Investigation

Igaram had been a little troubled lately.

It wasn't that the investigation into Mr. 0's true identity had made no progress.

Igaram was used to that by now.

What troubled him was that Princess Vivi's safety seemed increasingly uncertain.

Sending His Majesty Cobra's only daughter undercover in Baroque Works and pinning the hopes of an entire nation on a fourteen-year-old girl—he had no idea which genius had come up with that plan.

Oh?

I was the one who suggested it?

Never mind, then...

But in Igaram's original plan, Princess Vivi was supposed to be mentored by Ma Qiao, a veteran member who had always kept a low profile and acted like a salted fish. Her undercover life should have been very safe, at least at first.

But who could have known that Ma Qiao, after being a salted fish for five whole years, would suddenly get his act together?

Not only had he called himself a negotiation expert in front of a crowd of Marines and Pirate Hunters and successfully resolved the hostage crisis, but he had also struck up a personal friendship with Lieutenant Nezumi, a Marine officer of unusual status.

What kind of place was Baroque Works?

It was a criminal organization operating under the banner of Pirate Hunters!

Though Igaram still didn't know what crimes this criminal organization had committed—

As a Pirate Hunter, did the occasional act of privateering against a merchant ship or hunting a rare animal even count as a crime on the Grand Line?

In any case, Igaram knew full well that members of a criminal organization absolutely could not have any ties to the Marines.

That was disloyal!

Igaram was deeply worried about it.

Sure enough, early this morning, two formidable figures had come to his office.

Igaram regarded the man and woman before him with apprehension.

A dark-skinned man in a long coat and sunglasses and a fair-skinned woman in a skimpy orange outfit, carrying a parasol, had arrogantly burst through the door.

They were senior officers of Baroque Works—Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.

Baroque Works really was a good employer that cared about its people. It not only provided room and board, but also assigned partners.

In Baroque Works, every mid-ranking and senior officer carried out missions in male-female pairs.

Except for Mr. 2 Bon Clay, who was an okama...

At the same time, Baroque Works had a strict internal hierarchy.

Every senior officer held the power of life and death over officers of the next rank down.

As such, Igaram, who was Mr. 8, and his partner, Miss Monday, were treading on thin ice before their superiors, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.

Mr. 5 was a Bomb-Bomb Fruit user, though he had taken an unconventional approach to developing his powers.

He picked his nose with his little finger and casually flicked the booger away, blowing half of Igaram's office to pieces.

Miss Valentine held up her parasol and used her Kilo-Kilo Fruit powers to float out of the explosion's aftermath. She complained to her partner in disgust, "You're getting less and less hygienic!"

"Sorry."

Mr. 5 rubbed his nose. "My nose was just itchy, that's all."

Igaram stood obediently to one side, not daring to show the slightest disrespect. "You've both come a long way, my lords. Would you like to attend a welcoming banquet first?"

Miss Valentine changed her weight and descended, covering her mouth with a hand as she chuckled. "No need. We're not interested in the entertainment you lay on for pirates."

Mr. 5 nodded as well and got straight to the point. "We're here to investigate the prison break at Whiskey Peak. This mass escape of bounty prisoners caused the organization huge financial losses. Lord Mr. 3 is furious and specifically ordered us to investigate."

"Mr. 3, Galdino?"

Miss Monday, the muscular dark-skinned woman who had barely made her presence known until now, frowned.

Wasn't Mr. 3 the schemer who had swapped the Wax-Wax Fruit that belonged to Teacher Ma Qiao for a Penguin-Penguin Fruit back then?

In the first half of the Grand Line, where Haki was scarce, Logia Devil Fruit users were almost synonymous with invincibility.

Although the Wax-Wax Fruit was a Paramecia fruit, judging by its actual effects, it was already very close to a Logia Devil Fruit like the Swamp-Swamp Fruit.

By trading a fruit that ranked dead last in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia for a Paramecia fruit with nearly top-tier abilities, Galdino had successfully risen through the ranks.

Teacher Ma Qiao had really gotten the short end of the stick!

"Hehehehe, that's the one."

Miss Valentine covered her mouth and chuckled again. "Lord Mr. 3 heard that one of your Millions here seems to have gotten involved with the Marines somehow. His name has even become well known at the Marine Branch...

"Lord Mr. 3 believes that this fellow was very likely responsible for the organization's huge loss in bounty money. He told us to be especially thorough when investigating the scene and the witnesses..."

"Investigate?"

Miss Monday's heart tightened when she heard that.

Galdino wants to use this opportunity to get rid of Teacher Ma Qiao, doesn't he?

After all these years, that guy still won't leave him alone!

By a criminal organization's logic, although Teacher Ma Qiao had successfully resolved the hostage crisis involving the Marines, he had indeed done so at the cost of releasing bounty prisoners and losing company property.

Strictly speaking, that did violate the relevant rules of Baroque Works.

At that thought, Miss Monday immediately began looking for an opportunity to tip off Teacher Ma Qiao and tell him that he absolutely must not sit back and submit to such an unfair investigation.

Just then, however, a "brru brru~" suddenly sounded from the four-dimensional pocket on Miss Valentine's chest.

"That must be Lord Mr. 3 calling to ask about our progress," Mr. 5 said gravely.

Miss Valentine nodded, pulled a miniature Den Den Mushi out of her cleavage, and held it to her ear.

Unlike Mr. 3's sinister, sleazy voice, a languid, mature-sounding woman's voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

Miss Valentine's pretty face instantly went deathly pale.

"Yes!"

"Understood!"

"I understand!"

Miss Valentine was trembling all over until she finally hung up.

"Um... my lords, shall we go to the Ring Finger Cell to investigate the scene now?"

Igaram asked, at a loss.

Someone of Mr. 3's stature was already beyond the reach of a man at his rank, and he had never heard the female voice that had faintly come from the Den Den Mushi before.

In fact, if Miss Valentine, as a Kilo-Kilo Fruit user, hadn't met the owner of that voice once during a special mission, she wouldn't have known who the woman was either.

And today, that mysterious woman had actually bypassed Mr. 3 and called Miss Valentine directly...

Miss Valentine trembled, feeling as though she had been swept up in some sort of major office political struggle.

"Miss Valentine?"

Mr. 5, the booger man, frowned. "What's wrong? We need to hurry. Lord Mr. 3 isn't a patient man."

"No, we're leaving! We have to get out of here! I'll explain things to Mr. 3."

With that, Miss Valentine, seemingly unwilling to stay a moment longer, grabbed her partner and used her Kilo-Kilo Fruit powers to float into the air without another word.

Using her parasol as a sail to steer, she slowly floated toward her ship, the Jumping Candy.

"Damn it, put me down! I'm afraid of heights!"

Mr. 5, held by the collar, had lost his usual composure. He flailed his arms and legs and shouted, "What the hell is going on? Who was that woman on the phone?"

Miss Valentine whispered a code name, and Mr. 5 immediately went rigid in midair.

"She's... Miss All Sunday..."