Escape

On the ice, Ace flew away on the boat into the distance. After traveling some distance, a figure appeared in the distance.

Swoosh.

The figure appeared right next to Ace and boarded the small boat; it was Heckle.

The small boat continued sailing into the distance. Although there was one more person, reducing their weight to one kilogram would not pose any obstacle to the boat at all.

Meanwhile, Xia Qiu was running away into the distance with a thunderous roar, sprinting at top speed.

Before killing Blackbeard, his full-speed running speed was 30 meters per second. After eating Blackbeard, he can now reach about 35 meters per second.

His massive body surged into the distance, his heart filled with awe.

Aokiji is really strong.

As expected of Admiral, Ace is far inferior to him.

In the original work, Ace and Aokiji exchanged blows and were evenly matched, but there was still a significant difference in their strength.

Although fire can melt ice, Aokiji's Freezing Gas is too powerful; it can freeze an entire sea area, making it far more powerful than Ace's fire. Moreover, Aokiji was able to fight Akainu, Devil Fruit User the Magma-Magma Fruit with an even stronger fire than Ace's, for nine days and nine nights before finally being defeated on the tenth day, demonstrating his considerable strength.

In addition, Aokiji surpasses Ace in physical Haki and Haki.

The two are very different.

Fortunately, no formal war has broken out. Even if I were to launch a full-scale attack, using Haki and Shave, it would be difficult to defeat him.

Of his subordinates, only Alken and Mr. Christmas were able to participate in this battle.

The former's power is explosive and can neutralize some of the ice, but the effect won't be very strong, and it will be instantly killed.

A sneak attack could be launched on Mr. Christmas, but Aokiji possesses Observation Haki, making a sneak attack unlikely to succeed. Moreover, with Haki, a single grab would result in instant defeat.

Therefore, the two could only hold him back for a moment, sacrificing their lives to buy time so they could launch a sudden attack on Aokiji.

But based on what he just did, it's simply impossible.

For him and Ace to defeat Aokiji was nothing short of a pipe dream.

The only possibility is that the location is chosen to be inside the Alabasta desert, where the harsh environment can neutralize his abilities. The high temperature and low humidity would reduce his freezing power, and only if the entire Baroque Works works together could they have a chance to defeat Aokiji.

However, there are too many problems. First of all, if it were in Alabasta, Aokiji might not have gone there himself at all, but would have gathered others to attack.

Secondly, even so, the battle will last a long time, and other naval forces may arrive.

Finally, Vivi disagreed. When setting the stop-loss line, if Aokiji had found her, Xia Qiu had wanted the destination to be the desert inside Alabasta, to start a war with Aokiji. However, Vivi disagreed, believing it would be too dangerous for Alabasta, so she set it on Elvin Island instead.

When Aokiji arrives, Vivi will tell Aokiji that they will meet on Elvin Island. She will make a phone call in front of Aokiji to arrange a time and take him there.

This was a promise between Xia Qiu and Vivi.

Xia Qiu has never underestimated the navy. With his indirect control over Baroque Works, even if he remains hidden underwater, he will inevitably attract attention sooner or later.

Therefore, Xia Qiu had already planned what to do if the navy arrived after defeating the Vice Admiral.

The naval investigation has several directions.

The most obvious one is Vivi; she's the only one who can connect all the events that happened.

What should be done if she gets arrested?

After discussing it with her, Xia Qiu suggested that she sell herself in order to ensure her safety while carrying out the next part of the plan.

Depending on the officer in charge of the interrogation, Vivi would provide different information to the other party.

If the person in charge is Vice Admiral or below, then Vivi will tell them that they need to call ahead. She will then directly request a meeting in front of them, and Xia Qiu will tell them where to meet.

At this point, Xia Qiu will go directly there, engage the Vice Admiral in battle, prove that Vivi's words are true, and kill the Vice Admiral.

If it's Admiral, Vivi's response and the content of her phone call will vary depending on who it is.

For example, she told Aokiji that she would call and meet him on Elvin Island.

But in fact, Vivi and Xia Qiu never needed to call each other beforehand to meet. She always knew which island Xia Qiu was on, so why go through all that trouble?

This Elvin Island corresponds to Aokiji.

Furthermore, Tu Yan Island corresponds to Akainu, Green Leaf Island corresponds to Kizaru, and Oak Island corresponds to the CP Department.

These four islands, as well as the island where the Vice Admiral appeared, all refer to Island No. 4.

