Chapter 355: The Confrontation at the Square Table

Chapter 355: Chapter 355: The Confrontation at the Square Table

Chapter 355: The Confrontation at the Square Table

The moment Axel said Crocodile’s name, the atmosphere inside the casino changed.

The gamblers who had been shouting moments earlier immediately quieted down.

The amusement on many faces disappeared. Some straightened unconsciously, while others lowered their voices out of instinctive respect or fear.

No one seemed particularly concerned anymore about whether Rain Dinners would pay Axel his six hundred million Berries.

That was the weight Crocodile’s name carried in Rainbase.

Robin maintained her professional smile.

"Of course."

She gestured toward the interior of the casino.

"Please follow me."

Axel did not mention his winnings again.

He simply followed.

The crowd watched them leave, curious but unwilling to get involved any further.

Once they were gone, the roulette croupier finally sagged against the table.

His legs had nearly given out.

Whatever happened next was no longer his responsibility.

For him, that alone felt like surviving a disaster.

...

Robin led Axel away from the main gambling floor.

They followed a long red carpet through elegant white corridors decorated far more lavishly than the public sections of Rain Dinners.

As they walked, Robin explained,

"This area is reserved for our VIP guests."

Axel glanced around.

"VIPs?"

"Usually wealthy merchants."

Robin continued walking.

"People involved in weapons, intelligence, large transactions, things of that nature."

Axel nodded thoughtfully.

"Then I clearly don’t belong here."

Robin glanced back.

"I’m just an ordinary gambler."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

She did not bother answering.

Had she known nothing about him beyond what she had just witnessed at the roulette table, perhaps she might have believed he was simply some reckless gambler looking for trouble.

But the intelligence surrounding Axel told a very different story.

Eventually, Robin stopped before a large door.

"The boss is waiting inside."

She opened it and stepped aside.

Axel entered without hesitation.

The room beyond was enormous.

Calling it a meeting room hardly did it justice.

It was closer to a private hall.

A broad staircase descended from the entrance, covered in the same deep red carpeting as the corridor outside.

At the bottom stood a large square table.

A man was already seated at one side.

His chair faced away from the table, showing only part of his profile.

Even from that angle, his presence was unmistakably oppressive.

Axel ignored the formal staircase.

He hopped onto the railing instead.

Then slid all the way down.

At the bottom, he stepped directly onto the square table and sat on it.

The chair slowly turned.

Crocodile faced him.

Everything about the man’s appearance was carefully maintained.

His clothing was immaculate.

His hair was neatly styled.

A long stitched scar crossed the bridge of his nose, while the golden hook replacing his left hand completed the intimidating image.

One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Sir Crocodile.

His gaze settled on Axel.

Clearly, he was not pleased by his guest’s lack of manners.

"Axel."

His voice was low.

"The wanted criminal with a bounty of four hundred million Berries."

Axel looked back at him.

"What do you want?"

Crocodile’s expression tightened.

He did not appreciate the tone.

Still, he controlled his temper.

"I want to make a deal."

Axel already knew what the deal would involve.

He asked anyway.

"What kind?"

Robin stepped closer to the table.

"We want the blueprints for Pluton."

Axel tilted his head slightly.

"That thing?"

He paused.

"I have them."

Robin’s eyes shifted toward him.

Even Crocodile showed the slightest reaction.

Axel had admitted it with surprising ease.

Then he continued,

"But what are you offering?"

"You aren’t expecting me to hand over something like that for free, are you?"

He looked toward Crocodile.

"You’ve done enough business to know better."

Crocodile leaned back.

"Of course."

His voice hardened.

"Then how about the lives of your companions?"

Axel said nothing.

Crocodile continued,

"A woman."

"A man."

"And a raccoon dog."

Axel raised an eyebrow.

"You think those three are worth Pluton?"

"No."

Crocodile answered immediately.

"But judging from your actions..."

He stared at Axel.

"You might."

Silence lingered between them.

"So?"

Crocodile asked.

"What’s your answer?"

Axel’s expression barely changed.

"I don’t think you can do anything to them."

Crocodile’s eyes narrowed.

"I already have people waiting near them."

"One order from me, and all three die."

Axel rested his arms across his chest.

"You mean the fake Koza?"

The room went quiet.

Axel looked bored.

"Mr. 2."

Crocodile’s expression darkened.

His plan had been exposed.

And judging from Axel’s tone, it had been exposed before it could even begin.

Robin’s eyes shifted slightly.

Now she understood.

Crocodile had hidden another part of the operation from her.

Mr. 2 had first used his Devil Fruit ability to impersonate Vivi and attack Koza.

Then he had disguised himself as the wounded Koza and allowed himself to be taken away with Vivi’s group.

