Inside the spacious office, Vivi was pinned by the arms, unable to move. She could only glare at the two people before her with eyes full of hatred.
Crocodile thoughtfully closed the door, sat down on the sofa, and looked at Vivi with a mocking expression. "What's this? Is Princess Vivi tired of being an agent and wants to try her hand at being a thief? I must say, the Princess has peculiar hobbies. King Cobra will be quite disappointed when he finds out."
"Pah!" Vivi spat angrily. "Stop being so hypocritical, Sand Crocodile. I already know all your secrets."
"I have many secrets. Which one are you referring to?"
"The Dance Powder incident, you orchestrated it from start to finish, didn't you? To frame my father and incite conflict between the citizens and the royal family! And Baroque Works... all the filthy deeds they've done for you in the shadows. Do you dare deny it was you?"
"Why wouldn't I admit it?" Crocodile let out a triumphant laugh. "You're absolutely right. I'm the one who had people secretly ship the Dance Powder to the palace. The fact that it hasn't rained in this kingdom for three years is also my masterpiece. Soon, the rebel army will be driven into a corner and will have no choice but to take the King down with them. And I, as the Great Hero of Alabasta, will 'reluctantly' become their new King to clean up the mess and stop the people's suffering."
"As for you, my dear Princess, and King Cobra, you will die in the chaos of battle, leaving not even bones behind. Kuhahaha..."
"You bastard!" Vivi glared at Crocodile. If looks could kill, he would have died ten thousand times over.
"You really are a grand villain, Boss," Miss All Sunday said, a smile lingering on her face.
"A grand villain indeed. A bit dim-witted, though."
The one who answered her wasn't Crocodile, but Aomori, who had been in the room from the start.
He held the Portable Camcorder, smiling as he pointed the lens at Crocodile, whose grin had frozen.
When did he get here? I didn't even notice him. Is it a Devil Fruit power? Crocodile retracted his smile and sized up the suddenly appearing Aomori. "Who are you? An accomplice of Princess Vivi?"
"You could say accomplice, but 'companion' fits better." Aomori pointed at the camcorder. "Aren't you afraid? I just filmed your entire self-exposure. If I distribute this to the public, your reputation will be ruined, and even the Marines will come looking for trouble."
Hearing this, Miss All Sunday's brow furrowed, and she quietly took two steps back.
For the opponent to speak like this, he had to be confident he could protect the camcorder from Crocodile. It seemed a great battle was inevitable; always one to prioritize self-preservation, she began preparing an exit strategy.
Sure enough, things developed exactly as she expected.
Crocodile stood up, a cruel smile on his face. "Why should I be afraid? If I kill you and seize the camcorder to destroy it, won't everything be fine?"
"Oh, thanks for the reminder." Aomori put the camcorder back into his system storage, waving his empty hands. "Now it's perfectly safe."
It vanished? It really is a Devil Fruit power. What's the specific effect? As Crocodile pondered, he raised his gold hook and pressed it against Vivi's neck. "Kid, did you forget Princess Vivi is in my hands? Hand that thing over now, or you can watch her die right before your eyes!"
"Heh, are you going blind in your old age? How could Princess Vivi possibly look like that?"
"?" Crocodile sensed something amiss. He turned his head and saw that the once-beautiful Princess Vivi had, at some point, turned into a blue monster with gill fins.
In the next second, a surging jet of water erupted from the monster's mouth. Caught off guard, Crocodile took the hit point-blank. His body smashed through several walls, landing on the street outside.
"Go on. Test his mettle," Aomori said.
The original "Princess Vivi" was actually Ditto in disguise. Its acting skills had been personally trained by Aomori, making the performance so lifelike it successfully deceived Crocodile.
Aomori hadn't expected him to be so cooperative, confessing his crimes voluntarily and saving him a lot of trouble.
Now, all that remained was to sweep the enemy away.
