Cooperation

"Fortunately, we didn't contact the Navy. Robin has disappeared, and the Vice President of Baroque Works has been replaced by Mr. 1."

In Whiskey Peak Town, in one of the rooms, Vivi looked at Igaram and spoke.

You're right.

Igaram said, "After only a few days of searching, Robin was no longer the Vice President of Baroque Works and disappeared. If the Navy had been contacted at the time, they might not have been able to catch Robin, and even if they had, they could have replaced her quickly."

Vivi stood by the window, looking outside, and said softly, "Then what we need to do next is continue to lie low and find information about the president of Baroque Works."

Igaram nodded and said, "It's time to start. I'll reveal my strength and then try to become a Intermediate Agent."

"I'm still lacking."

Vivi looked at Igaram with a troubled expression and said, "Igaram, I can only ask you for help."

"Leave it to me."

Igaram said firmly, "Protecting the Princess is my duty."

"There are no Princess here," Vivi said with a shake of her head and a smile.

Clang, clang, clang.

But just then, the bell rang, Vivi immediately said, "This is the summoning bell; we need to assemble."

"Let's go then."

Igaram and Vivi left the room and went downstairs, where many bounty hunters had already gathered.

"It's Mr. 1."

Vivi was somewhat surprised when she saw the figure in the distance.

"Isn't that Robin's Giant Beast? Why is it here?"

Igaram, seeing the massive figure not far from Zala, asked with some surprise, "What brings her here?"

At this moment, the Giant Beast shook its head repeatedly and finally walked towards this side.

The people around them kept backing away, but Zala shouted, "Don't move!"

Upon hearing this, the bounty hunters immediately stopped in their tracks.

The Giant Beast slowly approached and finally stopped in front of Vivi, nodding its head.

Then he looked at Igaram and nodded.

"What is it doing?" Vivi was stunned, not knowing what the Giant Beast was doing.

"Come out."

Upon seeing the Giant Beast's form, Zala immediately approached Vivi and Igaram and said, "You two, come with me."

"Um?"

Vivi's expression changed, and she subconsciously looked at Igaram, who also looked grim.

What's going on?

Why did that Giant Beast nod in front of us, and why did Zala ask us and Vivi to leave with her?

Why did they choose me and Vivi by such a coincidence?

Have they discovered our identities? Or are they going to let the Giant Beast devour us?

Igaram stepped forward calmly and asked, "Miss Doublefinger, what brings you two here?"

Zala said with a smile, "I need you to come with me to a place."

"Go somewhere?"

Igaram's face darkened, a bad feeling creeping over him. He asked, "Where do you think we're going, sir?"

Zala shrugged and said, "You'll see when we get there."

"Then why were we chosen?" Igaram asked nervously.

"You'll find out when you come with me."

Zala looked at the two of them, her face grim, and said, "Come with me, and you'll live. But if you stay here, I'll kill you right now."

As she spoke, Zala slowly extended a sharp spike from her right hand and looked at the two of them.

"Miss Doublefinger, we..."

Igaram believed he couldn't leave with her, or he might not be able to escape. He observed the positions of the people around him, considering whether he could launch an attack to cover Vivi's escape.

"We'll go with you."

Vivi suddenly said, pulling Igaram back and whispering, "With Giant Beast around, we shouldn't act rashly."

"Not as sensible as a little girl. Let's go then."

Zala turned to leave, her waist twisting unconsciously twice. Suddenly remembering that Mr. 0 was behind her, she coughed and corrected her posture.

The two hesitated for a moment, glanced at the Giant Beast, and followed Zala to the side of the submarine. They entered the submarine from above, went into a compartment, and then the submarine slowly moved forward.

"Is this a submarine?"

Vivi looked out the window at the tranquil ocean.

She had heard of submarines, but had never ridden one.

Be careful.

Igaram looked at Zala not far away, his expression wary.

Vivi waved her hand and said, "Don't worry, I don't think she intends to kill us."

If you want to kill him, you can do so at Whiskey Peak.

"A very smart little girl."

Zala looked at Vivi and said, "As expected of a Princess of a nation."

