"What a bunch of trash."
In the office behind the Raindinners Casino in Rain Country, Crocodile hung up the Den Den Mushi, sat behind his desk, and his expression was extremely grim.
Nico Robin sat on a sofa chair not far away and asked gently, "What happened?"
Crocodile said, "Whiskey Peak Town sent a request for help. They're out of food and hope we can provide some."
"Hold on."
Nico Robin asked, "Didn't we send Mr. 5 and Valentine to Whiskey Peak not long ago? According to the timeline, they should have arrived already."
Crocodile's face darkened as he said, "But the report says Mr. 5 and the others didn't arrive."
"Didn't arrive? Did they encounter problems on the way?"
Nico Robin raised an eyebrow, then said, "Last time Mr. 8 said two hunting teams he sent out didn't return. Is there a problem in that sea area?"
Crocodile snorted coldly, "Perhaps there's a problem in Whiskey Peak Town itself."
"President, you mean..." Robin suddenly looked at Crocodile.
Crocodile said, "The food shortage is already suspicious. A group of bounty hunters who can't even stock their own food. And they keep having incidents, with even Senior Agents sent out disappearing without a trace."
Robin nodded and said, "But our current communication methods are limited, and we can't investigate what's happening there. We can only rely on Den Den Mushi and individual mission orders."
Crocodile said, "So we need other communication methods in the future, but the first thing to do now is to resolve the situation in Whiskey Peak Town."
Robin looked at Crocodile and asked, "Then who does the President plan to send?"
Crocodile tapped the desk with his knuckles. "If the other party can defeat Mr. 5 and Valentine, then send Mr. 3, along with Mr. 4 and Mr. Christmas. They will lead sixty Billionaires."
Robin raised her head slightly and said, "With Mr. 2 Bon Clay taking action, plus Mr. 4's ability, and nearly a third of the Billionaires, it should be enough to handle most situations."
...
Deep beneath the sea, Xia Qiu was lying low, waiting for Baroque Works' next move.
He had sniped two outgoing ships and destroyed three ships that were heading here, consuming the bounty hunters aboard.
Those three ships heading here provided a considerable amount of heat flow from the Baroque Works members, equivalent to the heat flow provided by Arlong.
Among those bounty hunters, the woman who could extend vines from her body to create a ship was definitely a Senior Agent.
During his fight, there was a powerfully built man in armor whose strength was not inferior to Kuroobi; he should also be a Senior Agent.
Xia Qiu was somewhat surprised that Crocodile would directly send Senior Agents as reinforcements.
After all, Whiskey Peak was just an outpost, a low-ranking position for Senior Agents.
But then he remembered it was four years ago, and Crocodile's plan to usurp the throne had only just obtained its final piece and was beginning to be implemented.
Therefore, Baroque Works' strength was still in a development phase.
After he sank those three ships, losing two Senior Agents, the report that went back would surely prompt Crocodile to send stronger individuals here.
He wondered who would be sent next.
But no matter who it was, they would become his next meal.
Xia Qiu thought, quietly waiting in the sea.
However, at this moment, the sea surface began to vibrate.
"Hmm?"
Xia Qiu slowly surfaced and looked into the distance.
He saw several sea ships appearing in the distance, eight in total.
Six of these eight ships were marked with the letters "BW," indicating they were Baroque Works ships, specifically for Billionaires to ride in, with ten Billionaires per ship.
The other two ships had very peculiar designs.
The first ship had a uniquely shaped swan for its bow, with pink sails bearing the number 3. It also had paddle wheels along its body.
The second ship was relatively lower, with a forward-facing pillar for its bow. At the bow's position, there was a black number 4.
These two ships were quite conspicuous.
The former was clearly Mr. 2 Bon Clay's pirate ship, and the latter was Gardino's pirate ship.
However, at this time, Mr. 2 Bon Clay was only Mr. 3, and Gardino was Mr. 4.
They had actually come.
The strength of these two individuals was considerable. Mr. 2 Bon Clay didn't have a partner, but if Gardino brought a partner, that would mean three Senior Agents.
