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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 131: Cooperation
"Fortunately, we didn't contact the Navy. Nico Robin has disappeared, and the Vice President of Baroque Works has been replaced by Double Fingers."
In a room in Whiskey Hill Town, Vivi looked at Ikaram and said.
"You're right."
Ikaram replied, "After just a few searches, Nico Robin is no longer the Vice President of Baroque Works and has vanished. If we had contacted the Navy back then, we might not have been able to capture Nico Robin. Even if we did, she could have been replaced quickly."
Vivi stood by the window, gazing outside as she softly said, "Then what we need to do next is continue to lie low and find information about the president of Baroque Works."
Ikaram nodded. "It's time to take action. Next, I will reveal my strength and strive to become an Intermediate Agent."
"I'm still a bit short."
Vivi looked at Ikaram with a somewhat troubled expression and said, "Ikaram, I can only rely on you."
"Leave it to me," Ikaram said firmly. "Protecting the princess is my duty."
"There's no princess here," Vivi shook her head with a smile.
Ding, ding, ding.
At that moment, the bell rang, and Vivi immediately said, "That's the assembly bell; we need to gather."
"Let's go."
Ikaram and Vivi walked out of the room and descended the stairs, where many Bounty Hunters had already gathered.
"Is that Double Fingers?"
Vivi exclaimed, surprised as she spotted a figure in the distance.
"Isn't that Nico Robin's giant beast? What is it doing here?"
Ikaram said, astonished as he noticed the massive silhouette of Bola not far away. "What does she want us for?"
At that moment, the giant beast shook its head repeatedly before finally walking toward them.
The crowd began to back away, but Bola shouted, "Don't move!"
Upon hearing this, the Bounty Hunters immediately froze in place.
The giant beast slowly approached and eventually stopped right in front of Vivi, nodding its head.
It then turned to Ikaram and nodded again.
"What is it doing?" Vivi was stunned, unsure of what the giant beast was trying to convey.
"You all come out."
Bola saw the massive beast and immediately approached Vivi and Ikaram, saying, "You two, come with me."
"Huh?"
Vivi's expression changed, and she instinctively looked at Ikaram, who also appeared troubled.
What was going on?
Why was that giant beast nodding in front of us, and why did Bola want to take both her and Vivi away?
Why were they chosen so coincidentally?
Had their identities been discovered? Or did she intend for the beast to devour them?
Ikaram stepped forward calmly and asked, "Iss Dual Hands, may I ask what you need us for?"
Bola smiled and replied, "I need you to come with me to a certain place."
"A certain place?"
Ikaram's face darkened as a sense of foreboding filled his heart. He asked, "May I inquire where you are taking us, my lady?"
Bola shrugged and said, "You'll find out when we get there."
"Then why were we chosen?" Ikaram asked nervously.
"Follow me and you'll find out."
Bola looked at the two with a grim expression. "Hurry up, come with me, and you might survive. But if you stay here, I'll kill you right now."
As she spoke, her right hand slowly extended a sharp spike towards them.
"Iss Dual Hands, we..."
Ikaram believed that leaving with her would lead to a bad outcome. He observed the positions of the people around him, contemplating whether he could make a move to attack and cover Vivi's escape.
"That's better."
Vivi suddenly said, grabbing Ikaram's arm.
"Then let's go."
Bola turned and walked away, not caring about the two behind her.
The two hesitated for a moment, glancing at the giant beast before following Bola to the submarine. They entered through the top and into a chamber, after which the submarine began to move slowly.
"Is this really the submarine?"
Vivi looked out the window at the tranquil ocean beyond. Although she had heard of submarines, she had never been on one before.
“Heart Point.”
Ikaram watched Bola from a distance, 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 them, she could have done so at Whiskey Peak.
“A very clever girl.”
Bola looked at Vivi and said, “No wonder you are a princess of a nation.”
“Hmm?”
