serious. "Do you have any idea how much staggering power and influence our Falcone family wields within the World Government? As long as you cooperate with me, I guarantee you'll be able to live comfortably even in Impel Down."
"And once I become Admiral [Black Crow] in the future, it wouldn't be impossible for me to pull some strings and get you out on bail."
"An Admiral? You?"
Hearing this, Crocodile felt absolutely nothing and even wanted to laugh a little. Crafty as he was, how could he ever believe such empty promises—especially such fantastical ones?
"Do you think anyone who eats a Logia Devil Fruit can just become a Marine Admiral?"
The Desert Crocodile looked as though he had just heard the most absurd joke in the world. He shot a contemptuous look at the blonde Marine and sneered, "It seems you're the one currently at the age of daydreaming, young man."
(An Admiral? Daydreaming?! Talking about me?)
Fred suddenly froze. Crocodile's disdainful gaze was like two sharp blades stabbing fiercely into his chest. Because of his bangs, Rear Admiral Black Crow's expression couldn't be seen, but going by his slightly twitching lips, this guy was absolutely furious.
Ever since he was a child, Fred had a grand dream: to become a Marine Admiral!
The current three Admirals were all Logia users, so this second-generation official had used his family's influence to track down a Logia Devil Fruit. He had even chosen his future Admiral codename the moment he joined the Marines—Black Crow.
And the thing he could least tolerate in his entire life was someone mocking his dream!
"Heeheehee... Excellent. You've successfully angered me, Crocodile."
Fred laughed out of sheer anger. He took a deep breath, extended a hand, and activated his Devil Fruit ability.
Splossh—
Accompanied by an extremely pungent and bizarre smell, the Rear Admiral's arm instantly turned into a pool of jet-black, oily liquid that scattered outward, forming constantly twitching liquid tentacles in the air. It looked utterly disgusting.
(It looks like his Devil Fruit ability is just like the rumors say...)
Seeing this scene, Crocodile remained incredibly calm. His look of extreme contempt seemed to say, "I dare you to kill me right here!" It was full of provocation.
"You brought this on yourself!"
Just as Rear Admiral Black Crow gritted his teeth and prepared to control the strange black liquid to pounce on the Desert Crocodile—
"Purupurupuru..."
The familiar ring of the Transponder Snail sounded once again in the stone room. It was because of this ringtone that Fred regained a shred of sanity from his rage. He glared viciously at the Desert Crocodile and answered the Transponder Snail.
"Rear Admiral Fred, we found out what that explosion just now was all about."
"According to an inside source, the explosion was Rear Admiral Alan using explosives to 'blast' fish in the inland sea just now..." The voice grew softer and softer, and the Transponder Snail itself made an extremely pained expression.
"Rear Admiral Alan... Ugh, I should have known it was that little bringer of calamity!"
Hearing that "resounding" name again, Rear Admiral Fred suddenly felt miserable. It was obvious he had suffered plenty of losses at the hands of that twin-tailed, past-her-prime loli before.
(Father specifically warned me before to never provoke this natural enemy of the Logia. Aside from the fact that I'm a Logia user, it's also because this little creature, who knows how many years she's lived, is simply too troublesome.)
(Besides, for the sake of the [Plan] in a few days, the Desert Crocodile cannot die just yet...)
(It seems he really doesn't know the location of [Pluton]. I should head back and get in touch with Spandam.)
As he thought, Fred gradually calmed down. He sighed softly and promptly deactivated his Devil Fruit ability.
"Hmph, consider yourself lucky. I'll let you off the hook today."
Having said that, the blonde Marine turned around and left this deepest cell.
Listening to Fred's footsteps gradually fade away, the Desert Crocodile's originally calm expression suddenly turned incredibly savage. From his eyes burst two cold, heart-stopping streams of killing intent.
(If I ever get out of here, I'm definitely going to kill that bastard!)
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