The Second Favour

(5 days later)

August and Robin wasted no time and left Raintown the next day, heading towards the capital, Alubarna.

They travelled in the sky, avoiding being detected by anyone. A flock of Shatterbirds carried him, Robin and all his valuables with him, as only an idiot would leave all of that behind. If the bags of treasure were not in August's eyesight at all times, then he wasn't being cautious enough.

August believed Alabasta, Alubarna in particular, was the perfect place to set up his headquarters for his underworld identity, Hades. All the wealth he wouldn't put to the Revolutionary Army would be stored here, and it would be the new meeting place for the Baroque Works.

In addition to Baltigo being in close proximity to Alabasta, The Baroque Works primarily operated around there, so having his base in Alabasta would be beneficial for both of them.

Of course, this was all hypothetical and hopeful thinking, and all of it rests on Cobra accepting his second favor, which he believed he would.

Through all the time he spent with Cobra, he learnt that Cobra was very easy to persuade and a morally just man. When the best option for him, his country and the future was presented to him, he would accept.

When they arrived at Alubarna, they booked 2 hotel rooms under the guise of resting for a night before returning back to Baltigo. As time past, Robin found herself getting more and more excited with the prospect of Baltigo, especially with all the stories August told her.

When the clock turned 12, Robin was fast asleep while August was wide awake. Like many times before, he got dressed in his Hades outfit and left through the window.

His pitch black figure blended in with the surroundings and dashed through the city, soon arriving at Cobra's palace.

He entered through the open window, dusting off some dirt from his clothing. Looking to his right, he saw Cobra already standing there with his arms crossed.

Hades noted that he looked significantly better. Cobra no longer had the bags under his eyes or the stress lines which usually covered his face.

"You're looking good." Hades pointed out, taking out a chair and sitting down.

Cobra who opted to stay standing, only smirked. "Thanks to you, ever since news of Crocodile's demise reached me, I have been under much less stress." He paused for a second, before adopting a serious expression, "However, some small part of me thinks you're lying."

Hades raised an eyebrow and got to stood up, but was stopped at Cobra's words, "It's not that I don't trust you or anything, it's just that it seems to good to be true, and my mind that is built on seeing truths and lies still has some reservations."

Hades nodded, understanding Cobra's doubt. Hades could point out Crocodile's sudden disappearance, or show proof had acquired Crocodile's wealth, but those weren't concrete pieces of evidence confirming he was dead.

To quell Cobra's worries, Hades decided to show him something that would 100% confirm Crocodile's death.

He stood up, going through his pocket and bringing out a piece of cloth which covered a circular shaped object. He untied the cloth, showing Cobra what was underneath it.

"This is…" Cobra stared at the fruit in amazement.

"A devil fruit. More specifically Crocodile's former devil fruit, the Sand Sand fruit." Hades explained. "You know the basic information about devil fruit's right? Then you know that the fact I'm presenting this fruit to you means that Crocodile is dead."

Cobra nodded at the explanation with his mouth agape, still partly trying to process his shock. He soon recovered from his surprise and looked to Hades with an expression of gratitude.

"Thank you…I was 99% certain Crocodile was dead. With no reports of his sighting for weeks, I believed you, but I just needed that extra confirmation to be sure." Cobra said.

Hades put his hands up, signaling to Cobra he understood, "It's fine, but you know the reason I came here today right?"

"Yes." Cobra nodded, his mood changing as a hint of nervousness creeped into his voice, "You're redeeming your second favour."

"That's correct, but before I tell you my second favour…I need to tell you who I truly am…" Hades said, his voice changing mid sentence as he pulled off the mask, showing his face to Cobra.

Cobra's eyes widened instantly, instantly recognising the face from the bounty poster he saw at the reverie. "You're…You're…Hollow D August, a member of the revolutionary army!" Cobra said in fascination.

"So you know me?" August scratched his head sheepishly, "It seems everyone knows me nowadays."

"Of course I know you, you were discussed at the Reverie some time ago."

"The Reverie?" August asked in a shocked expression, tilting his head. He looked at Cobra to find any sign of deceit, but saw his face was completely stern and serious.

'Looks like I've been picked up on their radar.' August thought. Despite being in more possible danger, he was flattered to know that he was discussed at the Reverie, it was like an achievement in itself.

"The recent exploits of both yourself and your leader have picked up the attention of some kings." Cobra explained.

"That's nice to know." He looked at Cobra, staring at him seriously, "If you know my allegiance, then I'm sure you can guess my next favour…"

"Yes…" Cobra said, uncertainty in his voice, "You want us to join the Revolutionary Army alliance."