The reason Crocodile had kept Robin out of that part of the plan was obvious.

Distrust.

That was hardly surprising.

Crocodile trusted no one.

And more than almost anything else, he hated being deceived.

Axel looked at him.

"But I think things are a little more interesting than you expected."

Crocodile’s gaze sharpened.

Axel continued,

"You probably ordered Mr. 2 to wait until I came here."

"Then, once I was separated from the others, he was supposed to make his move."

Crocodile’s voice turned icy.

"Did Mr. 2 betray me?"

"Who knows?"

Axel jumped down from the square table.

He wandered toward a nearby side table covered with refreshments.

Crocodile watched him pick up a plate of fruit.

Axel found some fruit wine nearby as well and brought both back with him.

Crocodile’s patience thinned.

"What does that mean?"

Axel sat down.

"I tested him."

Crocodile frowned.

The answer explained almost nothing.

Axel picked up a piece of fruit and ate it.

Then looked around.

"This would be better with roasted meat."

...

"Cough..."

A weak cough came from the bed.

Vivi immediately turned.

Koza was waking.

She hurried to his side.

His eyes opened slowly.

The first thing he focused on was the familiar blue-haired figure beside him.

His lips moved.

"Princess... Vivi?"

Vivi visibly relaxed.

"Yes."

She leaned closer.

"Koza, how do you feel?"

"Weak."

His voice was quiet.

"But otherwise... I think I’m all right."

He slowly turned his head.

The room around him was unfamiliar.

"Where are we?"

"A small inn in Rainbase."

Vivi did not hide it.

Then she asked,

"What happened to you?"

Koza tried to push himself upright.

Before Vivi could stop him, Chopper hurried over and helped support him.

"Don’t move!"

Koza looked down.

Chopper’s expression was serious.

"You’re injured."

"You need to stay in bed and rest."

Oddly, Chopper himself was breathing hard.

Vivi noticed.

She picked him up and placed him back on the floor.

"Chopper."

"You’ve been taking care of Koza since we brought him here."

"I told you to rest."

She frowned.

"Why are you exercising?"

Chopper froze.

Then gave a painfully awkward answer.

"I’m cooling down!"

Vivi stared.

"This is how reindeer cool down!"

Koza looked equally confused.

He pointed weakly toward Chopper.

"Vivi..."

"Is that your pet raccoon dog?"

Chopper exploded.

"I’M A REINDEER!"

He jumped.

"And I’m not a pet!"

Vivi quickly calmed him down.

"This is Chopper."

She turned back toward Koza.

"He’s the doctor who treated you."

"If it weren’t for him, your condition could have become much worse."

Koza looked sincerely grateful.

"I see."

"Thank you."

Chopper immediately started swaying.

"Y-You bastard..."

A delighted grin spread across his face.

"Even if you thank me, I’m not happy at all!"

Then, strangely, he started moving around again.

Koza watched him.

"What is he doing?"

Vivi had no better explanation.

"Cooling down."

She cleared her throat.

"Anyway."

Her expression became serious.

"Who attacked you?"

The question seemed to trigger the memory.

Koza’s abdomen suddenly throbbed.

He clenched his teeth.

Then slowly answered,

"You did."

Vivi froze.

Before she could speak, Koza immediately added,

"But I know it wasn’t really you."

Vivi stared at him.

"What?"

Koza continued,

"You came to the Rebel Army camp."

"You asked to speak with me alone."

"Then you stabbed me."

He summarized the entire incident in only a few sentences.

Vivi’s face changed.

"But I never..."

"I know."

Koza interrupted her.

His voice became softer.

"Someone who values her friends the way you do wouldn’t do that."

Vivi fell silent.

Then her eyes sharpened.

"Someone impersonated me."

She looked toward the floor.

"To make the Rebel Army believe the Royal Family attacked you."

Koza frowned.

"Who?"

"Who would do something like that?"

Vivi answered immediately.

"Baroque Works."

Koza looked confused.

"Baroque Works?"

"What is that?"

Vivi took a moment to organize her thoughts.

"An organization operating throughout Alabasta from the shadows."

Her voice grew heavier.

"They’re responsible for much of what has happened to this country."

"Even the Dance Powder incident that Father was blamed for was part of their plan."

Koza stared at her.

Vivi continued,

"And the person controlling Baroque Works..."

"The one behind everything..."

"Is Crocodile."

Koza’s expression changed.

"What?"

"The Warlord?"

"Yes."

Vivi nodded.

"I know it sounds impossible."

"I didn’t believe it at first either."

"To everyone in Alabasta, Crocodile looked like a hero."

"The man who drove pirates away and protected the country."

Her expression became bitter.

