Robin placed the Den Den Mushi onto the table.
"Shall I connect the call?"
Leo smiled hearing that.
"Go ahead."
"Purupurupuru… Purupurupuru…"
The small Den Den Mushi resting atop the table suddenly began mimicking a ringing sound as its tiny face twisted lazily before the connection finally went through.
"Kacha!"
For a brief moment, only silence followed from the other side, then a deep calm voice answered.
"…Miss All Sunday."
Even through the Den Den Mushi, the man's voice carried a strange authority behind it while Robin calmly replied.
"Leo is on the line, Mr. 0."
After a brief pause, Den Den Mushi's expression slowly shifted, mimicking the faint smirk of the man on the other side.
"You seem like a man of few words, Leo." Leo leaned back casually against his chair.
"And you are a man of mystery, Mr. 0." The air around the table subtly changed.
Neither side sounded openly hostile, yet both were quietly gauging the limits of the other.
"A rookie pirate who robbed the World Government, killed two Marine captains without fearing the consequences, escaped twice from the clutches of the Marine Hero Garp, slaughtered several powerful pirates, Tamed a massive Island whale, not to mention stole an entire island landmark." Mr. 0 stated his achievements.
"It seems information travels fast in the underworld." Leo smiled, already understanding there was only one place the man could have gathered such detailed information from.
The Den Den Mushi lit a cigar while mimicking its speaker.
"You are an interesting pirate," Mr. 0 said. "Exactly the kind of man the Grand Line… and Baroque Works… needs these days."
Even Bon Clay straightened at the mention of Leo's achievements, while Leo simply laughed softly.
"I already rejected recruitment offers from Garp and Revolutionary Dragon." The smile on his face changed into mocking.
"So tell me…"
"Why exactly should I work under you?"
At his proclamation, the entire deck went silent.
Even Robin's eyes shifted toward the Den Den Mushi, knowing Crocodile was not someone who tolerated disobedience. He either took what he desired… or destroyed it.
Bon Clay nearly stopped breathing because nobody spoke to Mr. 0 like that.
Finally, the man chuckled with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.
"You really are troublesome."
"My ambitions go far beyond anything the likes of Dragon or Garp could hope to achieve… Perhaps we should meet in person."
Leo's eyes narrowed, fully aware he would be walking directly into a trap.
"Oh… Should I?"
"Some matters are better discussed face to face," Crocodile said. "My identity… my ambitions… Isn't that what you are curious about?"
His voice lowered afterward.
"I suspect the things I am after may interest an ambitious man like you." Leo remained silent for a moment before suddenly remembering something else.
"In that case, I'll accept your invitation and speaking of your organization…"
His gaze shifted toward the two strangely clothed messengers currently sitting inside the cage at the corner of the deck, hungry yet glaring smugly as if convinced their boss had finally come to bargain for them.
"What should I do with your captured messenger?" Without slight hesitation, Crocodile answered coldly.
"They failed their mission. Kill them."
The Unluckies stared toward the Den Den Mushi in shock before bursting into tears.
Even Bon Clay looked disturbed for a brief moment by the coldness of his boss's response.
Meanwhile Leo simply watched the crying animals with a sinister smile, clearly having plans of his own, while Nojiko sighed helplessly before walking over with food bowls in hand.
"Come eat before you die from stress."
She had already lost interest in whatever plan these dangerous men were brewing against each other.
On the other side of the line, Crocodile calculated Leo's worth.
A pirate who started from nothing, ruthless toward his enemies and greedy for power and wealth.
He was bold enough to steal an entire island simply because he wanted it, and above all… that strange Devil Fruit ability of his, capable of controlling everything around him.
The underworld reports regarding Leo had only become more and more absurd recently.
Exactly the kind of person Crocodile preferred controlling before they became too troublesome… or failing that, eliminating as even his corpse would yield a hefty bounty.
At the same time, Leo was thinking the exact same thing.
The mysterious Mr. 0 had to be powerful, experienced and intelligent to control an organization like Baroque Works.
And he was clearly preparing something massive behind the scenes, if he could speak of the ambitions of Dragon and Garp so dismissively which were to simply maintain Peace.
Leo at least wanted to know what kind of scheme required such secrecy and confidence… and more importantly, whether he could benefit from it.
Someone like Mr. 0 either became useful… or a future nuisance that needed to be removed early.
Whatever Mr. 0 was planning definitely involved something valuable, and Leo wanted to see it himself in order to weigh the risks and gains.
Finally, Mr. 0 spoke again.
"Come to Rainbase in Alabasta with Miss All Sunday and Bon Clay. Witness the true might of Baroque Works for yourself… then decide."
The Den Den Mushi exhaled another puff of smoke while mimicking its owner.
Rainbase in Alabasta.
Coincidentally, that was already his intended destination for the future.
The second underworld branch in Alabasta was hidden there in a casino as per Mr. Fool of Loguetown.
"…Then I suppose we'll meet soon." The invitation had been accepted.
"Laboon follow the Turtle's Lead."
"Bwaaahh..!" Laboon agreed and just like that, and the course of the journey changed.
Leo.
Nojiko.
Robin.
Bon Clay.
Jojo.
Even crying and eating Unluckies.
All of them would soon arrive in Alabasta, the stronghold of Mr. 0.
Leo slowly stood up from his lounger, and that was when Robin's eyes suddenly fell upon the ivory dagger resting beside the seat.
Ancient words had been carved across the blade.
A forbidden language, one she recognized instantly.
The language known only to the scholars of Ohara now lay right before her eyes inscribed on the dagger.
For the first time since arriving aboard the Laboon… Robin's calm expression visibly cracked.
A reaction Leo didn't miss.
"C-Can I take a look at that dagger? It's… beautiful," Robin asked in a shaky voice, her eyes refusing to leave the dagger as countless emotions flickered through her pupil.
Or more precisely… a long suppressed painful memory.