When the final sentence recorded by the Tone Dial finished playing, everyone present fell into a deep silence.
You could hear a pin drop inside the cell, and the atmosphere became incredibly bizarre.
Although Robin, Zoro, Miss Doublefinger, and the others had more or less sensed that Rear Admiral Black Crow was up to something, they never expected that Fred actually planned to secretly execute Crocodile!
What left them even more speechless was that Usopp had actually mistaken the Tone Dial for an Axe Dial, somehow recording this highly confidential conversation in its entirety...
Classic Usopp.
"Beautifully done, Usopp!" Sherlock praised sincerely, his dark eyes gleaming behind his glasses. "The intelligence you've provided is incredibly vital."
The recording wasn't long, and the information within was quite vague and ambiguous, but it was more than enough for the Sorcerer. Combined with the intelligence he had previously gathered, it added a lot of substance to Sherlock's somewhat half-baked escape plan.
"Listening to that recording, that Marine Rear Admiral actually mistook you for a CP5 agent. Hehe, you truly live up to your reputation, Mr. Long-Nose." Robin blinked, silently equating the never-before-seen Rear Admiral Black Crow with an absolute idiot in her mind.
"Hahaha, well of course!"
Hearing the praise from the two, Usopp proudly puffed up his chest and thrust out his signature long nose. "Who do you think you're talking to? I am Usopp, the man known as the 'Best Actor of the East Blue'!"
"Tch—" x N
Zoro, Miss Valentine, and the other assassins all rolled their eyes in unison, completely speechless at this smug, goofy long-nose.
"Why does that Marine want to kill the President? Hasn't the President already been captured?"
Miss Goldenweek voiced her doubts while shrinking behind Miss Valentine, stealing glances at Sherlock. If she wasn't so afraid of the pondering glasses-wearer, this loli painter would likely have run straight back to report this vital news to their Crocodile boss, who seemed to have entirely given up on life.
"Isn't it obvious? Those two have a grudge. Hey, Mr. 4, don't just stand there like an idiot! Get over here and massage my lower back!" the Mole-Mole Fruit user, who looked strikingly like a penguin, barked unceremoniously at her partner.
"But even if he wants the President dead, why would that Marine go to such lengths to hire CP5 agents to pose as pirates and raid the prison?" Mr. 5 pushed up the sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. It was a wonder how this bomb-booger man could even see anything in such a dim environment while wearing sunglasses.
"No, you're thinking too simply of Marine regulations," Sherlock, snapped out of his thoughts, suddenly interjected.
"The Marines adhere to 'Absolute Justice.' This applies not only to pirates, but to themselves as well. For pirates who have already lost the ability to resist, the Marines' standard procedure is to capture them alive and lock them away in Impel Down. Executing a prisoner of war is a massive taboo; it would land him in a military tribunal."
Come to think of it, so many fiercely brutal and powerful pirates have sailed these seas, yet the only one the Marines and World Government ever publicly and grandly executed was the Pirate King himself.
Even the legendary pirate "Golden Lion" Shiki, who was on par with Roger and Whitebeard, was merely sent to Impel Down after being defeated by the combined forces of Garp and Sengoku.
All of this is nothing more than the World Government trying to project a glorious, highly humanitarian image.
"I see. No wonder the bounty for a dead pirate is so much less than a live one," Miss Valentine realized with a nod.
Miss Doublefinger nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, and I've heard that a former Chief of Impel Down was stripped of his rank and investigated by Marine Headquarters precisely because he slaughtered prisoners."
"However, while the Marines can't openly harm a captive, under certain special circumstances, that restriction ceases to exist."
Robin, who had already deduced the crux of the matter, narrowed her eyes slightly and murmured, "For example... if that prisoner were to escape prison..."
Hiss— The former Baroque Works assassins gasped in unison.
"Heh, creating opportunities by any means necessary when none exist... Hehehe, this Rear Admiral Black Crow's style is quite similar to how you guys used to operate." The green-haired swordsman crossed his arms, flashing his trademark wicked grin at Mr. 5 and the others.
Only, compared to Miss Doublefinger and the others who merely framed the Royal Army, Fred's method of ruthlessly screwing over his own people was distinctly more extreme...
