Baroque Works was, by its nature, a clandestine organization. Bege figured that even if Crocodile had already founded it, it would still be in its infancy, far from the large-scale operation it would later become. With few members, finding it would be even more difficult.
Relying on his memory, Bege marked the general area of Rainbase, the future headquarters of Baroque Works, and began searching city by city.
Seven or eight days passed. He had searched three cities and still found no sign of Crocodile or any other members of his organization.
One day, in a particularly foul mood, Bege was drinking in a tavern, eating Alabasta's specialty, grilled desert snake. The lack of progress was frustrating him, and he was already considering heading to the capital, Alubarna, to search for the Poneglyph instead.
Clang.
The tavern door swung open, and a young woman walked in. She wore a wide-brimmed purple sun hat, a purple short-sleeved top, and tight-fitting jeans.
"Boss, is my lizard patty ready?" the young woman asked, her voice clear and pleasant.
The portly owner behind the counter smiled when he saw her. "Ah, Anna! It's been ready. I'll go get it for you. Labo, stop staring and go get Anna's lizard patty!"
The owner yelled at a young, freckle-faced man who was gawking at the woman. Startled, the young man nodded quickly and darted into the back kitchen.
Anna chuckled softly and sat on a high stool, resting her chin on her slender hand. She glanced around nonchalantly, and her eyes happened to fall on Bege. Her pupils contracted for a fraction of a second before her expression returned to normal, and she looked away.
The young man returned with a rather large food container and placed it in front of Anna. "Anna, your lizard patty is ready," he whispered, his face full of adoration. "I added an extra portion for you."
"Thank you, Labo. I'll be going now," Anna said with a bright smile. She picked up the container, waved goodbye to the owner, and left.
Thwack!
The portly owner's fist landed on the young man's head. "Stop staring. Anna would never be interested in you," he grumbled.
"Dad, I'm your son! If you're not going to encourage me, at least don't look down on me!" the young man whined, rubbing his head.
"It's because you're my son that I know what you're like," the owner said. "I've been running this tavern for twenty or thirty years. I've seen all kinds of people. These eyes of mine have seen countless faces. I can generally size someone up with just one look. Anna is no ordinary woman. She's not for you."
"Hmph, I don't believe you," the young man scoffed at his father.
"Boss, here's for the drinks." Bege tossed a gold ingot onto the counter and walked out of the tavern.
The owner thanked him profusely. After Bege had left, he said to his son, "Did you see that man just now? From the moment he walked in, I could feel an unusual aura about him. That man is definitely no ordinary person."
"He gave you such a huge gold ingot. Of course he's not ordinary," the young man muttered.
Bege stepped out of the tavern and glanced down the street. The young woman was already gone. A smile played on his lips. "She moves fast. Must have noticed me. Tsk, tsk, tsk... to think I'd run into you so coincidentally. What luck."
The scene shifted. The young woman from the tavern, her face now grim, clutched the food container and hurried through the winding streets and alleys as if fleeing for her life.
How could Demon Dragon be here? I have to notify the president as soon as possible.
Just as she rounded a corner, a figure blocked her path. Her expression changed, and she instantly retreated three meters, her pupils constricting. But she recovered just as quickly, forcing a smile.
"Hello. Can I help you with something?"
"Nico Robin, I want you to take me to Crocodile," Bege said with a light chuckle.
Her face instantly turned cold, her body tensing as if facing a mortal enemy.
That's right. She was the woman the Marines called the "Devil Child," Nico Robin.
"Lord Demon Dragon," Robin said, shaking her head grimly, "I don't know anyone named Crocodile."
"Nico Robin, you're following Crocodile because you want to find the Poneglyphs, aren't you? I have rubbings of two Poneglyphs in my possession. Are you interested?" Bege smiled.
Robin's expression shifted again. She bit her lip, an internal struggle visible on her face.
Bege continued, "I am also very interested in the Poneglyphs. I came to Alabasta to find one, and I've already located it. After this, I will be searching for the others. You'll never find the true Poneglyph with Crocodile. Why not follow me instead? I'm far stronger than he is."
Robin and Crocodile's relationship was purely one of convenience. Crocodile valued her ability to read the Poneglyphs, and she hoped to use him to gain access to more of them and uncover the truth of the Void Century. Their alliance was incredibly fragile.
"I am willing to follow you." With almost no hesitation, Nico Robin bowed, submitting to Bege. The quest to find and decipher the Poneglyphs was her entire reason for living. Bege offered her a far greater opportunity, and she had no qualms about switching sides.
"Good. Very good. Welcome to the Fire Tank Pirates," Bege laughed. The gate on his chest opened, and two scrolls flew out.
"Here are the rubbings of two Poneglyphs," Bege said. "Though they don't contain any particularly useful information."
Robin eagerly grabbed the scrolls and unrolled them, studying them intently. After about ten minutes, a look of disappointment crossed her face. She rerolled them and handed them back to Bege.
"Can you also read the Poneglyphs?" she asked.
Bege waved his hand. "No, I can't. I heard about their contents from another source. Now, take me to Crocodile."
"Very well." Robin nodded and led the way.
They passed through the city and entered a more chaotic district, a place where people from all walks of life gathered. Crocodile ran a large casino here and had established a considerable presence in the area. The casino, however, was merely a front. Baroque Works, his true organization, was located in the basement beneath it.
Robin led Bege to the casino's back entrance. The alley was empty except for a young man with a large afro and a rock-and-roll style, lounging on a chair and casually eating an apple.
"Yo, Miss All Sunday, you're back," the young man said, raising a hand in greeting. When he saw Bege, his expression hardened. He stood up from his chair, picking his nose with one finger. "Who's this guy?" he asked coolly. "The boss said that non-members aren't allowed to use the back door. You'd better explain."