Reform

At the same time.

Mary Geoise, Pangaea Castle, Hall of Power.

"Carl Enel has agreed to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"According to our intelligence, the woman under his command should be Nico Robin, whom we have been searching for all this time. Is it really wise to let her join the Seven Warlords of the Sea?" the long-bearded elder asked in a grave voice.

The elder with the handlebar mustache said, "Nico Robin has joined nearly a dozen forces over the years. If she truly wanted to awaken the Ancient Weapons, she would have acted long ago, so she poses no threat to us in the short term.

"Besides, even if we demanded Nico Robin from Carl Enel, he would never hand her over. Why make an unnecessary move and provoke conflict between us?"

"That makes sense. Right now, the most important thing is to lessen the impact Crocodile's incident has had on the World Government."

The bald elder clutching a samurai sword frowned. "That said, since Carl Enel dared to shelter Nico Robin, he likely harbors rebellious intentions. We must be on guard!"

The blond elder crossed his arms and pondered. "Why not select a few capable agents to infiltrate Baroque Works? If Carl Enel truly has dangerous intentions, we'll find an opportunity to eliminate him immediately and seize Nico Robin!"

"Reasonable!"

All five Elders agreed.

Alabasta, Rainbase.

The Den Den Mushi call ended.

Nico Robin said in surprise, "I thought convincing the World Government would take some effort. I never expected them to let you obtain the position of Seven Warlords of the Sea so easily."

Noki lowered his head and thought for a while. "Even so, we cannot let down our guard. The World Government excels at using intelligence organizations to destroy opponents from within. While we cannot guarantee there isn't a single spy in the entire organization, future upper management must undergo layers of selection and testing. Only after receiving your and my approval can they be appointed or dismissed."

Robin asked, "Then should all the senior agents currently in Baroque Works be dismissed and reassigned?"

"No need. Just keep an eye on newcomers who join after I become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Before this, Baroque Works was an obscure organization not even the World Government could be bothered to notice. There probably aren't any people from the CP Organization inside."

"Alright!"

Robin nodded.

Noki leaned against the back of the black leather chair. Not long ago, this seat had belonged to Crocodile, but now it was completely his. "The main task of becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is over. We should turn our attention to improving Baroque Works."

"Oh?" Robin listened quietly.

Noki continued, "Baroque Works used to be a criminal company. It committed plenty of murder, arson, looting, and plundering. That was one thing before, but now that I am its new master, I absolutely will not allow this to continue. We must establish three rules: without the organization's permission, no one may loot or plunder on their own. Violators will be killed without mercy!"

Robin hesitated. "That may be difficult. Most members of Baroque Works come from pirates and bandits. If you forbid them from robbing people, wouldn't you be cutting off their livelihood?"

Noki said seriously, "Of course I understand what you mean. Casually issuing such a harsh rule would inevitably invite criticism, so I have sufficient reason.

"As a Seven Warlords of the Sea recognized by the World Government, if those under me rely on that status to cause destruction without restraint and create an extremely bad influence, it would undoubtedly force the World Government to revoke our position and eliminate us for the good of the people.

"Therefore, my rule against arbitrary looting is meant to preserve the reputation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, keeping the damage within what the World Government can tolerate and protecting the interests of the entire organization."

"That's true, but, Marine boss, you've overlooked the most important point. Pirates are not like Marines. They do not listen to reason and usually only care about profit. No matter how well you put it, if there's no money to be made, they won't listen to you." Robin raised her doubts again.

"Then we'll pay them. As the saying goes, soldiers are not valued by number, but by quality. There are too many useless people in Baroque Works just muddling through.

"From today onward, the organization will provide generous fixed monthly salaries to the top one hundred members by strength. The higher the rank, the more money they receive.

"As for those ranked below one hundred, as long as they bear the banner of Baroque Works and obey orders, they can receive payment every time they complete an assignment issued by the organization.

"Those who disagree with this rule may leave the organization. With the title of Seven Warlords of the Sea, I won't have trouble recruiting people.

"As for the specific strength rankings, I'll leave that to you. They must be adjusted periodically."

