The Operation Begins

boom.

In the open space on the island, Mr. 5 Alken threw a punch at Cecilia in front of him. Cecilia pushed off with her feet and suddenly rushed out, instantly dodging the opponent's attack.

But the next moment, Alken's fist exploded, a ball of fire appeared, and the Shockwave and flames swept towards Cecilia.

not good.

Cecilia quickly dodged, taking another step to avoid the explosion, but as soon as her front foot landed and before her back foot could retract, Alken turned his head slightly and exhaled.

Breeze Breath Bomb!

boom.

Gas shot out with a deafening roar, Shockwave spread, and flames swept away.

"Damn it."

Cecilia didn't have time to retract her hind legs. Suddenly, her feet transformed into ostrich feet, with her front legs slightly bent. Then, with a spring, her body appeared on the other side.

"So fast."

Alken was startled and quickly exhaled in that direction.

But Cecilia tapped her two ostrich legs, transforming into a blur, instantly disappearing from the explosion, and appearing behind Alken in a flash.

"I've found you."

Alken dodged to the side, then turned around and threw a punch.

A punch was thrown, an explosion occurred, but the direction the fist pointed to was empty; Cecilia had vanished.

As Alken's force approached, Cecilia appeared in mid-air to Alken side, slapping an ostrich leg towards Alken's head.

"So fast."

Before Alken could respond, he suddenly controlled his hair to explode. All the hair on the side of his head burst open, and the Shockwave and flames engulfed Cecilia's right leg.

Bang.

The next moment, Alken was sent flying and landed on the ground, his head spinning.

Cecilia landed slowly, her right calf exposed by the blasted gaiter, the gaiter covered in blood.

Cecilia landed, her undamaged left leg lightly touching the ground, and her body vanished, reappearing beside Alken, where she stomped down hard with her injured right foot.

"That's fine."

A voice rang out, and Cecilia stopped abruptly, looking into the distance where Zala stood with her arms crossed.

"You can't kill him," Zala said coldly.

"What a pity."

Cecilia shrugged, deactivated her Devil Fruit, slowly retracted one of her long, white legs, and stood barefoot on the ground, saying, "So, what about my next ranking?"

Zala snorted and said, "He can't beat you. You're still Mr. 4."

"So I got nothing and got hurt instead?" Cecilia asked, somewhat dissatisfied.

Zala said, "You can go and challenge MR3."

"All right."

Cecilia stretched and said, "May I leave now?"

Zala nodded, and Cecilia limped away, boarded her own ship, and left.

After she left, it took Alken a while to get up. He was still a little dizzy, but he said, "I'm sorry, Vice President, I lost the match."

Zala waved her hand and said, "You just got Devil Fruit, so this performance is not bad. Go back and continue to hone your skills and improve yourself. Don't let Mr. 0 down."

"I will."

Alken stood up, stumbled away, and disappeared into the distance.

Zala walked to the side, looked at the closed-eyed Giant Beast, and softly asked, "He didn't defeat Cecilia, what's your opinion?"

"It's understandable that the fruit didn't perform well right after it was first obtained."

Xia Qiu opened his eyes, looked in the direction Alken had left, and said, "Tell him in a while that explosions can be used not only for attack, but also for assistance."

The difference between Alken and Cecilia is speed. The latter is already skilled in kicking and is very fast. After obtaining the ostrich form, her legs are powerful and she is even faster.

Alken used to work at a fighting gym and participated in boxing matches in a small town, where he won a championship. However, his dodging and physical agility were lacking, making him no match for his opponent, let alone considering his Devil Fruit.

Even though Alken could keep Cecilia at bay with his Bomb-Bomb Fruit, he was helpless if she wanted to run away.

However, if you can make good use of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, such as exploding your feet to propel yourself forward, accelerate, and leap, or exploding your buttocks to provide thrust, or exploding on one side of your body to change position, you can achieve this.

This would give him extremely high speed and great mobility, allowing him to keep up with Cecilia's speed. Combined with his powerful attacks, the opponent would be helpless.

Even if you want to run, you might not be able to escape.

Therefore, Alken has great potential, at least the potential of MR3.

