Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 363 Terrifying Profits
The arrival of the navy completely disrupted the already chaotic sea.

Many ships attempted to turn around and leave the battlefield.

These apostles are undoubtedly from the pirate side. In this kind of world, as long as they are not strong enough to reach the level of an admiral.

Pirates had to run when they saw a large number of marines; the marines' firepower was no joke.

These simple-looking exploding bullets, after countless adjustments, can now unleash terrifying power far exceeding 155.

But the navy was faster; behind the large ship, the navy's fast sailing ships scattered to both sides like a school of fish.

These ships are from the Navy branch of Water Seven and the Navy of the nearby Holy City of Spring.

It's actually quite simple to bring them here. Li Xia promised to give them all the pirates he captured, and he wouldn't take the pirate ships he seized.

With a little bit of fame and prestige added to the deal, the nearby navy readily agreed.

This is the true use of identity – leveraging influence.

Having already suffered damage from the previous fierce artillery battle, the apostles' ships were slowed down considerably and could only watch in despair as the navy gradually closed in.

In the end, most of the apostles simply chose to jump into the sea and escape using various equipment or tools.

"Meow!"

Black Charcoal watched as various apostles entered the water with perfect scores, some of them taking out small underwater propulsion devices and rushing forward like torpedoes.

Some simply dive directly into the seabed and walk on the seabed under the pressure of more than 200 meters of water.

In short, the Eight Immortals each displayed their unique abilities when crossing the sea!
"Yeah, they can basically escape. Even those who ate the fruit can escape with the help of their teammates and breathing apparatus."

This is why I'm willing to give up all the profits from capturing pirates.

The pirates have run away, so all that's left is the pirate ship. Li Xia doesn't really care about Beli or anything like that.

Looking at the hordes of apostles jumping into the sea, and the apostles who had stopped shelling and were now cautiously observing—these were all apostles from merchant ships or those who had joined the forces of some kingdoms.

They were not within the navy's strike range, so they were not panicked by the situation and even secretly cheered for the navy's appearance.

This eliminates more than 60% of the competitors, and at least slows them down by half a day.

But soon, they changed their minds.

"Let's go find Tina!"

Li Xia stood up and stretched her body; this was truly an unexpected surprise.

His original plan was to persuade Tina to go with him to block the bridge.

Enies Lobby is heavily guarded; the entire island is surrounded.

The only way to get in is through the main gate; behind the three islands arranged in a line is the Gate of Justice.

Behind the Gate of Justice lies the Marine Headquarters, and it is precisely because of this arrangement that Enies Lobby has never been breached by pirates.

Because anyone with a brain wouldn't bother attacking a place where the navy could arrive in less than two hours.

Until Luffy stubbornly went to touch it
The bridge-blocking plan hadn't even started when it ran into the Apostle Brawl, which wiped them all out in one fell swoop.

"Oh!"

Li Xia leaped into the air, and extremely noticeable waves of air burst forth from beneath his feet, propelling him forward at high speed.

In just a moment, they landed on the deck of Tina's huge escort ship.

The surrounding navy immediately lowered their weapons and saluted in unison. Other navy personnel might not have realized this, but Tina's 'Cage Force' was extremely familiar with Li Xia.

Putting aside everything else, they were responsible for escorting those several thousand criminals and the nearly one hundred pirates who followed.

Where is Tina?

Li Xia waved his hand and casually pulled over a familiar-looking marine to ask:

"Reporting, Colonel, Commander Tina and the other branch officers are gathering these rioters together!"

He walked straight into the conference room and saw a group of apostles with indifferent expressions on their faces, waiting to see how things would unfold.

Their identities were all legitimate, and given that most of the people involved in the recent melee were pirates, it was perfectly normal for them to retaliate after being robbed by pirates.

Most importantly, who doesn't have a couple of life-saving skills?
"summer!"

Tina spotted Li Xia as soon as she entered, and a smile appeared on her usually icy face. The other colonels from the branch also smiled broadly.

This trip was incredibly profitable!

There are more than forty pirate ships alone. Even if they are divided among several families, each person can get ten ships.

Ships are valuable in themselves, and pirates are used to hiding their loot on their ships. A single ship can easily yield two or three hundred million Berries.

If it's a lot, four or five hundred million wouldn't be a problem.

How much are ten ships? That's billions of pegories!
Even if he had to share profits with his superiors or his connections in the navy, and also give bonuses to his subordinates, he still had over a billion in hand.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, they naturally felt admiration and friendship towards their colleague who was single-mindedly focused on capturing pirates without seeking any personal gain.

"Everyone's here, that's great."

