The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

Without merit, your subordinates won't understand your thoughts or your style of doing things, and the pirates at sea won't know your reputation. How can you become a marshal?

When Sengoku was a lieutenant admiral, he started fighting Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki. He earned his position as flotilla through his own efforts.

The world has been at peace for too long now, and the three of them haven't experienced any major battles since becoming Marine Admirals. Akainu now wants to take this opportunity to demonstrate his abilities and tough style, even at the cost of sacrificing a large number of Marine soldiers. Aokiji thinks this is absurd and that the Marines have no need to get involved. The difference between the two is already very clear.

Just as Akainu was about to leave, Sengoku raised a hand: "Sakazuki, wait."

The Fleet Admiral, known for his wisdom and resourcefulness, weighed the balance of power between the two sides. The Navy could not rush in all at once. Akainu was willing to take his subordinates to Wano Country, which was in line with his wishes, but he could not let Akainu fight alone.

“Go to the Sabaody Archipelago and have Crocodile go with you.” He emphasized, “Crocodile has considerable hidden power. When dealing with Kaido, don’t let the Navy be at the forefront. We have no plans to fight Kaido, at least not now. Crocodile should take on more responsibility… This is also the Five Elders’ intention.”

Akainu nodded: "I understand."

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Chapter 201 The Sand Crocodile's Mother

While the high command of the Navy was pondering Crocodile, Crocodile was reading a newspaper in the Sabaody Archipelago.

The more I look at it, the more worried I become.

The news that Zephyr was about to go to Alabasta eventually spread. The Navy reached a consensus, and the matter was practically settled. Why were the Five Elders dragging their feet? It was because they had no legitimate reason to oppose it. Forcibly rejecting the Navy's opinion was not impossible, but it would definitely incur the dissatisfaction of the Navy's high command. Weighing the pros and cons, the harm of such dissatisfaction far outweighed the harm of Zephyr leaving.

The Five Elders can only stall, stall until King Cobra dies, stall until Zepha dies, or stall until they can't stall any longer. If you're asking, then it means we still need to continue research.

Crocodile's feelings were quite complicated. Alabasta was attracting too much attention, and if he caused any more trouble, he would be easily exposed. There was a high chance that before he even found the ancient weapon Pluton, the Admiral would send him to meet the real Pluton.

He wanted to give up, but he had recently been tricked by Ms. Wednesday into spending 8 million Berries to buy food in exchange for reputation. In his opinion, his reputation had increased, but most of his life savings were gone. Now he wanted to give up? Crocodile didn't understand what sunk costs were, but he knew that giving up now would result in too much loss.

He felt a bit regretful, much like the impulse to cut off your hand after shopping—"Why couldn't I control myself back then?!"

He's in a really awkward position right now, unable to move up or down.

Crocodile wanted to consult with the resourceful Ms. Wednesday, but he was worried about exposing his plot against Pluto. Just as he was tossing and turning and couldn't sleep, Cracker, one of the Sweet Commanders, quietly came to the Sabaody Archipelago and asked to meet him.

After much hesitation, Crocodile finally agreed to the meeting.

Cracker, clad in his biscuit armor, cut to the chase: "With the help of my brothers and sisters and Uncle Longbread, Mom has forgiven you."

Crocodile felt a lump in his throat, too frustrated to speak. "What the hell did I do? Ask for her forgiveness?!"

Good heavens! Brothers and sisters, and uncles too? How many favors have I suddenly incurred?

However, he already had the idea of ​​using Big Mom's pirate crew as a backup plan, and at this moment, he kept a cold face and didn't say a word.

Cracker had dealt with him before and knew that this Shichibukai had such a cold personality.

That doesn't matter. Among their eighty-plus brothers and sisters, there are hardly any optimistic and cheerful ones. A gloomy face is the norm, and it's rare to see someone grinning. The younger brothers and sisters under ten years old might have a few smiles, but those over ten years old are almost never seen smiling. Strictly speaking, there is only one person in the Big Mom Pirates who is very cheerful, and has been cheerful from beginning to end. That person is Big Mom!

Cracker solemnly stated his purpose: "Crocodile, my mother said that as long as you hand Nico Robin over to her, she will forgive everything that happened before and accept you as a member of our family."

Nico Robin? Crocodile frowned.

He had only one thought about Robin from beginning to end: to use him.

Using Robin to decipher the Poneglyphs, using Robin to help him manage Baroque Works, and even handing Robin over to the World Government in exchange for a pardon in a critical moment, Crocodile sees Robin as a trump card that combines the roles of assistant, translator, and life-saving tool.

Should he reveal this trump card now? He hesitated, wondering if he was truly in dire straits yet.

