Chapter 145: Encounter On A Narrow Path
The results of the interrogation were limited.
From a numerical standpoint, mr.6 could also be considered a high-ranking agent of Baroque Works, but as he was not an ability user, strictly speaking, he did not qualify as true high-level leadership. One step away decided that he was ultimately just a consumable that could be replaced at any time—in short, cannon fodder.
Since he was cannon fodder, it was impossible to expect much intelligence from his mouth.
Several single-digit members who were captured alive, not just mr.6 alone, with numbers 7, 8, and 9 all taken alive—these people were interrogated separately, and after compiling the results, no one had lied. After all, these guys’ loyalty to Crocodile was only so much; dying rather than submitting was pure fantasy for them.
The intelligence from the interrogation confirmed to Dillon that the target should be at Rain Dinners, and as he had expected, all of Baroque Works’ high-level members had gathered together.
However, there were no clear results on what abilities Baroque Works’ high-level members possessed; it was only known that apparently from mr.5 onward, up to the codename mr.0 Crocodile, everyone was a Devil Fruit ability user.
Regardless of quality, this quantity alone was noteworthy.
Upon hearing this news,
Igaram felt extremely heavy-hearted. For the World Conference, he had been left behind domestically to manage the situation and did not go with Cobra to the Holy Land Marie Geoise, thus missing the chance to personally experience just how powerful the Black Prince truly was. Moreover, he himself was not known for personal martial power, so from the bottom of his heart, he had no confidence in this decapitation operation.
If not for seeing Dillon crush these over a thousand enemies like a hot knife through butter, it would no longer just be a matter of feeling heavy-hearted by now.
“Over a dozen ability users······” After confirming that the intelligence known to mr.6 and the others had been fully extracted, Dillon stopped paying attention to these half-dead unlucky bastards. Princess Vivi was soft-hearted and directed two guards with basic medical skills to treat these unlucky bastards’ wounds. Surprisingly, these unlucky bastards were immediately moved to tears of gratitude, transforming into loyal dogs of Princess Vivi.
“Mister Dillon, shall we continue advancing now?”
Igaram came closer and asked aloud.
Dillon was silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded and said, “Continue resting; depart in ten minutes.” This was not because Princess Vivi was directing the guards to treat the captives’ wounds, but because the agreed-upon fifteen-minute rest time had been interrupted by the sudden battle.
Although this battle had been ended by him alone from start to finish, the group’s fatigue could not simply vanish into thin air.
The group moved to a new location, avoiding the blood-soaked battlefield. Vultures had already been drawn out by the scent of blood and flesh in the sky, and hyenas could faintly be seen behind distant dunes. So many corpses were nothing less than a feast from the heavens for the desert’s carnivores.
However, not all vultures were attracted by the scent of blood and flesh; on the contrary, some even fled far away.
Unlucky Combination.
A team composed of an otter named mr.13 and a vulture named miss. friday—these two were genuine animals, not ability users who had eaten Devil Fruits, but animals with intelligence comparable to humans. Such creatures were uncommon but not entirely unique.
For example, the ducks of the Super Giant Duck Force were all animals with human-like understanding and high intelligence.
The Unlucky Combination had been sent to monitor the battlefield situation and probe Dillon’s background. Though they were not like a certain reindeer that could speak, the otter mr.13 carried the latest model camera, using it to photograph every move in the field. In truth, images transmitted by a Video Den Den Mushi were even more direct,
but that device was actually quite troublesome to operate, far less convenient for the otter mr.13 than a camera.
The vulture miss. friday flew a distance to a Baroque Works stronghold hidden in the desert. The agents stationed there came forward to greet her, deftly taking the camera and sending the photographed images via a fax-equipped Den Den Mushi to Rain Dinners.
Although the distance here to Rain Dinners was less than an hour’s journey.
But to save time, several strongholds had been specially established scattered in the desert, to relay messages to the big boss inside Rain Dinners as early as possible.
······
The Unlucky Combination’s investigation results were quickly delivered to Crocodile. Looking at the photos taken from high above like a comic strip, they clearly recorded the scene of Dillon crushing Baroque Works’ army.
The on-site bloody atmosphere could even be felt through the photos.
Baroque Works’ army had no power to fight back against Dillon’s attacks, but aside from furrowing his brows, Crocodile was not particularly angered. They were cannon fodder to begin with, and exposing part of Dillon’s abilities like this was not a waste.
“Zoan······” Crocodile looked at the rhinoceros in the photos.
In fact, the details of Dillon’s ability were no secret in the New World. After many battles, one’s abilities would inevitably be exposed sooner or later—this was unavoidable, unless like Doflamingo hiding Sugar away, the Hobby Hobby Fruit’s ability remained unknown, allowing those powerful great pirates to be unexpectedly turned into toys.
But Crocodile had no informants in the New World.
Just operating Baroque Works in Alabasta had already wrung him dry; he did not have the backing of a former Celestial Dragon identity like Doflamingo, who not only maintained his position as a Dark World magnate in the New World, but also extended his influence to Paradise, with plenty of informants left in North Blue as well.
So Crocodile truly did not know Dillon’s detailed intelligence.
“You have five minutes to prepare and set out to greet our guests.” Crocodile stared at the photos for half a minute before finally making his decision.
He did not plan to fight at Rain Base—not because he cared about damaging this oasis, but mainly because there was no need to fight here. Though Rain Dinners was his old nest, he had not installed any traps or mechanisms in it, so there was no terrain advantage.
Most importantly, he disliked the feeling of passively waiting for someone to come knocking.
Rather than passively waiting for danger to arrive at his door, he preferred to seize the initiative in combat.
