Chapter 440: The Four Emperors Fall, The World Becomes Dual-Polar!

Late night.

Somewhere in the seas of the New World.

The currents surged violently.

As far as the eye could see, there was only the deepest darkness, like a ferocious beast with its maw wide open, ready to swallow the entire world.

Only on a desolate island could faint flickers of firelight be seen.

Crack—!

The firewood burned, emitting crisp popping sounds.

Crocodile, looking utterly wretched, sat expressionless beside the bonfire, accompanied by the subordinates who had fled with him.

He glanced around, his gaze sweeping over faces that were pale and bewildered.

Only then did he realize with a start that the companions still following him were the very same members of the Baroque Works from their days in Alabasta.

Zaza, Mr. 4 Babe, Dorry, Mr. 5 Gem...

As for the Impel Down convicts whom Crocodile had regarded as his elite core, the moment the battle erupted and they realized the vast gap between friend and foe, they had without hesitation chosen to betray him.

Some had fled carrying the Cross Guild's assets, while others had immediately knelt before that existence known as the King, begging merely for a chance to survive.

Integrity? Dignity?

For pirates, those were the most meaningless things of all.

The Cross Guild, which Crocodile had planned for years and ambitiously built, was obliterated before Imu's nearly calamitous power without even raising a single ripple.

This was a gap of absolute power; even Crocodile felt somewhat desperate at this moment, ignoring even the bowl of hot soup Zaza handed him.

"Boss, no matter what, you must eat something first to have the strength to seek revenge."

It was only after hearing Zaza's call by his ear that Crocodile belatedly raised his head to look at the crowd before him.

What met his eyes were faces that were wretched, yet not despairing.

"That's right!"

"Boss, no matter what, we are all here!"

Marianne forced herself to perk up, looking at Crocodile with eyes full of hope, yet how could the confusion and fear in the depths of her eyes possibly escape Crocodile's notice?!

Mr. 4 sat quietly to the side, just as he always had, awaiting Crocodile's orders.

He was not smart, and his combat power was far from comparable to the monsters of the New World.

Yet, he possessed something Crocodile had never experienced, or perhaps once had but long ago discarded.

Loyalty.

"That's right, Captain, we still need to build our utopia; I..."

Mr. 4 was rarely somewhat shy; such an expression, contrasting sharply with his obese body and the giant baseball bat behind him, appeared somewhat comical.

But Crocodile could not laugh; he listened quietly to Mr. 4's words.

"I want to open a pizza shop, hehe~~~"

"Hahahaha~"

"That's quite a nice dream~"

Perhaps amidst the despair, everyone had let down their mental guards, not minding at all as they exposed their vulnerable sides before their companions.

"Me! Me! I want to become a world-renowned painter!"

Marianne chirped excitedly.

Mr. 5, who had been silent nearby, also spoke at this moment:

"As for me... I probably want to become a firefighter?!"

"Huh?!"

Everyone paused slightly, all somewhat surprised.

After all, Mr. 5 was a user of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit; anything on his person could trigger an explosion, making him practically a walking arsonist.

And yet, such a person's dream was to become a firefighter?

"A nice dream."

Crocodile nodded at him; from these people before him, he felt a sensation he had never experienced before.

I cannot fall.

If I fall, relying solely on themselves, they will absolutely be unable to survive in the New World.

Crocodile reached into his chest, pulled out a cigar that had already been deformed, lit it, and took a fierce drag, his expression returning once more to its original calm and composed state.

While drinking the hot soup in his hand, he plotted his next move.

"With the Cross Guild obliterated, the remaining remnants will amount to nothing, and they still face a dual crackdown from the Marines and the World Government."

"Without the protection of a sufficiently powerful force, what awaits them is either death in the great sea or spending the rest of their lives in Impel Down."

"And an event like the previous forced breach of Impel Down was merely a low-probability occurrence resulting from the convergence of various factors."

"It might not happen again for decades, no, perhaps even hundreds of years."

Crocodile quietly analyzed the situation of the seas.

He had to carve out a path to survival for the people beside him.

"The era of the Four Emperors has ended; henceforth, this sea will have only two poles."

"Although the World Government's control over the seas is far less than it once was, its lingering prestige remains, and it is still a massive Dashan that is almost impossible to shake."

"Britannias commands the New World; Gao Wen's combat power is unparalleled, roaming the seas without meeting an equal, and his Round Table Knights gather the most formidable batch of monsters in the great sea."

"The future hegemon will be born from among these two forces!"

"If we do not make a choice soon, endless pursuit and slaughter await Zaza and the others."

"The World Government will undoubtedly not tolerate me; Katakuri must face the World Government while simultaneously guarding against the Beasts, unable to save even himself; and that fellow Mihawk is accustomed to acting alone, so he cannot be relied upon either."

"Given the current situation, the only path open to me is this one. Truly..."

"How ironic!"

Crocodile let out a sigh.

He could naturally judge that his best option right now was undoubtedly Britannia.

Even relying solely on his own intellect and combat power, he could still make a name for himself in Britannias, where monsters walked the streets, powerful figures were as common as dogs, and only emperors could afford to shake their tails.

But the moment he thought about bowing his head to that man...

Within Crocodile's heart, there was nothing but an indescribable sense of unwillingness.

Those bold words he had spoken when first captured had now become a boomerang striking himself.

"Tch..."

"Who would bow their head to that monster?!"

"President!"

Marianne called out softly, and Crocodile looked up.

There stood Mr. 4 in the distance, clumsily fiddling with the camera in his hands, so anxious his face turned completely red; after struggling with it for several full minutes, he finally managed to adjust it properly.

"One, two, three!"

"Cheese!"

Click—!

Accompanied by everyone's cheers.

Beneath the camera, a photograph emerged, still carrying a hint of warmth.

After everyone playfully passed it around for a look, the photo finally ended up in Crocodile's hands; he lowered his gaze to inspect it, and the corners of his mouth began to twitch uncontrollably.

In the photograph, Crocodile was surrounded by everyone in the center, his face still bearing a trace of confusion and bewilderment, utterly lacking the imposing aura of a underworld powerhouse usually shrouded in gloom.

"Hahahaha—!"

"This is the first time I've seen the Boss make such an expression; I don't care, this photo is mine!"

Marianne snatched the photo right out of Crocodile's hands; naturally, the others were unwilling to let her have it, and they all swarmed over in a playful uproar.

For a moment, the area beside the bonfire was filled with the sounds of everyone's horseplay.

The crimson firelight reflected upon Crocodile's face; that gloomy and ferocious countenance, at this moment, gained a touch of softness.

"Fine, let me bow my head then; anyway..."

"It's not like this is the first time."

"Ah-choo!"

Britannias.

Gao Wen sneezed, thinking to himself that some unlucky ghost must be secretly cursing him; after confirming there were no abnormalities in his surroundings, he shifted his attention back to the matter currently being discussed.

A trace of seriousness also appeared on his face.

"Are you really going to do this?!"