Alex takes a step back and stands next to Tereza and Menchi, not willing to interfere with whatever Benezia is planning on doing.
"Are you sure this is going to work, Alex?" Menchi asks, looking slightly worried.
"Benezia has a plan," he replies. "I think we should trust in her."
"Do you perhaps know the real identity of our boss, Mr. 0?" Benezia asks her, jumping right into it without any buildup, not bothering with any kind of gentle introduction.
"Of course not," Calli replies, looking confused and worried. "Anyone who would know... wouldn't live long."
"It's Crocodile, one of the Warlords of the sea, stationed at Rain Base, close to the center of Baroque works radius of influence, right on Sandy island," Benezia calmly explains, as if she were talking about the weather.
"Hey!" Calli screams at her, now clearly panicked. "What are you doing? Why are you telling me this!"
"Now you know... and do you know why I am telling you this?" Benezia asks her in an eerily calm voice. "You will never be able to betray us. Even if you report that we've told you Mr. 0's real identity, you, as someone who knows the inner workings of the organisation, but is of no particular value, are not worth keeping alive. You are easily replaceable and, frankly, not worth taking on such a colossal risk for. In other words, your life hangs in the balance."
Calli looks shocked, and her body trembles slightly as Benezia stares directly at her. "You... why?!"
"Also, if we want, we could claim you told us that information. Since we are quite new in this organisation, someone like you, dealing in information, working behind the scenes, is far more likely to have found out the secret in question. Say... someone colluding with the Marines, a spy planted in the organisation..." Benezia continues, standing right in front of the shocked Calli, driving the point home.
"W—what do you want! I can't give you more money! I will be branded as a traitor! I can give you a few million I have saved... but that's all!" she offers, sweat pouring down her face, her voice almost cracking.
Benezia then takes a step back, literally and figuratively, giving Calli a little bit of space.
"Calm down. As my... partner suggested, we are interested in doing business with you. I have just explained to you what will happen if you betray us. Also, as you have seen, our bounties have increased. Mr. 6's bounty stands at 80 million, while I have a bounty of 77 million. Our lovely pet and mount have a bounty of 65 and 30 million respectively."
"Thank you for leaving me out..." Menchi mutters, crossing her arms, looking angry.
"You would have been angrier if she called you our cook and pointed out your pathetic 500,000 Belly bounty. She was rather tactful," Alex whispers to her, putting his hand on her head.
"Do you know Crocodile's former bounty?" Benezia finally asks Calli.
She thinks for a second before replying, looking a little unsure about the reason for her question. "Of course I know... I told you I deal in information. It was retracted after he became a warlord. It was at 81 million Belly."
"A mere 1 million above Mr. 6... our combined bounties more than triple his old bounty. What I am trying to tell you is that we are not afraid or subservient to Crocodile. In fact, he will soon fall into ruin. The Marines are targeting him—that much, even you should have figured out by now. You should know about our mission here on Water 7, as your job is to provide support and guidance. Do you know what will happen to the organisation if Crocodile falls and the Marines steal all his information? What would happen to an associate like you, who's probably been scouted or recruited by the organisation, with your real identity most likely getting exposed?"
Calli looks extremely worried, her face going completely pale.
"We have a very simple offer for you," Benezia says, her voice steady. "I think you'll find it quite reasonable. Report what we want you to report. We won't deceive you or cause you any trouble. You can also transfer the money you'll receive—we are not forcing you to betray the organisation."
"So what... do you want then?" Calli asks. "If what you are saying is true, then I am more than willing to cooperate. I have nothing to lose if you are not forcing me to betray the organisation outright."
"Simple," Benezia replies. "You now work for us. Anyone who troubles you, we'll take care of them. If you do not betray us, you'll profit, and we'll offer you a way out after Crocodile's downfall. Or, if you distrust us and assume we'll fall and Crocodile will come out on top, you lose nothing, as you have not betrayed the organisation. Whatever happens, you profit. You can play both sides."
Calli goes silent for a few seconds... then a few more, until a few minutes pass in tense silence.
Finally, she nods. "I agree. I have nothing to lose."
"Since you agree," Alex says, intervening. He rushes forward and grabs her arm with his right hand, pressing his left hand firmly onto her forearm.
"It's done," he says with a smile.
"W—what did you do?!" she asks, voice trembling.
"My devil fruit is rather... complicated and comes with a lot of conditions. One of them is that I need to know a name you identify with, and that you need to agree to work for me. Finally, I need to touch you for a few seconds. You are now marked. Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. However, should you betray us..."