"I will do as you instruct."

Zala spoke first, then thought for a moment and added, "The matter you mentioned last time, Vivi has scheduled for three days from now."

Xia Qiu nodded and said, "Then let's make preparations and set off in three days."

"Yes."

Zala answered immediately.

Three days later, Zala boarded the submarine, which started up, with Xia Qiu accompanying her, and they headed to Alabasta.

After navigating the surrounding seas, the submarine slowly surfaced on the eastern side of the Alabasta desert. Zala emerged from the submarine and came ashore.

"This is the Eternal Pose to the G4 Branch."

There was a middle-aged man waiting there. He handed Zala a Eternal Pose, then took out Den Den Mushi and said, "Intelligence personnel will contact you proactively to provide specific information, but at most three times."

"Thank you for your help."

Zala nodded, put away the Eternal Pose and the Den Den Mushi, entered the submarine, and headed off into the distance.

Xia Qiu quickly followed, intending to head to the G4 Branch under Zala's guidance.

After three months of planning, Vivi used official and intelligence channels to investigate a lot of information about Doma and Lieutenant Vice Admiral Onigumo, including their location.

The former was stationed at headquarters, while the latter was the base leader of the G4 Branch.

Branch G has eight bases (the anime is an original work up to eight, otherwise it's five), all Vice Admiral a vice admiral, and is directly under the jurisdiction of the Marine Headquarters, with the officers holding the same rank as those in the headquarters.

The G-1 Branch was located at the entrance to the New World, but after the major event, due to the relocation of Marineford, the Marine Headquarters Marine Headquarters moved to G1 at the entrance to the New World, and Vice Admiral Momonga became the base's head.

G5 Branch, with Vergo as its leader, Smoker heading to the New World.

The G3 Branch has existed before, or may be located in the New World.

Ace G2 Branch, once visited the Paradise while searching for Blackbeard.

G8 is an original animation and is located in the Paradise.

(One, three, and five are in the New World, while two and eight are in Paradise. Therefore, as an extension, odd numbers are in the New World, and even numbers are in Paradise.)

According to Vivi's investigation, Doma is Vice Admiral stationed at headquarters, while Onigumo is the head of the G4 Branch.

(Note: The positions of G Branch base chief and Headquarters Vice Admiral are not contradictory. For example, Vice Admiral Garp, the head of G2 branch, went to Marine Headquarters Summit War and was also one of the sixteen Vice Admiral at headquarters.)

One was at headquarters, and the other was at a branch. The location of headquarters was clear, but there was a strange current in front of headquarters, and with so many Vice Admiral, they could only attack a few.

Therefore, Xia Qiu chose to serve as the base leader of the G4 Branch, Onigumo.

Onigumo's G4 Branch is located in the first half of the Grand Line, between the second and third routes to the left of Enies Lobby.

This was easy to find, but the problem was that the location couldn't be found. The G4 Branch wasn't on the flight path, so it couldn't be reached using a regular Log Pose. Therefore, Eternal Pose had to be created.

So Vivi spent three months sending her subordinates to the G4 Branch to become ordinary sailors, currently ranked as privates, but not on the Onigumo battleship.

He spent a month creating Eternal Pose, which he then handed over to Vivi, and finally to Zala.

Moreover, the spy also had to report specific information, such as when the Marine Vice Admiral would leave by ship.

With the Eternal Pose, they could then travel to the G4 Branch.

Zala piloted the submarine toward the G4 Branch, with Xia Qiu close behind.

The submarine was slow and had to avoid dangerous areas, so it took two days to reach the G Branch base.

"That's it."

Xia Qiu looked at the huge branch base, especially the area facing the port, where there was a huge building with "g-4" written on it.

In the harbor of the branch base, several naval warships were moored, two of which were particularly large.

It is over 80 meters long, approaching 100 meters.

Top-tier warships.

It is usually the standard warship for Vice Admiral, but Rear Admiral can also use it.

For example, the Buster Call would dispatch ten top-tier warships, with a Vice Admiral commanding two ships and a Rear Admiral in charge of the other.

Both top-tier warships bear the G5 designation, but it's impossible to tell Marine Vice Admiral them, or whether the person on board is indeed Marine Vice Admiral.

