Chapter 32: You are Mr. 0? Then who am I?
Alabasta, Alubarna.
This city, which was once desolate and sorrowful due to drought just over half a month ago, has now been completely revitalized.
The once cracked earth, ravaged by drought, has now mended its wounds.
Along both sides of the street, merchants have reopened their stalls.
Although this "Oasis City" is still far from its former prosperity, it has clearly begun to fill with hope.
And the reason needs no further explanation—all the citizens of Alubarna know it.
It was all thanks to the rain brought by the "Rain Caller" that Alubarna managed to pull through.
To the west of Alubarna, in the outskirts, stood a coffee shop.
Its plain wooden sign read "Spider Cafe," and its location was in the desolate, uninhabited western outskirts of Alubarna.
It seemed unremarkable.
But at this moment...
A figure walked up to the coffee shop.
He wore a sand-colored travel coat and had just lowered his hood.
Beneath the hood, the man had slicked-back hair, a long scar across his face, and a cigar in his mouth.
What was most surprising was his left hand.
His left hand was not flesh and blood, but a massive golden hook shimmering with a cold metallic gleam.
At this moment, his gaze was fixed on the hopeful atmosphere within the city, his expression indifferent.
He didn't like the city's atmosphere.
It wasn't that he bore ill will towards the citizens, but rather that the hopeful atmosphere here represented an obstacle to his plans.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile.
He utterly detested any obstacles that stood in his way.
However, it didn't matter.
He exhaled.
He took the cigar from his mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke.
According to the information he received, that "obstacle" had already been removed.
He muttered softly.
"I just hope the clues Nico Robin found are truly valuable."
And what he spoke of was precisely the reason for his presence here at this moment.
Not long ago, he had issued an order to the executives of Baroque Works—to kill the "Rain Caller" hiding in the palace, the one who could bring rain.
Just the day before, he had received a report from Nico Robin.
"The target has been successfully eliminated."
This news did not surprise Crocodile.
The executives of Baroque Works were all battle-hardened Ability Users. It was certainly no surprise that they could jointly attack and kill one person.
What's more, the opponent's ability seemed to be "rain manipulation"—which was not a combat-type ability.
What truly surprised Crocodile was another piece of information attached to Nico Robin's message.
"In the palace, I coincidentally discovered an important clue regarding 'Dark King'."
This information was what prompted Crocodile to temporarily return to Alabasta.
At this moment, Crocodile walked into the coffee shop.
"Ding-dong!"
The wind chimes hanging on the doorframe made a crisp "ding-dong" sound.
Then, Crocodile's footsteps halted.
Because at this moment, right in front of him...
At the bar inside the coffee shop, sat two figures.
One of them was very familiar to him—the lithe, curvaceous beauty, Nico Robin.
But the other...
"'Rain Caller'..."
Looking at the dragon-head mask recorded in the report, Crocodile once again exhaled a puff of smoke.
For a man of his caliber, he almost instantly recognized the current situation.
The "Rain Caller," who should have died according to Nico Robin's report, appeared here, and Nico Robin was clearly standing by his side.
As for the other executives, there was no trace of them.
The implication... was self-evident.
"You betrayed Baroque Works and lured me here?"
He exhaled a puff of smoke, speaking calmly as he looked at Nico Robin.
"As expected of a woman who survives by constantly betraying others—Nico Robin."
Facing his words, Nico Robin's expression also grew somewhat tense.
But before she could speak, Crocodile heard the voice of the person beside her.
"It's rather impolite to speak to a lady like that, Mr. Crocodile."
Chen Long said with a light chuckle, "And also... betrayed Baroque Works? Where did you hear such a thing?"
He stood up, looked at the renowned pirate before him, and then pointed to himself.
Then, word by word, he softly stated the "facts."
"Let me introduce myself. I am 'Chen Long,' this young lady's partner, the president and spokesman of Baroque Works, or you can also call me—Mr. 0."
Even Crocodile was momentarily stunned by his words.
He just felt it was preposterous.
"You are Mr. 0? Then who am I?"
"So that's how it is..."
But in an instant, he understood.
As the one who single-handedly founded Baroque Works, he naturally knew the organization's characteristics.
Within Baroque Works, all members used code names.
From Mr. 1 to Mr. 12, and then to the lower-ranking "Millions" and "Billions," it was all the same.
And the most mysterious of them all was his own position as Mr. 0.
Throughout the entire Baroque Works, no one had ever seen his true face.
Almost all of his orders were transmitted by his partner, "Miss All Sunday" Nico Robin.
The reason for this was very simple.
He was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea chosen by the World Government, which meant he could not openly lead a criminal organization.
In other words...
To all members of Baroque Works, as long as Nico Robin acknowledged someone as Mr. 0...
Then that person was undeniably Mr. 0.
Just as it was at this moment.
"Chen Long..."
Crocodile said thoughtfully.
"And you—Nico Robin. Not only did you betray me, but you also conspired with others to usurp my enterprise?"
After understanding Chen Long and Nico Robin's objective, Crocodile suddenly laughed.
"A decent plan."
He didn't stint on praise.
But there was no mirth in his smile; on the contrary...
There was only ice-cold fury.
"However, you seem to have made one mistake."
"Buzz!"
And with his anger, the floor beneath his feet silently disintegrated, turning into fine, swirling sand.
Countless grains of fine sand swirled around him, like the most loyal of guards.
He raised his left hand, and the massive golden hook shimmered with a cold light.
"What did you think Baroque Works was built upon? What did you think was the reason it could establish itself in these vast seas and develop to its current state?"
He raised his right hand, took the burnt-out cigar from his mouth, and tossed it casually to the ground.
"It's because of me that it is Baroque Works!"
"It's because... of my power!"
The cigar was instantly swallowed by the swirling sand, vanishing as if into an abyss.
Then...
"Boom!"
The swirling sand, like an abyss, began to erupt, covering the sky and earth.
Everything began to be devoured by the yellow sand.
And Crocodile's figure also merged into the yellow sand.
Only his voice echoed heavily amidst the grinding sand.
"In these vast seas, the only thing that truly determines everything is power!"
(end of chapter)