"The casino has been operating for a year, with a total revenue of 4.8 billion Belly. Forty percent of that, 1.92 billion Belly, was used for operating expenses, and 80 million was set aside. Of the remaining 2.8 billion, you two split 1.55 billion Belly."
On the island, Vivi sat in a chair opposite Xia Qiu, holding a notebook and discussing the casino's performance over the past year with him.
"1.55 billion Belly? That's a bit low."
Xia Qiu didn't think this income was particularly high, considering a newspaper cost between 50 and 100 Belly, the purchasing power wasn't that great.
Vivi smiled and said, "It's mainly because we just started operating, but the revenue has been increasing every quarter. The casino's revenue was 600 million Belly in the third quarter last year, 1.1 billion in the fourth quarter, and reached 1.4 billion in the first quarter of this year. The second quarter's revenue was 1.6 billion Belly. The revenue has been steadily growing, and we expect the revenue for the third and fourth quarters of this year to exceed 1.8 billion Belly each, reaching 7 billion Belly for the entire year. Next year, reaching 10 billion will be no problem."
"Mhm."
Xia Qiu nodded. For the first year, this figure wasn't small, and the revenue in the latter half of the year, as well as next year's revenue, would be even higher.
It would take at least three years for the revenue to grow, and if nothing went wrong, it would stabilize at 15 to 20 billion Belly.
If he were the King of Casinos, Gild Tesoro, not counting other industries, the casino alone would generate at least 500 billion Belly per year.
"Also, regarding the intelligence organization we discussed," Vivi continued, "we currently have 120 members. Eighty of them are Alabastan soldiers or citizens, and forty are from Baroque Works and new recruits recruited through Baroque Works. This dual composition gives the intelligence organization two main directions. Those selected from Alabasta are mainly responsible for infiltrating enemy forces, collecting information on pirate factions, and gathering intelligence within the country. As for your subordinates, they are responsible for monitoring the movements of the Marines and infiltrating other countries."
The two groups were utilized in different ways.
Alabasta, being protected by the Marines and a member of the World Government, couldn't directly act against the Marines.
They used Alabasta as their operational center, simultaneously collecting information on pirate factions and reporting it to Xia Qiu.
As for the Marines, that task could only be handled by Xia Qiu's people.
"We still need more personnel, but we don't need extensive infiltration of the Marines. We just need to grasp the general direction of the Marine commanders; there's no need to gain power or obtain more specific information."
Xia Qiu didn't need members of Baroque Works to hold official Marine ranks like Captain or Lieutenant Commander.
Even a Lieutenant, or a lower-ranking officer, would suffice as long as they could ascertain the basic movements of Marine commanders.
"I'll keep that in mind," Vivi said.
Vivi nodded, placed the notebook on the table beside her, and looked at Xia Qiu, asking, "Why do I feel like you, President, have changed?"
"Changed?"
Xia Qiu looked at her and asked, "What change?"
Vivi thought for a moment and said, "You look bigger, your body seems to have grown longer, but not by too much. Secondly, your legs changed when you were with Robin, like crocodile legs turning into dinosaur legs, becoming thicker and allowing you to stand upright. Also, your body has become more robust, and your tail has become slender and grown spikes."
Xia Qiu's current body length was about fifty-eight meters, making him quite massive.
Secondly, his six legs had completely degenerated into dinosaur legs, which were very thick and allowed him to stand upright, possessing great strength.
The front four legs were like the powerful hind legs of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, while the last two legs were even taller and thicker, causing Xia Qiu's body to lean slightly forward and downward.
Next was his tail. After consuming the crocodile, his tail began to change, gradually lengthening to about 1.5 meters, like a crocodile's tail. The tip of the tail, where the tail fin was, began to degenerate, becoming smaller and smaller.
After consuming the dinosaur, Xia Qiu's tail fin completely degenerated. His tail grew to about four meters long and was covered with bony spikes, inherited from a Stegosaurus.
Not only that, but bony plates, like those of a Stegosaurus, grew between the second dorsal fin and the first dorsal fin, as well as between the second dorsal fin and the initial section of the tail, protecting his spine.
Xia Qiu's head ramming horn was no longer round. Instead, the upper sides of his head began to bulge slowly, as if something was about to break through the scales.
Finally, his neck had grown to three meters long, tilted slightly upward, and was incredibly thick.
The current Xia Qiu no longer resembled a fish or a crocodile; he looked more like a deformed reptile.
Xia Qiu's attack methods had also become diverse. His teeth, head, tentacles, six legs, and tail, combined with his dorsal fins and bony plates, could basically cover all directions around his body.
