Ihe hot spring hotel, Admiral Sengoku sat fag Cudius and his ente, clearly a bit on edge. It wasn't every day that a situation like this cropped up, and he was visibly uled by the implications.

  "Saint Cudius, my deepest apologies. The Navy had no idea you were vacationing on this isnd. The Buster Call was... purely a tactical decision," Sengoku began, his voice carrying a slight tremor. He knew what was at stake here. On the surface, it was about wiping out the remnants of the John Pirates. However, Cudius, a Celestial Dragon, resent something no one had expected.

  The issue wasn't that Cudius had been harmed in any way he hadn't but if this escated, it could be viewed as a spiracy. If wot out that a Buster Call was unched in an area where a Celestial Dragon resent, it could be seen as an act of treason. Even though the order was saned by the Five Elders, if the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois wanted someoo take the fall, not even the Five Elders could protect Sengoku. Worse still, the entire Marine and might have to face the sequences.

  After all, one of the Marine's primary duties was to protect the Celestial Dragons. To have a Buster Call potentially harm ohat would be catastrophic.

  But Cudius, much to Sengoku's relief, wasn't pnning on blowing things out of proportion. He smiled and said, "o apologize, Sengoku. If anything, this was my fault for being too uable. I ended up causing the Marines quite a bit of trouble."

  Sengoku exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. Cudius wasn't making this into a big deal. "I'm grateful for your uanding, Saint Cudius..."

  "Hmm... If I recall correctly, your Buster Call this time was targeting the John Pirates, correct?" Cudius asked thoughtfully.

  "Yes, that's right. Kizaru and the others are currently searg for them," Sengoku responded, a little surprised at the question, but he saw no reason to withhold any information.

  "In that case, I should tell you something I just learned. Captain John and some of his crew have escaped the isnd in a submarine," Cudius said calmly.

  "Submarine?" Sengoku's eyes widened slightly. He furrowed his brow and asked, "May I ask where you got this information, Yhness?"

  Cudius gave a light chuckle aured towards Crocodile, who was sitting in the er of the room, shackled ione cuffs, his expression one of deep frustration. "I got it from him. He used to be one of Captain John's close fidants. Lucky for me, I caught him before he could escape."

  "'Used to be' is right!" Crocodile growled angrily. "That bastard John used me as a pawn. I was ready to risk it all for him, but he just ran without so much as a warning!" (Lol you were the o Fault)

  The bitterness in Crocodile's voice alpable. He had once been loyal to Captain John, but realizing he had been abandoned without a sed thought had turhat loyalty inte.

  "Sengoku," Cudius tinued, "It's clear this kid's not lying."

  Sengoku eyed Crocodile for a moment, taking in the se. Cudius hadn't hidden Crocodile's identity, nor could he. The Marine was already aware of Crocodile as a rising figure in John's crew he was even on their watch list due to his Logia Devil Fruit abilities. Cudius didn't bother with subterfuge. There was no need. Sengoku already knew.

  After a moment of ption, Sengoku pulled out his Den Den Mushi and made a call. "Kuzan," he said after a few seds of versation, "freeze the surrounding waters. We've got reliable intel John's trying to escape in a submarine."

  He hung up the phone, his expression firm. Without Cudius' tip, John might've gotten away. But now? Not a ce. Aokiji's ability to freeze the sea made it impossible for submarines of this era to escape. They couldn't dive deep enough or move fast enough to evade his ice.

  "Thank you, Saint Cudius," Sengoku said, bowing his head slightly. "I'll make sure to report this to the Five Elders."

  Cudius hen smiled. "So... about this Buster Call?"

  Sengoku chuckled, a little ruefully. "Well, there's no choiow. We'll have to abort it. I think this is the first time in history that a Buster Call has been called off mid-a..."

  "Really?" Cudius raised an eyebrow. "This was your first time using the Buster Call?"

  "Yes," Sengoku admitted. "The Buster Call is a drastic measure, after all. If it weren't for the elusive nature of John and his crew, I wouldn't have used it in the first pce. And if it weren't for your tip, we might have failed to catch them anyway."

  Cudius found this somewhat amusing. He'd always imagined Sengoku as the kind of man who'd used the Buster Call multiple times, especially given his cold reputation. After all, Cudius khat Sengoku had authorized the destru of Ohara without batting an eye. Yet here he was, admitting it was his first time calling for such a strike.

  Teically, a Buster Call couldn't be stopped onitiated, but Cudius' position as a Celestial Dragon overruled that. His mere presence was enough to cel the entire operation.

