"Hey, Moria, don't be so tense. I'm not here to pick a fight. No matter what, we're old acquaintances."
He said he didn't want to fight, yet fine grains of yellow sand were already scattering across the nearby ground with the breeze.
Just as Crocodile and Hawk Eyes had said, their common trait was that they trusted no one. Crocodile did have a subordinate he valued more than the others—Mr. 1—but Mr. 1 was not a partner to whom he could entrust his back.
Moria, at this moment, looked unsteady on his feet, though Crocodile had no way of being certain what state he was truly in.
"Let Absalom go first."
For the current Moria, Absalom was his last remaining obsession.
Although he had been stuck in a period of deep depression for the past two years, when Absalom failed to return at the expected time and vanished, worry still drove him to come looking.
"Mr. 1."
At those words, Mr. 1 removed the arm he had put against Absalom's neck.
During this period, Absalom had been making a living by secretly photographing the private affairs of important government officials and pirates, then turning them into articles. The bigger the pirate's reputation, the higher the payoff.
Under normal circumstances, no one kept their Observation Haki active at all times. Even Queen's persecution complex had reached the end stage, yet it still hadn't developed to the point of never turning Observation Haki off.
Absalom, moreover, was a Devil Fruit user of the Clear-Clear Fruit, able to make himself completely invisible. This invisibility could even reduce his presence to a certain extent, making it difficult for others to detect him.
Relying on this ability, the freelance writer Absa was quite a popular figure under Morgans. He had happened to discover Crocodile's presence here earlier and intended to secretly tail him for some photos, but unfortunately, he was ultimately discovered.
If Crocodile hadn't investigated the other Shichibukai back when he himself held the position, he really wouldn't have been able to tell whose subordinate Absalom was.
Baroque Works had already gone bankrupt. Daz Bones was still following him, Bon Kurei and Galdino had gone their separate ways, some people had been thrown into Impel Down, and the rest had opened a café, but all that intelligence was still stored in Crocodile's head.
Watching Moria step in front of Absalom to shield him, Crocodile casually sat down on a crate behind him.
"I thought you died at the Summit War. Didn't expect you to be hiding in a place like this."
"That's none of your business. Don't come meddling in my life."
"You mean hiding in a corner and living off your subordinate?"
Crocodile was trying to provoke Moria. From Moria's body which had put on even more weight, Crocodile could already imagine what kind of life he had led over the past two years.
But it didn't really matter; a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even if he is extremely despondent, Moria's underlying foundation remains. At the very least, Mr. 1, who follows him, is no match for Moria.
Besides, Moria's reputation was still there. Gaining one more former Shichibukai would further strengthen his organization.
Crocodile's current goal was to make the Marines aware of his threat, thereby establishing an "ideal country," a military nation that would not be threatened by any power.
To that end, he needed strength and wealth. Teaming up with Hawk Eyes was for strength, and trying to recruit Moria was for the same reason.
In the most ideal scenario, they would seize even greater benefits amid this turbulent sea, perhaps even forcing the World Government to recognize them as a legitimate nation and granting them an extraordinary status like that of Gran Tesoro.
Under normal circumstances, such a thing would be impossible, but with Marine forces stretched thin, Crocodile saw a new possibility.
Of course, this would be extremely difficult. The World Government had only just steeled itself to eliminate the Shichibukai and certainly wouldn't allow the creation of an even more troublesome organization.
If an organization were to obtain legitimacy equal to that of a nation, it would mean that this affiliated nation could freely attack non-affiliated nations. Even if war were declared on an affiliated nation, the Marines would lose the right to arrest them and could only act as mediators.
So for now, Crocodile's immediate objective was simply to gather a few people, banding together to protect each other on this sea.
"Speaking of which, the Beasts Pirates have been making quite a few moves lately. Kaido even went out in person."
"Shut up! Don't you dare say that name!"
"What, just a name scares you this much? You really are a coward, Moria."
"You don't understand! You don't understand anything at all, crocodile b*stard. What right do you have to say that?!"
Seeing Moria's reaction, Crocodile felt that there was still hope for him. According to his own estimate, Moria should have attacked him next, but in his current state, he was definitely no match.
He figured he could recruit him after a brief scuffle to clear away his despondent mindset, yet things didn't develop according to his expectations at all.
After a short burst of anger, Moria actually deflated.
"Kishishishi… crocodile b*stard, go experience it yourself. Sooner or later, you'll understand."