Therefore, espionage communications were needed, so they were given a Den Den Mushi), and the other party would find an opportunity to use the Den Den Mushi to notify them.

When the Vice Admiral sets out, Xia Qiu will follow the warship to assess the distance and launch an attack when the enemy is on its return journey and is far from the surrounding islands.

Because apart from the Giant Vice Admiral, the other Vice Admiral should all know the Six Powers Six Powers, or at least master a few of the more useful ones.

If he can use Geppo, it would be a huge loss if he tried to leave in the air and escape to the nearest island.

Therefore, a suitable time must be found in Xia Qiu.

But there are only three chances, and hopefully we can get a suitable opportunity to attack within those three chances.

Xia Qiu glanced at the branch base, withdrew his body, and dived into the ocean. He then sensed the surrounding magnetic field and discovered several weak magnetic forces.

Xia Qiu made several trips to several magnetic points and found a small island about six nautical miles from the G4 Branch base. The island had dense forests and towering mountains, and was deserted.

Xia Qiu then returned to the vicinity of the submarine, tapped on the front window with her claws, and swam away into the distance.

Zala immediately ordered her men to take over the submarine and follow them to a nearby island, where they boarded from the back.

The submarine then slowly surfaced, and Zala and his men came ashore one after another, including five of the Hundred Million Elder.

Four of them will observe the area around the island to see if any navy is approaching, including those returning to port and those setting sail.

Once the navy is detected, the submarine is ordered to sink and evade detection.

This will serve as our temporary base camp; we'll wait here.

Zala would receive the information here, then relay it to herself, and then set off again.

"So, Mr. 0, is there Vice Admiral in charge of the G Branch, and are you sure you want to attack them?"

Arriving at a secluded spot, Zala asked softly.

Xia Qiu nodded and said, "That's right, I have to do this."

Zala sighed and said, "But it's too dangerous, what if..."

"There's no 'what if'."

Xia Qiu said, "If the attack fails, I will escape as soon as possible."

Zala nodded, looked at Xia Qiu, and said with a flicker in her eyes, "I'm afraid you'll get hurt. Facing Vice Admiral, you might not be able to..."

"Yeah?"

Xia Qiu looked at Zala and said, "You think I'm no match for Vice Admiral?"

Zala said worriedly, "After all, the Vice Admiral is very powerful, and you have only ever killed Commodore before."

"I will become stronger."

Xia Qiu said softly, "Of course, if I die, then Baroque Works will be handed over to Vivi."

"Vivi?"

Upon hearing the name, Zala paused, then asked, "Why give it to Vivi?"

Xia Qiu snorted and said, "So you don't care about my life or death, but you care about Baroque Works?"

No, it's not.

Zala quickly said cautiously, "Of course I don't think you'll die, but I don't understand why you're being handed over to Vivi?"

Xia Qiu sneered and said, "Who else could it be but her? Alken and Cecilia are good at fighting, but lack strategy. Heckle has been running the casino for a year and three months, but he's just a competent manager, lacking a strategic vision, not even as good as Vivi. Mr. 2 Bon Clay is impulsive and has no talent for being the president. As for you..."

Zala immediately perked up her ears.

Xia Qiu asked coldly, "Are you sure you can run a gang well? Are you sure your strength can intimidate others?"

"I..."

Zala thought about it and realized that she really wasn't cut out for it, but it was impossible for her not to have ambitions for Baroque Works, so she said, "If we give it to Vivi, what's the difference between Baroque Works and its demise?"

"Won't."

Xia Qiu said, "With the support of the Alabasta Kingdom, Baroque Works will only develop better, become richer, and stronger."

Zala said worriedly, "But she won't allow an assassin organization to exist. She'll definitely abandon some people, and then..."

If Baroque Works is taken away, what will become of me?

Xia Qiu said, "Then you should pray that I don't die."

Xia Qiu lay down and closed her eyes. These were eyelids inherited from dinosaurs, which allowed her to close her eyes.

"Then, President, I'll go check out the situation up ahead."

"Zala said, turning and leaving. Once she was a distance away, she sighed. It seemed that the plan, which she was never sure she should do, was now off the table."

