Crocodile sat in the dimly lit basement of Rain Dinners, fingers drumming impatiently against the armrest of his chair. A cigar smoldered between his lips, the ember flaring with each exhale. Three days. Three damn days without a word from Robin.
He picked up the receiver of the Den Den Mushi once more, dialing her code with practiced precision. There was silence. The snail's eyes remained dull, its expression blank.
His jaw tightened as he set it down, suppressing the irritation bubbling beneath his usual composed demeanor. Losing Robin wasn't just an inconvenience—it was a potential disaster. She was the key to deciphering the Poneglyph, the linchpin of his scheme.
Reaching for another line, he connected to Mr. 1. The snail's features morphed into the stern face of his top enforcer.
"Find her," Crocodile ordered, his voice carrying an unmistakable edge. "No matter where she is or who took her, I want her back."
Mr. 1 gave a curt nod. "Any leads?"
"Nothing. She vanished without a trace." Crocodile exhaled a slow stream of smoke. His mind raced through possibilities. Kidnapping? Unlikely—Robin was too resourceful. Betrayal? Equally doubtful. So where the hell was she?
He had two options: wait for her return or accelerate his plans for Arabasta. The thought of proceeding without her made his teeth grind. But if she wasn't coming back…
His fingers curled into a fist. He despised gambling, but this was a bet he might have to take.
Just when he thought he had enough problems, another call rang.
Crocodile leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled as he listened to Miss Valentine's report through the Den Den Mushi. His mood was already sour from Robin's disappearance, and now this—Princess Nefertari Vivi had fled with a pirate crew.
"So, the princess ran off?" His voice was calm, but the underlying menace was unmistakable.
"Yes, Boss," Miss Valentine confirmed. "She left Whiskey Peak with some rookie pirates. They slipped away. They were strong. Mr. 5 and I were about to follow, but we figured you'd want an update first."
Crocodile took a slow drag from his cigar, exhaling a cloud of smoke. This could complicate things. She could be a real nuisance if the princess aligned with a strong enough crew. And these damn weaklings irritated him. If a rookie pirate managed to defeat them, they were useless to him.
"Forget about the princess for now," he said. "Return to Arabasta immediately. I have other tasks for you."
"But, Boss—"
"I said return." His tone was final. "I'll handle the princess myself."
Miss Valentine hesitated for only a moment before replying, "Understood. We're on our way."
Crocodile's mind raced through the possible next moves as the line disconnected. Without Robin, his Poneglyph research was at a standstill, and now the princess was on the run.
His fingers tapped rhythmically against his desk. Perhaps it was time to put another piece into play. If Robin wasn't returning, he needed a new strategy.
His eyes flickered toward the map of Arabasta pinned to the wall behind him. Soon, it wouldn't matter where the princess ran—because by the time she returned, there wouldn't be a kingdom left to save.
***
The Embercloud drifted lazily over the shimmering desert winds, the windbreaker slack in the heat-hazed air as they neared Arabasta. The once-crisp air of the open sea had turned into a dry, humid air that made even the sky feel nauseous.
Porche fanned herself. "Ugh, I hate this! It's like walking through a sauna! And I've never been to the sauna!" she groaned, dragging her heels as she stumbled to the shaded lounge area, her face flushed from the heat. "North Blue never got this hot."
Even Nami, who has lived in tropical Cocoyashi all her years, wiped her forehead with a sigh. "She's not wrong. This is brutal," she muttered, pulling her hair up into a messy bun and swapping her usual outfit for a breezy orange sarong and a halter top.
On the other side of the deck, Conis remained as chipper as ever, her tiny wings lightly fluttering behind her as she passed chilled drinks to Nojiko, who, shelling fruit, sat cross-legged in the shade. "Tangerine juice with extra ice!" Conis sang, passing her a glass with a proud grin.
Unfazed by the heat, Yamato sprawled atop her favorite lounging spot—a lazy, yawning Sabertooth tiger named Touma. "It's too hot to fight," she mumbled, arms folded behind her head as she stared at the sun with a squint. "Wake me when something good happens, Touma."
Dressed in a sleeveless crop top and loose desert trousers, Kuina remained deep in training. Clashing blades echoed from the upper deck as she sparred in quick, calculated bursts with the Humandrills. Sweat glistened on her skin, but her focus didn't waver. "Heat builds endurance," she muttered, blocking a strike and countering in the same motion.
Having declared the outdoors "an absolute no-go," Desire and Alvida retreated into the marble bath chambers in the Embercloud. She submerged herself in perfumed water, her head resting against the rim and her face covered with a wet towel.
Jacob didn't seem to care. He had been deployed to the desert in the last few days before his reincarnation.
Lounging on one of the lounging chairs near the central deck pool, Jacob wore nothing but his black boxers, sunglasses, and a half-empty coconut drink in one hand. The heat didn't bother him; he looked almost amused by how miserable the girls seemed. However, if not for the excess heat, he would have attacked Nami, Carina, or Nojiko, considering how they were currently dressed.
"You know," he said lazily, glancing toward the deck where the others were gathering, sweat covering their attire, "I think this is the perfect weather for swimming If we could swim."
Nami walked to Jacob. She wiped the sweat from her brow, her halter top clinging to her back. "Ugh, this heat is unreal," she groaned, looking at Jacob, who was still lounging like a desert lizard. "Jacob, where exactly is Alubarna? I need to get a heading to steer Embercloud there directly."
Jacob took a sip from his drink, clearly in no rush. "I'll have Raki do a recon sweep."
Just then, Carina strolled over, her hips swaying lazily. She wore a sleek purple bikini that shimmered in the sunlight, droplets of sweat tracing her curves as if the heat itself admired her. "You are so old-fashioned, Jacob," she said, slipping her sunglasses down just enough to look at Jacob. "I can just use my echolocation. Pair it with Observation Haki; I can map everything around us faster. No need to wait and no risk of us being discovered."
Nami narrowed her eyes. "You could cover the island from this distance?"
Carina nodded confidently, one hand on her hip. "I've been refining it. And, I recently discovered that I can send the whole map directly into your mind with sound waves— an instant download."
Carina accidentally discovers this ability when she gathers intelligence to look for Hanafuda, but she does not mention it in front of Nami and Jacob.
Jacob raised a brow from his chair. "You can do that now? Not gonna lie, that was quite impressive."
Carina smirked. "Mmhm. I mastered it last week. Reiju helped it with her tech."
Nami took a step back, her expression turning skeptical. "Yeah, no thanks. I don't want anybody messing with my brain, thank you very much."
"Oh, Come on, Nami, It's faster and less risky—" Carina started.
"Don't care," Nami cut her off. "Jacob, send Raki, please. I don't want anybody to plant anything in my head. We plan to take down a Shichibukai anyway; what matters if a thunder logia is seen across his territory?"
Jacob sat up a bit, crossing his arms. "She's got a point. Carina, your ability is impressive, but... you know it's quite creepy messing with someone's head, and if it backfires or overloads her senses, that could cause real damage to her brain."
Carina pouted but nodded understandingly, brushing damp hair strands behind her ear. "Fine, fine. It was just suggestions."
A moment later, Jacob whistled and waved to the upper deck. Raki, perched near the Observation tower's edge, snapped to attention.
"Raki," Jacob called out, "Scouting mission to Alubarna, please, and I want you to tell him what we discussed last night!"
Raki did a mock salute with a grin, then vanished in a burst of electricity, a bluish-white thunder striking through the sky.
As she disappeared over the horizon, Carina leaned against Jacob's chair and muttered with a smile, "Any idea which one is faster, lightning or soundwaves?"