He looked towards Arlong's ship, which was sailing alongside the Merry Go, and called out to their deck, which was close enough to jump to.
They seemed to have been listening, as a response came quickly.
"Arlong, there's something I need you to do. Could you come over here?"
"Nyu~, Kiri. Arlong-san is a bit… so I'll—"
It was Hachi who leaned over to reply.
Without letting him finish, Arlong landed on the Merry Go's deck with a heavy thud.
He walked slowly, his face intimidating, and approached their circle.
Several observers tensed up, but nothing happened.
Arlong stood on the outer edge of the circle, glaring at Kiri.
Kiri met his gaze without flinching, then shifted his attention from Arlong to Vivi, asking:
"Vivi, I'm sorry, but we might have to get a little rough to stop the rebellion."
"Yes… Honestly, I don't want to accept it, but it's necessary, isn't it?"
"I swear that no one will die. And if the Rebel Army and Royal Army clash, deaths are unavoidable."
Vivi closed her eyes for a few seconds, falling silent as she processed Kiri's words.
She exhaled deeply, resolved, and then looked into Kiri's eyes, asking seriously:
"And with this, can we end the battle without anyone dying…?"
"I'll do my best. I can't guarantee it. But casualties will definitely be reduced."
"I have to choose, don't I? It's impossible for no one to be hurt."
"Buildings can be rebuilt if they're destroyed. But people can't."
"…Understood. I'll leave it to you, Kiri-san."
"Thank you."
Kiri turned back to the map and addressed Arlong.
"The landing point is the port town of Nanohana. Arlong and your crew will cause a ruckus here. It's fine to be flashy, even breaking some houses. The main goal is to draw attention and let Cattleya know that pirates have arrived."
"Cattleya?"
"The Rebel Army has moved its base from Yuba to Cattleya. If they learn of a pirate attack and Crocodile doesn't appear, Kohza will definitely come to help."
"Kiri-san… even the leader's name…"
"We'll draw the Rebel Army to Nanohana. At that point, Arlong and your crew will retreat. Don't kill anyone. Afterward, you'll keep pirates and the Marines away from the island from the sea."
Kiri's gaze shifted to Igaram.
At that moment, Igaram understood more quickly than anyone else.
"I'll leave the persuasion to Igaram. While he does that, we'll head to Alubarna."
"Igaram alone? Kiri-san, I also—"
"No, Princess Vivi, I will go alone. Please leave it to me."
Stopping Vivi's worried words, Igaram looked at Kiri, not her.
He understood Kiri's intention.
Kiri wouldn't suggest this without careful thought.
Igaram even felt gratitude toward him and asked without fear:
"This entails danger, doesn't it?"
"There's no place that isn't dangerous."
"Indeed… However, persuading the Royal Army and the Rebel Army is a different situation. Compared to the two, you believe this path is more perilous. That's why you're entrusting it to me, isn't it?"
"No, if it's dangerous, all the more reason not to go alone…"
"Thank you. For entrusting this to me."
Igaram placed a hand on his chest, and though he knew Vivi was conflicted, he addressed everyone:
"For His Majesty, for Princess Vivi, for our homeland, I am always prepared to offer my life. For that, I fear nothing. Princess Vivi, please do not worry."
"…Yes. I entrust it to you, Igaram."
"We'll have Arlong's crew lie in wait beforehand. If the enemy notices our movements, they'll definitely try to block contact. Depending on who comes out, Billioners shouldn't be a problem. But that's not the only issue."
As the discussion progressed, the crew's awareness shifted.
They focused on Kiri's voice, now looking at him without a trace of a smile.
"Baroque Works agents have infiltrated both the Rebel Army and the Royal Army. In a situation where a battle could start at any moment, these infiltrators are the most likely to create a trigger. A single gunshot from anyone will inevitably ignite a war. This state has continued for a long time now."
"But there hasn't been a war until today, right?"
"That was also orchestrated by Baroque Works. Honestly, by the time I decided to leave the organization, taking over the country was already possible at any moment. I had no such intention, but perhaps they were waiting for me to return here."
A chill ran down Vivi's, Igaram's, and Karoo's spines at Kiri's casual remark.
It could have been taken over at any time.
Unbeknownst to them, the situation had progressed that far, and Kiri likely hadn't left the organization solely to stop it.
If just one thing had been different, Alabasta's king might have already changed.
They had only been hanging by a thread until this very day.
Without comforting their shaken companions, Kiri murmured:
"The importance of what I said earlier—keeping the Rebel Army and Royal Army from meeting—lies here. Assume that if they meet, war will inevitably break out. The infiltrators are waiting for that moment. Therefore, one of our tasks is to defeat the agents who have infiltrated both armies."
"How will we do that?"
"I've memorized all the agents' data. Unless the members have changed, I can identify them."
Saying this, Kiri took two sheets of paper from his pocket.