"But the person destroying Alabasta from the inside was him."

She stepped closer.

"Koza."

"I need your help."

"Once we expose the truth, you can explain everything to the Rebel Army."

"They’ll listen to you."

Koza was silent.

Then he shook his head.

"I can’t."

Vivi stared.

He continued,

"And you should leave Alabasta too."

"This country is finished."

Vivi’s expression changed instantly.

"What are you talking about?!"

She raised her voice.

"This is Alabasta!"

"Our home!"

Then, for the first time since meeting him again, she addressed him the way the rebels did.

"Leader!"

The title carried memories with it.

The Koza who had protected her.

The Koza who loved the country enough to fight for it.

The Koza she believed would never simply give up.

But the man on the bed only looked at her.

"Crocodile is one of the Seven Warlords."

"He operates outside ordinary Marine authority."

"And if Baroque Works has already spread throughout Alabasta..."

He paused.

"Then the country is already almost completely under their control."

"Its collapse is only a matter of time."

Vivi slowly stepped backward.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

"How do you know that?"

The room became quiet.

Vivi’s eyes hardened.

"Who are you?"

The man on the bed sighed.

"So you noticed."

His face changed.

The features of Koza twisted and shifted.

Within moments, the familiar face was gone.

In its place appeared a flamboyant man wearing heavy makeup.

He smiled.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly."

Vivi’s face went pale.

"Mr. 2..."

The man spread his arms.

"Bon Clay."

A senior Baroque Works agent.

Now everything made sense.

The fake Vivi.

Koza’s stabbing.

The man they had rescued.

Vivi suddenly remembered something else.

Chopper’s strange behavior.

She looked toward him.

At some point, the little reindeer had positioned himself beside her.

He had also shifted from his small form into his larger human form.

"Chopper."

Vivi stared at him.

"You knew?"

Chopper nodded.

"Axel told me before he left."

Vivi blinked.

"He knew too?"

"Mhm."

Chopper scratched his head.

"I’m really bad at pretending."

"So Axel told me to keep moving around so I wouldn’t accidentally give anything away."

That explained the bizarre exercise.

Vivi turned back toward Bon Clay.

Both she and Chopper remained alert.

"If Axel already knew..."

She hesitated.

"Then he must have prepared something."

Chopper shook his head.

"No."

Vivi stared at him.

"He only told me not to reveal that we knew."

"That’s all."

Vivi immediately asked,

"What about Wapol?"

"He went out looking for food."

Vivi’s expression tightened further.

That left only her and Chopper.

Mr. 2 was one of Baroque Works’ senior agents.

Neither of them could assume they were capable of defeating him easily.

Bon Clay saw the tension in their faces.

"Relax."

Vivi did not.

He continued,

"My mission is to kill you."

Her body tensed.

"But I’m not going to do it."

Vivi stared at him.

"What?"

Baroque Works agents did not simply ignore assignments from their boss.

Especially senior agents.

Was this some attempt to make her lower her guard?

Bon Clay rested a hand dramatically against his chest.

"Your friendship with Koza moved me."

Vivi’s expression became strange.

"The bond between you two is beautiful!"

He sniffed theatrically.

"And besides..."

His expression softened slightly.

"These injuries are real."

"You saved my life."

"I may not be a good person."

"But I’m not so shameless that I repay someone who saved me by murdering them."

Chopper nodded.

"He’s telling the truth about the injuries."

"They were real."

Vivi still did not completely trust him.

The situation was simply too absurd.

Bon Clay looked toward the door.

"You should leave quickly."

His voice became serious.

"The boss didn’t send only me."

...

Back inside Rain Dinners, Axel had barely swallowed another piece of fruit when the attack came.

Sand tore across the room.

It pierced through the square table and rushed straight toward him.

The moment it reached Axel, the force reversed.

The sandstorm exploded backward.

Axel calmly finished chewing.

Then swallowed.

His expression became almost blissful.

"Not bad."

Crocodile’s face was livid.

Axel looked at him.

"Your plan was actually pretty good."

He reached for another piece of fruit.

"Even I didn’t expect you to go that far."

Crocodile said nothing.

"But you miscalculated one thing."

Axel smiled.

"People."

Crocodile’s eyes darkened.

"People?"

"Human nature."

Axel leaned back.

"That’s the part you couldn’t completely control."

Crocodile’s voice became colder.

"So you’re saying Mr. 2 betrayed me?"

He gave a dismissive laugh.

"Even if he did, so what?"

"I never trusted him."

Axel paused.

Then looked strangely pleased.

"Oh?"

"You had a backup plan?"

His smile widened slightly.

"What a coincidence."

Crocodile stared at him.

Axel picked up his fruit wine.

"So did I."

....

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