Moria at this point had been hit hard. First came his defeat in Wano Country, then years of living like a shut-in in the Florian Triangle, only to realize that all his efforts were utterly insignificant. Another Shichibukai, Kuma, could defeat him with ease.
By the time of the Summit War, Kaido had casually destroyed decades of his "hard work" with a single blow.
In a state of extreme apathy, Crocodile's approach had been wrong from the start. Forget him, even if you brought in some master of Talk-no-jutsu, there was no way a few words would reignite Moria's fighting spirit.
"Wait!"
A sandstorm rose up to block Moria's path. Crocodile didn't want to let him leave just like that.
What he wanted was influence. Every additional former Shichibukai would make the organization's name that much bigger and his goals that much easier to achieve.
"And what about your subordinate? You probably don't pay much attention to what's happening on the seas these days. The sea is only getting more dangerous, and with what you can do now, you can't protect your subordinate at all.
That writer of yours has offended quite a few people. If someone really comes looking for him one day, what are you going to do?"
Different people required different approaches. Hawk Eyes hates trouble, so Crocodile had appealed to the idea of reducing it. From the way Moria positioned himself as he walked, it was clear that he still cared about Absalom.
Moria had been avoiding reality, yet unable to escape it, so Crocodile's questioning made him halt in his tracks.
"Absalom, what do you think?"
"Lord Moria, no matter what you do, I will always follow you."
"I see…"
When Hawk Eyes arrived at the destination Crocodile had indicated, waiting for him were not only Crocodile and Mr. 1, but also Moria and Absalom.
The moment Crocodile saw Hawk Eyes, his face completely fell.
There were quite a few subordinates following behind Hawk Eyes. Unfortunately, not a single one of them was human.
"Hawk Eyes, are you running a zoo or something?"
"They're just a few helpers. You said you wanted to form an alliance, but there are only four of us in total?"
"That's enough. With our combined reputations, we can recruit plenty of subordinates. Funding is the problem, though. Next, it's time to collect some debts."
"Collect debts?"
"That's right. There's a certain guy who owes me a lot of money. Maybe we'll even get an unexpected bonus out of it. At the very least, we won't have to rely on baboons and sea cows as sailors."
These Kung-Fu Dugongs stirred up some rather unpleasant memories for Crocodile, always reminding him of the painful experiences he had in Alabasta.
Before long, on Karai Bari Island, Buggy, who was in the middle of preparing to move, ran into a group of uninvited guests.
"Hey, hey, did you see that?"
"I did. Hawk Eyes, Sir Crocodile, and Gecko Moria—all great pirates who used to be Shichibukai. They actually came together to see Captain Buggy."
"Man, I really want to go take a look. Who knows how grand the meeting inside that tent is right now. This has to be a historic moment."
The members of Buggy's Delivery gathered around excitedly, completely unaware that the situation behind the tent was nothing like what they imagined.
"Buggy, you should know why I've come looking for you, right?"
Blowing out a smoke ring, Crocodile's hook tapped on the table in front of him, his words carrying a hint of impatience.
[I know, of course I know. This creditor is here to collect money. But I don't have the money to pay him back right now…]
Buggy was deeply conflicted, because Crocodile was currently his biggest creditor.
The development of Buggy's Delivery required money, and Buggy's own foundation only allowed him to get by comfortably in the Four Seas. He had no way of developing in the New World. Back then, it was Crocodile who had lent him a huge sum.
Although Crocodile had also been imprisoned, the treasures he had hidden away outside and the strength he gained after his "enlightenment" soon allowed him to rebuild his assets.
On this sea, the situation where the debtor acts like the boss simply doesn't exist, or rather, when the creditor has strength, deadbeats don't appear. If you dare to owe money and not repay it, the creditor dares to take your life directly.
"Well, um…"
"Buggy, I didn't even charge you interest. That's already very generous. You're not going to tell me you don't have the money to repay me, are you?"
"How could that be? Hahaha, just give me a little time, I'll pay it back right away—"
"Enough. I don't believe you. Mr. 3, tell me, does Buggy actually have the money to pay me back or not?"
"No!"
Under Buggy's hopeful gaze, Mr. 3 held out for two seconds before selling Buggy out to Crocodile completely.
"Galdino! You brat, are you trying to betray me?!"
"I never really thought of myself as your subordinate in the first place! To be able to return to your side again after so many years, Boss, I'm truly overjoyed."
After retorting against Buggy, Mr. 3 fawned over Crocodile as he answered his questions.
Hawk Eyes, Crocodile, and Moria—no matter how you looked at it, this combination was far stronger than Buggy's organization, which relies entirely on flattery.
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