“Nicole Robin is not currently under my direct control.” He first tested Cracker’s attitude; the guy was hidden inside the biscuit armor, so his expression was hidden and he could only guess.

Using his recently awakened Observation Haki, he sensed that Cracker was getting impatient.

He quickly took back what he had said: "But I can give some orders that will affect her. Since you know Nico Robin, you must also know the value she holds... If I take her to join Kaido, she will be highly valued, right?"

Crocodile's meaning was clear: don't try to fool me with marriage; I don't care about that stuff at all. But this wasn't a sure thing. He didn't care, but the Big Mom Pirates did... His words conveyed one message: hand over Nico Robin? Sure, but you have to pay me. If I'm not satisfied with the payment, I'll just go and join Kaido.

Cracker said seriously, "Katakuri thinks you can continue to be a Shichibukai."

Crocodile chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous. Do I even need to say that? I've always been a Shichibukai, okay?"

There's no need to discuss this condition at all.

Cracker thought for a moment, then said, "Crocodile, do you dare to get involved in the deals of the underworld?"

Crocodile sneered, "I'm chatting and laughing with the King of Warehousing and the King of Shipping, okay?"

"As long as you dare to venture into this field, we will choose you as our agent. The underworld has long been controlled by Doflamingo, which only emboldens Kaido's side. Katakuri is very dissatisfied and believes that this is not conducive to Mom's ambition to become the Pirate King."

"What kind of grand ambition do you have?!" Crocodile thought disdainfully, but after a few thoughts swirled in his mind, he still saw plenty of opportunities in it.

Making money in the dark world is something even a fool knows, but trading networks are hard to enter, and getting a share of the profits is even more difficult.

With the support of the Big Mom Pirates, he is fully qualified to enter the fray.

To demonstrate his power, Cracker said, "My mother has extremely good personal friendships with several kings of the underworld. You know what that means, right?"

So you just want to support me so I can fight Doflamingo, right? Crocodile knew perfectly well that, and he was somewhat tempted.

"Well..." He wanted to ask how much support the Big Mom Pirates could give him, but the words still felt awkward. Finally, he forced himself to ask, "...How much support can Mom give me?"

So what if he's just acknowledging a mother? Crocodile threw away his sense of shame thirty years ago. It's not like he'll lose anything, so what's the big deal? Doflamingo wanted to acknowledge Kaido as his father, but Kaido wasn't willing to accept him! Thinking about it this way, he felt much more at ease.

Cracker appreciated his act of acknowledging his mother, believing that the two sides had reached a certain consensus: "You go back first. Baron Egg is in charge of our external business. He will come and talk to you in detail."

“Okay.” Crocodile thought that just by calling her “Mom” a couple of times, he would have a solid backer, and this deal would be a huge profit.

He planned to go back and cultivate his power base, make money, and win over influential figures from all sides. He would postpone Robin's matter until it became unbearable, at which point he would hand her over to the Big Mom Pirates.

Chapter 202 The Charlotte Family

Shortly after Cracker left, Baron Tamago, who claimed to be in charge of Big Mom Pirates' external business, found Crocodile.

The naval blockade could only last for a short time. After so much time, the blockade is now practically nonexistent.

Both Cracker and Baron Tamago appeared openly and legitimately in the Sabaody Archipelago.

"Crocodile, the family has sent me to assist you. What kind of business are you planning to do? Bon!"

Baron Egg is a member of the Long-Legged Tribe, possessing two-meter-long legs that, from a distance, resemble a compass.

He was wearing a pink suit, black shoes, and had a mustache. He only had one eye, with a noticeable scar on his left eye.

"Human trafficking? Food trafficking? Or weapons trafficking? Bon!"

Baron Egg's habit of constantly using "bon" in his speech made Crocodile a little uncomfortable.

He had only said two sentences when he felt his head buzzing.

Fortunately, there are many strange people these days, and you can get used to it and make do.

Crocodile only had enough money to buy a newspaper; he had no capital to speak of. He countered, "What can you offer?"

Baron Egg's exaggerated gestures: "Gold, warships, weapons, mermaids, everything you could want, bon!"

Crocodile is actually quite interested in gold, and his Rain Banquet Casino has stockpiled a lot of it. However, considering that he just made peace with the Gold Emperor a while ago, it would be a bit like stirring up trouble to get involved in this field again.

Mermaids and warships are not easy to deal with. The former would involve the Celestial Dragons, and the latter's trading partners are mostly pirate crews and the Navy. If he rushes in rashly, he is likely to attract unnecessary trouble.

He chose weapons, hoping to leverage the power of the Big Mom Pirates to become the new king of the underworld weapons trade.

