One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

Rosen sat quietly in his office, awaiting the arrival of Mr. 5 and Mr. 1. Although he still had some doubts about Robin's agreement, he couldn't deny that she had made the decision swiftly. Since it was her choice, he had no reason to refuse. After all, it was he who had given her the freedom to decide. Without Robin, however, his chances of truly uncovering the world's hidden secrets would be slim. His own knowledge wouldn't be enough to accomplish such things.

If not for the experience package from the strong pirates, which contained the basic language and writing of this world, he wouldn't even be able to read a newspaper. Fortunately, the system had adapted to him early on and unlocked additional functions. Speaking of which, this experience package came with battle experience from the infamous "Crazy Demon Pirate."

"I hope the journey goes smoothly. I wonder how much money Baroque Works has accumulated over the years. They should at least have a billion Berries, right?" Rosen pondered. Money was universally useful, no matter where you were.

A billion Berries was likely a safe bet. Baroque Works, although short on powerful individuals in the later stages, had been a colossal force in its prime, able to orchestrate wars involving tens of millions of people. It had numerous affiliated members and even dedicated departments focused on money-making. Most importantly, it had been operating for many years. Money was the foundation of any operation, and in the higher ranks, nearly everyone was a Devil Fruit user. Even if they didn't purchase a Devil Fruit, their powers were still valuable, with each fruit worth billions in the market.

If Crocodile had set his eyes on a Devil Fruit, he would likely have acquired it by now, as he was known for his resourcefulness. Sometimes, money was more effective than violence, and there were some powers that Crocodile would never openly clash with.

After Robin left Rosen's office, she immediately set out to search for information to confirm the location of the Royal Tomb. She hadn't been able to pinpoint it earlier, but now she had a solid lead. She knew that historical records would surely hold some clues. 

Before long, Robin found what she was looking for. That very night, she infiltrated the Royal Tomb, with King Cobra guiding her. She had promised him that if he helped her find the tomb, she would prevent the upcoming rebellion by halting the hidden forces behind it. Rosen wasn't aware of the details, but given Robin's abilities, it wasn't hard to believe she could pull it off.

In truth, Robin's words had been nothing more than a clever ruse, but the naïve king believed her, unwilling to see bloodshed in his kingdom. 

"Perhaps, if Crocodile does leave, then I wouldn't have lied," Robin thought to herself. If she truly found the historical text, it would prove that some of Crocodile's words could be trusted. If not, then it meant everything he had said was a lie. But the most pressing question was whether Crocodile had intentionally fed her that information while secretly following her?

Even if he was, it didn't matter. As long as she didn't tell him where the tomb was, his pursuit would amount to nothing.

Yet, after reading the historical texts and returning to her quarters, Robin didn't see Crocodile anywhere. Had he really given up on Alabasta? After all the effort he had put into this scheme, why would he suddenly change his mind? What had gone wrong?

Robin was puzzled, but there was no clear answer. Based on the facts she had verified, it seemed that staying with Crocodile for now might not be such a bad idea. After all, he hadn't killed her yet, so she didn't need to fear for her life.

"Mrs. Valentine? I don't recall summoning you." Rosen said as he bit down on his cigar and lit it, taking a deep drag. Ah, that was refreshing. Rosen had been a smoker for a long time, and despite not lacking money, he couldn't bring himself to indulge in expensive cigarettes, not even cigars.

Crocodile's stock seemed to be made of the finest tobacco, a luxury Rosen wouldn't have afforded himself in the past. But now that he was getting some benefits, it was a welcome change. Although he might seem a bit immature at times, in this world, he was actually a fairly successful young man. After all, he had risen from the orphanage and steadily worked his way up.

"Boss, I... I was partnered with Mr. 5 on the last mission. It ended in failure, and I was hoping you'd give me another chance," Valentine, the beautiful yet deadly woman, trembled as she spoke. She knew the rules of Baroque Works. Even as a senior agent, failure often led to elimination.

When she learned that the elusive big boss had called for Mr. 5, she mustered the courage to show up. Upon seeing Crocodile in person, however, fear completely overtook her. The title of "Shichibukai" alone was enough to instill dread in anyone, and she had never expected the mysterious boss to be one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Even Bomb-Bomb Man, Mr. 5, was now nervous, unsure of why he had been summoned. They had planned to make up for their past failure, but upon receiving word from Mrs. Sunday (Nico Robin), they rushed to Alabasta, hoping it wasn't some form of punishment.

Mr. 1, however, appeared calm and composed. It seemed like he had known Crocodile's true identity for some time. Rosen wasn't entirely sure, since he didn't have much information on Mr. 1, but he clearly held Crocodile in high regard. Originally a well-known bounty hunter, Mr. 1 had once fought against Hawkeye, the greatest swordsman in the world. Though he was defeated in a single strike, Hawkeye had apparently remembered him. The fact that Hawkeye recalled their battle showed how skilled Mr. 1 was. In the aftermath, MR.1 had admitted that he hadn't fought in years and was a bit rusty, but his injuries hadn't been serious.

"Can you cook?" Rosen exhaled a cloud of smoke and looked at Valentine. She was undoubtedly an attractive woman, but she was also a killer.

"Huh?" Valentine was taken aback. Why was he asking her this?

"I can cook a little," she answered truthfully. In fact, she enjoyed making chocolates. There was even a story in the original where she and Golden Week's little girl had opened a café, specializing in chocolates, after rescuing other Baroque Works agents. It had become her dream career to run such a café, so she couldn't help but think about Golden Week and the others. However, their abilities were mediocre at best.

"Alright, then. You'll come with us," Rosen said. He wasn't too concerned about Valentine, and he got straight to the point. "There are two things I need to tell you. First, you're among the chosen few who will travel with me to a wider world. Our ideal country project will be abandoned, but I doubt any of you are really attached to it."

Though Crocodile had once promoted the idea of an ideal country, with Robin controlling all the information, the truth was that Baroque Works was still the more reliable faction. The "ideal country" had been a mere plan for Crocodile to secure Pluton, and if that failed, developing Alabasta wasn't a bad alternative.

But Rosen had different plans. He was eager to explore the wider world, and Alabasta was unfamiliar to him. Staying there would only lead to exposure, especially since Smoker was already investigating his actions and had likely captured some of his subordinates.

"Why? Aren't we building the ideal country? What about Alabasta?" Mr. 5 asked, surprised. Was this about conquering Alabasta and founding the ideal kingdom? It wasn't that he was particularly enthusiastic about the idea, but having a clear goal was always better than having none at all.

Rosen gave him a cold glance but didn't respond. Instead, he continued, "Second, tomorrow we set sail for the Grand Line's second half. The competition there will be fierce, far beyond the petty struggles of Alabasta. But I'm giving you two choices: you can stay with us, or you can leave."

"Is it about pursuing greater strength and challenges?" Mr. 1 asked flatly.

"That's right," Rosen replied. "Alabasta is too small. Don't you all think it's a waste of talent to stay here? It feels more like a retirement home. If we don't challenge stronger foes, we'll eventually be eliminated."

"You make it sound interesting," Mr. 1 said. "Since it's your invitation, I'll join you."

(End of chapter.)