One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 286 Who is the hunter? Who is the prey?
boom!
Michita froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, her eyes wide, tears welling up in her eyes: "Gym...gym equipment?"

Huh? What happened?!

It's not because her Devil Fruit allows her to weigh 10,000 pounds, yet she's pitifully weak; even fourteen-year-old Nami easily beat her up...

Is that why Lord Xia Nuo was left with such an impression?
Really.

That's so embarrassing!
"Just kidding, don't take it to heart."

Seeing the girl with steam rising from her head, covering her face as if she wanted to disappear into the ground, Xia Nuo couldn't help but chuckle:

"Of course I remember you, the Light-Weight Fruit user, Miss Valentine. It's been a long time. I never expected you to join the Fallen Ones. Hmm, I remember you said you were going back to your hometown in the West Blue to open a coffee shop?"

"Huh? You even remember that!"

Michita looked up in surprise, then proudly put her hands on her hips. "Hehe, the coffee shop is already open! And business is super—good!"

She extended her right palm, opening it towards Xia Nuo:

"They've opened three branches already! They're all over the island, three in total!"

"Oh? You have a real knack for business. Why do you want to join us in the New World?"

Xia Nuo was a little surprised, and laughed, "Wouldn't it be better to be a leisurely coffee shop owner?"

"Because of the live broadcast from Sabaody Archipelago that day!"

Michita chuckled and said, "After seeing your heroic figure, I couldn't sleep for days and nights. I understood immediately! I, Michita, was born to do great things!"

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to the Grand Line as soon as I came of age. Would I have stayed in the countryside as a landlady for the rest of my life? I'm not willing to do that. Changing the world is more suitable for me!"

"So I sold the coffee shop and came here to sign up for the Corps' selection exam!"

"Although I'm terrible at combat and wasn't selected for the combat corps, my Devil Fruit ability to change weight at will is very useful in the infrastructure corps. I'm already an officer now, in charge of coordinating livelihood projects on three islands, and the progress is going very well!"

"sharp."

Shano didn't hold back his praise, and patted Michita on the shoulder as encouragement:

"We must maintain this confidence and vitality, and not underestimate ourselves. In fact, in my eyes, the infrastructure corps has always been just as important as the combat corps. Nothing is more important than making people's lives more comfortable, isn't it?"

Eh eh eh?
Michita was flattered, and her cheeks flushed red again at a visible speed.

I felt ashamed just now, but now I'm happy and incredibly blessed!
She felt like she was floating on air. Not only did Lord Xia Nuo remember her, but he also praised her so personally. When she went back and told her friends, they would probably all be green with envy!
"Yes! I will definitely continue to work hard!"

Michita nodded excitedly, "Absolutely, absolutely will not let Lord Shano down!"

"Well, I believe you."

Xia Nuo smiled and nodded, turning her gaze to the sky:

"By the way, did the commotion earlier scare you? I was testing a new defense system, which has now covered all the territories under the Fallen Ones."

"Defense measures? So that's how it is!"

Michita's eyes lit up, and she suddenly realized, "No wonder there was that green barrier! I thought I was seeing things! This means everyone's life will be safer from now on, right?"

"Yes."

Xia Nuo stretched, feeling a bit sleepy.

Having just returned to their territory from the Calm Belt, they immediately embarked on a series of missions, selecting four remote islands in different sea areas to conduct experiments using different attack methods.

This sand dune island is just one of them.

In short, the test results were quite satisfactory. Even his full-force attack could not break through the Demon Tree barrier; it would take time and several more attacks to succeed.

Parchment maps could send timely warning signals when enemies invaded.

The teleportation staff allows him to return to his territory at any time.

The three tools complement each other, thus forming a perfect protective system.

During the last campaign against the Ten Thousand Kingdoms, he needed to leave Fujitora behind to guard the home, just in case.

And from now on...

Then we can go all out and have no more worries!
"Alright, it's getting late, I should go now. As a reward for your hard work, here, this is for you. If you have time in the future, you are welcome to come to headquarters for a get-together. Nami will definitely be happy to see you."

After saying that, he waved to Michita, and in a flash, he rose into the air, instantly becoming a small black dot on the horizon.

"Okay...wait, Lord Shano!"

Michita instinctively caught the object thrown to her, but by the time she looked up and shouted, it was too late. She gazed at the empty sand dunes and sighed with a sense of loss.