"If I remember their faces and names clearly, I can make a list. We'll tell the truth to the leaders of both armies and inform them about the infiltrators' identities. If we do this before the fighting starts, it should change the situation somewhat."
"But if they don't trust us, they won't listen. Since they went to the trouble of infiltrating, it hasn't been a short period. By now, they've probably been accepted as comrades, right? There's a chance they'll insist they're allies and not believe us."
"I know. That's why negotiations must proceed carefully. Basically, Vivi will stop the Royal Army, and Igaram will stop the Rebel Army. If they can't, then it's up to us."
"They'll trust pirates even less."
"In that case, force is fine. We're pirates anyway. As long as we don't kill anyone, we can attack indiscriminately and inflict some damage."
"Well, that's certainly easier."
Sanji smirked, nodding in agreement, seeming satisfied.
This was no time to be picky about methods.
Hearing their exchange, everyone else surely understood.
Kiri looked at Arlong.
Meeting his gaze directly, Arlong responded with a glare.
"Arlong."
"Hmph?"
"If Igaram fails, attack the Rebel Army. If Nanohana is attacked again, they won't be able to focus on Alubarna. But as I said before, don't kill anyone."
"Can't guarantee that. Humans break easily."
"Your anger isn't for here. Keep it in check for now. The Marines will be swarming everywhere once this battle is over anyway. You can go wild then."
Arlong snorted, then laughed with a sinister expression.
"Do you seriously think I'd obey you? Why wouldn't you think I'd destroy your ship, slaughter everyone in town, and start a rebellion while you're away? Wiping out you exhausted lot might not be a bad idea."
"You won't do that."
"Why are you so sure? I haven't pledged allegiance to you."
"Then I'll trust you as an enemy. If you intended to, you would have already done it by now."
"Tch…"
"We're moving deep inland. I'm leaving the sea, including the Merry, to you."
Arlong turned away and fell silent.
Seeing that he neither affirmed nor denied, he would likely do it.
He would probably try to complete the mission without killing anyone.
Kiri trusted him, and with a slight wry smile, averted his gaze.
Afterward, despite having no solid proof, he didn't worry in the slightest.
"The original plan was called 'Utopia.' Mr. 2 was supposed to impersonate the King and incite the citizens and the Rebel Army. But with me here, knowing that, they won't come with the exact same plan. The enemy will try to thwart our plans one by one. Irregularities are bound to happen."
His voice carried an unusual forcefulness.
It was enough to convey the tense situation.
"Crocodile is up to Luffy. We'll defeat all the other agents. The Officer Agents are particularly troublesome, but the Frontier Agents are also specialists, each with different strengths. If left alone, problems will inevitably arise somewhere."
Kiri fashioned white chess pieces from paper and placed them on the map.
"Now, I'll give you information on all the agents: their appearance, personality, habits, fighting style, and weaknesses. And because we don't know how the battle will unfold, I'll also share possible scenarios and even seemingly impossible ones. Whether you use it or not, just knowing will make a significant difference."
"So we don't know who we'll run into?"
"That's right. I'll tell you so you can fight, and win, against anyone you encounter. And most importantly, once we enter Alubarna, it will be difficult to gather purposefully."
Eleven pieces were placed.
It seemed incredibly fragile against an organization of over two thousand.
Yet, they had to do it with just this.
"After entering Alubarna, each of you will act according to your own judgment. What can you do? That's all you need to think about. Each individual's actions will change the outcome."
Everyone listened intently.
Kiri's voice naturally grew heavier.
If they won, their journey would continue.
If they lost, everything would likely end.
"The next time we all gather will be after we've won. Let's meet again, every single one of us."
With that, Kiri began to pour out every piece of information he knew.
The first words were, "Kill me."
The moment he saw those forsaken eyes, he knew he was a defeated pirate.
A loser of the Grand Line.
A not-so-uncommon sight on the vast sea.
A life that, ordinarily, he wouldn't have bothered to save.
Had he deliberately scooped it up because of something unseen?
Currently, before him lay a silent chessboard with black pieces.
There was no opponent.
No white pieces were placed in their rightful positions.
He didn't seem to find this strange.
Even without an opponent before him, discerning the flow of battle wasn't difficult.
At least, they seemed to consider it natural, given their current state as adversaries.
He wasn't sad.
Rather, he felt a sense of exhilaration.
There was only one reason why he felt this way.
The game became more interesting precisely because they were opponents who knew each other so well.
While certainly troublesome, he smiled because he didn't doubt his own victory.
"Mr. 0, everyone is assembled."
A voice called from beyond a door that let a shaft of light pierce the darkness.
Called by Miss All Sunday, Crocodile rose from his seat.
He left the unmanned table and walked toward the light.
Was it a parting?
Or was it to set time in motion again?
Only Crocodile himself knew what he truly thought.
-------------------------------
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