The Strong

At the edge of the island, a ship slowly approached the shore, and a figure leaped off the ship's side, his legs only slightly bent before he stood firm.

After he came down, another figure slowly walked down the steps. She was a tall woman wearing a round hat, a jacket and jeans, with two pistols at her waist.

"Mr.4, Miss Christmas, this way please."

On the shore, people were already waiting there. Upon seeing the man and woman, they rushed to greet them.

"Lead the way."

Mr4 nodded and, led by the other party, walked deeper into the island.

After passing through the dense forest, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a row of buildings. The two followed the servants into the buildings and into the backyard.

In the center of the backyard, a Giant Beast lay there, looking ferocious and terrifying.

He recalled the battle with the Giant Beast on Whiskey Peak eight months ago; he had simply shaken his head and was sent flying sideways, his arm powerless.

It took a long time for my arm injury to heal.

Mr. 4 is none other than Steel Fist Heckle, who was personally tested by Robin eight months ago and then sent flying by Xia Qiu's headbutt. After several missions, he has now become Mr. 4.

Heckle shifted his gaze from the Giant Beast to the side.

There stood a woman with long blue hair, a tall figure, and a somewhat indifferent gaze; it was Miss Doublefinger.

My former MR1 partner, now the new Vice President, I wonder what she wants from me?

"Missdoublefinger".

Heckle immediately bowed slightly in greeting.

Zala smiled and said, "Hello Mr. 4, I've called you here today because I need you to do something."

"Please give me your instructions," Heckle said immediately.

Zala said, "We are partnering with the Alabasta Kingdom to build a casino in the Rain Country, and I plan to have you and your partner go there at Mr. Christmas to oversee its operation."

Me?

Heckle said with some surprise and distress, "But I don't know how to run it."

"You don't need to worry about the management; professionals will accompany you." Zala looked at Heckle and said, "I only need you and Mr. Christmas to protect our interests and eliminate the troublesome enemies. I will promote you to MR3, and Mr. Christmas's title will remain unchanged; he will still be MR3's partner."

Heckle nodded and said, "I understand."

"I will carry out the mission well," Mr. Christmas said hurriedly, his expression somewhat excited.

"But you are not strong enough."

Zala said, "We are too weak to protect our interests under the control of the Kingdom's army and the Princess."

Heckle looked at Zala and said, "Then..."

"But Mr.0 has not forgotten you."

Zala smiled and said, "Walk to the side, pick up a fruit with unusual patterns, look at Heckle, and say, 'Eat it.'"

"This is?"

Heckle looked somewhat surprised and asked, "Is this Devil Fruit?"

Zala nodded and said, "This is the most suitable fruit for you. Mr. 0 found it especially for you. Eat it."

"Good."

Heckle immediately picked up the fruit, put it to his mouth, took a bite, chewed it, and swallowed it.

He wanted a second bite, but Zala said, "One bite is enough. Savor it carefully."

"Yes."

Heckle immediately put the fruit aside, waited carefully, and then his eyes slowly lit up.

Heckle bent his knees and leaped upwards.

Swoosh.

He leaped ten meters into the air, still having enough energy to glide through the sky instead of falling directly.

boom.

After gliding for a distance, his body suddenly plummeted, crashing heavily to the ground. Stones flew off, the ground caved in, and a large hole appeared.

"What immense power!"

Mr. Christmas looked somewhat surprised upon seeing this.

Zala said, "This is the Kilogram Fruit, which can change your body weight from ten kilograms to ten thousand kilograms. It should be perfect for you, right?"

"Perfectly suited."

Heckle clenched his fist and couldn't help but say, "This fruit can increase my strength several times over."

Mr. Christmas frowned and asked, "I remember there was a newly recruited Intermediate Agent with this ability, right? She could also freely change her body weight."

Zala shrugged and said, "Because she's too stupid, Mr. 0 thought it would be a waste to give her the fruit, so he stripped her of its Devil Fruit ability."

"Take away the Devil Fruit ability?"

Heckle was startled and somewhat shocked; Devil Fruit could actually be taken away.

Zala glanced at Heckle and said, "So you need to complete the mission well."

"I will complete the mission well."

