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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 137: Harvest and Schemes
"After a year of operation, the casino has generated a total revenue of 4.8 billion Berries, with forty percent allocated for operational costs, amounting to 900 million Berries, and 800 million retained in the account. The remaining 2.8 billion will be divided among you, totaling 5.5 billion Berries."
On the island, Vivi sat in front of Xiaqiu, holding a notebook as she discussed the casino's performance over the past year.
"5.5 billion Berries? That seems a bit low," Xiaqiu remarked, feeling that the income was not particularly high. Considering that a newspaper costs between fifty to one hundred Berries, the purchasing power wasn't impressive.
Vivi smiled and replied, "It's mainly because we just started operations, but we are seeing growth every quarter. Last year's third quarter revenue was 600 million Berries, and in the fourth quarter it reached one hundred million Berries. This year, the first quarter hit 1.4 billion Berries, and the second quarter brought in 1.6 billion Berries. Revenue has been steadily increasing; we expect to surpass 1.8 billion Berries in both the third and fourth quarters this year, reaching a total of 7 billion Berries for the year. Next year, hitting 10 billion should be no problem."
"Mm," Xiaqiu nodded. The figures for the first year were already substantial, and both the second half of this year and next year's revenues would be even higher.
For at least three years, revenue would continue to grow. If everything went smoothly, stabilizing between 15 to 20 billion Berries would not be an issue.
As for the Casino King, the Golden Emperor, without considering other industries, his casino alone would generate at least 5 billion Berries annually.
"Additionally, regarding the intelligence organization we discussed," Vivi continued, "we currently have one hundred twenty members—eighty are soldiers or citizens from Alabasta, while forty come from Baroque Works or were recruited through them. This composition gives our intelligence organization two distinct directions. Those selected from Alabasta will primarily focus on infiltrating hostile forces and gathering information on Pirate Forces within our territory. Your subordinates will handle intelligence collection on Navy movements and infiltration from other countries."
The two groups had different focuses.
Alabasta was under Navy protection as part of the World Government, making direct action against them difficult.
They would use Alabasta as a hub to collect information on Pirate Forces and report it to Xiaqiu.
As for the Navy, that task would fall solely to Xiaqiu's people.
"We still need more manpower; however, we don't require extensive infiltration into the Navy—just an understanding of their commanders' general movements is sufficient. There's no need to gain power or more specific information."
Xiaqiu did not need any members of Baroque Works to hold positions in the Navy, such as Colonel or Captain.
As long as there was a Lieutenant, or even a lower-ranking officer, it would be enough to know the basic movements of the Navy's generals.
"I'll keep an eye on it."
Vivi nodded and placed her notebook on the table beside her, looking at Xiaqiu and asking, "Why does it feel like Mr. President has changed?"
"Changed?"
Xiaqiu looked at her and asked, "What kind of change?"
Vivi thought for a moment and said, "You seem to have grown; your body looks longer, but not by much. Also, your legs have changed when you're with Nico Robin, almost as if crocodile legs have transformed into dinosaur legs—much thicker and capable of standing upright. Additionally, your body has become more robust, your tail elongated with spikes."
Xiaqiu's current length was about fifty-eight meters, a massive figure.
Moreover, its six legs had completely evolved into dinosaur-like limbs that were incredibly sturdy and could support its weight while standing.
The first four legs resembled those of a Tyrannosaurus Rex—strong and powerful—while the last two were even larger and thicker, causing Xiaqiu's body to lean slightly forward.
As for the tail, after consuming crocodiles, it began to change, gradually elongating like that of a crocodile's tail, reaching about one and a half meters in length. The tail's end started to degenerate into a fin.
Through consuming dinosaurs, Xiaqiu's tail fin completely regressed, extending to around four meters in length. The tail sprouted thick bony spikes reminiscent of a Stegosaurus.
Not only that, but between the second dorsal fin and the first dorsal fin, as well as along the initial segment of the tail, bony plates similar to those of a Stegosaurus emerged to protect its spine.
Xiaqiu's head horns were no longer round; they began to bulge at the upper sides as if something were trying to break through its scales.
Finally, Xiaqiu's neck had grown to three meters long, slightly arched upward and incredibly thick.
Now, Xiaqiu resembled neither a fish nor a crocodile but rather an aberrant reptilian creature.