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Vivi was stunned for a moment, then her expression changed drastically. She looked at Zala and asked, "What are you talking about? What Princess of a country?"

Zala sighed and said, "Still hiding it? Your name is Nefertari Vivi, the Princess of Alabasta. His name is Igaram, the captain of the Alabasta Kingdom Guard. He infiltrated Baroque Works because he believes Baroque Works is related to the kingdom's year-long drought and hopes to find Mr. 0. Am I right?"

"How... how did you know?"

Igaram and Vivi stood there, speechless with surprise, wondering how she knew so much detail.

"Igaram, have you told anyone? The members of the Kingdom Guard? My father?" Vivi looked at Igaram. She was certain that she hadn't betrayed him, so it could only be that he had told others, and then it spread.

"I didn't tell anyone. I just told Juan I was going to be away for a while."

Igaram asked with a grim expression, "Vivi, what about you? Have you told anyone?"

"No," Vivi shook her head and said, "Nobody knows about this."

Igaram looked at Zala, gritting his teeth as he asked, "How did you know?"

"How you know is none of your concern."

Zala was also surprised, wondering how Mr. 0 knew such precise information about the two of them. Could there be another force involved?

Given its enormous size, it is impossible for it to enter human society to investigate, so it must be in the possession of another intelligence force.

Or perhaps there is an intelligence force above it.

Zala felt a growing sense of awe towards Mr0. Originally, due to his increasing power and understanding of him, he had some ulterior motives. Not to mention rebellion, he wondered if he could use it to gain some power for himself.

But now Zala didn't dare to think too much about it. Instead, she said, "I've come to you this time because I want to cooperate with you on something."

"Cooperation? What kind of cooperation?"

Igaram asked, frowning.

"This cooperation..."

Zala took out a pipe, put it to her lips, and was about to light it with a match when she looked around. Reluctantly, she put the pipe down and said, "Let's first talk about our conditions."

Zala looked at the two of them and said softly, "You must be very curious about what the drought in Alabasta has to do with Baroque Works, right?"

Vivi snorted and said, "Don't you dare say it has nothing to do with you."

"We did it."

Zala said directly, amidst their surprised looks, "This year's drought was all our doing."

"Why did you do this?" Igaram looked at Zala with a fierce gaze.

"That's not important."

Zala laughed and said, "The question is, do you want us not to do this?"

Vivi stared at Zala and asked coldly, "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything."

Zala waved her hand and said, "Because we've stopped. Just three days ago, it rained in Canal City."

"What?"

Vivi stood up abruptly and asked excitedly, "It's raining in Alabasta?"

Zala laughed and said, "That's right, and we won't do such things again in the future. So, I guess the rebel army led by Koza will disperse soon, right?"

"You even know about Koza?"

Vivi was even more surprised, and then asked, "But why did you do this?"

"Release a goodwill."

Zala said, "Baroque Works wants to cooperate with the Alabasta Kingdom on something."

"As expected, he has something in mind."

Igaram said, "Will you let Alabasta dry up again if we don't cooperate?"

"That's possible."

Zala shrugged and then said, "But I can say that this cooperation is not only beneficial to us, but also to you."

Vivi quickly asked, "How do you want to cooperate?"

Zala said, "It's simple, you should know Crocodile, right?"

Vivi nodded and said, "Of course I know. What does it have to do with him being killed by Robin and the Giant Beast?"

Zala laughed and said, "Crocodile is dead, and there's no one to protect Alabasta, especially in the Rain Country, where riots have already broken out. And because the Rain Dinners are gone, some gamblers have started causing trouble, while others have gone into smaller casinos. But the number of smaller casinos is increasing, leading to chaos in the Rain Dinners."

At this point, Zala looked at the two and said, "We hope to cooperate with the Alabasta Kingdom to build a casino in the city of Rain Country. We'll split the profits 50/50. You provide the land, build the casino, and send soldiers to maintain order, while we provide strong warriors to guard the venue and will send people to eliminate troublesome pirates in Canal City, guaranteeing that we will never take action in Alabasta. What do you think?"

"This..."

