They crossed their arms and lowered their gazes, showing submission.
Not a single person was missing; it was the result of everyone realizing in that instant that they were no match for Crocodile.
Miss All Sunday chuckled softly, thinking, As expected, such an intimidating presence.
Miss Doublefinger, who had fallen silent, couldn't help but speak again.
Her slight bewilderment was likely due to not fully accepting the current situation.
Crocodile, who answered, was utterly calm.
The air in the room grew incredibly heavy.
It was proof of how intently they were focused on this conversation.
"I wouldn't say dissatisfied, but a Shichibukai is a pirate allowed by the government to plunder. Why would you run a company like this? I don't understand your reason or objective."
"What I desire is not money. Nor status. It is 'military power'."
"Military power…?"
"A colossal 'power' sleeps on this island. Or perhaps something that indicates its location. My goal is to usurp the country and obtain that overwhelming 'power'."
Crocodile took a cigar from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a lighter.
He exhaled smoke while looking around at the faces of those present.
"Taking over the country is merely a secondary objective, if you will. But I promise that once the operation succeeds and I acquire the country and its 'power,' our utopia will be complete."
"Taking over the country, and military power…"
"This sounds like an outrageous tale, doesn't it? I'm getting shivers."
"So all our missions until now have been preparations for this, kane?"
"Precisely. Every mission you've completed has led to this operation. And when this operation concludes, the Alabasta Kingdom will end."
Crocodile showed a faint smile for the first time, yet his intimidating presence never diminished.
"Operation Utopia. This final operation was meant to achieve the takeover of the country… it was. Until recently."
"What do you mean?"
"As you all understand, there is one person not present here now."
"That's right, Zero-chan! It's Paper-chan, isn't it? I just saw him the other day!"
Mr. 2's loud outburst made it impossible not to react.
Everyone knew someone was missing.
The boss's partner, the only man in the organization not given a codename.
His existence was known to those present, and their relationship with him was not shallow.
The rumor of him leaving the organization had reached everyone.
It was a topic they hadn't forgotten but deliberately avoided.
Now, brought up by Mr. 2 and hinted at by Crocodile's unfinished words, they began to understand the situation.
Crocodile smiled thinly and said:
"The Royal Army and the Rebel Army—it's impossible for them to thwart this operation now, no matter what they do. However, there's an irregularity that wasn't in the original plan… that is the existence of Nameless."
"The rumors of him leaving the organization were true?"
"No, he was merely taking a vacation. He'll return soon, but it's certain he'll be an enemy in this operation. He will be the most troublesome obstacle."
"That's not good, is it?"
"Paper-chan knows us inside and out! That means our entire plan has been exposed! You're kidding me~!"
"Therefore, we need to change the plan. Operation Utopia alone would leave us vulnerable."
There was a moment of silence.
Breaking that silence, Crocodile spoke.
"Operation Dystopia."
That was the answer he presented.
"Originally, this operation should have ended easily by simply pitting the Rebel Army and Royal Army against each other, but he will try to stop these clashes. We could prevent him… but diverting our forces there is also one of our objectives. There's no need to play along directly."
"Meaning?"
"We abandon the Rebel Army. Though I'll still light a fire under them."
"Oh, right, Paper-chan was the one inciting them. He's a bit hard to handle."
"Even so, abandoning them poses no problem. A Rebel Army can be created."
Mr. 3, who had been listening with his arms crossed, twitched an eyebrow.
Not using, but creating.
Even with his sharp intellect, he couldn't immediately grasp it and asked in a serious tone:
"What do you mean, gane? You said you would abandon the Rebel Army."
"Miss All Sunday."
"I will give you all your final orders. And Mr. 3, regarding your question…"
Miss All Sunday's heels clicked as she approached the table, a smile playing on her lips.
"Sir Crocodile is a hero protecting this country from pirates. And this nation, plagued by civil war, is a prime target for pirates. Does that make sense?"
"I see… While their combat strength remains a concern, their skill seems to be beyond question, gane."
"What does that mean?"
"You'll understand soon enough."
Miss Goldenweek tilted her head and asked, but Mr. 3 deliberately chose not to elaborate.
Meanwhile, Miss All Sunday distributed the command papers to everyone.
Each paper contained only the instructions relevant to that individual.
There was no mention of what others would do.
The message was to perform one's own task perfectly.
No one looked troubled by this.
They had always focused solely on their own tasks, and not being given extraneous information was normal.
It was not a surprising revelation, and they accepted the orders without question.
After reading and comprehending, everyone quietly extended their arms.
They used the candlelight from the candelabra on the table to burn their command papers, eliminating any evidence.
"They are not a formidable enemy… but a competent commander can make even ordinary soldiers moderately effective. It would be wise to know the faces of those who will become our enemies."
Miss All Sunday moved again, and an image Transponder Snail projected multiple photos onto the entire wall.
Photos of the Straw Hat Pirates, as well as Vivi, Igaram, and Karoo.
Every single one of them was shown, and the agents instantly memorized their faces.
Among them, naturally, was Kiri's face.
"This is Baroque Works' final and greatest operation. Failure is not an option. Execution is tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock."
"They'll be arriving then…"
"May fortune favor your arms."
At Crocodile's words, a unified "Understood" resounded.
Execution was tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock.
With that one phrase, they understood that the enemy would arrive on the island tomorrow.
And there was no doubt that this enemy understood them, who had maintained such secrecy, better than anyone.
It seemed tomorrow would be a long day.
Everyone steeled themselves for it.
-------------------------------
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