Xiaqiu's methods of attack had become diverse, utilizing teeth, its head, tentacles, six legs, a tail, along with dorsal fins and bony plates, effectively covering its surroundings.
Although evolution was still needed, the focus should be on strengthening.
"I am growing," Xiaqiu said lightly.
"I've never seen a creature like you," Vivi replied, shaking her head in amusement. "But I must say, possessing intelligence greater than that of ordinary people is already astonishing."
"Let's not discuss that anymore," Xiaqiu said to Vivi. "I need your help to investigate two individuals."
"Two people? Who?" Vivi asked curiously.
Xiaqiu responded, "Two Vice Admirals from the Navy. One is nicknamed Oni Spider, and the other is known as Barley Town's Dalmesia."
Vivi furrowed her brow and asked, "What do you want with the Navy? Especially Vice Admirals?"
Xiaqiu said softly, "I have a grudge; I want to kill them."
"This..." Vivi hesitated. "But you promised me..."
"We are discussing ordinary people; they do not fall into that category," Xiaqiu looked at Vivi and continued. "Moreover, these two are not good people. They are operatives of the Demon Slayer Order; you must have heard of them?"
Vivi nodded. "I've heard of them. It seems they conduct indiscriminate destructive attacks on areas related to in ha, completely erasing everything and everyone in the target zone. It appears only Marshals and Admirals can initiate such actions."
"Authorization can also be granted to someone else."
Xiaqiu said, "But once they move, the target will inevitably turn into ruins, and no one will survive. They have killed far too many people, including Nico Robin."
"Nico Robin?" Vivi asked, somewhat surprised.
Xiaqiu continued, "Nineteen years ago, they attacked Ohara, completely annihilating it. At that time, eight-year-old Nico Robin miraculously escaped but was later falsely accused of destroying six Navy battleships."
"So you are doing all this for Nico Robin?" Vivi inquired.
"That's right," Xiaqiu affirmed. "At just eight years old, she had a bounty of seventy-nine million Berries on her head. She has suffered too much, so I want to take revenge and kill them. After a long investigation, I found two of them—those I just passed by."
"Is that so?"
Vivi looked at Xiaqiu and asked, "So you are targeting Vice Admirals? Are you planning to kill all the Vice Admirals of the Demon Slayer Order?"
"Exactly," Xiaqiu nodded. "There are five Vice Admirals in total."
"So this is your plan, and you need my help?" Vivi couldn't help but ask.
Xiaqiu replied, "Of course not. The plan I have for you to assist has nothing to do with the Navy but still involves those who have hundreds or thousands of lives on their hands."
Vivi hesitated; even knowing what these Vice Admirals had done, she was still unwilling to go to war with the government.
Xiaqiu looked at Vivi and said, "My strength may not match that of a Vice Admiral. I just hope you can give me a chance—a chance for revenge. As for whether I live or die, that depends on myself. If I die, then Baroque Works will be entirely up to you."
"But infiltrating at the level of a Vice Admiral is quite difficult."
Vivi felt somewhat passive, yet she still thought of the key points.
With her intelligence capabilities, she could at most infiltrate certain grassroots levels and become a Sailor.
Xiaqiu said, "You just need to grasp the movements, such as the location of the Branch Base, what Large Mission they are executing, and which country they are heading to. Therefore, there is no need to get too close; just keep track of the main routes. After that, I will go to Attack on my own."
"That shouldn't be too difficult, especially given their location."
Vivi pondered for a moment and looked at Xiaqiu, saying, "But it might take some time."
"Thank you."
Xiaqiu replied to Vivi, "I will wait for your news."
"Mm."
Vivi stood up and said, "Then I will head back first."
"See you next time."
Xiaqiu gently said, watching Vivi turn and leave, feeling relieved.
Xiaqiu had two enhancement directions: Enhanced Energy and Haki.
Especially Haki was crucial; whether it was Observation Haki or Armament Haki, both could significantly increase her strength.
Observation Haki allowed her to detect opponents, while Armament Haki could enhance her attack and defense capabilities. Most importantly, it enabled her to strike against the Natural System.
In the Navy, Vice Admirals almost all possessed Haki.
Thus, Xiaqiu aimed to Hunt Vice Admirals, as they contained a vast amount of Enhanced Energy sufficient for her evolution.
However, the Vice Admiral's strength is too formidable, possessing Armament Haki. Even with reduced power underwater, he can easily kill anyone.
