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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 136: Cooperation and Assistance
The unexpected outcome left Vivi somewhat in disbelief. After a long pause, she said, "So the president of Baroque Works was never human, but a giant beast."
Xiaqiu shook his head and replied, "Not always. In fact, I have only been the president of Baroque Works for nine months."
"Nine months?"
Vivi was surprised and furrowed her brow as she asked, "But I joined Baroque Works a year ago. It was already operational then and had existed for several years. Who was the president before you? And how did you become the president?"
Xiaqiu looked at Vivi and gently said, "The previous president was Crocodile."
"Crocodile?"
Vivi's astonishment grew as she asked, "You mean the Crocodile from the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Xiaqiu nodded and slowly replied, "That's right. I killed him and then took his place as the president of Baroque Works."
"Is that so?"
Vivi frowned; this revelation was quite unexpected.
Xiaqiu smiled at Vivi and said, "This is something no one knows except Nico Robin, not even the Vice President."
"Not even the Vice President knows?"
Curious, Vivi asked, "Then how did you become the president?"
Xiaqiu looked at Vivi and explained, "It's simple. After Crocodile died, Nico Robin took control of Baroque Works, but she had to leave. Besides Nico Robin, no one in Baroque Works knew of my existence, especially Bola. So I was able to take advantage of the situation and become the president."
"I see."
Vivi nodded and then asked, "So why are you telling me this?"
Xiaqiu replied, "Because I am now unable to help Baroque Works grow any further. Given my position, this is all I can do. So I need someone to assist me in helping Baroque Works continue to expand."
“Do you need someone to help you?”
Vivi frowned at his words and asked, “So you want me to help you?”
Xiaqiu nodded and said, “That's right. I want you to join Baroque Works. Your strength is impressive, and you're very smart. If you could help me…”
Vivi interrupted Xiaqiu decisively, saying, “That's impossible. I won't join a group of assassins.”
Xiaqiu replied, “But you have joined one before.”
Vivi shook her head. “That was to investigate the drought incident, but now the drought has disappeared…”
“The drought disappeared because I killed Crocodile and announced the halt of the Ideal Country Project.”
Xiaqiu looked at Vivi and said, “Without me, when do you think Alabasta would see rain? With your abilities, can you defeat one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?”
“I…”
Vivi was about to speak when Xiaqiu asked, “You must have heard of the Ideal Country Project, right?”
Vivi nodded. “Yes, Baroque Works' dream is to establish an Ideal Nation. The higher the rank in the organization, the higher the position will be after the country is established.”
“You should have guessed by now that the target of this Ideal Country Project is Alabasta.”
Xiaqiu continued slowly, “As long as Crocodile is alive, the plan will continue. The Rebel Army has already emerged and will continue to grow. In just two years, the Rebel Army will engage in direct combat with the Kingdom's army. By then, there will be heavy casualties, and Crocodile will appear as a hero to stop the fighting and then crown himself king.”
“This plan cannot succeed.”
Vivi was astonished by the boldness of this plan and shook her head. “The Rebel Army is too weak to defeat the Kingdom Army, and their leader is very rational; large-scale battles are unlikely. He can't pull it off.”
“Is that so?”
Xiaqiu said, “Right now, the Rebels are few in number, but what about in a few years? The number of drought-stricken cities will increase, and more people will gather. Also, your Rebel Army leader is named Kosha, right? You trust him a lot, but what about the others? There are too many Baroque Works spies among both the rebels and the King's Army. What if they strike first with a surprise attack? And you might not know this, but within Baroque Works, there is a Senior Agent with a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to mimic others. If he disguises himself as your father and commits treasonous acts, how much chaos would that cause among the people? If they can frame you once, they can do it again.”
"If that's the case..."
Vivi's expression darkened significantly; the consequences would be unimaginable.
She looked at Xiaqiu and said, "I appreciate you halting the plan."
Xiaqiu scoffed and replied, "I can't see that. It's you who took the Devil Fruit during our collaboration, leaving a gap in my other plans that makes it difficult to complete them now. That's why I'm asking if you're willing to join Baroque Works."
"That is my fault."