Heckle immediately said, his respect for Mr. 0 growing even stronger. The fact that Mr. 0 had given him Devil Fruit was a tremendous favor. Yet, the fact that Mr. 0 also possessed the ability to steal Devil Fruit filled him with dread.

Zala stepped aside and looked at Heckle, saying, "Then let's test your strength."

Not far away, Xia Qiu slowly straightened up, looked at Heckle, and opened her mouth to reveal her fangs.

"I am not the same person I used to be."

Heckle glanced at the Giant Beast, then looked at Zala and asked, "Do you really want me to attack him? I'm afraid I'll kill him..."

Zala laughed and said, "Then you should give it a try."

"Good."

Upon hearing this, Heckle suddenly pushed off with both feet and leaped upwards.

In the instant he was lifted up, his body weight dropped to ten kilograms, and his figure shot straight into the sky, flying a full fifteen meters.

Seeing this, Xia Qiu slowly retreated, and after a short distance, suddenly rushed forward.

"Bring it on."

When Heckle saw Xia Qiu crashing into him, his body suddenly became 10,000 kilograms heavy, and he fell to the ground.

In the instant of his fall, he raised his right arm, his muscles bulging, and as he approached Xia Qiu, he unleashed a powerful strike with his right arm.

Xia Qiu also charged forward, raising the ram and ramming into Heckle.

boom.

The fist and the ram collided, and the two men suddenly stopped. The loud noise made their hearts stop, and then a wave of air rushed towards them.

With a weight of ten tons, the downward force of gravity, and his already formidable strength, his power has more than doubled compared to before.

As Xia Qiu rammed his horn, the scales slowly caved in, the muscles were compressed to the extreme, and cracks appeared on the scales.

But the injury suddenly stopped.

The next moment, Heckle's arm could no longer bear the weight and began to creak and groan.

"Not good."

Heckle quickly adjusted his body weight, rapidly reducing his weight.

search.

He was sent flying backward, crashing into the building behind him, smashing through the walls, then hitting the roof, before soaring into the air.

Then he slowly descended and landed on the ground. With a leap, he jumped into the house, his arms hanging down, already somewhat purple.

"So powerful."

Looking at the Giant Beast before him, Heckle was horrified. Despite his increased strength, he was still no match for it. If he hadn't changed his weight in time, his arm would have been ruined.

Heckle opened his mouth, then said in frustration, "I... I'm no match for him."

"That's already pretty good."

Zala didn't say much, but looked at Heckle and said, "You've just mastered the Devil Fruit, train hard and don't let Mr. 0 down."

Heckle quickly replied, "I will definitely train hard."

"Very good."

Zala looked at Miss Christmas, who had an expectant expression on her face.

Zala walked to the side, took out a box, handed it to her, and said, "This is for you."

"Thanks."

Mr. Christmas received the box, opened it with anticipation, and inside was a silver spear.

Zala said, "Unable to find a suitable Devil Fruit ability, Mr. 0 bought this gun for four million Belly. It has very high power and accuracy, and is also equipped with special tungsten bullets."

"Very beautiful."

Mr. Christmas stroked the gun, a satisfied look on his face, and quickly said, "Thank you, President and Vice President."

Zala nodded, then said, "Once you arrive in Alabasta, remember that we are cooperating. Try to avoid conflicts with the people sent by the Alabasta Kingdom, but if conflicts do arise, don't embarrass us. Be careful to maintain the proper balance."

"Yes."

Heckle and Mr. Christmas quickly responded.

Zala clapped her hands, and the people who had greeted them earlier appeared inside the door. Zala said, "Go, follow my men to Alabasta, where our people are already waiting."

"Please, both of you."

Heckle and Mr. Christmas immediately followed the follower away.

Once they were all out of sight, Zala immediately looked at the Giant Beast and respectfully asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Well enough."

Xia Qiu felt the power Heckle had just exerted, which was similar to the power of the Commodore he had encountered outside Alabasta. That Commodore had shattered his scales and muscles, and almost injured his bones.

However, after he devoured the Commodore and the colonel, his defense increased again. In addition, since Heckle's fist did not contain any sharp meteorite fragments, and his scales were extremely resilient, his force was neutralized by his muscles and body, thus only causing a slight crack in his scales.

