Mio probably had no idea that Cobra had become panicked because of her arrival, and the reason for the panic was so… strange.
The capital of the Kingdom of Alabasta.
Albana.
The last time Mio and others came to this city, the prosperity and bustle here made Alabasta worthy of being a great country. There was an endless stream of people coming and going.
When they arrived in this city, Mio and others were mostly wearing cloaks, naturally to avoid causing trouble. They were not afraid of trouble, but they also hated it.
Crocodile's location was in a tavern in the capital of Alabasta.
This tavern now seemed to be in the hands of Crocodile, or at least under Crocodile's control.
At this time, Mio and others walked directly towards the tavern.
This tavern was located in an alley in Albana, but even so, the tavern was still very lively. Most of the guests were pirates, and there were also pirate hunters hiding here as pirates, looking for targets suitable for later attacks.
With a "creak," the wooden door of the tavern was pushed open.
The hot breath hit them.
Many people in the tavern looked at the door. When they saw a group of people wearing cloaks, they were all stunned, but then they didn't care and continued to drink their wine.
Mio looked around and went straight to the bar.
Mio raised his hand and knocked on the wooden table of the bar, saying, "Looking for someone."
"Who?" Behind the bar was a young man with an average presence and some strength, though not very strong. He was wiping the wine glass at the time and looked up after hearing Mio's words.
"Your boss," Mio said lightly.
"My boss?"
Hearing this, a trace of vigilance flashed in the man's eyes. While he was hesitating, another group of pirates walked into the tavern.
"Damn it, this country is too hot. Hurry up and bring the wine to me," the strong man in the lead walked straight to the bar, looking at Mio and others in front of him, and couldn't help grinning and cursing. "Get out of the way, you're blocking my way."
"It's a bit noisy," Mio frowned slightly.
The voice barely fell.
Puff.
A sharp scarlet tentacle pierced the man's heart directly, then pulled out, blood splattered.
The whole tavern was suddenly silent.
Mio still looked at the man in front of her and said calmly, "Go tell him, I think your boss should be willing to see me."
"Excuse me, who are you…?" The man swallowed his saliva.
"Black Crow."
"Black… Crow?"
Hearing this, the man seemed to be thinking, wondering if this was the name of a strong man on the sea, but the next moment, the man's pupils shrank, as if he remembered something, and his attitude became respectful.
"Lord Black Crow, please wait a moment, I need to ask."
"Go," Mio waved his hand.
"Yes." The man nodded, first serving Mio and others a bottle of whiskey, and then left.
The tavern was still silent.
Mio supported his chin with one hand and said calmly, "Keep drinking, don't worry about us."
"Gurgle…"
The voice fell, but no pirate dared to speak without authorization. After all, although they weren't strong, they still had good eyes and could see the extraordinary nature of Mio and others.
Otherwise, the man's face wouldn't have changed so quickly.
A pirate thought about what Mio said just now, "Black Crow," and looked at Mio and others, wondering who Mio and the others were.
Mashi was a little annoyed by this look, and immediately glared at him and said fiercely, "What are you looking at? Do you want to fight?"
The voice was a little childish, but it was accompanied by an inexplicable pressure.
Enshrouded by this pressure, the pirate immediately swallowed his saliva and shook his head hurriedly. "No, I dare not."
"Humph." Hearing this, Mashi snorted coldly, turned around, and continued to drink his… milk.
Rubbing Mashi's head, Mio waited quietly, not in a hurry.
Mio had the same idea about Crocodile as he did about Doflamingo.
Making friends was the main thing.
After all, this guy was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, so he could still make some plans.
And the other party also had his own ambitions. Mio still liked ambitious people. If they had ambitions, she could use the other party's ambitions to help herself. Although she needed to pay a little, the rewards would be more generous.
After a while.
The man returned and said respectfully, "Lord Black Crow, please follow me."
After saying that, he immediately led the way.
Although this was a small tavern, it still had a second floor.
The group passed through the door behind the bar, stepped onto the second floor, and soon came to a room.
"Please." The man made a 'please' gesture.
Mio pushed the door open and walked in.
The light in the room was a little dim, and it was unclear if these people liked this kind of ambiance, but it was the same with Doflamingo.
At this time, in the room, Crocodile was sitting behind a desk with his legs crossed, biting a cigar in his mouth. As Mio and others came in, his eyes were always on Mio, the leader. "The main culprit who escaped from Impel Down, although he is a new generation, is already famous enough to compare with the big pirates in the New World. Judging from the bounty, his strength will not be bad. So, for someone like you, what is your purpose in coming to me?" Crocodile said lightly.
Mio lifted his cloak, sat on the sofa without any hesitation, and looked at Crocodile calmly. "I came to ask you for a favor."
Crocodile casually threw a document in his hand aside and said lightly, "Why should I help you?"
"Because you can't refuse."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Crocodile raised his eyes slightly. "Then I'm curious about what you want me to do for you."
"Pluto."
"Pluto?" Crocodile frowned slightly, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. "I don't understand what you are talking about."
"Hehe." Mio sneered, leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and smiled faintly. "Sand Crocodile, I might as well tell you that I know the location of a Pluto. I'm looking for your help because of Pluto."
"I know you may have known the news about Pluto in Alabasta. Whether you know it or not, I can only remind you that Pluto is not something that can be owned casually."
"Are you warning me?" Crocodile's eyes turned slightly cold.
"No, I'm just stating a fact to you." Mio sat up straight, supported his chin with both hands, and leaned forward slightly, with a fierce momentum. "The World Government will not allow a pirate to own Pluto. If you have the strength of Whitebeard, you may consider it, but unfortunately, you don't."
"What about you?" Crocodile didn't care about Mio's momentum at all and sneered. "Can you defeat Whitebeard?"
"I can't."
Mio grinned, but his tone became defiant. "But I have enough time to develop, I have enough ambition, and enough potential."
The voice fell.
Mio raised a finger directly. "A deal, help me get Pluto."
"A deal…what can I get?" Crocodile blew out a smoke ring from his mouth, and his eyes flickered.
Mio leaned back slightly, holding the handle of the Raikiri in his right hand, pulling it out halfway, and after a cold light flashed, Mio said lightly, "Your life!"