“Selling weapons? That’s a good starting point. Weapons are needed all over the world, and there’s no shortage of buyers, Bon!” Baron Tamago said, as if he had thought of something. “Doflamingo is involved in some arms deals. Your involvement will definitely exacerbate the conflict between you, Bon!”

Crocodile sneered: "Suppressing Doflamingo on behalf of Mom is the same as suppressing Kaido, isn't it?"

Baron Egg nodded repeatedly: "That's right, absolutely right, that's a good idea, bon!"

Baron Eggman, who kept saying "bon," "bon," "bon," was very satisfied.

He initially thought Crocodile would be arrogant, but now he finds that Crocodile has a good personality and is quite intelligent. Most importantly, he knows his place and is down-to-earth, which is excellent.

"Actually, I envy you. I'm just a subordinate, but you join the family and become family. The status is absolutely different. Bon!" Baron Tamago seemed to recall some past events, and he enthusiastically told Crocodile about the internal structure of the Big Mom Pirates.

Cracker couldn't say these things to her face, but as her subordinate, he could offer a relatively objective perspective from an outsider's point of view.

Crocodile definitely needed some guidance, so he immediately instructed his "fiancée" Lola to serve Baron Egg a chocolate cake!

Inviting the Whitebeard Pirates to drinks and sending cakes to the Big Mom Pirates is a form of political correctness in the world of One Piece.

As Baron Egg ate, he explained to him that Lola's previous status within the family was too low, and there were many things even Lola herself didn't know: "You must understand the role and abilities of every member of the family, Bon..."

The structure of the Big Mom Pirates is quite interesting.

Big Mom is undoubtedly at the top of the pyramid, everyone's "mother," just like how everyone on Whitebeard's side calls her "Dad," even Jinbe calls Whitebeard "Dad"—is he Whitebeard's adopted son? Certainly not. The same goes for Baron Tamago; when he calls Big Mom "Mom," it's just a title, different in meaning from Cracker's and Crocodile's use of "Mom."

The old lady is undoubtedly the queen of the Kingdom of Tottoland.

Even with the example of Big Mom, the number of strong women in the One Piece world is far less than that of men.

This phenomenon also exists in older women's families; the men are simply more capable than the women.

Over time, the family stopped counting female sisters and only ranked male members by age.

After Big Mom, the most important person is the second son, Charlotte Katakuri. Whether inside the Big Mom Pirates or outside, Katakuri possesses all three types of Haki and an awakened Devil Fruit ability. He is the true heir of the Big Mom Pirates and the well-deserved "Crown Prince".

This prince has an elder brother, Charlotte Perospero, whose abilities are not recognized by all sectors. Although he is two years older, his prestige is not as high as Katakuri's.

Below Katakuri are the third son, Charlotte Daifuku, and the fourth son, Charlotte Owen.

Baron Egg introduced all sorts of characters, including "Eighth Brother," "Ninth Brother," Charlotte Cracker (whom Crocodile was most familiar with), "Thirteenth Brother" who controlled fire, and "Fourteenth Brother" who sold tea.

Crocodile was essentially a son-in-law, so his age was irrelevant. In the family hierarchy, he belonged to the woman's side, meaning he followed Lola's age order and was addressed as "the twenty-third head of the family"...

The Big Mom family is generally very united, but you can't see into someone's heart. If you look closely, you can see some friction. For example, Katakuri, the "crown prince," can't suppress his eldest son Charlotte Perospero and his eldest daughter Charlotte Compote, who is always low-key but looks very much like Big Mom.

"The family will definitely get better and better! Bon!"

Baron Egg spent an afternoon "boning" the sand crocodile, eating more than thirty pieces of chocolate cake of all sizes, before finally leaving the Sabaody Archipelago satisfied.

He will return to the New World to source supplies so that the sand crocodile can find markets in the underground world.

In his view, and in Katakuri's view behind the scenes, this is a proxy war. The Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates are still on good terms, Big Mom and Kaido's sibling relationship remains unchanged, and the Sweet Commanders and the Three Disasters have no conflict. The conflict is between Crocodile and Doflamingo, the war between the Seven Warlords of the Sea. What does that have to do with the Big Mom Pirates? Right?

After seeing Baron Egg off, Crocodile leaned against the wall, his mind filled with the sound of "bon," "bon," and he felt a little dizzy. He needed to catch his breath.

He was so dizzy and disoriented that he didn't notice that someone was hiding in the shadows in the distance.

Rob Lucci is a ruthless man. After being caught in the infighting within CP9, he resolutely used his last remaining connections to defect to CP0, the most secretive intelligence agency under the World Government.

This surveillance of Crocodile was CP0's induction mission for him. If he passed the test, everything would be fine. If he failed? CP0 doesn't need useless people.

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