Chrollo had Shizuku deliver the daily paper to the "Newspaper King," Crocodile. Since the former Warlord knew far more about the world's undercurrents than he did, he might be able to piece together hidden details from the headlines.
Standing up slowly, Chrollo walked over to Bonney. He gently patted her head and sat down beside her.
"I know what you want to ask." His voice was soft, his gaze drifting toward the endless sea of clouds. "When the day of the execution comes, we will absolutely be at Marineford."
"I know exactly why you set sail, and I know just how desperately you want to see Kuma again."
Bonney might have acted lazy and obsessed with food, but beneath that front, she was incredibly sharp. She carried far too heavy a burden. The moment she saw the World Government's announcement regarding Ace's public execution, she had already looked past the smoke and mirrors to see the catastrophic future rushing toward them.
It was going to be an absolutely monumental war.
Edward Newgate—Whitebeard—viewed his crew as his family, his literal sons. The World Government's move was a blatant, undeniable declaration of war.
The Strongest Man in the World... A full-blown clash between his Emperor crew and the Navy Headquarters would drag every major power into the meat grinder. Compared to that roaring storm, their Phantom Pirates were just an insignificant pebble. How could they possibly survive the crossfire of global superpowers, let alone step onto that grand stage?
"Am I... am I being too selfish?" Bonney buried her face in her knees, showing a rare moment of sheer vulnerability.
This was Navy Headquarters they were talking about. But if not for this war, how else could she ever infiltrate Marineford to see her father? She needed to ask him face-to-face: why did a man like him bow to the World Government and become a Warlord? This was her one and only chance.
Sitting beside her, Chrollo shook his head, a wide, unstoppable smile breaking across his face.
"Of course not. When it comes to being selfish, you're not even close to making the cut."
Bonney looked up at him.
A warm light flickered in Chrollo's eyes. "You know Uvogin, right? Every day he screams about getting payback on Smoker, beating up that 'gaseous lifeform Ai,' or taking down Hellbell—Kaido—and the Brood-Mother Pap—Big Mom."
"Then there's Nobunaga. Ever since his fight with Hawkeye, he's been obsessed. He literally dreams about surpassing him and claiming the title of the World's Strongest Swordsman."
"Don't even get me started on Phinks. He wants to march into the Underworld and crown himself king. That means he'll inevitably have to go to war with Doflamingo."
"And Feitan... he hates oppression more than anyone. He swore that one day, all those arrogant snobs sitting at the top of the world will become his prisoners, just to be his daily torture toys."
"See? They're all incredibly selfish, aren't they?" Chrollo smiled warmly. "Bonney, you've got cause and effect backward. It's not that you're too selfish... It's that the Phantom Troupe is literally built out of selfish people."
He turned to look at her, eyes smiling. "Did you forget? I told you this when you joined."
"We take what we want. That is our only creed."
"Your wish is just a daughter trying to save her father. If we can't even satisfy a wish that small, then we have no right to call ourselves the Phantom Troupe."
Uvogin was the first to step out onto the deck, giving Bonney a playful flick on the forehead with a wicked grin. "Yo!"
Bonney clutched her head, glaring at him.
Nobunaga leaned firmly against the railing behind her, a faint smile on his lips, letting his presence speak for itself.
Phinks walked up and aggressively ruffled her hair, much to her annoyance. "What's going on in that little head of yours? Leave the heavy thinking to the Boss. All we gotta do is execute."
Feitan hovered quietly in the back. "Idiot—"
"You take that back right now!" Bonney warned, shaking her fist.
One by one, the rest of the crew gathered around them, smiling. Despite her annoyed grumbling as she fixed her hair, the radiant warmth spreading across Bonney's face was impossible to hide. She stared blankly at Chrollo.
When had it happened? When had she subconsciously started seeing herself as a true member of the Phantom Troupe?
Was it when Chrollo took her to the Baratie for a feast? No.
Was it when he used the stolen Heavenly Tribute to save her homeland, the Sorbet Kingdom? No, not quite.
Was it when he rescued her from Kizaru? Or when he flew into a murderous rage because his crew got hurt? No...
The truth was, it was a mosaic built from countless little moments just like this one.
Without realizing it, this had become the one place where Bonney could drop all her walls and just be herself. She no longer had to face the crushing weight of the future alone; she had partners standing right beside her, ready to laugh in the face of it all.
Tears slid down Bonney's face once more, but this time, they were tears of overwhelming gratitude.
Dad, are you watching? This ocean really is massive... and I finally found my crew.
"But... it's really dangerous," Bonney admitted, her voice tight with lingering worry despite her deep desire to go. "We're just one ship against the world."
"Don't worry. We're not exactly soft targets anymore," Chrollo said, gripping the letter Dragon had sent him.
He thought of the [Bandit's Points Exchange] system—he was only 30,000 points away from buying a favor from "Red-Haired" Shanks. He also looked at Uvogin and the others, who had already mastered their new Devil Fruit powers.
Before anyone had realized it, the Troupe had grown into a monstrous force that no faction in the world could afford to ignore.
Chrollo clapped his hands, calling for attention. "Our top priority: over the next three months, we need to hunt down as many powerful Devil Fruits as possible and arm the rest of the crew. We have to keep stacking our strength."
"We are absolutely crashing that execution. Not just for you, Bonney, but to make our official, dazzling debut on the global stage."
"A war of that magnitude is the perfect opportunity to make sure the entire world remembers our name. Plus, it's the perfect chance to smash the World Government's reputation into the dirt."
The sheer amount of Reputation Points he'd harvest from a stunt like that was unimaginable. Besides... the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was going to be right there on the battlefield.
Chrollo stood up slowly, his voice dropping into an elegant, commanding timbre. "It's time to show the world we're here."
Hidden in the shadows, Robin watched the scene with deep envy. What a beautiful crew...
But her heart sank. Even if the World Government could tolerate a crew that stole Devil Fruit powers, they would never tolerate someone who could read the history of the Void Century.
Perhaps... she was the biggest ticking time bomb on this ship.
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