"So his goal is to take this chance to kill the Sand Crocodile?"
Usopp swallowed hard. He really hadn't expected that the Marine he had completely fooled would be so incredibly bold and insane.
"No, it's more than just that."
Sherlock gently pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over everyone present as he explained, "The reason he went through so much trouble is to ensure this event doesn't negatively impact his career. Presumably, this Rear Admiral cares deeply about his path to promotion."
"After all, the Sand Crocodile was once a Warlord of the Sea. A prison break is a major incident that the commander of this fortress would definitely be held responsible for," Robin chimed in with a chuckle, a captivatingly soft smile playing on her exquisite face. "But if he can stop Crocodile from successfully escaping, it becomes a massive achievement."
"Exactly," Sherlock nodded, continuing:
"With just a little embellishment, this entire incident can be packaged as Rear Admiral Black Crow personally slaying the Sand Crocodile, earning him immense prestige. It's not even out of the question for him to use this opportunity to be promoted straight to Marine Vice Admiral."
As the highest combat power in the Marines below the Admirals, the requirements for promotion to Vice Admiral are extremely strict. To become a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, one must either possess formidable strength, military merit, and seniority, or have a glorious achievement that proves their worth.
Just like the youngest Vice Admiral in Marine history: "Golden Shura" Sword Hisoka. Because he once fought a battle against Hawkeye and was praised by the latter as a genius swordsman "most likely to surpass him in the Marines," Fleet Admiral Sengoku made an exception to promote him straight to Vice Admiral.
"Furthermore, there is one more thing that catches my attention," Sherlock murmured, lightly rubbing his chin. "He placed a heavy emphasis on executing the Sand Crocodile aboard a cargo ship filled with fruit."
(Uh... isn't that the exact cargo ship we sneaked onto?) Miss Valentine, Miss Goldenweek, and Mr. 5 silently complained in their minds.
"As everyone knows, Devil Fruits are unique. When an ability user dies, a new Devil Fruit will manifest once again..."
"Wait, you mean..." Robin's beautiful blue-black eyes instantly lit up. "...the new Devil Fruit will be reborn from that ship of fruit? Aside from military merit, Rear Admiral Black Crow's goal also includes the Sand-Sand Fruit?"
"It's just a hypothesis, but the probability is very high." Sherlock smiled slightly. His smile was always so elegant, neither exaggerated nor cold. "After all, the only remaining value Crocodile has is that Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit."
"Hehe, that guy's idea is actually quite clever." Robin rested her cheek on her hand, turning her head to glance at a certain glasses-wearing man who had already calculated everything.
"Yes, but it's nothing more than an idea now."
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Sherlock's mouth, revealing a flash of pearly white teeth. Sensing someone's gaze, he looked up and locked eyes perfectly with her warm, gentle eyes.
The two shared a knowing smile.
Just like that, Fred's long-prepared plan and motives were completely deduced through Sherlock and Robin's effortless back-and-forth. Zoro and Usopp were long used to this duo's flawless back-and-forth and off-the-charts synchronization, but in the eyes of the assassins, it was profoundly "astonishing."
Miss Doublefinger and the others silently looked at the former second-in-command of Baroque Works, then looked at the Sorcerer whose glasses were reflecting a flash of white light. They exchanged glances, the expressions on their faces turning intensely gossipy and subtle.
(These two are constantly making eyes at each other... Is there something going on between them...)
(No wonder... No wonder Miss All Sunday joined the Straw Hat kid's pirate crew!)
Back in Alabasta, Miss All Sunday had always maintained an aura of noble, cold aloofness and detachment from worldly desires. But now, with the addition of someone whose temperament was strikingly similar to hers and possessed perfect compatibility, combined with Robin's subtle transformation over these past days, it was no wonder the assassins' minds were wandering down the wrong path.
"Alright, now that we have 'half an ally,' the success rate of our escape plan has significantly increased."
Completely oblivious to the gossipy thoughts running through the assassins' minds, Sherlock pulled a map out from his Mirror Space and said in a low voice:
"Now, I will assign your next tasks."
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