Upon hearing this, Vivi froze for a moment, then her expression changed dramatically as she looked at Bola and asked, “What do you mean, a princess of a nation?”
Bola sighed and replied, “Are you still trying to hide it? Your name is Nefertari Vivi, the princess of Alabasta. This is Ikaram, the Captain of the Royal Guard of Alabasta, who infiltrated Baroque Works. He believes that Baroque Works is related to the drought that has plagued the kingdom for a year. Am I wrong?”
“You… how do you know this?”
Both Ikaram and Vivi stood there in shock, unable to speak, wondering how she knew such details.
“Ikaram, did you tell anyone? Members of the Royal Guard? My father?” Vivi looked at Ikaram, convinced that she hadn’t leaked any information. It must have been him who told someone else, and it spread from there.
“I didn’t tell anyone. I only told Juan that I would be leaving for a while.”
Ikaram's face darkened as he asked, "Vivi, what about you? Have you told anyone else?"
"No," Vivi shook her head and replied, "No one knows about this."
Ikaram turned to Bola, gritting his teeth as he questioned, "How did you find out?"
"You don't need to worry about how I know."
Bola was also surprised, wondering how r had such precise information about the two of them. Was there another force at play?
With its massive size, it couldn't possibly infiltrate human society for intelligence gathering; it must have access to another information network.
Or perhaps there was an even greater intelligence force above it.
Bola felt a renewed sense of awe towards r. Initially, with the rising power and understanding of it, he had entertained thoughts of not rebelling and possibly gaining some strength for himself.
But now, Bola dared not think further. Instead, he said, "The reason I sought you out is to discuss a potential collaboration."
"Collaboration? What kind of collaboration?" Ikaram asked, frowning.
"This collaboration..."
Bola took out a pipe and placed it between his lips, intending to light it with a match. However, after glancing around and feeling disappointed, he set the pipe down and said, "Let's first discuss our terms."
Bola looked at the two of them and said softly, "You must be very curious about the drought in Alabasta and its connection to Baroque Works, right?"
Vivi snorted and replied, "Don't even think about it; it has nothing to do with you."
"It was us," Bola stated directly, watching their surprised expressions. "The drought this year was all our doing."
"Why would you do something like that?" Ikaram glared at Bola, his eyes fierce.
"That's not important," Bola smiled. "What matters is whether you want us to stop doing this."
Vivi stared at Bola and coldly asked, "What do you want?"
"I don't want anything," Bola waved his hand dismissively. "Because we've already stopped. It rained in Rapeseed Flower City three days ago."
"What?"
Vivi jumped to her feet, joyfully asking, "It rained in Alabasta?"
Bola smiled and said, "That's right. And we won't do such things again. So, the Rebels led by Kosha will probably disperse before long, won't they?"
"Do you even know about Kosha?"
Vivi was even more surprised and then asked, "But why are you doing this?"
"To extend a gesture of goodwill."
Bola replied, "Baroque Works hopes to collaborate with the Alabasta Kingdom on something."
"Indeed, there must be a motive."
Ikaram said, "Is it true that if we refuse to cooperate, you will once again let Alabasta suffer from drought?"
"That is a possibility."
Bola shrugged and continued, "However, I can assure you that this collaboration would benefit not only us but also you."
Vivi quickly asked, "What kind of collaboration do you have in mind?"
Bola said, "It's quite simple. You must know Crocodile, right?"
Vivi nodded and replied, "Of course I know him; he was killed by Nico Robin and the giant beast. What does he have to do with this?"
Bola smiled and explained, "With Crocodile dead, there is no one to protect Alabasta, especially the Rainy District, where chaos has already begun. Moreover, with the Rain Banquet Casino gone, some gamblers have started causing trouble while others have flocked to the remaining casinos. The increasing number of casinos has led to disorder during the Rain Banquet."
