Brrip… brrip… brrip…
The Den Den Mushi kept chirping tirelessly, but the massive round table had fallen into dead silence.
Everyone cast a quick glance at it, then shifted their eyes to Davy Jones, waiting for him to decide.
He was the master of this ship.
Davy Jones slowly raised his arm. From beneath his skin, a tentacle shot forth, moving like a perfectly controlled limb. It plucked the transponder snail from the center of the table, set it in front of him, and then vanished.
Clack.
Davy Jones picked up the receiver from the snail's back and brought it to his ear.
"Mr. 5, Miss Valentine," the snail's mouth opened, speaking in a deep, resonant voice. "How's the job going?"
From a distance, Mikita sat motionless. That familiar voice confirmed it was Mr. 0 himself — but she didn't dare make a sound.
She knew if she spoke without permission, she might end up like Mr. 5.
"They're dead," Davy Jones stated flatly. "But before they died, they told me exactly who was looking to cause me trouble."
The line went silent.
Davy Jones wasn't in a hurry. He set the receiver down on the table, glanced around at those seated, then leisurely pulled out a pipe and lit it, puffing slow streams of smoke.
After a long pause, the snail murmured faintly, as if Mr. 0 was conversing with someone on the other end. Then the receiver was lifted again.
"You're Davy Jones, aren't you?" The voice of Mr. 0 — Crocodile — was calm, already piecing the situation together. "So you know who I am?"
"The Warlord of the Sea — 'Sand Crocodile' Crocodile."
This time Crocodile didn't bother with silence; it was expected.
"Vivi's with you?"
"She should be 'Vivi,' right?" Davy Jones turned toward the blue-haired girl, then looked at Alvida.
Alvida nodded.
By now Vivi had tied back her loose hair into a crisp ponytail.
Meeting Davy Jones' gaze made her stiffen, but hearing Crocodile's voice renewed her focus — this was about the fate of every citizen in Arabasta.
"What do you want?" Crocodile asked. "Name your price."
The implication was simple: keep his identity secret, hand over Vivi, and he'd pay whatever price was necessary.
But Davy Jones didn't rush to answer.
Vivi held her breath, then suddenly rose to her feet.
"Captain Davy Jones, you can't agree to his terms! He's a demon who's ravaging Arabasta — helping him would be the same as—"
She stopped short, realizing most people at this table were pirates. Her back prickled with cold.
What was the point of appealing to their sense of justice?
"Captain Davy Jones," she shifted tactics quickly, "if you're willing to help Arabasta, the Nefertari royal family will back you to become the next Warlord of the Sea — and secure your place in the world!"
If there's a new Warlord, it means the current one — Crocodile — would be removed.
"An offer's already been made," Davy Jones said evenly into the receiver, waiting for a reply from the snail.
The pause was shorter this time.
"One billion berries — and an unbreakable alliance between us," the snail said, mimicking Crocodile's voice. "Once things are settled here, my crew and I will be heading for the New World. We're bound for the same seas."
Crocodile was not like Donquixote Doflamingo. Yes, he intended to overthrow Alabasta's government — but not to crown himself king, nor to stay and rule.
Toppling the monarchy was simply a means to obtain what he truly wanted. Once that was in his hands, he and his people would depart to find it.
Vivi caught the chilling truth in his words — this meant Crocodile cared even less for Alabasta than she'd feared. His goal had never been this country.
"Captain Davy Jones, you cannot agree to this!" Vivi slammed her palms on the table, her voice rising. "He has a greater scheme — one that will drag the whole world into war!"
Davy Jones' eyes met hers, and the moment of contact made her flinch and look away — it was like staring into the abyssal depths and locking eyes with a colossal sea monster.
"I'm a pirate, not some champion of world peace," Davy Jones said, setting his pipe aside and exhaling a smoke ring. "Since both sides have named their price, I'll deal with the one whose offer suits me best.
"I have no interest in becoming a Warlord. But a princess in exchange for one billion berries… that's worth it."
The words hit Vivi like ice water.
She exhaled slowly — then shoved her chair back, spinning toward the door.
But Alvida was faster, stronger. She slammed Vivi down, twisting her arms behind her back despite her struggling.
"Buggy, get me some rope."
"Got it — let me see where I put it."
Moments later, Vivi was bound tight with coarse hemp rope, a strip of tape sealing her mouth. She glared at the crew — especially Alvida — with a mix of fear and fury.
She bitterly regretted her choice.
She should never have sought help from pirates. They were no different from Crocodile — ruthless and driven only by profit.
Davy Jones spoke into the receiver.
"I've got her. How do you want to deliver on your offer?"
"Within a week, come to the port city of Nanohana in Arabasta. I'll send people to make the exchange," the mustached snail replied. "Our alliance begins now."
Far inland, in Arabasta's oasis city of Rainbase, the country's largest casino stood shrouded in drawn curtains, its lighting dim.
Clack.
Leaning back in his chair, slicked hair glistening, Crocodile hung up the snail. He pulled the cigar from his mouth and flicked it carelessly into the ashtray.
The golden hook of his left arm tapped the tabletop, then raked backward, leaving a deep scratch in the wood.
He turned to the hat-wearing woman watching from nearby — "Miss All Sunday," Nico Robin — and issued his orders.
"Tell Mr. 1's team and Mr. 4's team to gather here in Rainbase ahead of schedule. Have our agents in the royal army make their move — attack the rebels, then have some defect to their side. I want the rebel army at the walls of Alubarna within a week."
"Yes."
Robin tipped her hat, smiling faintly.
She'd overheard the entire conversation between Crocodile and Davy Jones from the loudspeaker snail — and had noticed Crocodile's expression sour.
"You intend to trade with Davy Jones?"
Crocodile gave a cold snort. "First I'll use that billion berries to get Vivi back. Then I'll get her to me as quickly as possible."
By then, he'd likely be in Alubarna himself — able to use Vivi as a hostage to force King Cobra to reveal the kingdom's long-buried secret.
Robin calculated the distance from Nanohana to Alubarna in her head, then nodded.
"As for the alliance with Davy Jones…" Crocodile shook his head. "I don't form alliances under duress — least of all with some pretentious, supernatural-playing upstart pirate riding a wave of recent fame."
"You mean…?"
"When the trade's done, give his location to the Marines." Crocodile smiled in the dark. "I've done the World Government's dirty work against enough pirates — it's time they did something for me."
"I'll contact them ahead of time, have them waiting nearby," Robin said smoothly. "Once Vivi is in our hands, someone will signal them."
"Good." Crocodile nodded. "They say after the Reverse Mountain battle, his crew was as strong as the Yonko. Let's see if they can really match the Whitebeard Pirates — beating the Marines head-on, again and again."
PS: Access advance (100+) chapters at