"Good thing we didn't contact the Marines. Robin disappeared, and the Vice President of Baroque Works was replaced by Mr. 1."
Vivi said this to Igaram in one of the rooms in Whiskey Peak Town.
"You're right," Igaram replied. "After only a few days of investigation, Robin was no longer the Vice President of Baroque Works and had disappeared. If we had contacted the Marines back then, we might not have been able to capture Robin, and even if we had, they could have replaced her very quickly."
Vivi stood by the window, looking out, and said softly, "Then what we need to do next is to continue our undercover mission and find information about the President of Baroque Works."
Igaram nodded. "It's time to take action. I'll reveal my strength next and strive to become an Intermediate Agent."
"I'm still a bit short," Vivi said, looking at Igaram with a troubled expression. "Igaram, I can only ask this of you."
"Leave it to me," Igaram said firmly. "Protecting the Princess is my duty."
"There's no Princess here," Vivi shook her head and chuckled.
Ding, ding, ding.
Just then, the bell rang, and Vivi immediately said, "That's the assembly bell. We need to gather."
"Let's go then."
Igaram and Vivi left the room and went downstairs, where many Bounty Hunters had already gathered.
"It's Miss Doublefinger," Vivi said, a little surprised as she saw a figure in the distance.
"Isn't that Robin's Giant Beast? Why is it here?" Igaram asked, looking at the enormous figure not far from Zala with some surprise. "What does she want by summoning us all together?"
At this moment, the Giant Beast shook its head repeatedly and finally walked towards them.
Everyone around them backed away, but Zala shouted loudly, "Don't move."
Hearing this, the Bounty Hunters immediately stopped in their tracks.
The Giant Beast slowly approached, finally stopping in front of Vivi and nodding its head.
Then it looked at Igaram and nodded again.
"What is it doing?" Vivi was stunned, not knowing what the Giant Beast was up to.
"You two, come out."
Seeing the Giant Beast's posture, Zala walked over and said to Vivi and Igaram, "You two, come with me."
"Huh?"
Vivi's expression changed, and she subconsciously looked at Igaram, whose expression also turned grim.
What's going on? Why did the Giant Beast nod at us, and why is Zala asking me and Vivi to leave with her? Why were we specifically chosen? Did they discover our identities? Or are they going to have the Giant Beast eat us?
Igaram calmly stepped forward and asked, "Miss Doublefinger, may I ask what business you have with the two of us?"
Zala smiled and said, "I need you to come with me to a place."
"To a place?" Igaram's expression was grim, and he had a bad premonition. He asked, "May I ask where you want us to go, Madam?"
Zala shrugged. "You'll know when we get there."
"Then why did you choose us?" Igaram asked nervously.
"You'll know once you come with me," Zala said, looking at the two of them with a dark expression. "If you come with me, you might live. But if you stay here, I'll kill you right now."
As Zala spoke, she slowly extended a sharp spike from her right hand towards them.
"Miss Doublefinger, we..." Igaram thought they couldn't leave with her, as they might not be able to escape later. He observed the positions of the people around them, considering if he could launch an attack to cover Vivi's escape.
"We'll go with you," Vivi suddenly said, grabbing Igaram's arm. She whispered, "With the Giant Beast here, let's not act rashly."
"Still more sensible than a young girl. Then let's go." Zala turned and walked away, swaying her hips subconsciously. She suddenly remembered Mr. 0 was behind her, coughed, and corrected her posture.
The two hesitated for a moment, glanced at the Giant Beast, and followed Zala to the submarine. They boarded it, entered a cabin, and the submarine slowly began to move.
"Is this a submarine?"
Vivi looked out the window at the tranquil ocean.
Though she had heard of submarines, she had never ridden in one before.
"Be careful."
Igaram watched Zala nearby, his expression wary.
Vivi waved her hand and said, "Don't worry, I don't think she intends to kill us."
If she wanted to kill us, she could have done it back at Whiskey Peak.
"A very clever young girl," Zala said, looking at Vivi. "As expected of a princess."
"Huh?"
Vivi's expression froze at her words, and then her face changed drastically. She looked at Zala and asked, "What are you talking about? What princess?"
