One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

Rosen was in a good mood, relaxing with his officers in his luxurious suite. He received the notebook handed to him by Robin, which contained a list of treasures and cargo inventory. 

"620 million Berries, with various treasures. Not much money, though." Rosen glanced at the list and immediately noticed the most glaring issue. 

"I was aiming for simplicity, and this ship wasn't cheap, Boss. We still had to make it look good on the surface, but if I'd known you thought it was too expensive, we could've just stolen it without a problem," Robin said with a smile. 

"Forget it, it doesn't matter." Rosen didn't mind much. More money would be nice, of course, but there were still a few hundred million Berries, so it wasn't like they were poor. After all, this was all free for him—what could he complain about? 

"How about when we reach the next island, we send the officers to loot some more?" Robin switched back into her usual role. She was always rational, able to judge situations clearly. Some things only reveal their value when they come with the right circumstances. 

This was her way of survival. 

"From now on, don't do anything you're unwilling to do. And that goes for all of you—don't act like you're clever and do things on your own. Do you understand? I hate people who act without consulting me first." Rosen stared at the four officers seriously. 

He was worried that they might still be operating with the reckless style they'd used before. If they kept that up, they might bring unnecessary trouble, especially since the world outside wasn't like Alabasta, where the strong were few. 

Rosen also had the sense that a "villain" aura was looming over him, and he feared that if his subordinates made a wrong move, it might invite some of the Three Admirals. He wasn't looking for trouble—at least not right now. He needed some time to build up his power first. 

"Understood!" The three officers, excluding Robin, responded in unison. Robin paused, but then sighed with relief, shrugging her shoulders and giving a resigned expression. 

If she'd known that Crocodile had become so agreeable, she might have given more Berries to those villagers and children who were on the brink of starvation. 

Rosen had no idea that Robin was still thinking about his Berries. If he knew, he might explode. 

"Mr. 1, Mr. 5." Rosen put down the document and began calling out names. 

"Here." 

"You two are primarily responsible for the ship's security. Mr. 1 will lead, with Mr. 5 as support. If you come across any promising recruits, let me know." Rosen was clear-headed in his thinking. It's important to arrange tasks by priority; after all, human nature is complicated. Without clear orders, disputes are bound to happen. 

"Understood." 

"Valentine, you're also somewhat of a combat member, but when you have time, make some chocolates for us to try." 

"Of course, Boss." Valentine looked at Rosen with a fangirl expression, which made him uncomfortable. Wasn't she supposed to be a ruthless killer? Why did she seem so nervous and deferential now? Had she been softened? 

Whatever, if she had been softened, it was a pity. She had the Light-Light Fruit, which could increase or decrease weight. If applied to weapons, it could be a powerful ability. Still, compared to Mr. 1 and Mr. 5, she was more of a small fry. 

"So, what am I in charge of, Boss?" Robin asked, noticing Rosen wasn't continuing. 

"You're in charge of all the ship's affairs, handling intelligence and managing the crew." This was a role Robin could handle easily. 

Thinking back to Baroque Works, it was almost all under Robin's command, and she did it effortlessly. Unfortunately, her talent had yet to fully manifest on this ship, especially given the current progress of the story. 

Robin's strength wasn't the greatest, but her vast knowledge, life experience, and exceptional management and intelligence skills, as well as her ability to escape tricky situations, made her an invaluable asset. 

"However, take some time each day to teach me about history." Rosen knew nothing about history—not the empty kind, but actual recorded history. This lack of knowledge made him seem ignorant. After all, if he encountered something important, how could he recognize its value if he didn't know? 

Thus, knowledge was something he had to acquire, and this was one of the reasons he had originally brought Robin along. 

"No problem." Robin didn't think much of it and agreed right away. 

"Captain, we've got a situation! There's a pirate ship ahead, and it's on the same course as us. Should we fire and sink them?" A loud voice rang from the lookout atop the main mast, sounding excited. 

"How arrogant! They dare sail the same route as us and don't avoid our Shichibukai ship? They need a proper lesson!" 

Rosen's expression shifted as he listened to the exchange. He suddenly recalled the rules aboard the ship. 

"I'd like to remind you of something. After we set sail, I don't want any unnecessary killing of innocent people, and no looting of civilians. If anyone is caught doing so, kill them all." 

The moment Rosen spoke those words, a deep silence fell. Even the sound of breathing seemed loud. The first reaction from everyone was: "Did the Boss take the wrong medicine?" 

They were pirates. How could they survive without plundering, without killing? Without showcasing their strength, how would they prove their power? 

This was very different from what they had expected. Mr. 1 and the others had peculiar expressions, but Rosen's face remained stern. He had to enforce this rule. It was better to prevent senseless killings now than to try and undo the damage later. 

"If anyone can't accept this, they can leave the ship at any time. I promise I won't do anything to you. But anyone who stays must follow the rules. The consequences for breaking them are clear." Rosen said firmly. If anyone was truly hesitant and couldn't accept this, he wouldn't force them to stay. 

"How is this different from before? Crocodile would never have said something like this," Robin thought to herself, feeling unsettled. However, she couldn't tell if Rosen was being sincere or not. 

Was it a façade? It didn't seem necessary to put on a show, considering everyone here was essentially an "insider." 

"This is fine. After all, Boss, you're a Shichibukai. We can just focus on looting pirate resources as needed." Mr. 1 was the first to accept it. 

Once MR.1 spoke up, the others followed suit. It didn't really conflict with their goals. It was just a matter of rules, and even Baroque Works had rules, so this wasn't hard to accept. 

"Crocodile, are you on the ship? Did you turn Vivi's country into a mess? I'm going to knock you out!" Suddenly, a furious voice rang out, echoing in all directions. 

Hearing that innocent-sounding voice, Rosen had a bad feeling. 

As expected, the next moment, chaos broke out on the ship. 

"Enemy attack!" 

"Luffy, don't use that spring-loaded attack next time! If you do, I'll definitely chop you up!" A terrified voice followed. 

"Well, it doesn't matter. But we still haven't seen the leader of the enemy pirates. Are you sure Vivi saw Crocodile with the binoculars? Anyone who dares trouble the lady will have to answer to me." 

Rosen heard the "main forces" talking on the deck, and he suddenly felt a headache.

That pirate ship was from the Straw Hat Pirates? What a coincidence! It was almost as if fate itself had brought them together. It would have been great to avoid meeting them, but now Rosen wasn't sure how to handle this. The timeline seemed a bit off, but since he arrived, things had changed a lot. 

At this moment, Rosen stood up slowly, lit his cigar, took a few deep drags to calm his nerves, and then turned to the group. 

"Trouble's here." 

(End of Chapter)