  Sengoku, however, wasn't just calling it off for Cudius' sake. Now that they knew John was esg via submarihe focus was on capturing him. Killing is on the isnd would do nothing to achieve that. So, halting the Buster Call not only appeased Cudius but also helped the Marines avoid unnecessary bloodshed. At least now, Sengoku could rest easier knowing they hadn't caused undue harm.

  "I suppose Dragon will have a better opinion of me after this," Cudius mused to himself.

  He'd noticed Dragon earlier, secretly helping civilians caught in the chaos. Cudius, however, had done oer he had stopped the Buster Call entirely. While others might not grasp the full implications of what had just happened, D would undoubtedly uand and remember Cudius' intervention.

  Of course, Cudius had no iion of mentioning his enter with Dragon. That particur meeting would be a secret he inteo bury in history. After all, if anyone discovered iure that he had met Dragon who will lead a revolution things could bee very plicated.

  "So, what's the pn for John's crew?" Cudius asked after a moment's thought.

  Sengoku smiled faintly. "Normally, if we caught them, we'd send them to Impel Down. But given the scale of this operation, the orders from above are clear total extermination."

  The aim of the Buster Call was to pletely wipe out the John Pirates. Even if they were captured, execution was the only option. There was no room for leniency this time.

  "Really?" Cudius raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to Crocodile. "In that case, Admiral Sengoku, this kid here... I don't think he's pletely rotte. He's crossed paths with me, and, well, I promised him his life if he gave up the information. I'm not oo go bay word. So, how about letting him go?"

  Before Sengoku could respond, Crocodile spat angrily, "Cudius, you're full of it! I'm not some snitch! I'm no traitor!"

  Before he could finish, Stussy shot out her leg and kicked Crocodile in the back, sending him sprawling to the floor. "How dare you speak so rudely to His Highness?" she said coldly.

  Sengoku looked unfortable but tried to remain diplomatic. "Yhness, I uand your iions, but this boy is still a pirate. A dangerous o that. He may be young, but he's a Logia Devil Fruit user. Letting him go wouldn't be wise, especially given the orders we've received to pletely elimihe John Pirates."

  Cudius uood Sengoku's hesitation. He imagi was tough for Sengoku to let a pirate go, even if a Celestial Dragon was asking. Cudius smiled inwardly, knowing full well that if he weren't a Celestial Dragon, Sengoku would have crushed Crocodile without a sed thought.

  "So, if he weren't a pirate, you'd let him ght?" Cudius asked, leaning in slightly.

  Crocodile's response was immediate and defiant. "Don't even think about it! I'm a pirate, through and through! Kill me if you want, but I'll never abandon my freedom!"

  "Yhness," Sengoku said with a resigned sigh, "as you see, he's made his choice. Even if I wao, I 't let him go. The boy has no iion of leaving his life of piracy."

  Cudius smiled slyly. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that. You seem tet who I am. If he won't switch careers willingly, I ... vince him. Nia!"

  Nia, stepped forward. "What do you require, Yhness?"

  "Brihe 'Celestial Dragon's Hoof,'" Cudius said, a wicked smile creeping onto his face.

  As soon as those words left his mouth, Crocodile's expression twisted in fusion. He didn't quite uand what Cudius meant, but Sengoku's face darkened.

  "Yhness, surely you don't mean..." Sengoku began, but Cudius waved him off casually.

  "I'm just being practical, Sengoku. If this kid doesn't want to abandon his pirate ways, then I'll give him a little... iive to resider his career path," Cudius replied smoothly.

  Nia gave a quick bow and turo leave the room, ready to carry out the order. Meanwhile, Crocodile, still ignorant of what was about to happen, gred up from the floor.

  "You kill me, Cudius, but don't think for a sed that you humiliate me into submission!" Crocodile barked defiantly.

  Stussy rolled her eyes and nudged him with her foot. "You really don't know when to shut up, do you?"

  Sengoku sighed heavily, realizing there was little he could do to stop what was ing. "It seems yhruly has everything pnned out... Fine, if you're so determined, I won't interfere."

  Cudius' smile widened as he looked at Crocodile. "Oh, you'll learn soon enough. Sometimes, it just takes a little push in the right dire..."

  The door opened again, and Nia returned, carrying a metal branding iron in the shape of the infamous "Celestial Dragon's Hoof" the symbol burned into the flesh of sves owned by the Celestial Dragons. Crocodile's eyes widened as the realization finally hit him.

  "You... you 't be serious..." Crocodile muttered, his voice shaking with both disbelief and rage.

  Cudius leaned in, his voice low and menag. "Oh, I'm very serious. Either you accept a new path in life, or you bear the mark of the Celestial Dragon. It's your choice."

  As the gravity of the situation dawned on Crocodile, Sengoku watched in silence. Cudius had id out his terms, and there was no esg them now.