Hearing this, Vivi felt a twinge of guilt. She looked at Xiaqiu and asked, "But I will not join Baroque Works. I want to know what your plan is."
"I won't tell anyone before the plan begins."
Xiaqiu looked at Vivi and said, "And I certainly can't tell you, the one who jeopardized the plan."
"I can help you."
Vivi quickly responded, then softened her tone, saying, "If your plan doesn't harm Alabasta or ordinary people, I can assist you."
Xiaqiu shook his head. "This plan will not only avoid harming ordinary people but could even save them. However, I can't disclose it to you for now."
"If what you say is true, then I can help you when the time comes."
Vivi said earnestly, "As a reward for killing Crocodile and as an apology for taking the Sand-Sand Fruit."
At this point, Vivi felt a bit embarrassed and added, "I know I may not be able to repay your kindness, but..."
"No, just doing this one thing will suffice."
Xiaqiu interrupted her and continued, "All I need is for you to help me once when the time comes. I promise I won't go against your principles."
Vivi nodded. "As long as you're speaking the truth, then I can agree to that."
At this point, Vivi looked at Xiaqiu and said, "But I will not be joining Baroque Works. Of course, I won't reveal anything about you; I will keep it a secret."
"That's good to hear."
Xiaqiu looked at Vivi and continued, "However, it doesn't matter if you don't join. Are you interested in collaborating with me?"
"Collaborate?"
Vivi asked in confusion, "What kind of collaboration?"
Xiaqiu slowly explained, "To utilize Baroque Works and Alabasta to establish a massive intelligence organization where the two of us can share intelligence resources."
"An intelligence organization?"
Vivi asked, still puzzled, "Why do you want to establish an intelligence organization?"
"The value of intelligence itself is immense. Understanding affairs, mastering information, controlling the flow of information, managing public opinion, reducing uncertainties in conflicts, preventing crises before they occur, and gaining the ability to respond in advance—these are all crucial."
Xiaqiu continued, "Intelligence should be even more important for Alabasta. If there were a powerful intelligence organization, you wouldn't need to infiltrate Baroque Works personally, and such a massive conspiracy wouldn't exist. In the future, when the country faces a crisis, you could respond in advance. You could resolve conflicts arising from empires like Drum Kingdom, which has always harbored hostility towards Alabasta. Moreover, Princess Vivi will eventually succeed her father as the Queen of this nation; wouldn't you want to have a strong intelligence organization at your disposal?"
"An intelligence organization is indeed useful."
Upon hearing this, Vivi looked at Xiaqiu and said, "But sharing with Baroque Works and letting you use it for killing doesn't seem like a good idea."
Xiaqiu replied, "You don't need to worry about that. You will be the one to build this intelligence organization, operate it, and control it. You can share with me only the information you deem appropriate. If I need any intelligence, I will notify you, and you can decide whether or not to help me."
"That sounds disadvantageous for you. Would you really be willing? You won't pull any tricks?" Vivi asked in confusion.
"Pull tricks?"
Xiaqiu responded, "My identity prevents me from directly controlling anything. Whether it's Baroque Works or the intelligence organization, if you're responsible for creating it and selecting personnel, there's no need to worry about me."
"Secondly..."
Xiaqiu said, "I only need partial information, such as changes in pirate forces and the movements of high-ranking Navy officers, to prevent Baroque Works from being wiped out by the Navy. If I use it proactively, it will only be to investigate certain special individuals. So I don't need complete control over it."
"Is that so?"
Vivi fell into deep thought. The information he needed was minimal, much of it for the safety of his own organization, which wasn't unreasonable.
Moreover, he was right; his identity determined his limitations. If they could collaborate to establish an intelligence organization, it would be much easier for him to manage. The importance of such an organization was undeniable; it was a very suitable deal.
Xiaqiu looked at Vivi and said, "For you, this is only beneficial, not harmful. The only thing you might worry about is what tricks I might pull. But think about it: when I expose my identity to you, the risk I take is enormous. And what can you do with my identity in your hands?"
Upon hearing this, Vivi considered the consequences and realized that everything was in his favor.
