Once inside the office, Crocodile shut the door behind him, poured tea for Davy Jones, who was seated in the chair, and then sat down on the sofa to the side.
The furnishings in the room were fairly plain. Only a few oil paintings and specimens still hung on the walls — clear proof that Crocodile hadn't had the time to maintain the place lately.
Even so, Crocodile was in far better spirits than before. There was a spark in his eyes reminiscent of the days when he first laid the foundations of Baroque Works in Arabasta — watching it grow, piece by piece, into something powerful.
But despite his newfound confidence, he didn't dare act casually in front of Davy Jones.
Crocodile spoke frankly.
"Captain, including Fish-Man Island, our current domain now spans four major islands and several smaller ones, along with the surrounding seas."
"Two of those islands have yet to be named. I'd like you to give them names yourself."
He drew out a weathered nautical chart and spread it open on the desk before Davy Jones. The map clearly marked their current base — Thriller Ghost Island — as well as the two other large islands under their control.
They already had names, of course. But Crocodile insisted on renaming them — a deliberate show of power, a declaration to all the neighboring islanders that the tides had turned.
Davy Jones quite liked the style of Thriller Ghost Island — a name that echoed his ship, the Terror Ghost.
Crocodile had asked for his opinion on that one, and upon receiving approval, he had the island renamed.
Now, with two more islands to rename, Davy Jones decided to keep to that same tradition.
"The island under Law's control will be called Terror Ghost Island," Davy Jones said. "And the one under Kuro's command… Black Pearl Island."
Crocodile understood immediately upon hearing Terror Ghost Island that the captain intended to use ship names as the naming scheme — but Black Pearl Island made him pause.
Was there really a pirate ship called the Black Pearl somewhere in this world?
He didn't dwell on it. It wasn't strange that there might be a pirate ship he hadn't heard of — but for Davy Jones to bestow its name upon one of his own islands, it clearly held some deeper meaning for him.
After all, not just anything could be placed alongside Terror Ghost, Flying Dutchman, and now, Black Pearl.
And indeed, the Black Pearl carried weight in Davy Jones's memories.
There had been two who broke their pacts with him — two who left a mark he would never forget.
The first, of course, was the Sea Goddess Calypso. The other… was Jack Sparrow.
Jack Sparrow's ship had been the Black Pearl. It was once destroyed and sunk to the depths, but Jack had struck a bargain with Davy Jones to have it raised again from the sea.
In return, Jack was to serve as the Black Pearl's captain for thirteen years, and then spend a hundred years in service aboard Davy Jones's ship.
Jack had agreed readily at first. But when his time came due, he tried every excuse and trick to delay the inevitable — until, finally, Davy Jones cast him into the World's End.
Calypso and Jack Sparrow — the two of them had cemented his obsession with contracts and the exchange of interests. Few things had ever left such an impression upon him.
In any case, Crocodile would make sure the new names spread across the seas — along with Captain Davy Jones's reputation.
"Any news from Charlotte Linlin's side?" Davy Jones asked.
Crocodile shook his head. "No. Minister of Fried Foods, Snagg, has been missing for days now. They're probably getting suspicious — I expect someone will be sent to investigate soon."
"Prepare for war, then," said Davy Jones.
"We already are," Crocodile replied. "We've seized a good stock of munitions from the pirate crews we wiped out. Together with the ships built on Fish-Man Island, we have enough to form a full fleet."
He paused briefly, then added, "Also… Law has requested punishment. He wishes to atone. Snagg's death has caused you a great deal of trouble."
"He did nothing wrong," Davy Jones said evenly. "That was by my command. Had he backed down and handed over Terror Ghost Island, then I would have punished him."
Crocodile nodded in understanding.
Davy Jones was a man of his word — not someone who blustered with power only to shift blame when things turned dangerous.
That alone set him apart. What subordinates feared most was a captain who made bold promises, then, when enraging one of the Four Emperors, sacrificed his own men as scapegoats.
Davy Jones was clearly not that kind of man. That alone made Crocodile's work for him much easier — and far more secure.
Trust those you use. Don't use those you don't trust.
The truly unbearable leaders were the fickle ones, always forcing their subordinates to guess their thoughts.
Davy Jones, at least, did not discard Law. And, truth be told, that was a relief for Crocodile.
If Law could be abandoned today… who could say whether tomorrow it wouldn't be Crocodile's turn?
Once their discussion of war preparations was done, Davy Jones turned to the topic of territorial expansion.
"Most of the forces in the nearby waters have been wiped out or absorbed," Crocodile reported.
He extended a finger, tapping twice on the map where two islands were marked.
"Except for these two."
Davy Jones looked down. One island was labeled Thunder God Island, the other Punk Hazard Island.
They flanked his growing domain on the left and right — bottlenecks that blocked Law's and Kuro's lines of expansion.
"What's their situation?" he asked.
Crocodile replied evenly, "Thunder God Island's original issue was its weather — constant lightning storms. But with enough 'lightning umbrellas,' it was manageable."
"However, lately, something new seems to be at work on that island."
"Mikita tried to investigate. Using her Kilo-Kilo Fruit powers and a lightning umbrella, she attempted to approach the island. But before she even reached the interior — a bolt of lightning struck directly at her."
Davy Jones's interest was piqued. "Directly at her?"
"Yes," Crocodile confirmed. "At first, she thought it was coincidence. But then, the lightning kept targeting her — bolt after bolt, like it was aiming on purpose."
"The 'lightning umbrellas' we use can normally divert natural strikes, but these bolts were far stronger than anything natural. They destroyed her equipment instantly."
"She was injured, but managed to escape and report back. We've no way to explain it — so, for now, the secrets of Thunder God Island remain unknown."
Then Crocodile turned to the other island.
"As for Punk Hazard Island — its full name is Vegapunk's Forbidden Zone. Two years ago, the genius scientist Vegapunk conducted experiments there. One of them exploded, spreading toxic gas across the entire island."
"After that, Vegapunk withdrew, and the World Government declared the island off-limits — no entry, under any circumstances."
"But according to our scouts observing from offshore, it seems there are people moving about there now."
"How they've survived in such a poisonous environment, we still don't know."
Both islands were troublesome. One plagued by lightning, the other by gas — and both, apparently, hiding deeper mysteries.
Crocodile had been too occupied with governing their growing empire to investigate personally, and neither Law nor Kuro yet had the strength to handle such unknown dangers.
Thus, the Davy Jones Pirates' expansion had come to a halt.
Thunder God Island and Punk Hazard sat like nails, driven into the two "tentacles" of their territory.
They could bypass them, yes — but as long as those nails remained, there was always the chance they'd explode from within.
Davy Jones studied the map. Thunder God Island lay closer to Black Pearl Island; Punk Hazard, closer to Terror Ghost Island. He came to a swift decision.
"Crocodile," he said, "have Kuro and Law focus on keeping their respective islands secure. As for these two problem islands — I'll deal with them myself."
Crocodile looked up, both surprised and yet unsurprised.
"I understand, Captain."
He should have expected this. Knowing Davy Jones's nature, there was no way he would leave such obstacles untouched. The more dangerous and mysterious the challenge, the more it drew him in.
Just as he intended to challenge the current Three Emperors themselves — if he did not fear them, why would he fear two mere islands?
Since Captain Davy Jones was taking the lead, Crocodile no longer needed to worry about whether the problem could be solved only about what came after: how to continue expanding, and how to defend against the inevitable retaliation from Big Mom or other powers.
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