As Zala and Xia Qiu spent more time together, she felt that Baroque Works couldn't be controlled by a Giant Beast, and that it needed her to control Baroque Works. So she could simply create a fake president, just like Robin.

The only exception is the president's strength. As the president and Heckle fought, it became clear that although the president was powerful, Heckle was not without fighting ability.

So how do we kill the president?

Zala had come up with an idea: he could contact Heckle, Mr. 5, and Mr. 4, and as long as they prevented him from going to land, he would be very confident of defeating the president.

Convincing them isn't difficult; you can simply say that the Giant Beast ate members of Baroque Works and ask them to help kill it.

Or his identity would be exposed. Most people would find it unacceptable that he is Giant Beast, and he has also killed his subordinates who possessed Devil Fruit abilities and transferred those Devil Fruit ability.

This act of ignoring the sacrifices made by subordinates and killing them outright will definitely make them wary.

Either way is fine: kill it and establish a new Baroque Works.

This idea is quite risky, and Zala has been hesitant to act on it.

Until recently, when we learned that he was planning to attack the Vice Admiral, what if we did something to get the navy to kill him?

Notify the Navy's G4 Branch of the attack, tell them about it, and use them as bait to kill the president.

Even if we can't kill him and he escapes, we can contact others to surround and kill him, then we'll be completely safe.

Zala hesitated, unsure whether she should do it.

But after hearing what Xia Qiu said, I had no choice but to give up.

Vivi established an intelligence organization, some of which consisted of Baroque Works staff. She could recruit most of them, and she also knew about Whiskey Peak Town.

Moreover, she could take back the casino; without Xia Qiu's threat, Baroque Works would have no leverage to cooperate.

Moreover, Heckle, Mr. Christmas, and Cecilia in the Canal City port can all be controlled.

Without funding, without the pioneering team, and having lost three Senior Agent, Baroque Works suffered a devastating blow, losing more than half its resources.

If Alabasta were to pursue Baroque Works, then Baroque Works would be completely wiped out.

Kill her?

Their strengths were worlds apart, and even in terms of strategy, Zala had to admit that she was inferior.

So, as the president said, we can only pray that he's alive. He's too much of a threat. At least with him around, ships can't get in or out of Alabasta's ports.

Moreover, Alabasta now has two port cities, and only Vivi can stop Xia Qiu. However, Vivi cannot protect both at the same time. Xia Qiu's destructive power is so great that it would be impossible to resist either city if it attacked.

Xia Qiu were alive, he would still be the Vice President, but if he were handed over to Vivi, even if he didn't die, he wouldn't be able to enjoy his current treatment.

Zala abandoned the idea of resorting to underhanded tactics. Alternatively, she could contact Vivi, take over the Baroque Works, and exchange it for a better position.

"The Vice Admiral must be killed."

After she left, Xia Qiu slowly opened her eyes.

He certainly wouldn't give the Baroque Works to Vivi; he did this to prevent her from using any underhanded tactics.

She never trusted Zala, nor did she trust Vivi.

He was worried that Zala would betray him, and he was also worried that Vivi would try to turn her back on him.

With Zala and Vivi keeping each other in check, and with her own intimidation, neither of them dared to make a move.

However, as Vivi's strength increased, she infiltrated Baroque Works, and her threat grew.

It's even possible that the two could join forces to try and sideline him.

Therefore, Xia Qiu needs to intimidate Zala and Vivi.

Greater strength, and the ability to injure Logia users.

This Vice Admiral is the best choice.

Onigumo possesses Observation Haki and Armament Haki, and is also a master swordsman with a strong physique.

By consuming him, my physical strength will increase, and most importantly, I will gain Observation Haki, allowing me to track enemies. With Armament Haki, I can then injure Vivi.

By combining these three elements, one's strength can reach a new level.

Even if the entire Baroque Works were united, they might not be able to defeat themselves.

Therefore, in a certain sense, Xia Qiu had to kill Onigumo.

This chapter contains 5,000 words.

I still procrastinated for a long time. Even though I got up early, I kept spacing out and getting distracted, and kept putting it off.