At this point, Bola looked at the two of them and said, "We hope to collaborate with the Alabasta Kingdom to establish a casino in the Rainy District. We would split the profits fifty-fifty. You provide the land and build the casino while dispatching soldiers to maintain order. In return, we will station strong individuals to guard the venue and send people to Rapeseed Flower City to eliminate any troublesome pirates, ensuring that no trouble arises in Alabasta. What do you think?"
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Ikaram and Vivi fell into silence, surprised by her request.
Bola smiled and said, "We are only asking for the original benefits of Crocodile, and just half of it. Besides that, we want to complete the tasks that Crocodile was working on."
After a pause, Bola continued, "On the contrary, you can gain a portion of the benefits, improve public safety, and in addition, we at Baroque Works guarantee that we will not carry out any missions in Alabasta. How does that sound?"
"But you are..." Vivi felt uneasy about collaborating with an assassin organization.
"That is not important."
Bola replied, "What matters is that you achieve your infiltration mission's goals. Alabasta will have rain again, the rebellion will disappear, and the people will live in peace. You will gain a financial source; why not take advantage of it?"
Ikaram said, "We cannot decide on this matter."
"I know."
Bola responded, "But your opinions are invaluable, so I hope to get your agreement first. Then we can go to Alabasta together to meet your father, but I need your support."
Vivi took a deep breath and said, "As long as it can bring rain, I am willing to serve my king."
The dangers brought by the drought were too great. The reason she took the risk to infiltrate Baroque Works was to resolve this issue.
Now there was an opportunity, and cooperation would not be without benefits for Alabasta.
The death of Crocodile indeed brought about considerable trouble, with many factions emerging in the Rainy District. The Alabasta army was sparse there, resulting in widespread chaos.
Bola looked at Ikaram and asked, "What about you?"
Ikaram replied, "I am also willing to serve Lord Cobra, but he may not..."
"As long as you are willing to support him, that's enough."
Bola smiled and said, "Even if Cobra doesn't agree, he will still let you both go. From now on, you can live peacefully as your own princess and Captain of the Royal Guard, and don't come back to Baroque Works."
Vivi felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this and responded, "I will."
"When the time comes, I will need your help to find something."
Bola suddenly thought of something and added, "That item must not fall into anyone else's hands."
Three days later, Bola returned from Alabasta, walking step by step into the depths of the forest.
At this moment, the interior of the island had changed dramatically; a row of white buildings stood tall, only two stories high but very spacious.
Bola entered the building and walked straight inside until he reached the back. There was a wide area where a giant beast lay sprawled.
"Lord R, I have returned," Bola said as he approached the giant beast and respectfully lowered his head.
Xiaqiu looked at her and asked, "What about the casino? Did Cobra agree?"
Bola smiled and replied, "He just declared with righteous indignation that he would never cooperate with our assassin organization and would report us to the World Government for capture. But when I mentioned that you would be heading to Alabasta to attack all the vessels and enter Rapeseed Flower City, Cobra agreed to our demands."
"Hmph, at least he knows what's good for him."
Xiaqiu shook her head, not fully believing Bola's words. However, as long as they could cooperate to establish the casino, that was enough.
Suddenly, Xiaqiu remembered something and looked at Bola's hands, asking, "Did you not find the Devil Fruit?"
She had assigned Bola a task to search for Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit.
After Crocodile's death, the Sand-Sand Fruit would transfer to a nearby fruit, possibly of the same type.
As long as it hadn't been eaten by someone else, there was a good chance it would be in Alabasta.
Most people didn't recognize the Devil Fruit; seeing a fruit that looked like that, few dared to put it directly in their mouths.
But Bola's hands were empty, clearly indicating she hadn't found anything.
Hearing this, Bola hesitated for a moment before saying, "You asked me to use the power of the Alabasta Kingdom to search the country for fruits with strange patterns. We did find some, but..."
Xiaqiu asked impatiently, "But what?"
Bola nervously replied, "But before the fruits could reach us, someone snatched them away and ate them."
"What are you doing? How could you let someone take the Devil Fruit away? Who is it?" Xiaqiu asked, his expression filled with anger.