Although he still needed to evolve, the focus should be on strengthening.
"I am growing," Xia Qiu said softly.
"I've never seen a creature like you before," Vivi said, shaking her head and chuckling. "But being able to speak and possess intelligence greater than ordinary people is already incredible."
"Let's not discuss this anymore," Xia Qiu said to Vivi. "I need you to help me investigate two people."
"Two people? Who?" Vivi asked curiously.
Xia Qiu replied, "Two Marine Vice Admirals. One is nicknamed 'Onigumo,' and the other is 'Dalmatia,' nicknamed 'Doma.'"
Vivi frowned and asked, "Why are you looking for Marines? And Vice Admirals at that?"
Xia Qiu said calmly, "I want to kill them, and I need your help."
"You want to kill Vice Admirals?" Vivi hesitated. "But you promised me..."
"We were discussing ordinary people; they don't fall into that category," Xia Qiu said, looking at Vivi. "Besides, these two people are not good people. They were the ones who initiated the Buster Call. You must have heard of it, right?"
Vivi nodded. "I've heard of it. It's like an indiscriminate, destructive attack on a region that sends out a signal, completely eradicating everything and everyone in the target area. It seems only Fleet Admirals and Admirals can authorize it."
"It can also be authorized to certain special individuals," Xia Qiu said. "But once it's initiated, the target is bound to be reduced to ruins, and no one can survive. Many of their actions are not righteous. And they have killed too many people and destroyed too many places, including Robin's hometown."
"Robin?"
Vivi was a little surprised.
Xia Qiu said, "Nineteen years ago, they attacked Ohara and completely annihilated it. All because Ohara was investigating the Void Century, and they, wanting to hide the past, killed so many people. Robin, who was only eight years old at the time, managed to escape, but she was framed for destroying six Marine warships. How could an eight-year-old child do such a thing?"
"So you're doing this for Robin?" Vivi asked curiously.
"That's right. She was only eight years old then and had a bounty of seventy-nine million Berries. She's suffered too much." Speaking of this, Xia Qiu continued, "She's my benefactor, so I want to get revenge and kill them. I investigated for a long time and only found two, but they weren't Vice Admirals; they were Rear Admirals who went with the fleet."
"So that's how it is."
Vivi looked at Xia Qiu and asked, "You're targeting Marine Vice Admirals, so are you planning to kill everyone involved in a Buster Call?"
"That's right."
Xia Qiu nodded and said, "I need these."
"So this is the plan you mentioned where you need my help? I can't be enemies with the Marines," Vivi couldn't help but say.
"The plan I need your help with is certainly not this one,"
Xia Qiu replied, "That plan has nothing to do with the Marines, but it still involves executioners who have hundreds or thousands of lives on their hands."
"That's good, but..."
Vivi hesitated. Even after knowing what these Vice Admirals had done, she still didn't want to go to war with the Government.
Xia Qiu looked at Vivi and said, "My strength might not be enough to defeat a Vice Admiral, so the danger is very high. If I die, then Baroque Works will be entirely handed over to you to control."
"But infiltrating to the level of a Vice Admiral is a bit too difficult."
Vivi was somewhat swayed, but she still considered the hidden dangers.
With her intelligence capabilities, she could at most blend into some lower ranks and become a sailor.
Xia Qiu said, "You only need to grasp their movements, such as which branch base they are in, what large-scale mission they are going on, and which country they are heading to. Therefore, you don't need to get too close; just grasp the main routes, and I will go and attack them myself afterward."
"That's not difficult, especially their locations."
Vivi thought for a moment and looked at Xia Qiu, saying, "But it might take some time."
"Thank you."
Xia Qiu said to Vivi, "I'll wait for your news."
"Okay."
Vivi stood up and said, "Then I'll be going back now."
"See you next time then."
Xia Qiu said softly. Seeing Vivi turn and leave, he felt relieved.
Xia Qiu had two directions for reinforcement: Reinforcement Energy and Haki.
Haki, in particular, was very important. Whether it was Observation Haki or Armament Haki, it could greatly increase his strength.
Observation Haki allowed him to sense opponents, while Armament Haki could enhance his attack and defense power. Most importantly, it could hit Logia users.
And among the Marines, almost all Vice Admirals possessed Haki.
Therefore, Xia Qiu wanted to hunt Vice Admirals, and Vice Admirals contained a large amount of Reinforcement Energy, enough for him to evolve.
However, Vice Admirals were too strong. With Armament Haki, even with slightly reduced power underwater, they could easily kill him.
So Xia Qiu had chosen two targets: Onigumo and Doma. (Onigumo's sword was controlled by his hair, but he was indeed a Devil Fruit user. There are manga images showing his butt turning into a spider's.)