August nodded, and took a deep breath before he began to explain his reasoning to Cobra who had an indecipherable look on his face.

"Cobra, I know for certain a man like you isn't happy with the current World Government. Being a King, I'm sure you've heard of all the horrible acts they've had to cover up. Slavery, corruption, genocide…" August listed as Cobra's face scrunched up slightly.

"I'm not asking you to risk your entire country to ally with us, I'm just asking you to join us when the time is right." August placed a gentle hand on Cobra's shoulder, "Do the right thing Cobra. Make sure you can die peacefully knowing your country and daughter will never be exploited by those rats higher up."

Cobra looked at the young boy with an unreadable expression. He walked away, pacing back and forth around the room as he whispered to himself and scratched the side of his head in thought.

5 Minutes later, and Cobra stopped pacing around. He took a deep breath and looked towards August, finally having arrived at a decision.

"If you promise to keep my daughter and this country safe, I will accept." Cobra said, holding out his hand to be shaked.

August returned the gesture and shook his hand, he looked towards Cobra, where his eyes carried conviction, "I promise. All you will have to do is publicly declare your country against the world government when we ask you to, and to support our rule when we create the new world government. Since you attend the Reverie, you also need to give us updates about important things we should know about."

"I can do that."

August smiled, "Good. Now we need to move onto the next topic of business."

"Next topic, I thought we were finished?" Cobra asked with a confused expression.

"Yes…I initially planned my Hades disguise to speak to you until the time I revealed myself, however some things have changed. I'm planning to make Hades' name throughout the underworld, and I need a base of operations."

"Base of operati–What, No!" Cobra spluttered, "You promised to keep us safe, but this defeats the whole purpose of it, I can't be harbouring a criminal in my country. The last time we did that it had dire consequences."

"Which were solved by me."

"Which were solved by you." Cobra repeated, "However, I can't be giving refuge to a criminal, who under the mask is a revolutionary."

August sighed, crossing his arms. "With Crocodile gone the Baroque Works poses no threat, and with the spot of leadership open I decided to take it, I control the Baroque Works now. Your country experiences many pirate attacks that were previously taken care of by Crocodile, who isn't here anymore. If you agree to this one request, you and your country will be the most protected they have ever been with the Baroque Works. I only plan on expanding my underground empire, so you will have even more protection as time goes on."

"You control Baroque Works?" Cobra asked surprised.

"I do, I have the power of an army at the tip of my hands." August raised his fists, clenching it, "An army that will protect your country at my command, all I'm asking you is for my secret headquarters to be built here."

Cobra sighed, taking a glass of wine from his desk and pouring some alcohol, "You certainly are good at convincing people."

From the other side of the room August chuckled, "It's partially that, the main reason you're convinced is that it's a good offer for both parties. The risks are minimal as long as we properly communicate and stay hidden."

Running a hand through his hair, August continued: "You get protection, and I get a proper headquarters close to my base. I promise you that I wont do anything to put you in jeopardy, especially since you're now a part of the cause. You know this…" August picked up his Hades mask.

"This is nothing more than a means to an end. Everything I do is for the Revolutionary Army and the Revolutionary Army alone, which has the goal of destroying the World Government. If getting involved in the underworld speeds up that process, then I'll gladly do it."

August clenched his fists tightly, not going unnoticed who began to swirl his wine while pondering August's second offer. The only negative was if the World Government ever found out that Cobra had been harbouring an underworld member who could be getting bounties soon.

Even if the World Government found out, Crocodile could feign ignorance and say he was unaware and most likely get away with it, with some small reparations of course, because that's how the World Government was…

Compared to that, the advantages were clear and outweighed the disadvantages. The same people who worked to overthrow him would now instead do the opposite. With the allegiance of Hades and by extension the Baroque Works on his side, and many more possible benefits in the future, he was inclined to accept.

"Very well. I accept." Cobra said in a professional tone. August nodded, a smile overturning his face.

"You made the right decision, it seems not all Kings are idiots." August japed, making Cobra laugh as he thought of a certain blue haired man.

"Just don't make me regret my decision." Cobra said sternly.

"Trust me, you will see the fruits of our deal bloom soon. Firstly, I need a base of operations though."

Cobra groaned, "I swear kid, you are going to be the death of me."

August let out a hearty laugh, "Don't worry, along with Baroque Works, I also took most of Crocodile's wealth, so I have more than enough money for any costs you might need. I'll send you a design of the place I wish to have soon, and then you can build it."

"Also…I need a place for the money to be stored while I go back to the headquarters, so I'll leave that to you."

"Good grief…"