Zala sighed and said, "Still pretending? Your name is Nefertari Vivi, the princess of Alabasta. This man is Igaram, the captain of the Alabasta Kingdom Guards. You infiltrated Baroque Works because you believe Baroque Works is connected to the kingdom's drought over the past year and you hope to find Mr. 0, am I correct?"
"You, how do you know?"
Igaram and Vivi stood frozen, too astonished to speak, wondering how she knew such specific details.
"Igaram, did you tell anyone? Any members of the Royal Guards? My father?" Vivi looked at Igaram. She was certain she hadn't leaked any information, so it could only be that he had told someone else, and it had spread from there.
"I didn't tell anyone. I just told Juan that I would be leaving for a while."
Igaram asked with a grim expression, "Vivi, what about you? Did you tell anyone?"
"No," Vivi shook her head. "No one knows about this."
Igaram looked at Zala and asked through gritted teeth, "How do you know?"
"You don't need to worry about how I know."
Zala was also very surprised, wondering how Mr. 0 knew such precise information about the two of them. Could there be another force involved?
Given its enormous size, it couldn't possibly infiltrate human society to gather information. It must have another intelligence network.
Or perhaps there was an intelligence network above it.
Zala felt a new layer of reverence for Mr. 0. Originally, with the increasing power and her understanding of it, she had harbored some selfish thoughts—not outright rebellion, but perhaps a way to gain more power for herself.
But now, Zala didn't dare to think further. Instead, she said, "I've sought you out this time because I want to cooperate with you on something."
"Cooperate? On what?" Igaram asked, frowning.
"This cooperation..."
Zala took out a pipe and placed it in her mouth, intending to light it with a match. She looked around, then regretfully put the pipe down. "First, let's discuss our terms."
Zala looked at the two of them and said softly, "You must be very eager to know what the drought in Alabasta has to do with Baroque Works, right?"
Vivi snorted and said, "Don't tell me it has nothing to do with you."
"It was us," Zala said directly. To their astonished eyes, she continued, "We caused this year's drought."
"Why would you do such a thing?" Igaram asked, glaring fiercely at Zala.
"That's not important," Zala said with a smile. "The question is, do you want us to stop?"
Vivi stared at Zala and asked coldly, "What do you want?"
"We don't want anything," Zala said, waving her hand. "Because we've already stopped. It rained in Canal City three days ago."
"What?"
Vivi immediately stood up, asking with joy, "It rained in Alabasta?"
Zala smiled and said, "That's right, and we won't do such things in the future. With that, the rebel army led by Kosa will likely disband before long, won't they?"
"You even know about Kosa?"
Vivi was even more surprised. Then she asked, "But why did you do it?"
"To show goodwill," Zala said. "Baroque Works wishes to cooperate with the Alabasta Kingdom on one matter."
"So you do have a request," Igaram said. "Are you saying that if we don't cooperate, you'll cause the drought in Alabasta again?"
"That's a possibility," Zala shrugged. "But I can say that this cooperation is not only beneficial to us but also to you."
Vivi quickly asked, "How do you want to cooperate?"
Zala said, "It's simple, you know Crocodile, right?"
Vivi nodded and replied, "Of course, the one killed by Robin and the Giant Beast. What does he have to do with this?"
Zala smiled and said, "Crocodile is dead, and no one is protecting Alabasta, especially the Rain Country. Unrest has already broken out. Furthermore, with the Raindinners Casino gone, some gamblers are causing trouble, while others have moved to smaller casinos. However, the increasing number of small casinos has led to chaos in the Rain Country."
At this point, Zala looked at the two of them and said, "We wish to cooperate with the Alabasta Kingdom and establish a casino in the Rain Country. We'll split the profits fifty-fifty. You provide the land, build the casino, and dispatch soldiers to maintain order. We, in turn, will provide strong individuals to guard the venue and send people to clear out troublesome pirates in Canal City. We guarantee absolutely no operations within Alabasta. What do you think?"
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Igaram and Vivi fell silent, surprised by her proposal.
