At this time, Crocodile was far from being the ruthless "Desert King" that the world would e to fear. He had only retly set out to sea, and somehow, he'd gotten his hands on the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit. Captain John, reizing the potential in him, had taken Crocodile under his wing, grooming him to be a future right-hand man.

  Captain John wasn't wrong in his judgment Crocodile had immeential. A Logia-type Devil Fruit user, especially in a crew full of seasoned pirates, was a major asset. If trained properly, Crocodile could have bee John's most trusted lieutenant.

  But right now, the immediate was esg the Marines. John had bigger problems than nurturing Crocodile, and Crocodile's future as his sed-in-and was suddenly uain.

  "Captai's fight them head-on!" Crocodile said, full of youthful energy.

  Captain John looked at his crew and then, with a fierce grin, decred, "Yeah, we 't let those Marine dogs think they've got us ered. Even if we die, we'll go down biting! Fight to the death!"

  Crocodile, fired up by John's words, shouted, "Yes, captai's show them we're not to be trifled with!"

  But John wasn't about to charge into a suicidal battle. He was a ing man, and he'd long anticipated that they might be forced into a situation like this. He had already made preparations for a secret escape route.

  "Of course, we won't just throw our lives away," John said in a low voice, his eyes gleaming with a calg light. "There's a secret port on this isnd. We use a submarine I've hiddeo make our escape."

  John was always careful to leave himself an out. In every situation, he made sure he had an escape pn. Here, on this isnd, was no different. But the submarine was too small to carry everyone. His pn was simple: leave a group of his men behind to act as a distra while he slipped away with a few chosen ones.

  One of the younger crew members perked up. "A secret port? As expected of the captain!" he said, impressed.

  "Of course!" John tinued, keeping his voice steady. "But we 't just flee without a fight. That would make us look weak. Here's the pn: I'll take a few of you to the submarine while the rest stay behind to hold off the Marines. Oheir warships are close enough, we'll attack them from the submarine, cause some chaos, and grab one of their ships to break through their blockade. Afterward, we'll head to East Blue, where I've got a stash of treasure buried. With that treasure, we rebuild the crew and e back stronger!"

  John's pn sounded inspiring, but it was full of holes. If anyone had stopped to think about it for a moment, they would've realized that most of them were bei up to be on fodder. Cudius, if he were here, would have seen through the scheme immediately John was setting his crew up as decoys while he made his own escape.

  As for the treasure i Blue? There might have been something there, but more likely than not, John was just spinning tales to keep his crew motivated.

  Even Crocodile, who would ter bee a master of manipution himself, didn't pick up on the deception. At this point in his life, he was still a hot-blooded teenager, full of idealism and loyalty to his captain.

  Perhaps it was this very betrayal that would ter shape Crocodile into the ruthless and untrusting man he would bee. Maybe it was Captain John's betrayal that taught Crocodile not to pce his faith in others.

  "In that case, let me lead the charge!" Crocodile decred, eager to prove himself.

  Captain John blinked in surprise. He hadn't pnned on sending Crocodile to his death just yet Crocodile had too much potential. John had inteo take him along on the submarine ahe others die buying them time. But here was Crocodile, volunteering to lead the suicide mission.

  John tried to stop him. "No, Crocodile, you should e with me. I need you at the submarine."

  But before John could finish, Crocodile thumped his chest and said, "Captain, do you think I'm weak? I'm a Logia-type Devil Fruit user! It's my job to be at the front lines. I'll draw the Marines' attention and buy you time. Just be sure to move quickly on your end!"

  John was at a loss. Crocodile's words made sense Logia users were notoriously hard to kill, and if anyone could buy them time, it would be him. And if John objected too much, the rest of the crew might start to get suspicious. He couldn't afford to reveal his true iions now.

  "Since you're so eager, I 't argue with that," John finally said, patting Crocodile on the shoulder. "Once you've dealt with those Marines, I'll make you my first mate!"

  Crocodile's eyes lit up at the promise. "You got it, Captain! I'll do you proud!"

  With that, Crocodile rallied a group of the John Pirates' remaining men ahem out of the cave, determio face the Marines head-on.

  As soon as they left, Joh out a sigh of relief. "Alright, let's get to the submarine," he muttered to the few remaining men he had chosen to apany him.

