One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile-Chapter 261 - CHAPTER 261 - Pearl of the Sea, the Lawless Waters

Night gradually fell. Rosen stood on the ship, his injuries much improved—those vitality fruits truly worked.
He could also sense a clear improvement in his physical abilities; previously at 980 points, after the battle with Akainu, he had risen to 995.
Still, Rosen had no desire for such brutal fights. What lingered in his mind was that during the naval battle, Garp hadn't really made a move against him.
Did this mean he still wasn't worth the attention of someone at their level? If so, it was a blow to his pride. When they met, he hoped Garp wouldn't act—but if Garp truly didn't, it felt like he was being underestimated. Humans were complicated creatures.
"Mr. Crocodile, why are you still up so late?" Xia, dressed lightly, stepped out from the banquet hall and handed Rosen a glass of red wine.
Rosen didn't take it. He glanced at her and said calmly, "I don't go back on my word. There's no need for beauty traps. I'm starting to think you only decided to save me the moment you recognized me—that it was all planned."
Xia froze for a moment, then fell silent. Were her methods really that transparent to him? Had she been so obvious?
"Do you think I'm a woman without self-respect?" Xia wasn't a sultry seductress, but she was beautiful, her short orange hair giving her a unique charm.
"No. I was just speaking casually. I didn't expect you to actually be thinking of such a thing." Rosen took the wine, sipped it, and smiled.
Xia's eyes widened. Was he baiting her? How could such a powerful man also be so shrewd? Could she really achieve her goals through him—or would she end up counting the money after he sold her out?
She forced herself to stay calm. "Would you mind if I did?"
"Yes."
"Why? Don't you like women? They must be rare at sea."
"First, you've seen my crew's wanted posters. Some of them are more beautiful than you. Second, you're nervous and your movements are unnatural, which means this is your first time trying something like this. It makes me uncomfortable—so yes, I mind." Rosen looked toward the distant lighthouse.
It was night, but they were close to their destination, and with the lighthouse to guide them, the ship was still sailing on course.
"But I have no other choice. I can't let the AKS Chamber of Commerce fall into Aberdeen's hands. He must have captured some of my relatives or friends in the AKS stronghold. If he uses them to force me to hand over the contract, I don't know how to refuse." Xia seemed to relax as she spoke.
"The dead can't do anything, and you're being foolish." Rosen was unimpressed. It was the first time he'd encountered a beauty trap, but clearly this woman wasn't good at it.
"Foolish?" Xia thought she'd misheard. Since childhood, she had been called a business prodigy. At eight years old, she exploited a loophole in the Chamber's operations to earn 100 million Beli.
Later, when she managed part of the AKS Chamber of Commerce, its profits multiplied several times.
Her only shortcoming was a lack of combat talent. Otherwise, more people in the Chamber would have followed her, and Aberdeen would be irrelevant. She knew that after taking over, Aberdeen might keep her in semi-captivity to work for him.
She had always been surrounded by praise—this was the first time someone had called her foolish.
"If he wants the contract, give it to him. Survive first, then you have a chance. Fighting to the death is nothing but suicide. Letting hatred dictate your actions isn't rational—though knowing that is easier than doing it, so I can't entirely blame you. But trying to cooperate with me without any leverage—if that's not foolish, what is? Do you even know me? I bet if it were someone else here today, you'd still try to work with them." Rosen spoke at length.
Xia was silent, then raised her palm. A circle of light appeared before Rosen, flashing for a moment before turning gray.
"A Devil Fruit user?" Rosen was curious. "What's your ability?"
"Yes. When I recognized you, I secretly used my power on you. I'm the Purification Human of the Purification Fruit. The Purification Light doesn't boost my combat ability much, but it helps me see people clearly," Xia explained.
"And what does this light mean?" Rosen asked with interest—it seemed like a support-type ability.
"You're not a good man, but you're not entirely bad either. Gray—neither black nor white—means you have a moral bottom line. I was gambling on that. Hm? Why is it turning red…?" Xia stared at the light, now shifting from gray to red, and then her cheeks flushed slightly.
"What does red mean?"
"It means you just felt a certain desire. Were you thinking about something involving me?"
"You can sense that? I was thinking that if my future ventures had your ability, it would be useful for intelligence gathering or interrogation. Not exactly a lie detector, but it could be just as effective if used well," Rosen answered honestly.
"A deep red… What kind of venture are you planning? You don't seem like a typical pirate. Most pirates want nothing more than drink, meat, wealth, and fame." Xia exhaled slightly, relieved. So he was interested—but not in the way she feared.
"Some things are better left unknown." Rosen didn't answer. His plans were dangerous, and Xia wasn't his crew. Unless necessary, there was no reason to tell her.
"I bet you've never been cheated in a deal. This ability is like mind reading. Besides judging good and bad and gauging emotions, does it have other uses? It doesn't seem very related to purification." Rosen continued.
"It does. See the light gray on the edge of the red? That's your current negative emotions. I can make them disappear. My ability can purify all negative emotions, making people better."
As she spoke, Xia lightly wiped away the gray—and it vanished.
Rosen instinctively said, "Robin's wounds should be healed. She's probably even stronger now. No need to worry—they'll take care of themselves."
"What a gentle captain," Xia said with some surprise. She hadn't expected this fierce 900-million-Beli pirate to be worrying about his crew.
"Don't use your ability recklessly," Rosen said, feeling a bit uneasy. He hadn't defended himself with Haki out of curiosity, but the ability was unexpectedly hard to guard against—like the opposite of the Ghost Woman's negativity.
"Alright."
"When you meet my crew later, use it on them too." Rosen worried that this last battle might leave some mental scars—he wasn't worried about most, but Enel in particular could use it.
After all, Enel had been dethroned on Skypiea, conquered by Hathaway's fear powers, then in the Blue Sea, humbled by Akainu, then faced Garp, had two Thunder Welcomes broken, and even lost his Ark…
"Alright."
"Young Miss, we've reached the Lawless Waters!" Alex came over.
Before Rosen was a massive vessel—or rather, an island. It was so huge and brilliantly lit that on this dark sea, it looked like a pearl.
In the night, he couldn't see the full outline, but judging from the spread of lights, calling it a medium-sized island was no exaggeration.
"As planned, I'll disguise myself as your bodyguard, meet Aberdeen with you, then deal with him," Rosen said flatly.
"Be careful. His guards are strong."
(End of chapter)