Zala smiled and said, "We are merely requesting the benefits that Crocodile originally held, and only half of them. In addition, we will also complete the tasks Crocodile was previously responsible for."
After a pause, Zala added, "Conversely, you will receive a portion of the profits, improve public order, and on top of that, our Baroque Works guarantees not to carry out any missions in Alabasta. How does that sound?"
"But you are..." Vivi felt it was inappropriate to cooperate with an organization of assassins.
"That's not important."
Zala said, "What's important is that you achieve the goals of your undercover mission. Alabasta regains its rain, the rebellion disappears, and the people live in peace and contentment. You gain a source of income, so why not?"
Igaram said, "We cannot decide this matter."
"I know."
Zala said, "However, your opinions are invaluable, so I hope to gain your consent first. Then, we will go to Alabasta together to meet your father, but we will need your support."
Vivi took a deep breath and said, "As long as it can bring rain, I am willing to persuade my King."
The harm caused by the drought was too great. The reason she risked infiltrating Baroque Works was to resolve this very issue.
Now that an opportunity had arisen, and the cooperation was not without benefits for Alabasta.
Crocodile's death had indeed brought considerable trouble. Many factions had emerged in the Rain Country, and the Alabasta army there was scarce, leading to widespread chaos.
Zala looked at Igaram and asked, "And you?"
Igaram replied, "I am also willing to persuade Lord Cobra, but he may not..."
"It's enough that you are willing to support us."
Zala smiled and said, "Even if Cobra doesn't agree, he will let you two go. From then on, you can live peacefully as a Princess and Captain of the Guard, and don't come to Baroque Works again."
Vivi felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this and then said, "I will."
"At that time, I will also ask for your help in finding something,"
Zala thought of something and suddenly said, "That item must not fall into anyone else's hands."
...
Three days later, Zala returned from Alabasta and walked step by step into the depths of the forest.
The depths of the island had changed. There stood a row of white buildings, only two stories high, but incredibly spacious.
Zala entered the building and walked straight inside, arriving at the back. The backyard was extremely wide, enclosed by walls, with a gap leading to one side. A Giant Beast lay sprawled in the center of the yard.
"Mr. 0, I'm back." Zala approached the Giant Beast and respectfully lowered her head.
Xia Qiu looked at her and asked, "How is the casino matter? Did Cobra agree?"
Zala smiled and said, "At first, he righteously declared that he would absolutely not cooperate with our assassin organization and even threatened to report us to the World Government for arrest. But when I mentioned that you would be heading to Alabasta, attacking all ships, landing in Canal City, and attacking the city, Cobra agreed to our demands."
"Hmph, he knows what's good for him."
Xia Qiu shook his head, not entirely believing Zala's words, but as long as they could cooperate to establish a casino, that was enough.
Xia Qiu remembered something and looked at Zala's hands, asking, "You didn't find the Devil Fruit?"
Xia Qiu had also assigned Zala a task: to find Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit.
After his death, the Sand-Sand Fruit would transfer to a nearby fruit, possibly of the same type.
As long as it wasn't eaten by someone, it was highly likely to be in Alabasta.
Most people didn't recognize Devil Fruits, and seeing a fruit shaped like that, few would dare to eat it directly.
But Zala's hands were empty, clearly indicating she hadn't found it.
Upon hearing this, Zala hesitated before saying, "You asked me to use the Alabasta Kingdom's power to search the entire country for the Devil Fruit. We did find it, but..."
Xia Qiu asked displeased, "But what?"
Zala said nervously, "But before the fruit could be handed over to us, someone snatched it and ate it."
"What are you doing? How could you let someone snatch the Devil Fruit? Who was it?" Xia Qiu's expression turned angry.
Zala said softly, "It was the Princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, Vivi."
"It was her?"
Xia Qiu was somewhat confused and asked, "How could she eat a Devil Fruit?"
