The Legendary Family of One Piece

Chapter 495 He really is a guy who won't admit defeat no matter what.

On deck!

Charlotte sat on the luxurious sofa that had been prepared, with a huge parasol over her head.

"Phew~"

Charlotte, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, exhaled a heavy puff of smoke.

"Mr. Charlotte, will that unruly fellow agree to cooperate?"

Mitis had studied Crocodile's personality, and judging from his past behavior, he was a rebellious and arrogant guy.

"Yes!" Charlotte said confidently and calmly, "Everyone has their own weaknesses."

Mittis paused, then nodded silently. Indeed…

Partners, wealth, status, reputation, strength, dreams... all of these can be weaknesses.

It could even be said that such a weakness becomes an obsession that will not stop until the goal is achieved.

I'm willing to pay any price to achieve this.

Whitebeard did this for his adopted son, and the Navy did the same for the sake of their sense of justice...

Humans, to varying degrees, have flaws and regrets; otherwise, they wouldn't be human.

"Rip!"

With a soft sound, an air door slowly appeared in the open space on the deck, and two figures appeared there.

"His Majesty!"

Hariri spoke respectfully, his expression devout.

"Thanks for your hard work, Hariri!"

Charlotte spoke slowly, saying that it was no easy feat to bring that guy here.

"It's been so many years!"

His gaze fell on Crocodile behind him, who had become quite rugged.

It looks like Alabasta is experiencing some harsh weather.

Crocodile, with a cigar in his mouth, looked at Charlotte with a gloomy expression.

"The arrival of the renowned emperor of the new world in Paradise must be enough to cause a sensation throughout the world!"

He exuded a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay, and his face remained as arrogant and unruly as ever.

Mitis and Hariri both changed color, looking at each other with hostile expressions and murderous intent.

"He really is a guy who never admits defeat."

Charlotte smiled, not taking the other person's words to heart. There were very few enemies in this world who could arouse his vigilance.

The most powerful world government would never deign to descend to Earth unless something truly irreversible happens.

Charlotte's gaze then darkened slightly. "You've gotten weaker!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Crocodile's expression visibly changed.

Charlotte had long suspected this: Crocodile's hope lay less in dreams and more in the vague and ethereal legends.

He firmly believed that the ancient weapon "Pluto" could help him rule the world, but it was precisely this choice to rely on external forces that caused him to neglect his own strength.

To put it another way, after being defeated, he lost all confidence.

Although Charlotte also sought various treasures to enhance her family's strength, her pursuit of absolute power never wavered.

Those methods were merely to enhance overall combat power, while Charlotte firmly believed that the strength of his own body was the fundamental factor.

Crocodile has gotten its priorities backward these days.

Perhaps only when unrealistic dreams are completely defeated by the pirates of the new era will they finally wake up!

At that time, the opponent's strength will increase significantly. Of course, he may also be unwilling to accept defeat, but the last bit of pride he had as a former strongman will finally make him dare to face his failure.

Crocodile remained silent in the face of Charlotte's words. He seemed relaxed, but every move he made exuded a strong sense of confidence.

"Hmph... Just say what you want to say. I don't believe the emperor of the new world would be so leisurely."

Crocodile spoke irritably. Anyone would be annoyed to be invited like this, even if it was in front of one of the Four Emperors. His last remaining pride was at play.

"What a reckless fool!"

Charlotte spoke with a smile, but a terrifyingly fierce killing intent burst forth.

This killing intent is dozens of times stronger than Hariri's.

Crocodile instinctively made a defensive move in an instant, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He had almost forgotten the terror of the Great Sea King, especially since the legends surrounding the person before him were countless.

Each of these items would be something anyone could boast about for a lifetime.

Charlotte glanced at him and was quite satisfied with his performance; the killing intent vanished the next moment.

He didn't come here to kill anyone.

Crocodile clearly felt that the aura had disappeared.

"I need your Baroque Studio to do everything in its power to help me find something."

It's important to know that one of Baroque Works' jobs is to collect bounties by luring and killing pirates.

They certainly had a lot of manpower, but their strength was only so-so.

It was clear from Charlotte's request that Crocodile was unwilling, and the commanding tone made the proud Crocodile very uncomfortable.

"What if I refuse?"

Crocodile spoke slowly, seemingly prepared to fight to the death.

"You won't, but I have a condition you can't refuse in exchange."

Charlotte spoke methodically, naturally not wanting to push this guy too far; if he really gave up and started acting recklessly, he would be the one with a headache.

As expected, Crocodile hesitated for a moment before looking at Charlotte.

"What are the conditions?"

Charlotte smiled mysteriously: "The whereabouts of the ancient weapon Pluto that you've been longing for."

Crocodile's pupils contracted. Damn it, how did he know?

His paranoia had worsened, and he hadn't even revealed it to his most loyal servant, Bonis.

He kept this plan carefully hidden in his heart.

"How is it?"

Charlotte could naturally see Crocodile's doubts, but he had no obligation to answer them for him.

Hearing Charlotte's words, Crocodile suppressed his wild guesses and smiled with a hint of disdain.

"Do you think I would believe that the Heberfeller family would let the ancient weapon Pluton go unclaimed?"

Judging from the Heberfeller family's continuous collection of famous swords, Devil Fruits, and technological advancements around the world...

He simply did not believe that Hibernian Charlotte would let go of such a precious ancient weapon.

Charlotte also gave a direct response to Crocodile's doubts.

"We are naturally interested, but it's just a bit troublesome. It's perfect as a condition for the deal. As for whether you can get it, that depends on your own abilities."

Hearing Charlotte's words, Crocodile narrowed his eyes. Even the Hibernian family found it troublesome.

This really surprised him greatly!

He was very tempted by this offer, and he was determined to try it no matter how difficult it was. After persisting for so many years, there should be some results.

"Okay, I agree."

Crocodile readily agreed, and he had no doubt that Charlotte might lie to him.

The Heberfeller family's reputation for keeping their promises among pirates and underground forces is well-deserved; otherwise, their business partnerships wouldn't be so stable.

As long as you don't have any ulterior motives, you can live in peace. But if you break the rules, you will surely die.

This is a bloody lesson learned over countless years.

"Okay, I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration."

Charlotte burst into laughter.

As for whether the other party would try to keep the Devil Fruit for themselves, Crocodile, with his intelligence, wouldn't do something so thoughtless.

If he really disregards the rules, not only will his painstakingly planned scheme fall apart, but he will also surely die.

"Mitis..."

Charlotte spoke, and Mitis, understanding her intention, approached Crocodile and took out a pre-drawn diagram of the Devil Fruit.

Crocodile left without the slightest hesitation.

He needed to notify all members of the Baroque Workshop of this mission, and naturally, there was also a reward for completing the mission.

"Your Majesty, is this man trustworthy?"

Hariri spoke up, expressing his considerable dissatisfaction with Crocodile.

"There's no question of trust or distrust; if he's a smart person, he should know how to do it."

Charlotte calmly replied, "Crocodile already possesses a Devil Fruit ability, so he can't eat a second one."

As for the other members of Baroque Works, they each possess Devil Fruit abilities, so there's not much point in keeping them.

Even if it were eaten or hidden by someone with ill intentions, the Heberfeller family has plenty of ways to deal with it.

Moreover, he believed that with Crocodile's ruthless methods, those henchmen wouldn't dare disobey orders.

Receiving a monetary reward is more practical than dying.

(End of this chapter)