Thus, Xiaqiu has set his sights on two targets: Oni Spider and Barley Town.
Both are Devil Fruit Users, and as long as they are taken into the deep sea and attacked by his warship, they would find it difficult to resist.
Moreover, Oni Spider has demonstrated two types of Haki: Observation Haki and Armament Haki.
Xiaqiu plans to eliminate them but cannot pinpoint their whereabouts, so he needs a source of information. Now that the intelligence organization has been established, it can track their movements; he just needs to recruit Vivi.
Using Nico Robin as an excuse, he believes that the evil deeds committed by these two will tarnish Vivi's sense of justice. Thus, the only thing standing in his way is her fear of the Navy.
Next, considering the strength of his opponents, he knows he might not win, and after his death, Baroque Works would be handed over to Vivi, which could sway her decision.
His willingness to face death and the potential rewards make it unlikely for Vivi to refuse.
As long as he can find information on the two of them, he can ambush them in the deep sea.
Of course, obtaining this information will likely take some time; he needs to find the right opportunity.
...
After Vivi left, Xiaqiu called for Bola and said to her, "The close combat expert I asked you to find—what's his ranking now? Is it sixth?"
Bola nodded and replied, "That's right. His name is Elken; he's a Boxer."
Currently, Baroque Works still has an empty position for r, but all other Senior Agents and Intermediate Agents are in place.
R is Feng Kelei, r is Heckler, r4 is Cecilia, who possesses the Bird-Bird Fruit with Ostrich Form abilities and excels in kicking techniques using her legs in combat.
R5 is a user of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit; he is the character known as Nose-Picking Man from the original story. After being discovered by Baroque Works, he was invited to join and gladly accepted.
"Then you call r5 and prepare the fruit," Xiaqiu said, looking at Bola.
"What do you need?" Bola asked, recalling how Heckler had obtained his fruit in the past.
Xiaqiu replied, "His Devil Fruit is incredibly powerful, but he himself is quite weak. Without the abilities of the Devil Fruit, he might not even be able to defeat Billionaire. So I need to transfer the Devil Fruit."
r5 relied too heavily on his Devil Fruit abilities, leaving him pitifully weak and easily defeated.
Under Doflamingo's command, there was a Bomb-Bomb Fruit User who could explode anything he touched.
The Bomb-Bomb Fruit allowed parts of his body to explode, including boogers, exhaled gas, and kicks.
There was a difference between the two; each had its strengths.
The Bomb-Bomb Fruit User had a broader range, capable of exploding surrounding objects with tremendous force.
However, it required contact and favored long-range combat along with explosive damage.
As for the Bomb-Bomb Fruit itself, it was best used in close combat, where the body remained unharmed after an explosion. For example, delivering a kick that caused an explosion while leaving the leg intact.
If the Exploding Fruit were given to a close-combat expert who fought at close range, with every punch and kick accompanied by explosions and exhaled gas also exploding, then one plus one would be far greater than two.
Thus, Xiaqiu had been searching for r5 and a powerful close-combat expert. Now that r5 had joined Baroque Works, that Elken could reach sixth rank through his fighting skills, indicating he was quite strong.
Giving the Bomb-Bomb Fruit to Elken could elevate him to r4 status, making him even stronger than the original duo combined.
At that point, he could be included in Bola Von Kurei Haikura Cecilia's level of strength, giving Xiaqiu five formidable experts under his command.
"Then I'll go prepare," Bola said.
Bola nodded and then looked at Xiaqiu, asking, "Do you have any further instructions?"
Xiaqiu replied, "Next, continue to select agents with strong physical qualities, and also head to the black market to purchase Devil Fruits."
The goal was to create powerful Devil Fruit Users; the stronger the physical quality, the better the effects when combined with their abilities. The speed of using almost all abilities was crucial.
Not long ago, Xiaqiu obtained a Devil Fruit and tested its ability using Millionaire. It was the Bird-Bird Fruit, in the Ostrich Form, so they began searching for suitable candidates.
Baroque Works found a woman named Cecilia in the South Sea, who worked as a Bounty Hunter. She was invited to join Baroque Works and was given a fruit.
Before consuming it, she was no match for Elken, but after eating the fruit, she easily defeated R5; at least in terms of kicking techniques, she was not inferior to Feng Kelei.
So as long as there were suitable individuals, Xiaqiu could definitely cultivate powerful subordinates.
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