"Alright."

Robin immediately felt the burden on her shoulders grow much heavier. As expected, Marines really were different from criminal organizations.

Though she felt tired, deep down, she was still willing to follow someone like Noki. He made her feel safer.

"One more thing..."

Noki took two fruits from the cabinet and used the power of Dark Liberation to turn them into Devil Fruits imbued with "devil power."

He had extracted these two abilities from two pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million when he was protecting Anasiah.

One was a Zoan-type fruit that allowed its user to transform into a polar bear, while the other possessed the power to control wind.

"Take them. Keep them for cultivating trusted subordinates in the future."

Robin was utterly shocked. Noki's actions had clearly overturned everything she knew. "How did you turn two ordinary fruits into Devil Fruits!?"

Noki smiled faintly. "My ability can draw in other Devil Fruit powers. After killing an ability user, I can absorb their power, then take it out when needed and revive the Devil Fruit."

Robin would find out sooner or later, so there was no harm in telling her in advance.

"Then Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit is in your hands too?" Robin immediately grasped the key point.

"It is!"

Noki nodded in admission. "However, I have another use for it."

Robin moved close to him, deliberately bending over and striking a seductive pose. "Boss, I am undeniably one of your trusted confidantes. Is there anything you can't tell me?"

Noki shook his head with a laugh. "I never said I wouldn't tell you. This is what I was about to discuss with you next."

"Please, go on." Robin listened attentively.

"Regarding the shift in Baroque Works' primary operations, during Crocodile's time in power, Baroque Works' missions were all connected to the Kingdom of Alabasta.

"I have no interest in the Kingdom of Alabasta. Stop the old missions that need to be stopped. From now on, Baroque Works' main objective will be searching for and hunting ability users!"

"You want to use your power to seize Devil Fruits?"

"Mm! I'll explain the details to you later. Listen carefully..."

Noki told Robin part of his plan, appropriately withholding some details.

"I see. What a bold idea. But can the method you mentioned for obtaining Devil Fruit powers really work?"

"I can't guarantee success, but there's roughly a fifty to sixty percent chance."

The method Noki told Robin was this: when Baroque Works members hunted ability users, they should prepare a large number of fruits. After the original user died, there was a strong possibility that the Devil Fruit would attach itself to one of those fruits.

What he said was not baseless; there was evidence to support it:

In the original story, after Blackbeard became one of the Four Emperors, he sent Burgess to Dressrosa to obtain the Flame-Flame Fruit, only for Sabo to beat him to it.

Yet Burgess did not lose heart. Instead, she chased Sabo with a sack of things on her back, intending to seize the Flame-Flame Fruit from him.

That sack was filled with fruit!

Though the principle behind this method was never explicitly explained, it was an indisputable fact that Devil Fruits could reincarnate in fruit. In other words, carrying a basket of fruit while hunting ability users might look ridiculous, but it really was feasible!

The success rate simply could not be guaranteed.

Though this method appeared simple, not many people had discovered it.

At the very least, the Marines had never used it...

Perhaps the World Government believed it was safer and more reliable to lock ability users in prison, so it had never ordered this method to be widely adopted.

After all, the World Government had always sought balance and mutual restraint among the various powers.

It did not want the Marines to obtain too many Devil Fruits and become excessively powerful, which made some sense.

However, having spent so long in the Marines, Noki knew that imprisoning criminals was not purely meant to prevent abilities from reincarnating. There were many other reasons as well.

After thinking so much.

None of that was Noki's concern. No matter what the World Government and Marines did, he would hunt abilities, form a super legion possessing pure Devil Fruit power, and use it to oppose the World Government!

Robin took a deep breath. She had received too much information today. She needed to return first, sort through it properly, organize her thoughts, and then deliver the news to the members of Baroque Works.

At the very least, the method of obtaining Devil Fruit powers could not be made known to everyone.

A specialized squad could be formed to hunt ability users, while everyone else focused on gathering information about them...

Noki remained in Rainbase for another two days.

During those two days, the World Government publicly announced that Carl Enel had become the new Seven Warlords of the Sea and claimed all the credit for itself.