Really.

How could I be so stupid? I knew that Lord Xia Nuo was so busy, so I should have stopped bragging and asked for a photo first, and then asked for an autograph.

But she quickly rallied, clenching her fists to encourage herself:
"Mikita! You need to work harder! This wasn't enough. Next time we meet, you need to impress Lord Shano even more!"

Oh right, what was the reward again?

"A miracle sunscreen?"

"Just a tiny bit can guarantee your skin won't darken for a month? Wow, is there really such a good thing?"

It perfectly suits my daily work in the desert!

She accepted it with satisfaction and went to the edge of the sand dune.

The sky had completely darkened, and as he looked at the lights of thousands of homes gradually coming on in the distance, a bright smile returned to his face.

"Great! I'm even more motivated now. Let's keep up the good work tomorrow!"

Now, after a busy afternoon, I'll head back to the cafeteria for dinner. Grab my little umbrella, and get ready to go...

Hey, wait...

Where's my parasol?!

------

sky.

Using the Flight Technique, Xia Nuo flew at full speed towards the direction of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand, glancing at the information stream on the system panel.

The biggest gain from this trip to the deep-sea prison was, of course, collecting all the souls needed for the Demon Tree barrier.

Secondly, they recruited Shiryu, who had not yet become corrupted and evil. In the future, as long as he acquires the right Devil Fruit, his combat power can reach the level of a top-ranking executive.

Finally, naturally, they managed to get a lot of freebies.

Although Newspaper King and Bucky didn't go to prison, Impel Down's prisoners were reduced to a few minor, marginal characters.

However, because the overall strength of the players was relatively high, the points they provided added up to a considerable amount, instantly filling his previously impoverished pockets again.

You sacrificed Douglas Barrett's giant food bowl, gaining 2500 points.

[You sacrificed the lonely red braid, gaining 2100 points]

You sacrificed Michita's parasol and gained 85 points.

[You sacrificed Shiryu of the Rain's adult magazine collection, gaining 1800 points]

You sacrificed Magellan's horns, gaining 2800 points.

……

Having accumulated 14085 points, the remaining points jumped from 5900 to 19985. Magellan, unsurprisingly, contributed the most.

These so-called twin horns are actually his beloved weapons, which he can draw to cut people. After all, this guy is a pure-blooded human, not one of Kaido's kind.

As for sun umbrellas...

That's just a habit I've developed. Ugh, this damn occupational hazard, I'm afraid I'll never be able to break it.

Last year, I took her things without any guilt. Now that she's a young woman who's on the right path, how could I do that again?

Although he compensated her with magical gadgets from the Doraemon world, Xia Nuo was still quite embarrassed.

Brubru~
Fortunately, at that moment, the Den Den Mushi rang, relieving his embarrassment.

"Sir, the matter you previously instructed the intelligence department to investigate with all its might has yielded some results."

After the Den Den Mushi was connected, Kuina's calm voice came through.

"Oh?"

Xia Nuo's gaze sharpened immediately. "I'll be there right away. Have the head of the intelligence department come to see me immediately."

A few days ago, before we came out of Impel Down.

He had just caught a whiff of a Celestial Dragons hunting game from the information Bephne had given him, and he immediately contacted Kuina by phone.

The Fallen Ones' intelligence department then went into full operation, beginning to investigate leads within the North Sea region.

Beihai is very large.

The Fallen Ones' current intelligence capabilities are sufficient for the New World, but expanding to the entire North Sea should theoretically be beyond their capabilities.

But Xia Nuo is a time traveler.

He knew very well that since it was the so-called "Celestial Dragons' playground," the place that the World Government had its eye on must be a non-member state.

In places like the Four Seas, the majority of the members are ultimately the constituent countries.

Especially Beihai.

In recent decades, the area has experienced fierce competition and struggles between the Germa family and the Don Quixote family, with the flames of war burning continuously.

In such a harsh environment, only four non-member states remain to this day.

The search area was immediately and greatly reduced!

Following this line of thought, the intelligence agencies focused on the recent situations in these four countries, and now, finally, through a series of subtle clues, they have identified their target—

"The Kingdom of Lubniz".

Inside the conference room of the "Final Curtain" ship, a figure wearing a gray overcoat bowed respectfully to Xia Nuo:
"Sir, this is the final conclusion of our intelligence department."