Alex then grabs an already conjured Annihilation Grenade, hidden with In, lights it, and throws it into the corner of the empty and abandoned store.
"What the fuck?!" Tereza yells, jumping behind the counter, followed by Menchi and Benezia.
Only Alex keeps standing in front of Calli and quickly activates Barrier.
A second later, the grenade explodes in a fiery boom, and shrapnel goes flying everywhere, hitting Alex's protected back.
You have received no damage (blocked by Barrier)
You have received no damage (blocked by Barrier)
Frightened, Calli collapses, falling onto her knees.
Benezia, standing behind her, grabs her by the arms and raises her up until she is facing Alex again.
"If you don't wish to get blown up... do not betray us. I will swear on everything that I hold dear that I will never threaten you again. Only if you betray us will you ever have to worry about the mark."
I love making up supernatural bullshit to threaten people. This is so fun. In is so useful!
"I... I see..." Calli responds nervously. "I won't."
"A very wise decision," Benezia says from behind. "You won't regret it. Now, to celebrate our new partnership, we have a little present for you, don't we?"
"Indeed," Alex says, activating his inventory and removing his loot, placing it on the ground.
Shortly after, crate after crate filled with Bellamy's loot appear, and it doesn't take long until the formerly empty building is filled with loot.
Benezia and Tereza also add a few of the treasures they have stolen from Bellamy's ship to the growing pile, though theirs are mostly weapons, tools, and alcohol bottles.
Finally, Alex takes out the small bag of gems Jewel had found earlier.
"You see... we need to sell our spoils. Since you are used to the city and obviously have a few contacts, surely you can find the right buyer for us?" Alex asks, looking at her expectantly.
Calli nods, "I see... a reasonable request. Let me take a look. Yes... these are easy-to-sell things—nobody cares about where you got them. This is Water 7, after all. Frankly, you could have sold them on your own—you might have been threatened and low-balled, but this is nothing too complicated for someone like me."
"I'll supervise you," Benezia orders. "I'm a little bit interested in trading. I might be of assistance."
... way to undersell yourself. I wouldn't have Benezia watching over my shoulder.
"How much do you think our spoils are worth?" Alex asks greedily, trying hard to remain calm.
"These are all decent items, nothing too outstanding, but the sheer amount is impressive. However, I am not too sure myself. I need to take a closer look," Calli responds, her mind already shifting gears, the earlier threats seemingly forgotten. "At least 30 million, probably way more. I see some gold coins and some small bars of gold; those alone should be worth around 10 million, along with the gems, which should also sell for quite a sum. The other things, like silver coins, bars, trinkets, watches, and jewellery, are all valuable as well. I have a colleague who will buy this from me close to the actual value. More importantly, she won't ask any questions."
Sounds good.
"Can she be trusted?" Alex asks quietly.
"Don't worry about that, I trust her... somewhat," she mumbles, her voice getting more silent towards the end.
That doesn't sound too encouraging.
"Well, how about we pay a visit to your acquaintance then?" Benezia suggests flatly.
"Should we split up? We also need to visit someone else," Alex asks, a little unsure. "As you know."
"That can wait for a few hours," Benezia says. "At this point, we shouldn't split up."
"I want to go shopping..." Menchi whines, sounding thoroughly unmotivated.
Benezia shakes her head in disapproval. "That can wait even longer. We'll take care of our business first. Calli, you might as well show us a few stores afterwards. We are willing to spend our money if we find the right things. Rare ingredients, herbs, weapons, clothing, trinkets, maybe even Devil Fruits. We are highly interested in rarities, price is not an issue. Even if we can't afford it... as long as you know a place that sells, the information alone will come in handy. I haven't mentioned it yet, but of course, we'll pay you for your effort, and I mean you, not the organisation.
At the mention of pay, Calli's eyes light up. "Looks like today is a great day after all. Let's go right away."
Grabbing the items they have presented earlier, the group prepares to leave.
Soulmate... Princess Jewel doesn't want to sell her gems.
Jewel, please. I'll buy you something in the real world. This is all temporary, worthless stuff. I promise you.
❤️
With the problem solved, Alex relaxes. They swiftly exit the Baroque Works outpost and ride their bulls, along with the one used by Calli, to a store in the lower city, quite a distance away. The journey almost takes an hour, as it's located on the outskirts of the centre.
It's a large shop with hundreds of people coming and going. Calli, obviously not a stranger to the place, walks around the building and enters through a small back entrance.
"Hey, Calli," a young woman, a few years younger than Calli, greets her with a smile.
"Do not hug me, you still owe me from last time!" Calli responds, angrily pointing a finger at her.
I hope this ends well....
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