章 300: Chapter 300: Doflamingo
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Fortunately for Alabasta, Colt's appearance spared them three years of suffering.
After facing the reality of what was going on, Crocodile quickly went into action.
First on the agenda was ending the dance powder incident he had started before.
He was ordered to terminate it.
With some remaining inventory on hand, Crocodile found it wasteful to simply destroy it.
Instead, he located two scapegoats, blaming them as the instigators of Alabasta's suffering.
It was rather easy for someone like him to do so. The two weren't good people at any rate.
He then publicly burned the remaining dance powder, enhancing his reputation and establishing himself as a true national hero.
Even King Cobra of Alabasta expressed his gratitude, welcoming Crocodile into his palace for dinner with the king.
However, Princess Vivi, though still young, harbored suspicion and hostility toward Crocodile.
Crocodile just didn't care, however; it was just the view of a young girl.
He had already destroyed all evidence linking him to any wrongdoing, even if it raised some doubts.
Did King Cobra suspect him before?
Of course, he did. And he still does to this date.
But why was he still so welcoming?
Because he understood that the world was not only about right and wrong; it was also about strength and weakness.
Now that Crocodile had publicly ended the incident, it meant that the matter was closed.
Cobra had no other choice.
Crocodile wasn't a weak person from their perspective…
With the dance powder incident settled Crocodile turned to other pressing matters—making money and gathering resources.
Crocodile started reassigning Baroque Works operatives, sending his elite members to Whiskey Peak.
As an experienced pirate, he knew how to make money fast.
Those fresh to the Grand Line, coming from across the seas, were often wealthy elites carrying fortunes.
When these newcomers first entered the Grand Line, they were likely at their wealthiest.
By using his people as pirate hunters, Crocodile could not only plunder their wealth but also hand them over to the Marines for additional income.
The main reason?
Colt's massive needs: starting with providing enough supplies for 100,000 people, as such, he required as many as possible.
When the numbers climbed, even basic supplies came at a tremendous cost.
But during this time, Crocodile noticed some unexpected competition.
A pirate hunter named Kakuzu had recently risen to prominence—he was not only powerful but he was also targeting pirates aggressively, often within Crocodile's area of influence.
The most troubling was the news that the Marines were impressed by Kakuzu and were even considering him for a position among the Shichibukais.
If Kakuzu actually became a Shichibukai, wouldn't he become even more powerful?
Faced with this new rival, Crocodile went to Colt, who was busy collecting points by healing people.
"Kakuzu, did you say?"
Watching the Wood Clone outside tirelessly healing others, Colt stayed in the room, drinking as he listened to Crocodile's report.
"Yes, Kakuzu has hunted various pirates with a collective bounty total reaching over one billion berries recently, many of them were Baroque Works' targets."
Colt's mouth twitched as he set his cup down.
This… he knew quite well.
Not long ago, Kakuzu had sent over Colt's cut, totaling 600 million berries.
To avoid delaying his earnings, Kakuzu stored the berries in the coffin of the [Impure World Reincarnation], allowing Colt to summon them directly.
He was a true, hardworking ally.
Unexpectedly, his activities had caught Crocodile's attention.
It seemed Colt had to explain things.
"What? Is he also one of your subordinates?"
After Colt's explanation, Crocodile was shocked, blurting out in disbelief.
"Ah, well, kind of," Colt replied.
"I'll contact Kakuzu and arrange for him to share this territory with you."
Colt took out a small den-den mushi and began dialing.
Although contacting Kakuzu through the [Impure World Reincarnation] or [Rinnesharingan]'s remote communication would be faster, Colt had recently become fond of the communication method of this world.
He found it amusing how it mimicked the expressions of the person on the other end.
Yesterday, he had called Sasuke and had nearly laughed himself to tears.
Seeing Sasuke's serious expression on a tiny snail was hilarious.
********
Meanwhile, in the Grand Line— Jaya Island.
Jaya held many legends, the most famous being the tale of the land of gold preached by the great liar Noland.
Long ago, Jaya and the Sky Island had once been one, until an upward current separated them, sending part of the island to the White Sea, creating the Sky Island.
Though Noland's words were dismissed as lies by many, some still believed in the land of gold.
Jaya had since become one of the most pirate-populated areas in the first half of the Grand Line.
And with so many pirates came pirate hunters.
Kakuzu being one of the best to do it, was taking full advantage of this paradise.
In his pursuit of wealth, Kakuzu had become the most disciplined pirate hunter in the world of pirates.
Marine's bounty conditions required hunters not to carry a bounty on their own heads, and Kakuzu respected the rule as long as he profited from it.
"Once I finish these two, I can head to the nearby Marine base to collect the bounty."
Studying his notes, Kakuzu silently walked into a bar where two supernova pirates, each worth 100 million, were drinking.
He muttered to himself, "That guy, Uchiha Sasuke, has a bounty of over a billion, but I'm no match for him…"
The thought of maybe capturing Sasuke and cashing his bounty stirred a strange excitement in Kakuzu.
If only he knew Sasuke better; a partnership with the kid could also be very profitable.
Dividing the spoils with the guy, and giving him 20% sounded worthwhile.
Kakuzu pushed the bar door open.
To his surprise, he was met with silence and a room full of corpses, including his two targets.
Sitting at the bar was a tall figure with small sunglasses, a pink feathered coat, and a glass of wine in hand.
"Shichibukai Doflamingo."
Kakuzu's voice held a note of displeasure as the shadows around him seemed to shift restlessly.
"Are you here to steal my prey?"
Doflamingo burst into laughter, his sinister grin widening.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… Kakuzu-san, don't misunderstand," Doflamingo replied.
"These two can be considered a gift from me to you."
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