Zala explained, "Cobra and the others knew it was a Devil Fruit and were hesitant. A guard captain named Juan disagreed with handing the Devil Fruit over to us, stating that it was found by the kingdom's army in Alabasta, and neither the location nor the discoverer was us, so we had no obligation to give it to them. As you instructed, I offered to pay two hundred million Belly as compensation, explicitly stating it was a prerequisite for cooperation. Cobra intended to hand the Devil Fruit over to us, but Vivi suddenly snatched it. I tried to get it back, but that man Juan stopped me. I knocked Juan down and lunged at her, and she directly bit into the Devil Fruit. I knocked down another guard who tried to stop me, and as I rushed towards her to attack, she turned into sand, rendering my attack ineffective. She even restrained me."
"Wait a minute, Vivi said she would pay some compensation, and you also offered two hundred million Belly. Why would Vivi snatch the fruit? A Devil Fruit's price in the black market is one hundred million Belly," Xia Qiu asked, confused.
Zala's expression turned strange. "She said that if one Devil Fruit is worth one hundred million, and you were willing to pay two hundred million for it and actively search for it, then this Devil Fruit must be extraordinary. And it certainly shouldn't be given to us to increase our strength, so she snatched it. She even retorted, asking if we would fall out over such a small matter if we were going to cooperate. So, why not show some sincerity and give the fruit to her?"
"So that's how it is."
Xia Qiu sighed. Vivi was too smart. She saw that Baroque Works' threat to Alabasta had decreased. At least after the rebel army disbanded, it would be basically impossible for Baroque Works to cause a drought again.
Baroque Works needed cooperation again and was willing to give up some profits to get it. They valued the casino more than Devil Fruits and wouldn't fall out over this matter.
Furthermore, she herself had a grudge against Baroque Works. By eating the fruit, she was expressing her stance and testing them.
Based on Vivi's reaction, she could judge Baroque Works' strength.
Xia Qiu sighed and said, "Then how did you handle it?"
Vivi looked at Xia Qiu and said, "I asked them if they wanted to go to war with Baroque Works. Igaram questioned me about injuring so many people and attempting to attack the princess. We were at a stalemate for a while. The injuries of those two guards weren't too serious. Cobra hoped for a reconciliation, but I disagreed. Cobra offered to pay two hundred million Belly as compensation, or to lower the profit share to 4.5%, giving us 5.5%. Seeing that the matter was settled, I chose to increase the share."
"Five point five percent?"
Xia Qiu sighed, "That Devil Fruit is worth at least a twenty percent profit."
The Sand-Sand Fruit was very powerful. Although it had drawbacks, if developed well, its power would be immense.
Xia Qiu had originally planned that if he found that Devil Fruit, he would directly give it to Sabo when seeking help from the Revolutionary Army, letting Sabo eat it. His physical skills were already powerful, and in two to three years, he could crush a Vice Admiral's mask with his bare hands and instantly kill a Vice Admiral.
Combined with the Sand-Sand Fruit, he would be at least at the quasi-Admiral level.
With Sabo's help, his plan would have another layer of certainty.
But Vivi ate it. It had to be said, he was incredibly unlucky.
Vivi immediately said, "Subordinate's incompetence, I am willing to accept punishment."
"Forget it, forget it."
Xia Qiu said nonchalantly, "It's just a Devil Fruit. If Crocodile had this fruit, I could kill him. If Vivi has this fruit, I can also kill her."
Yeah right. Except in water, I can't beat her at all.
"Thank you, sir."
Vivi breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Xia Qiu and asked, "Then who should we send to manage the casino? Vivi wants to personally handle the casino matters."
"Her? Why does she want to get involved with the casino?" Xia Qiu asked, confused.
Vivi said, "She said she used to be a member of Baroque Works and understands our organization better. We must be extremely vigilant and cannot relax for a moment. After gaining her abilities, she decided to take personal charge to prevent us from doing anything else."
"This little girl..."
Xia Qiu didn't know what to say and stomped his foot in anger.
Vivi cautiously asked, "Then who should we send to manage the casino?"
"Originally, I had chosen someone."
Xia Qiu snorted, then said, "But since Vivi, who ate the Sand-Sand Fruit, is in charge of contacting us, his strength is a bit insufficient to intimidate her. Therefore, I need you to find two people and prepare some things."
This chapter is five thousand words and took a long time to write, so it's a bit late.
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