Sending three people here, if it was merely because of food, would be too much of an undertaking.
And it was somewhat troublesome.
Although both Mr. 2 Bon Clay and Gardino were Devil Fruit users, the latter had the ability to melt, and his pirate ship was partly made of wax.
He could deal with Mr. 2 Bon Clay easily; as long as he entered the water, Mr. 2 Bon Clay would be rendered powerless.
However, Gardino's wax could float on the water, allowing him to stay on the surface even if he fell in. Furthermore, the wax he produced could cause him trouble.
If the wax covered his limbs, it would be difficult for him to remove it without hands, and it would also be difficult to do so with his tentacles.
And once the gill slits are sealed, the consequences are unimaginable.
So, dealing with Gardino requires extreme caution.
Besides that, there are six B.W. pirate ships, with at least sixty Billionaires.
The large number of people, combined with the weapons on the ships, could also inflict damage on me.
Therefore, Xia Qiu didn't immediately attack as he watched them get closer and closer.
...
"They're here, they're here! Seven or eight ships have appeared on the sea, all from Baroque Works," a Bounty Hunter ran into the bar.
"Baroque Works really hasn't abandoned us," the Bounty Hunters cheered.
With their food reserves dwindling, they couldn't set sail and could only rely on fishing by the sea, but it was useless.
Now that Baroque Works had arrived, they would be saved.
"Quick, quick, go welcome them."
Mr. 8 stood up and was the first to walk outside, followed closely by the other Bounty Hunters.
They arrived at the shore and waited quietly, watching the pirate ships approach one by one.
"Mr. 3, Mr. 4."
Mr. 8's eyes widened as he looked at the numbers on the sea ships. "Two Senior Agents have actually come."
Moreover, there were too many ships coming; it wasn't necessary for so many people to just transport food.
Mr. 8 felt a bad premonition surge within him. As the ships drew closer, he could only go to meet them.
"Is this Whiskey Peak Town? It's my first time here."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay jumped off the ship and stood at the edge of the town, a look of intense interest on his face.
"Lord Bon Clay." Mr. 8 recognized him. Bon Clay was the most famous in Baroque Works due to his eccentric personality.
"Are you the town mayor here?" Bon Clay approached Mr. 8 and glared at him.
"Y-yes, that's right." Mr. 8's face broke out in a fine sweat; he was extremely nervous.
Bon Clay looked around and said, "Where are the others? The ambushers? Call them out."
"What ambushers?" Mr. 8 was stunned.
Bon Clay snorted and said, "Of course, it's you who betrayed Baroque Works, colluded with others, and killed Mr. 5 and Valentine here."
"I, I didn't betray them," Mr. 8 trembled with fear and quickly said.
"Mr. 3, things aren't confirmed yet," Gardino and a plump, short middle-aged woman walked over. "Mr. 0 just said there's a possibility, not necessarily that he really betrayed Baroque Works."
Bon Clay raised his hands and spun around in place. "Then let us investigate."
"I, I really didn't betray Baroque Works," Mr. 8 quickly said.
"Is that so?"
Gardino walked up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. The next moment, Gardino's hand was covered in countless wax droplets, which spread along Mr. 8's body, enveloping him.
"W-what is this?"
Mr. 8 was instantly covered. He flailed his arms, trying to push away the wax, but the solidified wax was harder than steel, gradually engulfing and restraining him.
"I, I didn't betray Baroque Works," Mr. 8 shouted loudly.
"Even if you didn't betray them, you can't even procure food for a whole town. What's the difference between that and being useless?" Gardino said as the wax covered Mr. 8. "According to Mr. 0's orders, whether you are a traitor or not, you must die here."
Gardino left these words, and Mr. 8 turned into a wax figure.
"Let's go. Find a place, and the rest of you tell us exactly what happened. If you don't want to end up like him, report honestly," Gardino said softly.
"Y-yes, yes." The Bounty Hunters of Whiskey Peak Town were terrified and quickly shouted.
Gardino and Bon Clay led these people into the town.
-----------
Translation by: randomtranslator.com
Read 2500+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: randomtranslator.com