Upon hearing this, Igaram and Vivi fell silent, surprised that she had made such a request.

Zala laughed and said, "We're just asking for half of Crocodile's original profits, and in addition, we want to complete what Crocodile did before."

After a pause, Zala continued, "On the contrary, you can gain some benefits by improving public order, plus our Baroque Works guarantees not to carry out any missions in Alabasta. How about that?"

"But you are..." Vivi felt that cooperating with an assassin organization was somewhat inappropriate.

"That's not important."

Zala said, "The important thing is that you have accomplished the purpose of your infiltration mission. Alabasta has seen renewed rainfall, the rebellion has disappeared, the people are living in peace and prosperity, and you have gained a source of revenue. Why not?"

Igaram said, "We can't decide that."

"I know."

Zala said, "But your opinions are invaluable, so I would like to get your consent first. Then I will go with you to Alabasta to see your father, but I will need your support."

Vivi took a deep breath and said, "I'm willing to persuade my king if it can bring rain."

The drought was causing too much damage, and that's why she risked her life to infiltrate Baroque Works in order to solve it.

Now there is an opportunity, and cooperation is not without its benefits for Alabasta.

Crocodile's death has indeed caused considerable trouble. Many factions have emerged in the Rain Country, Rain Country the Alabasta army is very small, resulting in chaos.

Zala looked at Igaram and asked, "And what about you?"

Igaram said, "I'd also like to persuade Cobra, but he might not..."

"It's enough that you're willing to support me."

Zala laughed and said, "Even if Cobra doesn't agree, he will let you two go. From now on, you can live peacefully as Princess and captains of the guard, and don't come to Baroque Works again."

Hearing this, Vivi felt a little embarrassed, and then said, "I will."

"I'll need your help finding something later."

Zala suddenly realized something and said, "That thing can't fall into other people's hands."

Three days later, Zala returned from Alabasta and walked deeper into the forest.

The depths of the island have changed. There is a row of white buildings, only two stories high, but very spacious.

Zala entered the building and walked straight inside. She arrived at the back of the building, where the backyard was extremely spacious and surrounded by walls, with an opening leading to one side. A Giant Beast was lying in the center of the yard.

"Mr. 0, I'm back." Zala walked up to the Giant Beast and bowed her head respectfully.

Xia Qiu looked at her and asked, "How's the casino thing going? Did Cobra agree?"

Zala laughed and said, "At first, he righteously declared that he would never cooperate with our assassin organization and even said he would report us to the World Government to arrest us. But when I told him that he would go to Alabasta, attack all the ships, land in the Canal City, and attack the city, Cobra agreed to our request."

"Hmph, he's smart to know his place."

Xia Qiu shook his head, naturally not completely believing Zala's words, but as long as they could cooperate to build a casino, that would be enough.

Remembering something, Xia Qiu looked at Zala's hand and asked, "Didn't you find the Devil Fruit?"

Xia Qiu also assigned Zala a task: to find Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit.

After he dies, the Sand-Sand Fruit will transfer to nearby fruits, possibly the original type of fruit.

If it hasn't been eaten, it's very likely to be in Alabasta.

Most people don't recognize Devil Fruit, and seeing how the fruit looks, few dare to put it directly into their mouths.

But Zala came up empty-handed, clearly having failed to find it.

Hearing this, Zala hesitated for a moment before saying, "You asked me to use the power of the Alabasta Kingdom to search for Devil Fruit throughout the country. We found them, but..."

Xia Qiu asked unhappily, "But what?"

Zala said somewhat nervously, "But before the fruit could be delivered to us, it was stolen and eaten."

"What are you doing? How could you let someone steal your Devil Fruit? Who is it?" Xia Qiu asked angrily.

Zala said softly, "It is Vivi, the Princess of the Alabasta Kingdom."

"It's her?"

Xia Qiu was puzzled and asked, "How could she have eaten Devil Fruit?"

