Chapter 94: Any Interest in Deep Collaboration?
Chapter 94: Any Interest in Deep Collaboration?
Sarge fixed his gaze on the woman before him. She wore a hat and a coat of the same color, revealing a rather cool outfit underneath.
But what was most important was her face—a face similar to his, with black hair and blue eyes.
Nico Robin.
As Sarge turned his head, the woman also hesitated for a moment but quickly regained her composure and smiled.
Sarge pulled the lever on the slot machine. Seeing that it still hadn't paid out, he remarked, "Your machines here must be rigged. I haven't won a single thing."
"You're joking," Robin said with a soft laugh. With a wave of her hand, the row of machines Sarge was playing with suddenly started spinning, and several of them displayed three crocodile symbols, spilling out a large number of gold chips.
"Maybe you'll win if you change your luck, or your environment," she suggested.
"Oh?" Sarge stared at her for a moment, then shook his head and smiled. "Never mind. Lead the way."
The two acted as if they didn't know each other, and in fact, they barely did. At the very least, Sarge could be certain that Robin didn't recognize him.
As for this woman, he had only heard rumors about her, and this was the first time they had met in person.
Lily walked beside Sarge, giving this woman several glances, following her all the way to a passage inside the casino.
At the end of the passage were two signboards, which Sarge glanced at curiously. "What's this about a 'Pirate Passage'?"
Robin's smile didn't falter as she replied, "It's a dead end. Anyone who goes in will fall into a trap."
"Who would fall for such an obvious trick? What bad taste." Sarge chuckled and followed Robin toward the so-called VIP room. As he pushed open the door, the first thing that caught his eye was a massive set of stairs. Below the stairs was an equally spacious hall, featuring a large aquarium with a giant crocodile swimming inside.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
A strange laugh filled the hall, and a chair at a desk automatically swiveled around, revealing the sullen face of Crocodile. He took a drag from his cigar and said in a low voice, "Have you been enjoying yourself, Norton Sarge?"
"There's nothing enjoyable about losing money," Sarge replied as he walked down the stairs and sat on a nearby sofa. "Bring me a good drink. I don't want anything cheap."
"Miss All-Sunday," Crocodile called out.
A hand appeared from somewhere near the drink cabinet, taking a bottle and pouring a glass of wine. Simultaneously, countless hands seemed to sprout from the cabinet, reaching forward with wine glasses and placing them on the table in front of the sofa.
"Please help yourself," Robin said with a smile from behind them.
Lily's eyes narrowed slightly. "A Devil Fruit user."
"I ate the Flower-Flower Fruit, which allows me to sprout any body part anywhere I please," Robin explained nonchalantly, extending one arm. Three more hands sprouted from her elbow, and she smiled at Lily. "Just like blooming flowers."
Sarge swirled the wine in his glass and drained it in one go. Then he leaned back into the sofa and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be making sure I'm having fun? There aren't even any card games here."
"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Crocodile's laughter filled the room. "If you want to get to Alba, the royal capital north of Rohara, you should be going east from the Santo River. Yet, you came here specifically. Are you here just to gamble?"
"Is that a problem?" Sarge replied with a grin.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Crocodile's form turned into wind and sand, disappearing from his chair and reappearing behind Sarge. He placed a hand over Sarge's face.
Clang!
Lily had drawn her White Lightning, but at that moment, a hand sprouted from her wrist, forcing the sword back into its sheath.
"Don't be so quick to resort to violence. It's dangerous," Robin gently admonished.
Lily's eyes turned cold, but after a glance at Sarge, she remained silent.
Crocodile's hand, which was still covering Sarge's face, now held a cigar, which he offered to Sarge.
Sarge took the cigar, walked back to the sofa across from Crocodile, and sat down. "I've heard rumors that you like to rob kings. But now it seems your targets aren't just kings. You're even aiming for a Shichibukai like me."
Sarge picked up the lighter on the table, lit his cigar, and took a puff before slowly exhaling the smoke. His grin turned sinister as he asked, "Are we going to fight?"
Whether he was found out or not didn't matter at all.
He wasn't the type to sneak around and rob people. He just preferred to take the easier path if it meant he didn't have to pay a price.
But now that his intentions were exposed, he wouldn't back down. Whether Crocodile realized it or not, he was going to rob him anyway.
"I have no interest in fighting you," Crocodile said, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Status and wealth mean nothing to me. To me, being a pirate is all about business. How about we make a deal, Sarge?"