Both of them were Devil Fruit users. As long as they were taken into the deep sea and their warships were attacked, causing them to sink, they would have little power to resist.
Moreover, Onigumo had displayed two types of Haki: Observation Haki and Armament Haki.
Xia Qiu intended to kill them, but he couldn't track their whereabouts, thus needing a source of information. Now that an intelligence network was established, he could grasp their movements and only needed to persuade Vivi.
Xia Qiu used Robin as an excuse. By exposing the evil deeds they had committed, he could erase Vivi's sense of justice. Then, the only thing hindering Vivi would be her apprehension towards the Marines.
Next, he would use the fact that their strength was high and he might not be able to win, as well as the promise of handing over Baroque Works to Vivi if he died, to move Vivi.
With his disregard for his own life and the potential reward, it was unlikely that Vivi would refuse.
As long as he got the information on the two of them, he could ambush them in the deep sea.
Of course, obtaining the information would likely take some time, and he would need to find a suitable opportunity.
...
After Vivi left, Xia Qiu called for Zala and said to her, "The close-combat expert I asked you to find, what's their current ranking, around sixth?"
Zala nodded and said, "That's right. His name is Alken, and he's a boxer."
Currently, the position of Mr.1 in Baroque Works was still vacant, but all other Senior and Intermediate Agents were in place.
Mr.2 was Mr. 2 Bon Clay, Mr.3 was Heckle, and Mr.4 was Cecilia, a user of the Bird-Bird Fruit, Ostrich form, skilled in kicks and fighting with her legs.
Mr.5 was a user of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, originally known as the "Nose-Booger Man" in the original work. After being discovered by Baroque Works, he was invited and happily joined.
Xia Qiu looked at Zala and said, "Then call Mr.5 and prepare some fruit."
"You mean...?"
Hearing Xia Qiu's words, Zala remembered how Heckle obtained his fruit in the past.
Xia Qiu said, "His Devil Fruit is very powerful, but he himself is very weak. If you take away his Devil Fruit ability, it's debatable whether he could even beat a Billionaire. That's why I want to transfer the Devil Fruit."
Mr. 5 relied too much on his Devil Fruit ability and his own strength was pitifully weak, leading to him being easily defeated.
And under Doflamingo, there was a user of the Explosion-Explosion Fruit, who could detonate anything they touched.
The Bomb-Bomb Fruit, on the other hand, involved exploding parts of the body, including snot, exhaled gas, and kicks.
There was a gap between the two, each with their own strengths.
The Explosion-Explosion Fruit user had a wider range, able to detonate surrounding objects with immense power.
However, it required touch and was suited for long-range combat and explosive damage.
As for the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, its best use was in close combat, and the body remained unharmed after the explosion. For example, a kick could cause an explosion, but the leg would be fine.
If the Bomb-Bomb Fruit were given to a close-combat master, every punch and kick at close range would carry an explosion, and even exhaled gas would be explosive. In that case, one plus one would be far greater than two.
Therefore, Xia Qiu had been searching for Mr. 5 and a powerful close-combat expert. Now that Mr. 5 had joined Baroque Works, and that Alken, relying on his own combat skills, could reach the sixth position, his strength was definitely good.
If the Bomb-Bomb Fruit were given to Alken, he could even reach Mr. 4's position, making him even stronger than the two combined.
At that point, he could be ranked alongside the strength of Bura, Bon Clay, Heckle, and Cecilia, giving him five top experts under his command.
"Then I'll go prepare."
Bora nodded and then looked at Xia Qiu, asking, "Do you have any other instructions?"
Xia Qiu said, "Continue to screen agents with strong physical qualities, and simultaneously head to the black market to purchase Devil Fruits."
He wanted to create powerful Devil Fruit users. The stronger their physical qualities, the better the results when combined with their abilities. Speed was crucial for almost all ability usage.
Not long ago, he had obtained a Devil Fruit. Using a Millionaire, he tested its ability: the Bird-Bird Fruit, Ostrich form, and then began searching for a suitable recipient.
Baroque Works found a woman named Cecilia in the South China Sea, who worked as a bounty hunter. She was invited to join Baroque Works and was given the fruit.
Before eating the fruit, she was no match for Alken, but after eating it, she easily defeated Mr. 5. At least in terms of kicking techniques, she was no inferior to Bon Clay.
So, as long as there were suitable individuals, he could completely cultivate powerful subordinates.
Four thousand characters, this is the only update. Too much time was wasted, and it's past midnight. I'll see if I can fix it tomorrow.
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