In Evan's diary, there was a pretty blunt comment about Wano Country. But honestly, most people don't know much about that place. For them, Wano is just some distant, mysterious land—a closed-off country in the middle of the New World.
There's a chance that Gion has some kind of connection to Wano. After all, it's not completely isolated. Over the years, plenty of people have left. Take Zoro's hometown, for example—many people there actually have roots in Wano. Gion's situation is probably something similar.
When she read about Wano, something about it felt familiar, but that was it. She didn't think too much about it and moved on. There were more important things to deal with.
Evan and his crew wasted no time getting to work. In just a few days, they had almost completely wiped out Baroque Works. Meanwhile, Vivi, with Robin's help, worked tirelessly to gather evidence against Crocodile. In the end, they managed to clear the royal family's name, completely destroying Crocodile's so-called "hero" reputation.
With all that settled, things in the country finally started to calm down. To celebrate, King Cobra personally threw a banquet and invited the Straw Hats.
"I've already reported to Marine HQ so they can take action against Crocodile," Cobra announced, looking much more relaxed. "He may be in hiding now, but it won't be long before the Marines strip him of his Warlord title. After that, he's just another pirate on the run."
As far as Cobra was concerned, this whole ordeal was over. Sure, the Warlords were technically "legal" pirates, but there were limits. If one tried to take over a country, the Marines wouldn't just sit back and watch. Crocodile was finished, and this banquet was a way to celebrate that.
"We did it, everyone. Thank you all so much for your help," Cobra said, raising his glass. "Let's drink to this victory!"
"If we don't take Crocodile down completely, this isn't really a victory," Evan cut in, wiping the smile off Cobra's face.
"But his plan to seize the throne failed," Cobra replied, confused. In his mind, Crocodile's strategy had been pretty straightforward: first, he ruined the royal family's reputation, then he used the "dance powder" to steal the country's rain. That created chaos, and at the same time, he "helped" by dealing with invading pirates, earning himself the title of a hero. After that, all he needed was a fake king to announce his abdication, and Crocodile would be swept into power by public support.
"He never really wanted to take over the country," Evan said, shaking his head.
"Then what does he want?" Cobra asked, frowning.
Evan pointed at Robin, who was sitting nearby. "This is Nico Robin, a historian. She used to work for Crocodile, but now she's with us."
Robin glanced up but didn't say anything.
"What that guy was really after was the ancient weapon, Pluton," Evan revealed, dropping the bombshell.
Cobra's expression changed instantly. This wasn't just some political struggle—this was way bigger.
"If that's the case, then yeah… this fight isn't over yet," Cobra admitted, his face darkening.
Even so, the banquet continued. There was still some time before Crocodile could make his next move. Evan and Reiju had already passed this information along, and at that very moment, Crocodile—clueless about how much they knew—was still negotiating with Reiju.
Later that night, after eating and drinking their fill, Evan got on a call with her.
On Reiju's end, she was in the middle of a conversation with Crocodile.
"Mr. Crocodile, you're not a hero anymore," she said coolly. "You're just an outlaw now—a pirate who tried to overthrow a country. You're dangerous, and honestly, working with someone like you is pretty reckless."
Crocodile was pissed. He hadn't expected all his careful planning to fall apart like this. But he had to admit, Robin had been the key. She knew Baroque Works inside and out—probably better than anyone else. And once she turned against him, things unraveled fast.
The Vinsmoke family were mercenaries, sure, but they were also recognized as a "legitimate" country by the World Government. As long as you paid them, they'd carry out military operations for just about anyone.
But now that Crocodile's reputation was shot, working for him wasn't the same as working for a so-called hero. Helping a pirate like him? That was a whole different story.
"Oh, so you're all about morals now?" Crocodile scoffed. "You're only talking this much because you can. This is just about money, isn't it? You want more, right? I get it."
Reiju smirked. "That's right. It's about adding more money."
And just like that, she squeezed another hefty sum out of Crocodile. She didn't hold back at all—why would she? He was a scumbag pirate and an enemy of Evan. If she could rip him off, she'd do it without hesitation. Honestly, she felt like she should've taken even more.
After all, she had big plans. She was thinking of setting up a company to sell alloys, and Crocodile's money would definitely help with that.
Frustrated but with no other choice, Crocodile paid up and stormed off.
Afterward, Reiju picked up the transponder snail again.
"Evan, you seem pretty close with that desert princess," she said casually. "Think there's a chance to open a business in Alabasta?"
"It should be possible," Evan replied, thinking it over. "I remember her mentioning that the country has plenty of mineral resources. And honestly, after all this, they'll need some serious rebuilding. Setting up a company there wouldn't be a bad idea."
Reiju grinned. She had Wapol under her control now, which meant making money would be a breeze. Not starting a business would just be a waste.
"I'll talk to her about it later," she said, already planning her next move.
She had just scammed Crocodile out of a fortune. Starting a company? Yeah, she had more than enough funds for that.
"By the way, Evan, what are you planning to do with Crocodile? Are you going to let the Navy take him?" asked Reiju.
"No, I'm not letting them take him. He's more useful here in Alabasta than locked away in Impel Down," Evan replied.
"I'm planning to fake his death and have him serve the Royal Family. He'll become Vivi's bodyguard." Evan replied in a serious tone.
He knows that after this, the World Government's surveillance of Alabasta will increase, and to avoid any incidents, it's best to have a powerful guardian to protect Vivi.
Although it's not as if Vivi is going to be a princess without combat skills.
When this is all over, he plans to check Alabasta's vault to see if there are any Devil Fruits good enough for Vivi.
If not, he'll have to resort to Plan B.
"Fufu... it's obvious you care about that princess." Reiju said with a somewhat mocking tone.
"Obviously. Just as I care about her, I care about you." Evan said.
"Aww, you're so sweet, darling," Reiju said in a loving tone.
She knows better than anyone that even though Evan may be a bastard who wants to start a harem, he cares for his women and supports them in every way, just like in her case and Vivi's.
"Well, dear, I'm off for now. I'm going to focus on continuing to scam Crocodile," Reiju said, and without waiting for Evan to respond, she hung up.
*Kachak*