After learning the "truth," people everywhere praised the World Government's actions again and again.

Rainbase's casinos also reopened under Carl Enel's name.

Robin conveyed Noki's new rules to every member of Baroque Works through various means.

As expected, some people were dissatisfied, but the overall situation remained stable.

As Carl Enel, Noki met with some Baroque Works members in Alabasta to strengthen his standing and presence in their minds.

Everything developed steadily in a positive direction.

Noki calculated the time. The Reverie was about to end, and it was time for him to return to Marine Headquarters and prepare to escort Cobra and Princess Vivi back to the kingdom.

It was rather funny.

In just one month, he had to travel back and forth between Alabasta and Marine Headquarters four times.

Robin prepared a private Den Den Mushi for contact between the two of them alone, in case of emergencies.

After arranging everything.

Noki finally set off with peace of mind, stepping through the air with Moonwalk and holding an Eternal Pose pointing toward Marine Headquarters as he began his journey home.

It had to be said that long-duration, long-distance Moonwalk was also a highly effective training method.

Noki's return trip was noticeably faster than his journey there. He arrived at Marineford exactly one day before the Reverie ended.

Noki headed home immediately.

Ain must have spent a great deal of effort helping him conceal his absence these past few days. Based on his previous experience, a Marine vice admiral or admiral came looking for him every few days. Disappearing for so many days would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Noki turned the key and pushed open the door.

Several familiar female voices came from inside.

"Ain, what am I supposed to say about you? Noki is the kind of man who attracts women everywhere he goes, yet you didn't keep an eye on him and let him run around freely. Do you really not know how dangerous the women outside are?"

"Sister Gion, it's rare for Noki to go out and have fun. I couldn't exactly stop him, could I? Wouldn't that make me seem petty...?"

"Heh. You're his girlfriend. He finally goes out to have fun, doesn't take you with him, and leaves you behind to clean up his mess. He's practically built like a scumbag already."

"..."

The more Noki listened, the more outrageous it became. He deliberately coughed a few times to draw the two women's attention. "Sister Gion, are you badmouthing me again?"

When Gion saw him swagger back in empty-handed, anger immediately surged through her. She grabbed her sword and strode toward him.

Ain was startled. A few days ago, because she truly could not come up with another explanation, she had told someone that Noki had gone out to have fun.

It had originally been nothing, but as the story spread, it reached Gion's ears. It made her furious, and she immediately came to lecture Ain. Noki happened to return at just that moment, so he was lectured along with her.

Noki could not predict the future. Seeing Gion charging at him with such force that she had even drawn her sword, he was frightened too. "Sister, what are you doing?"

"Hmph, and you still ask after doing something so stupid! Tell me honestly, did you go out and find yourself another woman?" Gion demanded sharply.

Nico Robin?

Noki hurriedly shook his head. Ain could not possibly have told Gion something so confidential, so he flatly denied it. "No, absolutely not!"

Gion questioned him, "Then why did you go traveling without taking Ain with you?"

"I went traveling?"

Noki exchanged a look with Ain and roughly understood what had happened.

He turned around, took a black briefcase from the hallway, and sighed theatrically. "Sister Gion, I told Ain not to tell anyone. The truth is, I went out to make money."

The money in the case was what he had brought back from the casino. There were several billion Beli stored in the casino vault, and he had taken one hundred million back, intending to buy Ain some nice things.

When he heard someone had come to the house just now, he had instinctively placed the money by the wall to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Since it was Gion, and the two of them were as close as siblings, he naturally did not need to worry about her reporting him. It was the perfect excuse.

Gion glanced at the case, then looked back at Ain. She sheathed her sword, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Well, look at that. You little couple have learned to lie together. I knew Noki couldn't be a scumbag. So he broke the rules to earn some extra money. You've got quite some nerve. If Sakazuki finds out, he'll skin you alive! What makes me even angrier is that you even lied to me!"

She did not doubt where Noki had earned so much money.

With his strength, killing a few pirates with high bounties to make money was no difficult task.