  Back at the hot spring hotel, Cudius and his group were gathered in the main room. Nia was looking around in fusion. "Yhness, where is Mr. Dragon?"

  Cudius answered casually, "He said he didn't want the Mario harm too many civilians, so he's goo help evacuate people."

  Nia was about to ask more questions when Stussy ehe room, holding a transponder snail.

  "Did you get through?" Cudius asked, gng at her.

  "No luck," Stussy replied with a frustrated shake of her head. "The entire isnd's transponder snail signals have been cut off. I tried tag Marine Headquarters, but they're using encrypted lines. I 't access them."

  Cudius had anticipated this. When the Buster Call started, he had immediately ordered Stussy to try to tact the or the Wovero let them know that a Celestial Dragon was on the isnd. If they knew he was here, they would definitely call off the bombardment. But as expected, the Marines had cut off all unication in the area as soon as the Buster Call was initiated.

  It made sense. Even if they were targeting the remnants of the John Pirates, wiping out aire isnd, especially a civilian hot spri, would be a huge sdal. The Marines didn't want any word of this getting out. Afterward, they could easily bme the destru on natural disasters illo Isnd was, after all, a volid. Ohe mission was over, they could have someone like Akainu trigger a volic eruption to bury the truth, quite literally.

  "Well, if we 't tact them, we'll just have to sit tight and wait for the Mario nd. Ohey see who I am, they won't dare tihis nonsense," Cudius said with a sigh.

  While a Buster Call sounded like the end of the world, Cudius wasn't too worried. As long as he wasn't killed ht by the shelling, his status as a Celestial Dragon would protect him ohe Marines realized who they were dealing with. The warships' ons couldn't hit every part of the isnd, and the hot spring hotel, led on the mountainside, hadn't been affected yet. He figured the bombardment was just to soften the isnd up before the real operation began Marines would eventually e ashore to up.

  As expected, before long, Cudius spotted the Marine warships approag the coastline. Soon after, he saw groups of Marine soldiers disembarking from the ships, led by officers.

  Stussy, peering through a telescope, lowered it and said quickly, "It's Admiral Sengoku. I saw him getting off the ship."

  "Sengoku, huh?" Cudius murmured. "He really likes to throw around Buster Calls, doesn't he?"

  While Cudius watched the Marines, something else caught his eye. A group ed-looking men suddenly charged down the mountainside nearby, heading straight for the Marines. It was obvious from their appearahat these were pirates, likely the remnants of Captain John's crew, now making a desperate attempt to fight back.

  At first, Cudius didn't pay them much mind. He didn't really care who these pirates were or what crime had earhem a Buster Call. But then, his eyes nded on one particur figure leading the charge a young man who seemed oddly familiar.

  "Wait… is that…?" Cudius squinted. "No way, I must be mistaken. That guy looks way too young. He shouldn't have even goo sea yet…"

  Just as Cudius was questioning his own eyes, a burst of yellow sand appeared from the battlefield. A small sandstorm whipped up, tearing through the Marines who had just nded.

  Cudius's jaw dropped in shock.

  "Holy crap, it is Crocodile!" he excimed, reizing the young pirate now. "What the hell did he do to get the Mario pull a Buster Call on him?"

  Among the group of pirates, Crocodile was still retively weak pared to the more seasoned crew members, but the fsh of his Devil Fruit powers was unmistakable. His abilities, even in their undeveloped state, were already dangerous enough to wreak havo the Marines.

  In a matter of moments, Cudius saw a Marine Rear Admiral go down, sshed and thrown by the sheer force of the pirates' attabsp;

  "Wow, that's brutal. These aren't your run-of-the-mill pirates, huh?" Cudius muttered to himself. "Makes sehough. Crocodile wouldn't join just any weak crew. If he's on board, they've got to be pretty strong."

  Cudius observed the battle for a few more seds, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. Then, a grin spread across his face.

  "Well, well… looks like fate has brought you to me, Crocodile," Cudius said to himself, chug. "You're still so young, caught up with pirates like this? What a waste of talent.

  With that, Cudius's form shimmered, turning into a gust of wind as he vanished from the rooftop.

  "Yhness!" Nia called out in a panic as she saw Cudius disappear.