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Soon, an expedition team, riding on Super Spot-Billed Ducks, departed from the royal capital. The members were:
Jin, Vivi, Maya, Robin, Pell, Chaka.
They traveled from the royal capital to Rainbase, then to Yuba, Erumalu, and Katorea, visiting every town along the way. Like a player clearing the fog of war on a map, Ai created a more precise, 3D map of the region.
Along the way, they also encountered the unique fauna of Sandy Island: Sea Cats, Warusagi Birds, Kung-Fu Dugongs, and Moving Crabs.
Jin took a particular interest in the Mescal Cactus, which could be used to create a powerful stimulant that caused hallucinations. Perhaps it could be integrated into "Dream," creating a "Dream 2.0" to further corrupt those insects.
Their final stop was the former mining town, now the Yuba Grand Desert, a no-man's land.
"Can you still go on, Princess Vivi?" Jin asked the exhausted princess before they entered the desert. For the past two days, they had been traveling non-stop. An adult would have struggled to keep up, let alone a child.
Vivi gritted her teeth.
"I can," she said, her voice filled with a stubborn determination.
—————————
Two days later.
The group returned to the royal capital, covered in dust. Even Pell and Chaka were exhausted. The Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad was on the verge of collapse. They looked at Jin with a mixture of fear and awe. The guy was a monster. Didn't he ever get tired?
King Cobra was surprised to hear they had returned. It had only been five days.
"What happened to you all...?" he asked, looking at the disheveled Pell and Chaka, and at Vivi, who was fast asleep on the back of her duck, Karoo.
"Don't even ask," Pell sighed, and he briefly recounted their journey.
Cobra and Igaram were filled with a mixture of pity and pride. Igaram's wife, Terracotta, quickly took Vivi to her room to rest.
Back at the hotel, Jin took a shower and changed into clean clothes. Maya and Robin didn't even bother to wash, they just collapsed onto their beds and fell asleep.
He went to the palace to speak with Cobra.
"You want to buy the Yuba Grand Desert?"
"That's right,"
Jin said. "To be frank, there's a sizable iron vein in the Yuba Grand Desert. And there are also deposits of gold, copper, silver, and tin. Of course, as you know, those areas have mostly been mined out. The remaining reserves are unknown. But I'm a man who enjoys a bit of a gamble. I want to try my luck. And for your country, that land is completely worthless. So why not just sell it to me?"
"What's your price?" Cobra asked after a moment of thought.
"Five Billion Berries—"
In the world of One Piece, was Five Billion Berries a lot? Not really. It was enough to catch Roger. For a country with a population of ten million, it wasn't a huge sum.
But Alabasta's finances, under Cobra's "benevolent" rule, were in a precarious state. The royal coffers were empty.
The rebellion of a million people that would sweep the kingdom in four years... was it really just because of Crocodile's machinations? He wasn't trying to excuse Crocodile, but when a country is on the brink of rebellion, external factors are often just a symptom. The real problem is internal. And at the root of it all is money.
Five Billion Berries. For a useless desert... Cobra was tempted. It would be a godsend for the kingdom's finances.
But...
"Don't look at me like that," Jin said. "Five Billion. Non-negotiable. If you want to sell, we'll sign a contract. If not, I can choose other mining areas."
After much deliberation, Cobra said, "Deal. Can you pay the Five Billion in one lump sum?"
"No," Jin countered. "I can pay one billion upfront. The rest will be in trade, or in installments as my own finances grow."
The one billion was the cash on hand in Crocodile's base in Rainbase. In a sense, it was Alabasta's money anyway. Crocodile had been operating there for years without paying a single Berri in taxes.
With the broad strokes agreed upon, the rest was just details. The two kings quickly finalized the contract.
The supplies from the Empress (Ship) were quickly transported to the royal capital and distributed to the various cities. Jin didn't concern himself with the logistics.
He, Maya, and Robin returned to the ship and set sail along the east coast, toward the eastern shore of the Yuba region.
The demonic carrier cut through the water, its wake like white foam. White gulls flew alongside the ship, hunting for fish.
Robin leaned against the rail, observing the strange vessel. It looked like an ordinary sloop, but she had never seen a single crew member adjust the sails or man the helm. In fact, she had hardly seen any crew on the deck at all. And the space inside the cabin was abnormally large.
"Miss Robin! Time to eat," a voice called out. Robin didn't have to look. She knew it was Maya, probably assigned by the king to keep an eye on her.
The cook, wearing a bear costume, simply clapped his hands, and the dishes appeared on the table.
After dinner, Jin went to the infirmary to check on Crocodile. His constitution wasn't as robust as a Zoan user's, but he was recovering quickly. Aside from his left arm, he was mostly fine.
"Crocodile," Jin said, "our next stop is the eastern port of Tamarisk. You can disembark there. You don't need me to do anything else, right?"
"No," Jin shook his head. "For now, just manage Rainbase, develop Baroque Works, and transition it into a bounty hunter's guild. The bounty hunters of this world are a force to be reckoned with. Oh, and help me gather information on Devil Fruits."
"You want Devil Fruits?" Crocodile said. "I bought a Paramecia fruit on the black market a while ago. If you want it, you can have it."
"Oh? What kind of fruit?"
"The Bomb-Bomb Fruit."
Mr. 5's fruit.
Jin's interest was piqued. The Bomb-Bomb Fruit allows the user to make any part of their body explode and grants immunity to gunpowder and all other explosive attacks. He needed it.
The demonic carrier, with the Bomb-Bomb Fruit... it would be unstoppable.
"I'll take it," Jin said with a smile. "—Also, there's one more formality. I'm giving you a position in my organization. Boatswain or Gunner, take your pick."
A position? Like Mr. 0's codenames?
"I'll take Boatswain," Crocodile said.
"Alright." The position could be changed later. It didn't matter.
"Something strange is about to happen," Jin said. "Don't resist. I need my ship to accept you."
Hm? Crocodile's eyes narrowed. He had been recuperating on this ship for days. He had a feeling that something was not right with it.
Jin opened the ship's interface. He filled in "Crocodile" under the "Boatswain" position, then focused his will.
"Woooooooooom..."
With a low, whale-like groan, the infirmary came alive, the walls and floor transforming into a writhing, monstrous mass that enveloped Crocodile.
He was horrified. A primal fear shot through him, and a cold sweat broke out on his skin.
What is this monster?!
"Hey! Don't move!"
Crocodile gritted his teeth and decided to trust Jin.
He closed his eyes.
His information quickly appeared under the "Boatswain" category.
——————
[Position: Boatswain]
[Name: Crocodile]
[Authority Level: 3]
[Height: 253cm]
[Ability: Logia Sand-Sand Fruit]
[Lineage Factor: None]
[Haki: None]
[Composite Doriki: 9750-16850]
[Evaluation: Intellect and strategy are top-tier. A master planner. Possesses great potential, but has wasted his time due to a shattered will.]
——————
Crocodile had potential. After his defeat by Luffy and his time in Impel Down, he had grown rapidly and had put on an impressive performance at the Summit War.
[Scan complete. Boatswain's limb is damaged. Consume Soul Crystals to initiate repairs?]
"Huh?" Jin was surprised.
It can repair limbs?
If Imu's power could make the God's Knights "immortal," was it so strange that the demonic carrier could repair a severed limb?
"Repair it."
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