Of course, although he and the Commodore were of similar strength, the Commodore did not have such a long preparation time, and the speed at which he concentrated his strength was about the same as the speed at which Heckle bulged his muscles.

If Heckle were to throw a punch directly, the power would be enormous, but it wouldn't reach the power of the blow he just delivered.

Secondly, the Commodore Geppo and Shave, requiring high speed and maneuverability.

If one knows the other Six Powers, their strength will increase even further.

Therefore, his strength is not yet comparable to that of the Commodore. If the two were to fight, the opponent would be too fast, and he wouldn't even be able to withstand many moves.

However, Heckle has only just obtained the Devil Fruit, Devil Fruit ability have not yet been fully developed.

In terms of Devil Fruit ability, Heckle might be able to change to a greater weight in the future, not just ten kilograms to ten thousand kilograms.

Secondly, there's speed. The Kilogram Fruit's ability is to make the body lighter without changing its structure. After becoming lighter, Miss Valentine can fly using just an umbrella.

Heckle's own strength allows him to reduce weight and decrease gravity, thus increasing his speed.

He has extensive combat experience, and after obtaining the Devil Fruit ability and honing his skills for a period of time, becoming a junior Commodore general would not be a problem.

If one can continue to make breakthroughs, the results can also be improved, and the future is limitless.

Moreover, he has a tenacious character, and according to intelligence, he trains every day to improve himself and is very responsible.

He revered the strong and aspired to become stronger.

This is the kind of person I need.

Therefore, Xia Qiu prepared dozens of kinds of fruits, killed the original owner of the Kilogram Fruit who had just joined Baroque Works, and transferred the Devil Fruit.

The original Miss Valentine was too weak; it lacked power and could only fly up, become heavy, and land to attack enemies.

It would be better to give the opportunity to someone more valuable, and Heckle is a qualified candidate.

Heckle's partner, Miss Christmas, is also quite good.

Her marksmanship was excellent, and her firing speed was very fast, far surpassing that of the two gunmen he had previously taken down.

Unable to find suitable fruit for her, Xia Qiu could only have someone buy guns and bullets to improve her combat capabilities through equipment.

But that's not enough; at least she's not good enough for Mr. 3's partner.

But if she can demonstrate value and is worth nurturing, then I will consider helping her enhance her abilities.

In this way, the strength of one's subordinates is basically determined.

Mr. 2 Bon Clay, Zala, Heckle are the three strongest under his command. As things stand, their strength is already quite considerable and sufficient to handle many situations.

But that's not enough; I still need a decisive, powerful figure to make the final decision.

The positions of Mr.1 and his partner are still vacant. Mr.1 is reserved for someone who is strong enough.

However, Xia Qiu couldn't find a replacement; the other members of Baroque Works weren't even as strong as the three of them, including Mr. 2 Bon Clay.

Training is too difficult, so how about recruiting candidates?

He knew that there were a few capable individuals in Alabasta, but none of them reached the level of Mr. 2 Bon Clay, and none of them would ever join Baroque Works.

There are many powerful forces behind Alabasta, but they are unlikely to join them.

Moreover, even if he directly sought out stronger individuals, he might not be able to fully control them. Mr. 2 Bon Clay, Zala, and Heckle were already the limit of his control.

It seems we can only search slowly and see if there are any people worth training.

"Although Mr. 3 obtained the fruit, I don't think he can defeat Vivi."

Zala sighed and said, "Besides you, sir, no one in the entire Baroque Works can rival Vivi's strength."

I can't do it either!

Xia Qiu was annoyed; if they weren't on the water, he wouldn't be able to defeat her.

But it's not good to kill her; she's key to the cooperation, has a prestigious status, and is now in charge of controlling the casino.

The casino is of great value, even greater than the treasure collected by Whiskey Peak bounty hunters from killing pirates. Especially after the Alabasta Kingdom intervened, Xia Qiu hopes that the new casino will be even larger than the Crocodile originally operated, and will serve as the main source of funding for Baroque Works in the future.

With cooperation in place, the two sides will not have any conflict for the time being, so they can only ignore it.

However, Vivi seems to have been a member of Baroque Works, right?

Can't we think of a solution...?

Even if she can't join, I want her to be involved in my plan.

This chapter contains four thousand words.