He looked directly at Sarge and continued, "I'll give you the treasure from Rain Base in exchange for something from you. I want you to rob Alba."
"You want me to rob for you and pay me? That's a sweet deal. What do you want?" Sarge asked.
Crocodile extended his right hand and clenched it tightly, "This country!"
Sarge was taken aback and laughed out loud, "Are you trying to be Doflamingo?"
Crocodile's face turned cold, "It seems you know what that guy is up to, but I'm not like him. In any case, this deal won't hurt you, and our goals don't conflict."
With a bounty of 270 million berries, the feats he had accomplished, and his defeat of the Whitebeard Pirates' second division commander, Crocodile might not care, but he wouldn't treat Sarge like a petty pirate.
There was no need to clash with such a person.
Their goals were not aligned.
Hidden beneath his desire for this country was the weapon, and he didn't care what became of the nation once he obtained it.
As for Sarge, he only wanted the money.
"From your style, it seems you were planning to go to Alba anyway. I can't think of a reason for you to refuse. Are you one of those odd pirates who gets fired up over meaningless bonds, wanting to pick a fight with me here?"
Crocodile raised his head, a smile also tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Are you after the head of a Shichibukai like me, worth 80 million berries?"
"I'm not interested in your head, worth a mere 80 million berries. It won't benefit me in any way."
Sarge waved his hand, signaling Lily to come over, and said, "Tell the men downstairs to start the raid when they're ready."
Then, looking at Crocodile, he smiled, "Deal."
Upon hearing this, Crocodile relaxed his furrowed brows, "That's unnecessary."
"I'm a pirate, and I'll take what I want by force. Your wealth is one thing, but the wealth of these gamblers is also up for grabs."
Sarge clenched his fist and grinned, "Even if you become a king, you'll need money. If you truly want to be a king,"
"What do you mean?" Crocodile's gaze deepened.
Even Robin, standing beside him, had a slight glint in her eyes.
"No, I just feel that you're not that simple, but it's none of my business. I'm after the treasure, and as long as you don't get in my way, we're fine." Sarge said.
Crocodile stared at him intently for a moment before crushing his cigar into the ashtray, "The same goes for you. The deal is set. If you go back on your word, I'll show you how formidable I am in the desert, a pirate worth 80 million berries."
"Hahaha, save that big talk for someone else." Sarge laughed, "Rest assured, being a pirate also means having a sense of honor."
Sarge only intended to rob the place; he didn't want to clash with this man. He had a good idea of what Crocodile was up to—it was just passing the buck, or rather, not even that, since he genuinely planned to raid Rain Base.
Now, he could effortlessly raid the place, whether actively or passively; as long as the outcome was achieved, it didn't matter.
His plan was proceeding smoothly.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Robin seemed to sense something, tilting her head as if listening, and smiled, "A bunch of interesting people have arrived. Mr. 0, the Straw Hat Pirates have invaded Rain Base."
"How annoying, those little pirates,"
Crocodile clicked his tongue, "Alright, invite them to the VIP room. I'll take care of them personally."
"Understood." Robin nodded. After glancing at Sarge, she turned and left the room.
"Speaking of which,"
Crocodile watched Robin leave, then looked at Sarge, who was nonchalantly pouring himself another drink, his gaze shifting back and forth, "The sea is indeed mysterious. You two are quite similar."
"You're calling the sea mysterious, so it's normal for us to be similar," Sarge said casually.
"Indeed."
He didn't have any suspicions because he knew quite a bit himself. Among the current survivors of Ohara, there was only one person who fit the description.
As for Sarge, the thick air of lawlessness was almost suffocating. He was certainly not a scholar.
One had set out from the East Blue, while the other had come from the West Blue; there was no way they could be connected.
Moreover... Crocodile blew out a puff of smoke and glanced at Sarge once more.
He was certain that, to some extent, they were of the same kind.
"You want so much money; do you have a plan you're trying to accomplish?" Crocodile asked suddenly.
"I just want to be a grand landlord in the New World, and the money I rob will be used to enjoy myself as a landlord in the future." Sarge replied without hiding anything.
"The New World, huh."
Crocodile revealed a strange expression and paused for a moment before laughing, "Hahaha! Every pirate's path eventually leads there, but the New World isn't so easy to navigate. However..."
"Sarge, are you interested in a deeper collaboration?"
(End of Chapter)
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