Setsuna looked down at Hanafuda kneeling on the ground. "So you were the one who attacked my fleet?"
Hanafuda struggled to lift his head. Though covered in wounds, he remained defiant. "It was me! After I die, Kaido-san will..."
"Wait," Setsuna interrupted suddenly. "Who said anything about killing you?"
Hanafuda's defiant expression instantly froze. "You're not going to kill me?"
Setsuna tilted his head, a half-smile on his face. "If you insist, it's not out of the question."
"No, no, no!" Hanafuda instantly switched expressions, forcing an obsequious smile. "Setsuna-sama, how may I be of service?"
The speed of his change left Ace and Cavendish, standing nearby, dumbfounded.
Hanafuda also noticed their strange looks but remained calm inside.
Although surrendering to an enemy was shameful, if the opponent was a maritime ruler approaching the level of an Emperor, that was a different story.
'Moreover...' Hanafuda thought of his adorable children, and his will to survive burned even stronger.
Setsuna casually sat on a wooden crate. "I heard you collect Zoan-type Devil Fruits for Kaido?"
Mentioning this made Hanafuda's heart ache.
Those three hard-earned Zoan Fruits... If they'd just sunk to the seabed, that would be fine. He feared the treasure chest itself had been smashed to pieces.
"Yes," He answered, suppressing his grief.
"Good." Setsuna crossed his arms. "Find a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit for me, and today's matter will be written off."
"Mythical Zoan?" Hanafuda's eyes widened. Forget the difficulty of obtaining a Mythical Zoan, he couldn't even get past Kaido.
If Kaido knew he'd obtained a Mythical Zoan but didn't hand it over, what awaited him wouldn't be a Thunder Bagua, but a Killing Bagua.
Hanafuda said, troubled, "That... that's too difficult. And Kaido-san would..."
"Can't do it?" Setsuna narrowed his eyes, letting out a faint sigh. "Then you're useless to me."
"Wait! I'll do it!" Hanafuda hurriedly shouted, thinking to himself to agree now and escape first.
Setsuna seemed to see through him. "You plan to agree now, then go back to Kaido and renege?"
Hanafuda laughed awkwardly. "Haha, of course not."
Setsuna stood up, walking slowly towards Hanafuda. "It's fine. I have a way to ensure you keep your promise."
As he spoke, he lightly tapped Hanafuda's abdomen with a finger.
Hanafuda cautiously felt his body. "Seems... nothing changed?"
Setsuna kindly reminded him, "Why not check the middle?"
"Huh? Ahhh!" Hanafuda suddenly let out a pig-like scream. "My manhood?! Where is it?!"
Setsuna showed a demonic smile. "Relax, it's still there. I just shrunk it by a factor of a hundred."
His Knocking could not only shrink things entirely, like he usually did with Titan, but also partially, as he was doing now.
Ace and Cavendish simultaneously squeezed their legs together, cold sweat flowing.
At this moment, their 'loyalty' to Setsuna reached unprecedented heights.
Hanafuda's face turned ashen, but hope soon rekindled. "As long as I find the Mythical Zoan Fruit and keep Kaido-san from finding out..."
Setsuna clapped his hands. "Correct. When you do, I'll naturally restore you."
Hanafuda's eyes became exceptionally determined. "Give me three years! No, one year! I will definitely find a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit for you!"
"Excellent." Setsuna patted his shoulder satisfactorily. "I'll await your good news."
Watching Hanafuda's staggering retreating back, Ace couldn't help but ask, "Captain, did you really...?"
"Of course it's real. What, you want to try?" Setsuna asked with a smile.
"Haha, of course not." Ace laughed awkwardly, changing the subject. "Captain, who is he?"
"Right, let me introduce you. This is our new crewmate, Cavendish." After the introduction, Setsuna pointed at Ace. "This is my most capable subordinate, Ace."
Ace's eyes lit up, 'For Captain to introduce someone so formally meant they were a recognized crewmate. Perhaps he'd be a worthy opponent. I could spar and train on the ship.'
Cavendish also scrutinized the other seriously, inwardly scoffing, 'His handsomeness is clearly inferior to mine and Captain's. I am the second most eye-catching person on this ship.'
…
Crocodile stood on a distant high-rise building, cigar smoke curling around him, masking his gloomy expression.
His original plan was to use Hanafuda to test Setsuna's strength, which was why he'd lured Hanafuda here with a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
He'd been pondering how to create conflict between the two parties, but Hanafuda, that idiot, had started a fight with Setsuna's side on his own. The test results were even more shocking.
Even the second-in-command on that ship had the power to suppress Hanafuda. As for Setsuna, who killed Golden Lion, he'd taken Hanafuda down with a single punch.
Although Crocodile believed himself stronger than Hanafuda, he absolutely could not defeat Hanafuda in one move.
Crocodile bit his cigar, complex emotions churning inside.
'Such strength... No wonder he could kill the Golden Lion.'
He'd originally thought Setsuna had merely lucked out killing a weakened Shiki. But judging from the fight, that man's strength was probably infinitely close to that of an Emperor.
'Could Pluton really not be in Alabasta?' Crocodile took a deep drag, thinking rapidly. 'With his strength, would he need to lie to me?'
He'd initially suspected Setsuna might be using the Pluton intel to divert him, planning to search for the true Ancient Weapon in Alabasta's capital himself.
But now it seemed Setsuna truly had no interest in Alabasta, only planning a brief stop to charge the Log Pose before leaving.
'But what benefit does telling me this bring him?' Crocodile pondered this seriously, then suddenly had an epiphany.
'He was so resistant when I mentioned Wano. Perhaps he's not just from Wano… he might even be royalty. Mentioning Wano caused him pain.'
'And precisely because he's royalty, he knows Pluton's location. But Wano is occupied by Kaido. He can't retake it alone, so he wants to use me to attack Wano!'
The more Crocodile thought, the more it made sense. 'Kaido entrenched in Wano for twenty years... Was it really just to rule an isolated country of samurai?'
The real explanation was… Pluton was in Wano!
Crocodile snuffed out his cigar, ambition rekindling in his eyes.
'Robin, Alabasta, Baroque Works... None of that matters anymore.'
He was tired of playing hero in Alabasta. Perhaps heading straight for Wano was his real opportunity.