“Yes, boss.”
mr.1 acknowledged.
The other high-ranking agents also responded, standing up one after another and leaving the study to prepare. With only five minutes, being slow meant no good end.
However, not everyone left; mr.1 stood at the doorway like a door god, unmoving. As a Paramecia Devil Fruit ability user, he did not need to replenish ammunition or change weapons—his body was the strongest spear and the strongest shield.
In addition,
there was one member with a special status who also remained seated on the single-person sofa.
“Are you really going to make an enemy of the Black Prince?” The woman on the sofa spoke up. She had beautiful, dashing black long straight hair, blue-black pupils giving an impression of wisdom and calm, fair skin that at a glance suggested smooth softness, and a smile on her face like she was watching a show.
She was miss. sunday.
Baroque Works’ second-in-command, true name Nico Robin, with a bounty of 79 million Beli, bearing epithets like “Devil of Ohara” and “Devil Child.” Because of her unique ability to read Poneglyphs, she was spotted by Crocodile, who half-invited and half-forced her to join Baroque Works.
“It’s not the Black Prince himself, and even if the Black Prince came personally, he couldn’t make me yield without a fight.” Crocodile showed no fear.
Whatever troubles were in his heart went without saying; on his face, he absolutely refused to show even a hint of weakness. In this cruel sea, weaklings did not live long, and having roamed the seas for decades, Crocodile well understood the principle of never showing weakness even if defeated.
Whether he could win or not would only be known after fighting; until then, he absolutely could not reveal his fear.
“I hope you can survive this crisis.”
Robin stood up from the sofa, following neither too close nor too far behind Crocodile’s side, maintaining a pace parallel with mr.1.
“You can pray for my failure; then you’d be free······ Hmph! Freedom······”
“I haven’t decided where to go next!”
Robin stated frankly.
Her expression was not great either. Joining Baroque Works had not been her choice; she was simply no match, and facing the dominant Crocodile, she had no room to refuse, thus forced to become his subordinate.
From the first day she joined Baroque Works, she had been pondering how to escape from Crocodile’s grasp. Honestly, Crocodile’s strength was beyond her rebellion; even now, she had not found a way to escape, let alone a confirmed destination.
Moreover,
she did not particularly hope to escape to safety due to Baroque Works’ destruction, as that would make her truly feel like a “devil,” bringing disaster wherever she went.
Ever since fleeing Ohara at age eight, she had wandered various parts of the world over these years. She had joined pirate crews, worked as a bounty hunter, and even settled in a certain kingdom for a time, but because of her identity and the massive bounty on her head, she experienced betrayal and selling out time and again······
Almost every organization or influence she had stayed with ultimately perished for different reasons.
“The Devil Child who brings misfortune to others······ Hmph, I’ll see just how powerful this misfortune is this time.”
“But for now, I don’t dislike staying here!”
While Baroque Works’ leader and second-in-command chatted idly, the prepared high-ranking agents gradually followed behind the group. They arrived at Rain Dinners’ side entrance, where a massive Land Sea Turtle lay under the shelter. Upon seeing Crocodile appear, the turtle’s handler and driver immediately roused the sleeping turtle from the shelter.
These big fellows were the draft animals raised by Baroque Works for pulling carts.
It was well known that Karoo was the fastest creature in the Alabasta Kingdom, but those ducks could only carry limited passengers and could not haul heavy loads. In comparison, these massive, enduring, and not-slow-running Land Sea Turtles had been selected by Crocodile as Baroque Works’ mode of transportation.
At this moment,
Behind the turtle trailed a fairly large, ornate three-wheeled carriage—Crocodile’s dedicated vehicle.
Of course, there was more than one turtle housed here; basically, the high-level cadres each had one. For example, Robin’s turtle did not pull a cart but had a structure mounted directly on its back. Not everyone liked riding transport, though; mr.2 preferred going on his own two feet, dancing as he walked.
In any case,
Without wasting much time, this group—small in number but grand in procession—left Rain Base. Under the gaze of local residents and many visiting gamblers, they vanished into the eastern desert. This sudden event sparked quite a bit of discussion, with spies from various influences secretly reporting the situation.
Rain Base,
was a place of mixed fish and dragons, with all sorts of people.
······
Two opposing groups unexpectedly met in the desert—or rather, both sides had detected each other well before meeting. Crocodile had the Unlucky Combination acting as eyes in the sky, while Dillon unleashed his Observation Haki, sensing Crocodile’s presence at once.
Karoo and the turtles simultaneously halted.
The carriage door opened, and Crocodile—slicked-back hair, black fur coat, exuding thick gang boss vibes—steadied himself on the sand. He puffed a cigar, a dangerous smile appearing on his face marked by a long stitched scar.
“Yo, isn’t this Princess Vivi? What brings you to Rain Base?”
Crocodile greeted.
His gaze fixed on Dillon, yet his words were directed at Princess Vivi.
“Crocodile, your days of doing evil end today.” Princess Vivi declared loudly with righteous indignation, her eyes wide as she stared at Crocodile. The straightforward-to-the-point-of-adorable girl made no effort to hide her anger.
“Doing evil? Haha! I’m a hero of this country, Princess Vivi. Slandering someone requires evidence. You say I’m doing evil, but······ do you have any evidence to prove it?” Crocodile laughed instead of getting angry, mercilessly mocking the underage princess.
Dillon sat on the rhinoceros’s back, silently observing Crocodile and the group of high-ranking agents behind him.
In his Observation Haki perception, aside from Crocodile being somewhat noteworthy, the rest were all third-rate trash. However, he did not let his guard down because of this; there might be someone among them with an ability to turn the tide.