Zala said, "Cobra and the others knew it was Devil Fruit and hesitated. A guard captain named Juan disagreed with handing Devil Fruit over to us, saying that the kingdom's army found it in Alabasta, and neither the location nor the discoverer was us, so we had no obligation to give it to us. As you instructed, I said I could pay 200 million Belly as a reward, and made it clear that this was a prerequisite for cooperation. Cobra was about to hand over the Devil Fruit to us when Vivi snatched it away. I tried to take it back, but Juan blocked me. I knocked Juan down and rushed at her, but she bit directly into the Devil Fruit. I knocked down another guard who was blocking me and attacked her in front of her, but she turned into sand, so my attacks had no effect and I was even restrained by her."

"Wait a minute, Vivi said she wanted to pay some compensation, and you also said you would give them 200 million Belly. Why did Vivi steal the Devil Fruit? A Devil Fruit is worth 100 million Belly on the black market," Xia Qiu asked, puzzled.

Zala said with a strange expression, "She said that a Devil Fruit is worth 100 million, but you bought it for 200 million and actively sought it out, so this Devil Fruit must be extraordinary. It can't possibly increase our strength, so she stole the Devil Fruit. She even asked me, since we are going to cooperate, we shouldn't turn against each other over something like this, right? So why don't we show our sincerity and give her the fruit?"

"So that's how it is."

Xia Qiu sighed. Vivi was too smart. She realized that the threat of Baroque Works to Alabasta had decreased. At least after the rebels disbanded, it was practically impossible to make Baroque Works dry up again.

Baroque Works needs cooperation again, and is willing to give up some interests to obtain the possibility of cooperation. They value the casino more than the Devil Fruit, and will not turn against it for this matter.

Moreover, she harbored resentment towards Baroque Works, so by accepting the reward, she expressed her stance and tested the waters.

Judge the strength of Baroque Works based on Zala's reaction.

Xia Qiu sighed and said, "So how did you handle it?"

Zala looked at Xia Qiu and said, "I asked them if they wanted to start a war with Baroque Works, and Igaram questioned me about how I injured so many people and tried to attack the Princess. I was at a standoff with them for a while. The two guards weren't seriously injured. Cobra wanted to settle, but I disagreed. Cobra said he could pay 200 million as compensation, or reduce the profit share to 4.5%, giving us 5.5%. Seeing that things were settled, I chose to increase the profit share."

"5.5?"

Xia Qiu sighed, "That Devil Fruit is worth at least 20% profit."

The Sand-Sand Fruit very powerful. Although it has its flaws, if developed well, it can be incredibly powerful.

Xia Qiu originally planned that if he found that Devil Fruit, he would give it to Sabo when he sought help from the Revolutionary Army, and let Sabo eat it. Sabo's physical skills were so strong that in two or three years, he would be able to crush Vice Admiral's mask with his bare hands and kill Vice Admiral.

With the Sand-Sand Fruit, he's at least at the level of Admiral Candidate.

With Sabo's help, the chances of completing his plan would be even greater.

But it was eaten by Vivi, which was incredibly unlucky.

Zala immediately replied, "Your subordinate is incompetent and is willing to accept punishment."

"Never mind, never mind."

Xia Qiu said nonchalantly, "It's just a Devil Fruit. I can kill Crocodile if he has this fruit, and I can kill Vivi if she has this fruit."

No way, I can't beat her at all except in the water.

"Thank you, sir."

Zala sighed, then looked at Xia Qiu and asked, "Then who should we send to run the casino? Vivi needs to be in charge of the casino herself."

"Her? Why would she get involved in casino business?" Xia Qiu asked, puzzled.

Zala said, "She said she used to be a member of the Baroque Works and knew our organization better, so we had to be careful and never let our guard down. After she gained the ability, she decided to take charge herself and prevent us from doing other things."

"This girl..."

Xia Qiu didn't know what to say, so she stomped her foot angrily.

Zala asked cautiously, "Then who should we send to run the casino?"

"I had already chosen someone."

Xia Qiu snorted and then said, "But Vivi, who ate the Sand-Sand Fruit, is in charge of contacting us, so his strength is a bit insufficient to intimidate them. Therefore, I need you to find two people and prepare some things."

This chapter is 5,000 words long and took a long time to write, so it's being published a bit late.