Bola replied softly, "It's Princess Vivi of Alabasta Kingdom."
"Her?"
Xiaqiu looked puzzled and asked, "How could she eat the Devil Fruit?"
Bola explained, "Cobra and the others knew it was a Devil Fruit and hesitated. A bodyguard named Juan disagreed with giving it to us. This was found by the kingdom's army in Alabasta, and neither the location nor the current owner is ours; they have no obligation to give it to us. Following your orders, I offered two hundred million Berries as compensation and made it clear that this was a prerequisite for cooperation. Cobra intended to hand over the Devil Fruit, but Vivi snatched it away. I tried to take it back, but that guy Juan stopped me. I knocked him down and charged at her. I attacked directly, but she turned into sand; my attack had no effect at all, and she even managed to restrain me."
"Wait a minute, Vivi is supposed to pay some compensation too. You also need to give them two hundred million Berries. Why did Vivi snatch the fruit? A Devil Fruit is worth one hundred million Berries on the black market," Xiaqiu questioned, confused.
Bola's expression turned strange as he said, "For her, a Devil Fruit is worth one hundred million, but you were offering two hundred million and actively seeking it out. This Devil Fruit must be extraordinary. They certainly couldn't let us enhance our strength, so she snatched it away. When she saw me chasing after her, she just swallowed it."
"I see."
Xiaqiu said irritably, "Why did you set such a high price right away?"
Bola replied defensively, "It was you who insisted on two hundred million or three hundred million to get that Devil Fruit. I saw they were unwilling to agree, so I set a middle price; who would have known..."
"You idiot."
Xiaqiu felt like he was about to explode with anger. If Nico Robin were here, such a rookie mistake would never have happened. He then asked, "What happened next? How did the cooperation go?"
Bola looked at Xiaqiu and said, "I wasn't sure if they wanted to go to war with Baroque Works. Ikaram questioned me about injuring Juan, and we were at a stalemate for a while. That guy Juan was fine; Cobra took the initiative to apologize and even offered to lower their profit share—just four point five percent—giving us five point five."
“Five Point Five?”
Xiaqiu sighed, “What good is an extra half point? That Devil Fruit is the key.”
The Sand-Sand Fruit is powerful; if used well, its effects can be impressive.
Xiaqiu originally planned that if he found that Devil Fruit, when seeking help from the Revolutionary Army, he would directly give it to Sabo. With Sabo’s strong physical skills, in two or three years, he could crush a Vice Admiral’s mask with his bare hands and take them down in an instant.
Combined with the Sand-Sand Fruit, he would at least reach the level of a major general.
With Sabo’s assistance, completing his plan would have an additional layer of assurance.
But it was snatched away by Vivi, which was truly unfortunate.
Bola immediately said, “I am incompetent and willing to accept punishment.”
“Forget it, forget it.”
Xiaqiu replied nonchalantly, “It’s just a Devil Fruit. I can kill Crocodile with this fruit, and I can also kill Vivi with it.”
That was a lie; apart from fighting in water, he couldn’t beat her at all.
“Thank you, my lord.”
Bola exhaled and then looked at Xiaqiu, asking, “Who should we send to manage the casino? Vivi wants to personally oversee the casino affairs.”
"Her? Why does she want to get involved with the casino?" Xiaqiu asked, puzzled.
Bola replied, "She was once a member of Baroque Works and understands our organization better. We must remain vigilant; we cannot let our guard down for even a moment. After gaining her abilities, she decided to take charge and ensure we don't get sidetracked."
"This girl..."
Xiaqiu didn't know what to think and stomped her foot in frustration.
Bola cautiously asked, "So who should we send to manage the casino?"
"I had someone in mind."
Xiaqiu snorted and then said, "But the one who took the Sand-Sand Fruit, Vivi, is responsible for liaising with us. His strength isn't quite enough to intimidate the other side. So, I need you to find two people and prepare some things."
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