This was a middle-aged man in his forties, thin, with a stern face, a small scar at the corner of his eye, and habitually holding an unlit pipe in his mouth.

His name is Victor, and he was personally selected by Shano a few months ago to be the head of the intelligence department.

He was originally the vice-commander of CP-5, a secret agency directly under the World Government.

He once partnered with Spandam to travel to Water 7 to investigate Hades' whereabouts.

However, he was moved by the fishman Tom's feat of building a water train and couldn't bear to see the legendary shipwright be framed, so he secretly helped him.

As a result, he incurred Spandam's wrath, and after a series of skillful framing and slander, he was expelled from the CP organization and hunted down, and lived in hiding for many years.

Until a few months ago.

Deeply moved after watching the live broadcast from Chambord, I took the initiative to come to New World to seek refuge.

With his years of espionage experience, he quickly helped the Fallen Ones build an efficient intelligence network from scratch, thus gaining Xia Nuo's trust.

He has a calm personality, outstanding work ability, and is a very reliable man.

Her ability is the Zoan-type Chameleon Fruit, which allows her to conceal her aura and blend into the environment as much as possible, making her a natural-born spy.

That's why he's been able to survive unscathed despite being hunted down by the CP department.

"The Kingdom of Lubniz?"

Xia Nuo recalled for a moment, "I have a vague impression. It's the hometown of Noland, the big liar who was executed four hundred years ago?"

"Yes, sir, the legend of the Golden Land is still scorned there."

Viktor nodded slightly and took out a stack of photos from his pocket. "This country was actually a member state of the World Government for a long time, but decades ago, it was completely expelled from the World Government for delaying the payment of Celestial Gold twice. The king at that time was also beheaded by the Germa Kingdom's army."

"According to our informant reports, in the past two weeks, everything in this country seems to be calm and normal, with no difference from usual. Even the air routes have not been blocked and prices are all normal."

"But from time to time, CP0 agents, disguised, frequently enter and leave the area near the capital, and a large amount of supplies are transported to the mountaintop on the North Coast through secret channels."

"Supplies?"

Xia Nuo looked at the photo.

In the photo, through the gaps in the thorny jungle, a group of figures wearing white coats can be vaguely seen unloading goods at the entrance of a cave. The wooden crates are all clearly marked with the symbol of the World Government.

"There were over a hundred wooden crates. After the CP department personnel left, our people went in to check and found that they were all filled with various supplies, such as food, weapons, and ammunition."

"Besides, sir."

Viktor said in a deep voice, "We also discovered a large number of surveillance Den Den Mushi in the jungle outside the capital. They were set up in an extremely secretive manner, clearly intending to turn the entire country into a huge hunting ground under their control."

"Where's the time?"

"The exact date has not yet been determined, but based on the frequency of CP0's activities, it should be within this week."

"One week..."

Xia Nuo stood up, walked to the window and looked north, her gaze growing cold. "What a bunch of fools."

The Kingdom of Rubniel in the North Sea is no tiny country; it has a population of over 300,000!
To let those fat pigs wearing bubble headgear have their fill of fun, the World Government actually dared to use this entire country as a hunting ground, which is absolutely outrageous!
"These beasts!"

Kuina, who was standing behind him, gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, her eyes flashing with a cold light. "My lady, shall we act immediately?"

"of course."

Xia Nuo turned around and gave the order in a deep voice:
"Pass on my order: the first through twelfth divisions of the combat regiments, assemble immediately! Also, have our spies in the North Blue intensify surveillance of the surrounding waters, paying particular attention to the Mary Geoise direction. Report any unusual activity immediately!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Guina and Viktor responded simultaneously and went to carry out the order.

Xia Nuo glanced one last time in the direction of Beihai, her gaze icy.

It seems that the four Celestial Dragons killed in Sabaody Archipelago were still too few! Their deterrent effect was far from sufficient!

Compared to the vast race that the Celestial Dragons have formed over eight hundred years, they are nothing!
It's okay, I'll make it up this time...

Hunting game?

Hmph, with him around, and with the increasingly powerful and established Fallen Ones around, it's just the right time to let these fat pigs see clearly...

Who is the hunter in this hunting game?

Who is the prey?

(End of this chapter)