"Straw Hat Luffy actually got captured? By Akainu?"
At that moment, Crocodile was visibly surprised upon hearing the news. He hadn't expected that Luffy would eventually fall into the Marine's hands as well.
"Tch. Let him rot in Impel Down's Eternal Hell for all I care."
Crocodile couldn't help but feel a moment of satisfaction. After all, the only reason he managed to escape Impel Down was due to Elior's intervention. Without him, Crocodile would've been trapped in Eternal Hell forever. But Luffy?
Crocodile seriously doubted he'd ever leave that prison.
Unless Garp breaks him out...?
Highly unlikely.
"You're underestimating the Straw Hat's connections, Croc" Elior said, shaking his head in disagreement.
"There's also a hidden level in Impel Down—Level 5.5. It's wedged between Level 5 and Level 6. Even Magellan doesn't know it exists. Shiryu, I bet you didn't know either."
Elior turned to Shiryu of the Rain.
"Level 5.5?"
"That's real?"
Both Crocodile and Shiryu looked shocked, especially Shiryu, who had served as Head Jailer long before Magellan. To hear of a secret floor he'd never known about was a blow to his pride.
"Ivankov is there—one of the top commanders of the Revolutionary Army" Elior explained. "They can contact Dragon. Why they've chosen to hide there is their business. But now that Luffy's been captured, he'll be sent to Impel Down, and there's no way Dragon's going to sit back and do nothing."
"He might use the war between Whitebeard and the Marine to launch a rescue. Or send Ivankov to do it."
Elior was betting things would unfold much like they had in the original timeline.
With Ivankov, Jinbe, and others already in Impel Down, Luffy might very well join the war later. And as for those Seastone shackles? The Revolutionary Army has a specialist who can slice through both stone and Seastone.
Crocodile went silent.
He couldn't argue with that logic.
....
Ten minutes later, Elior approached Law.
"So, Law... What's your decision?"
Law felt a bit helpless. If he refused, would Elior cut him into pieces?
"I want to bring a few of my subordinates with me. They're like nurses to me—pretty important."
Law agreed. In truth, if he hadn't, Elior wouldn't have let him go. Worst case? He could pull a Blackbeard move and steal Law's Devil Fruit. Maybe even try to extract it using another fruit... It might not work, but who knew without trying?
The Op-Op Fruit was far too valuable.
...
"Excuse me, sir. I want to join you."
The voice came from Urouge, the Mad Monk. Elior's eyes lit up when he saw him. Urouge had a rare body type: the more damage he took, the stronger he became—like his body could absorb impact and convert it into power.
He still wasn't strong now—at this stage he could barely withstand a casual kick from Kizaru—but his potential was solid.
"Might as well count me in too."
It was Basil Hawkins. He had already witnessed Elior's terrifying power firsthand, and just now he'd drawn his tarot cards and confirmed it—joining Elior was the right move.
It's better to stand on the shoulders of a giant than walk alone. Surrendering to power wasn't shameful—it was natural.
...
Far away, another figure watched in silence, X Drake, rear admiral of the Marines, and a secret member of a special intelligence division. His latest orders from Sengoku were clear — forget the Beast Pirates. Infiltrate Elior's crew instead.
Drake started walking toward them, trying to mask his nerves. But Elior turned to him with a cold stare and said:
"We don't take in Marine rats, rear admiral."
Law and the others were briefly confused—until they saw the shock on Drake's face.
"I-I'm a pirate. If I'm not welcome, I'll be on my way."
Drake tried to maintain his composure, but internally, he was panicking. How did Elior know? Only Sengoku and a few top brass were aware of his true identity. Elior had exposed him effortlessly.
Drake turned and walked away—pretending to be calm, but shaken to his core.
"Was he really a Marine?" Hawkins muttered.
"No way..." Law was equally stunned. "A Rear Admiral among us Supernovas?"
"He's part of a special ops unit within the Marine" Elior said coolly. "The rest? Who knows."
...
Soon after, Elior reunited with Bullet and the rest of his crew.
Today, with Law and the others joining, Elior's pirate crew grew stronger.
Ship's Doctor: Trafalgar Law – Wielder of the Op-Op Fruit. Even Bullet couldn't help but take notice.
Interns: Urouge and Hawkins – Though members of the Worst Generation, on Elior's ship, they were only trainees.
...
Elior had already planned the path for his crew. He wasn't building a massive fleet like Whitebeard, bloated with murderers and thugs. He was going with a different strategy—elite only.
His power alone was enough to take down armies. His Haki could shatter thousands. Why bother recruiting a bunch of lowlifes?
After all, pirates weren't saints. Some claimed to chase dreams under the guise of freedom—but they still flew the Jolly Roger, looted towns, and spilled blood.
Even Roger — hailed as a good man — had ushered in the Great Pirate Era. That alone was a crime that reshaped the world.
Elior didn't need a family of hundreds like Whitebeard, most of whom were nothing but criminals under a false sense of loyalty.
He needed strength. Strategy. Control.
Even among the Worst Generation—interns only.
Law, however, held a unique status. As the ship's doctor, and bearer of one of the most coveted Devil Fruits, his place was secure.