The Ditto, currently transformed into a Swampert, nodded and leaped through the hole in the wall, chasing after Crocodile and triggering waves of screams from the street.
Turning back, Aomori looked at the now-empty room and smiled. "She runs quite fast."
…
In a dim alley, a svelte figure was walking alone.
It looks like the Sand Crocodile has met his match this time... Hearing the intermittent roars of battle, Miss All Sunday quickened her pace.
However, she soon came to a halt.
Seeing the mysterious man appear before her once again, Miss All Sunday smiled gracefully. "I thought you would go after Crocodile. After all, I'm just an insignificant employee."
"No, no, no. In my eyes, ten thousand Sand Crocodiles aren't worth as much as you, Nico Robin," Aomori said with a smile.
"Is that so? I'm flattered. But hounding a lady might backfire and cause resentment. I suggest you keep a proper distance." Hearing him say her true name, Nico Robin seemed unbothered, her smile remaining unchanged.
"I'm afraid if I give you too much freedom, you'll slip away, just like a moment ago. I almost lost you."
"Faced with a powerful, unknown enemy, I think any girl would make the same choice I did."
After a brief verbal sparring match, Aomori was the first to raise his hands in surrender. "Alright, enough with the riddles. Let's be direct. I'm here to invite you to join my organization."
"Oh? Knowing my identity, you still dare to invite me? Haven't you heard the rumors about me?"
"I don't care about 'Devil Child' or 'Betrayer.' Our goals are the same; we both want to uncover the truth of the Void Century. You shouldn't mind having a fellow traveler, right?"
Nico Robin's smile faded. She looked at Aomori seriously and said, "Do you know what that means? You will be hunted relentlessly by the World Government."
"So what? Even if the World Government doesn't come for me, I'll eventually go to them to settle the score."
Sensing the determination in Aomori's words, Nico Robin was silent for a moment before nodding. "If you aren't afraid, then neither am I. I'll join you. So, what kind of organization is it?"
"Welcome to the Hero Association." Aomori extended his right hand. "My name is Aomori, the founder and chairman of the Hero Association. You are the second member in this world."
"So I'm a founding member? It seems I've struck gold. But won't people laugh at a 'Devil Child' becoming a hero?" Nico Robin pursed her lips and reached out to lightly touch Aomori's hand, smiling.
"Who says only those standing in the light are heroes?" Aomori said earnestly. "In my view, the scholars of Ohara who dared to pursue the truth of history are all heroes. Even if they were branded as criminals, history will remember them forever, and eventually, they will be vindicated."
"Who says only those standing in the light are heroes?" Nico Robin repeated the phrase several times. A wave of complex emotions washed over her, and memories of her teachers and mother flooded back.
After standing still for a moment, she seemed to regain her composure and smiled. "I didn't realize the Chairman was the type who knew how to charm girls. I'll have to be careful from now on."
After the joke, Robin turned serious. "By the way, is it okay to let Crocodile leave? He has operated in Alabasta for many years; he might have a hidden trump card I don't know about."
"It's fine. He's still struggling to escape." Aomori pointed toward the outskirts of the city. "Let's go take a look. If he hasn't been defeated yet, why don't you deliver the final blow? It would solidify your status as a 'Betrayer,' wouldn't it?"
Seeing Aomori's confidence, Robin's mood lightened. "Alright, as long as the Chairman isn't afraid of having nightmares tonight."
"Sorry, I haven't had a dream in a long time. Let's go." Aomori grabbed her hand, and before she could react, both disappeared from the alley.
…
"Damn it! What kind of monster is this thing?!"
After being knocked back by a Swampert's Water Gun, Crocodile hadn't even recovered from the impact on the street when he saw the Swampert charging at him with incredible speed.
He only had time to condense a shield made of sand before a massive force shattered it, striking him and sending him flying again.
Finally realizing things were looking grim, Crocodile manipulated the ubiquitous sand of the city mid-air, turning it into a flying carpet beneath his feet to carry him out of town.
