Under the overwhelming pressure of the Souta Kiryuu Pirates, the members of Baroque Works dared not raise a single objection. Blood samples were drawn where needed, missions assigned where ordered.
Souta Kiryuu approved the application of Daz Bones to join, and from this day forward, he would appear before the world as an official member of the Souta Kiryuu Pirates. Mr. 3, Galdino, was promoted to acting vice-president, assisting Nico Robin in managing Baroque Works.
As for Nico Robin, her identity had been exposed before Admiral Aokiji, and now that she had officially joined Souta's crew, she too would be leaving Alabasta.
"From now on, Baroque Works will no longer interfere in Alabasta's affairs. The blue-haired princess of the Nefertari family, you may now go and deal with your rebel army."
With casual cruelty, Souta directly exposed the undercover identities of Princess Vivi and Igaram. The two nearly fainted in shock.
The top commanders of Baroque Works, their chief strategists and field leaders, turned with murderous glares toward the two spies. But under Souta's indifferent watch, Vivi and Captain Igaram fled the assembly in terror. They needed to return as quickly as possible to King Cobra and share the good news: with Crocodile gone, the rebellion could finally be quelled.
Without Crocodile's "Dance Powder" stealing the rains, the precipitation across Alabasta would gradually return to its natural cycle.
"You're just going to let them go?" Nico Robin asked with amused curiosity. After all, those two now knew the secrets of both Baroque Works and the Souta Kiryuu Pirates. If they revealed such information, Baroque Works would be doomed.
"You think they'd dare?" Souta replied indifferently. To him, the agents of Baroque Works were already disposable; their blood samples had been collected, their value exhausted. If Vivi did expose their secrets and the World Government and Navy moved to crush Baroque Works, Souta himself would destroy the Nefertari clan in revenge.
"Let's hope your judgment is correct," Robin said with a faint smile. She cared little for the fates of Baroque Works' operatives.
The chilling dialogue between Souta and Robin made the commanders of Baroque Works tremble. Many secretly wished they could apply to join the Souta Kiryuu Pirates directly. At least in his crew, one had a greater sense of security.
Souta had even set standards: those who reached the required level of strength or contribution could earn the right to join his ranks.
Led by Galdino, the Baroque Works commanders watched as the Ark Maxim vanished into the skies. Their new mission was clear: to investigate the seven routes of the Grand Line, gathering intelligence on Devil Fruit users and locating powerful pirates.
Capturing or recruiting such ability users would bring great merit. Accumulated achievement points could eventually qualify them to join the Souta Kiryuu Pirates.
Galdino, clutching the list Souta had left behind, began assigning tasks with the airs of a leader. This sight made Mr. 2, Bon Clay, deeply annoyed. He hadn't expected Mr. 3 to climb so high, becoming acting vice-president. But the overwhelming pressure of Souta's authority left him no choice but to obey.
"Van Augur the Marksman, Champion Burgess, Death God Doc Q, Captain Kid, Scratchmen Apoo, Magician Hawkins, Mad Monk Urouge..." Galdino rattled off the names. "Memorize them well. These are the targets Lord Souta has given us. Make sure the tasks are completed flawlessly!"
Barking orders like a bureaucrat, Galdino began dividing teams for each sea route. This was their first large-scale mission under Souta's command.
"Yes, sir!" the agents chorused, setting out to gather intelligence and hunt down the pirates on the list.
Meanwhile, the Ark Maxim returned triumphantly to Skypiea. Souta handed over the vast collection of Devil Fruit user blood samples to Vegapunk, while the dinosaur blood was given to Caesar to produce artificial Zoan fruits. Together, they would craft "Green Blood" serums and synthetic fruits.
As Souta watched the Seraphim gradually grow stronger, his heart surged with excitement.
The Six Paths of Souta—six devastating Paramecia powers. This force alone was already comparable to, if not greater than, the combined might of the Shichibukai.
"Float-Float Fruit, Gravity Fruit, Weapon Fruit, Barrier Fruit, Door-Door Fruit, Fortress Fruit, Ope Ope Fruit, Sound-Sound Fruit, Healing Fruit, Shadow-Shadow Fruit..."
The dazzling array of powers made his mind whirl. Souta carefully considered the optimal combinations, weighing how to deploy them most effectively.
"Should I save one Seraph for the Gura Gura no Mi?" Souta narrowed his eyes, already thinking ahead to the possibility of the Paramount War. If events unfolded unchanged, then the prisoners in Impel Down, with their powerful Paramecia fruits, would become prime candidates.
Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit, Barrett's Fusion Fruit—such powers were too formidable to ignore. And what of Avalo Pizarro's Island-Island Fruit, Sanjuan Wolf's Gigantification Fruit, or Catarina Devon's Nine-Tailed Fox? Did those abilities already exist now, or would Blackbeard only seize them later?
'Straw Hat Luffy should be setting sail soon... which means Blackbeard will soon betray Whitebeard, stealing the Yami Yami no Mi.' Souta's calculations grew sharper. After betraying Whitebeard, Blackbeard would flee the New World and gather his crew, striking even before the Straw Hats reached Drum Island, assaulting that kingdom of medicine.
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"Where is the Dark-Dark Fruit now?" Souta muttered quietly. So far, there had been no news of Thatch's death—the 4th division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—which meant he had not yet discovered the fruit. Should Souta begin his own search for it?
But there were other matters. Soon he would head to Wano Country in the New World, capture the user of the Ripe-Ripe Fruit, and seize the Mooncore Blade.
Stussy, his embedded spy, had also delivered fresh intelligence: CP operatives were moving frequently, and their area of activity seemed to focus on the New World. This suggested that this year's "Indigenous Purge Tournament" would likely be held somewhere within those seas.
"The New World... the Celestial Dragons... if I find you, you're finished." Souta growled under his breath, his killing intent flaring. He instructed Lafitte, his diplomatic officer, to send a message to Kaido's Beast Pirates—within days, Souta would personally deliver artificial Devil Fruits for trade.
He also contacted Spandam directly, inquiring about Ancient Zoan fruits and prying into the activities of Spandam's father, Spandine, a senior World Government official. Was he currently tied up in top-secret missions?
As Souta had expected, Spandine was indeed engaged in missions so secret that not even his son could be informed. Yet Spandam, the foolish son, let slip key information: Spandine was on assignment in the New World, and after a four-day journey beyond the Red Line, he had disappeared from all Den Den Mushi contact.
"A New World island, four days' sailing distance from the Red Line..." Souta's eyes burned with excitement. At last, another lead—his search area had narrowed once more.