He couldn't harm himself. Despite his strength, he was a Natural System Devil Fruit User; as long as he stayed away from water or didn't go underwater, Xiaqiu couldn't kill him.
After all, he could fly.
Additionally, his unique identity meant he couldn't expose himself; there was no way he could indirectly control the intelligence organization.
Furthermore, while Xiaqiu was strong, Vivi recognized that he still had the advantage on land.
There were no concerns at all.
Besides that, the outcome of their cooperation would yield him tremendous benefits—why not go for it?
Vivi looked at Xiaqiu and said, "I can agree to your proposal."
"Great," Xiaqiu replied, feeling very pleased with this answer.
"But I have a condition," Vivi suddenly spoke up.
Curious, Xiaqiu asked, "What condition?"
Vivi replied, "You must also promise me not to reveal our relationship to anyone else. Not even Heckler should know that we are collaborating to establish an intelligence organization."
"I need to contact Bola," Xiaqiu said, frowning.
"Except for Bola, the other members of Baroque Works cannot know," Vivi quickly replied, ensuring that no evidence would be left behind and that everything would be foolproof.
Xiaqiu nodded. "That is acceptable."
Vivi smiled. "In that case, I am willing to cooperate with you."
"Here's to a successful partnership."
Xiaqiu raised his front limb with a smile, and Vivi paused for a moment before walking over to touch his leg.
"Come back in a few days, and we can plan in detail," Xiaqiu instructed.
"Alright."
Vivi nodded, bid farewell to Xiaqiu, and turned to leave the room. She found Bola and then departed from the island.
Once she was gone, Xiaqiu felt he had essentially met his minimum requirements.
He hoped she could join Baroque Works and take charge of the intelligence organization, acting entirely under his orders.
But that was utterly impossible.
So he had to settle for less; the demand to join Baroque Works shifted decisively from having her do several tasks for him to simply completing one plan.
Using the gratitude he felt for everything he had done for Alabasta, along with her betrayal after consuming the Devil Fruit, he aimed to leverage this as a means to win her over, declaring that she would not harm ordinary people.
As a princess, she naturally understood how significant this gratitude was, yet she repaid it in the wrong way.
If nothing unexpected happens, she would agree, but with conditions.
By that time, her plan would begin, a plan that could save many people and eradicate evil forces, which would further strengthen her resolve to carry it out.
Thus, the implementation of the plan could count Vivi as one of the supporters. Of course, her strength was still weak and needed to be enhanced and utilized wisely.
Next was the establishment of an intelligence organization.
From being entirely her own to jointly controlling the intelligence organization, and finally allowing her to borrow part of the information for herself, Xiaqiu's demands gradually lowered. She was willing to let the other party take control of the intelligence organization, which led Vivi to agree to her terms.
But obtaining part of the information was already sufficient.
With Vivi's assistance once, she had basically fulfilled her requirements.
“Princess Vivi has left.”
Not long after, Bola returned to Xiaqiu, speaking softly.
Xiaqiu nodded and said, “I know.”
Bola looked at Xiaqiu, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.
Xiaqiu shot her a sideways glance and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Bola cautiously inquired, “What exactly happened between you and Princess Vivi?”
Xiaqiu looked at her and asked, “Why do you want to know this?”
Bola cleared her throat and said, “You revealed Princess Vivi’s identity; I’m worried she…”
“Don’t worry, she won’t go out.”
Xiaqiu replied lightly. In fact, if Bola could betray her, then Vivi might also betray her.
Although Vivi is not a member of Baroque Works, she is more trustworthy than Bola.
The temptation in front of Bola is too great; the entire Baroque Works, in the face of immense profit, makes her own strength seem like a weak deterrent.
In the face of such enormous benefits, she is very likely to betray herself, which is why she needs Vivi's help.
Vivi, on the other hand, profits from the collaboration and has no particular thoughts about Baroque Works. As long as her interests are not harmed, she will not do anything.
"That's good," Bola sighed in relief.
"Don't worry, it's just some matters regarding our cooperation. You'll know more in the future."
Xiaqiu left this remark and slowly walked towards the distance, entering the ocean.
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