Swampert gave chase relentlessly, occasionally firing a Hydro Pump.
The pursuit quickly moved away from the town, but Crocodile's disheveled state was witnessed by many citizens.
"Crocodile-sama... he's actually running away in fear from that monster."
The rumors spread through Rainbase in an instant. More and more people learned of the fact that Crocodile had been defeated and was fleeing. The image of the invincible Great Hero began to crack in their hearts.
Crocodile had no time to worry about that now. All he wanted was to tear that monster to shreds.
Now in the desert, he stopped his flight. Here, he feared no one!
"Damned monster! You dare make me look so pathetic? I'll drain you dry and let you die in agony!" Crocodile wiped the blood from his lip, used sand to absorb the remaining moisture on his body, and conjured a small sand tornado in his hand, hurling it at the approaching Swampert.
"Sables: Pesado!"
Under Crocodile's full power, the sand tornado absorbed the desert floor, growing larger until it became a true natural disaster that blotted out the sun, sucking the Swampert inside.
"Kuhahaha! Become a withered corpse in the sandstorm!"
Just as he was basking in his victory, a blinding light pierced through the sandstorm, tearing his body into scattered sand.
"Roar!" A fierce beast over five meters tall let out a heaven-shaking roar, shattering the sandstorm to reveal its powerful body.
It was encased in green armor that kept the sand out, with spikes lining its back and tail, looking terrifyingly powerful.
Ditto had transformed into a Tyranitar.
"Where did this guy come from?" As the user of the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit, Crocodile could not only control sand but also turn into it. Ordinary attacks didn't work on him; his shattered body reconstituted in the blink of an eye.
"Wait, could it be..." He remembered how Vivi had suddenly turned into a monster earlier. "Princess Vivi isn't a Devil Fruit user. Did someone else eat a fruit that allows transformation? Not just into people, but into beasts?"
In Baroque Works, someone had a similar power, the user of the Clone-Clone Fruit. He assumed the one before him had eaten a similar fruit.
"No matter the transformation, it's just a mere beast. You're a hundred years too early to challenge a Logia user like me!"
Crocodile descended, slapping his hands onto the sand. He controlled the sand beneath Tyranitar's feet to swirl, attempting to drag it into a sinkhole.
"Desert Girasole!"
The experienced Ditto immediately raised a foot and slammed it onto the sand.
A violent shockwave rippled out in all directions, causing Crocodile to stumble and interrupting his control over the sand.
Taking the opportunity, Ditto transformed into a Pidgeot and soared into the sky.
This guy is trouble, Ditto thought. Aomori said to use water, but in this desert, water evaporates too fast to be effective. Ditto looked at the sky. Unless there's a major rainstorm.
"Tch, can you turn into a bird too?" Crocodile watched the circling Ditto. He considered retreating.
Instead of wasting time here, he should go back and take down that man to reclaim the evidence that could ruin him.
"I'll let you go this time. You won't be so lucky next time!" The vengeful Crocodile spat a threat and dissolved into the sand.
"Eh? He ran away?" Ditto was shocked and quickly landed, but there was no sign of him. "Oh no, oh no..."
Just then, Aomori appeared before Ditto, pulling Nico Robin along. "Where is he?"
Ditto transformed into Shinichi Kudo and pointed down nervously. "He couldn't beat me, so he dove into the sand to escape."
The proud Crocodile was actually driven away by him? An underling has strength comparable to a Warlord? And he brought me from the city to here in a literal heartbeat. Nico Robin found her Chairman more mysterious by the second.
"Don't worry, he won't get far." Aomori opened his Mind's Eye and soon spotted Crocodile moving rapidly beneath the desert. "Found him."
"Let's be a bit more... flashy."
Aomori smiled, condensing a small black sphere in his hand and tossing it out.
"Chibaku Tensei!"