They were also told that Heckle was the president, that he had been closely monitoring Vivi, and that once the cooperation was established, he would send Cecilia to reveal his identity and proceed with the next step of the cooperation.

This way, Vivi can be kept as safe as possible, while also alerting Xia Qiu.

If it were Aokiji, Xia Qiu planned to try fighting him. With Ace around, combined with her own abilities and reserves, she would test his strength and make the act more convincing.

If Akainu and Kizaru were present, Xia Qiu and Heckle wouldn't have shown up; they would have left directly, leaving behind information that they had discovered Vivi's betrayal.

If it were CP0, Xia Qiu would immediately engage in combat to rescue Vivi.

This was a promise between Xia Qiu and Vivi.

However, Xia Qiu did not expect that Aokiji would arrive so quickly and that his strength was too great.

However, the arrangements have already taken effect.

Next, Aokiji will eliminate Baroque Works ' base according to Vivi's description.

Whiskey Peak, several islands under development, Island One, Island Four, and agents on Island Five.

They will discover the headquarters on Island One, which contains warehouses, cash of up to 500 million Belly, and some secret documents, including the Sand-Sand Fruit's weakness to water, Alabasta's drought plan, and so on.

They will find Dancing Powder on Island Five, which, combined with the drought in Alabasta, will be enough to make Alabasta a victim.

After all, the city of Elma was abandoned due to drought, and the Baroque Works assisted Alabasta in building Chengdu City.

In this way, Alabasta can prove that it was coerced on this ground, and the Baroque Works can also be exposed.

A gang that relies on intelligence and intrigue, whose combat strength consists of Giant Beast and many powerful individuals with bounties ranging from 100 million to 200 million, has recently been cooperating with Ace.

This aligns with Baroque Works' past performance.

They will eradicate Baroque Works and offer a bounty on their capture, along with Heckle and Cecilia.

Xia Qiu could also avoid direct capture and take this opportunity to abandon Baroque Works.

He had long been tired of Baroque Works an assassin and had stopped his activities at Whiskey Peak before heading to hunt Blackbeard.

Moreover, he began his career transition early on.

Even if Baroque Works is destroyed, he still has the Drum Kingdom controlled by Paula Elken Christmas. The kingdom itself is not important, but the three of them are still quite useful.

Vivi will take complete control of the casino, and the proceeds will still belong to Xia Qiu, but will be managed by Vivi on his behalf.

Shops, security companies, clubs, and shipping businesses in the Aru-Ma City will still exist, though many have long since dispersed.

The remaining assets thus become good assets.

Then, Xia Qiu Ace and Heckle will completely divert the Navy's attention.

Baroque Works disappeared completely, vanishing from everyone's sight, with only three people wandering outside.

As for Vivi, she is a key figure in this.

Xia Qiu wasn't worried about what she might do, not because he trusted her loyalty, but because the two of them had never been superiors and subordinates, but simply partners. Without loyalty, there was naturally no betrayal.

The main reason is that the two have an intricate and inseparable relationship, and Vivi is involved in too many of their actions.

Vivi has already made her move to capture CP9; once exposed, she will have no chance of escaping.

There's also the Drum Kingdom, which Vivi suggested Xia Qiu do, hoping to help the people of the Drum Kingdom. The Drum Kingdom is also moving in a better direction, and she won't destroy the country with her own hands.

For example, the location of the Vice Admiral was also information provided by Vivi.

Vivi was also involved in the establishment of the intelligence system and the sharing of funds.

As for the location of Pluton, Vivi already knows the information in the Poneglyph. If the news that Pluton exists in Alabasta is spread, it will be a disastrous future for Alabasta.

Vivi and Baroque Works have become an inseparable entity, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

Therefore, she wouldn't risk doing anything unnecessary.

After this incident, Vivi was able to completely sever ties with Baroque Works and was in a safe position.

All she needed to do was 'betray' Xia Qiu.

Next, Xia Qiu will reunite with Ace, divert attention, and escape to another place, giving them a signal that they have already moved.

Then quietly go back, hide, and learn the Six Powers and Life Return, without showing yourself until you succeed.

Once you have this knowledge, you can start making plans.

One year, two years.

When that time comes, I will reappear before the world.

Xia Qiu thought for a moment, then ran to the edge of the frozen ocean, jumped into the ocean, and swam away into the distance.

Oh right, Vivi has another task.