Li Xia nodded to everyone, readily offering polite greetings:

"Thank you all for your help this time. Without your help, this encirclement and suppression operation would never have yielded such great results."

If you have time, please come visit Jaya Island. I will then express my sincere gratitude to everyone.

"Look at what you're saying, we're all naval colleagues, it's normal for us to look out for each other and help each other."

"That's right, Xia, you're being too polite. We're brothers!"

"Without the information Brother Xia obtained from CP, could we have made such a great discovery?"
In my opinion, Xia should be at the very top of the list for reporting credits this time! The atmosphere was harmonious, and after a few more pleasantries, they finally began to discuss serious matters:
What's the situation with the remaining people?

"They all had legal identities and provided purchase orders and administrative orders to prove that they were going to Water Seven for procurement or official business."

A naval battle ensued because the ship was carrying valuables and was targeted by pirates.

Tina rubbed her forehead. She instinctively felt that there was something wrong with these people, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

As mentioned before, the Navy does not need evidence to make arrests. The Navy is not simply a law enforcement force, but rather a force similar to military control.

Unraveling the mystery, searching for evidence?
The navy wouldn't do that, so according to normal procedures, after verifying that these people have no problems, they should all be released.

"Okay, I'll do a quick interrogation. If there are no problems, release them. If there are any doubts, keep them for a few more days. I have a feeling something might happen in the next few days."

After a moment's hesitation, Li Xia solemnly accepted the arduous and tiring task.

Sure enough, the few people who had already eaten their fill immediately expressed their support without the slightest hesitation, let alone those who were just people who couldn't be squeezed out of any profit.

Even if Li Xia really does have some ulterior motive, so what?
We're all naval brothers. If we've eaten our fill, what's wrong with others eating a little?
"Yes, I trust Colonel Xia to handle it!"

“That’s right. With Xia’s help, even if some of them are pirates in disguise, they will definitely not escape Xia’s eyes.”

Even Tina nodded:
Tina thinks it's okay.

Get it!

They found a room to use as a makeshift interrogation room, and Li Xia sat on a soft-backed chair.

He nodded to the marines standing ramrod straight in front of him:

"Bring the people aboard, by boat."

"Yes!"

Before long, several apostles walked in, half puzzled and half wary. They glanced at Li Xia, who was sitting in the main seat wearing a navy coat, and Hei Tan, who was squatting on the table, also wearing a navy coat.

After exchanging a cautious glance, the sweet-looking apostle took a few steps forward. Before she could speak, she already exuded a seductive charm.

Psychic suggestion skills?
Li Xia watched the 'pretending' female apostle with great interest. Just those few steps she took to get closer and speak contained many implications.

If Li Xia and Hei Tan hadn't both had extremely high resistance to mental skills, they might have actually been affected.

“Sir Navy officer, we are all legitimate merchant ships—”

Li Xia waved to interrupt her speech, while Heitan directly held up a sign that clearly read:

"Two thousand Hall Points per person, immediate release, free ship repairs."

The female apostle's smile froze on her face as she stared incredulously at Li Xia, who was dressed in a naval captain's uniform.

Looking at the sign in front of me again, my heart was churning like a tsunami.

No, it's only been a few days.
Someone has already reached the rank of Navy Captain?

To be able to mobilize such a large force, this must be a serious operation, right?

Thinking about himself and his squad, he realized that despite his best efforts, he had only managed to secure a purchasing position in Alabasta.

She turned around helplessly, wanting to see what her captain thought.

But then he saw the captain's eyes flash, and he nodded almost without hesitation:
"We give!"

Two thousand points? Two thousand points is not much for a third-tier apostle, and it's stuck at a delicate point.

The healing potions that a third-tier member usually carries in the hall fluctuate around two thousand points.

If this limit is exceeded, the apostles will subconsciously use the healing potion to measure whether it is worthwhile.

But if they were given those two thousand, their ship would be repaired immediately and they could set sail for Enies Lobby without any hindrance.

And the captain also thought of the most crucial point.

They were the first to be called in, meaning they paid immediately without any hesitation and were also the first to leave!

Why did the apostles engage in a chaotic battle before? Wasn't it all about getting ahead, about being faster than the others?
Two thousand points per person, buy the first ones to set off.

value!
After a simple notarization process, the group paid the money without hesitation and happily followed the marines to their ship.

The boatmen helped them repair the boat, and once it was restored, they set sail immediately.

"Meow!"

Black Charcoal's eyes lit up when he saw the 9900 points (after deducting notary fees) that had been deposited into his account.

Should we lower the price for the next person?

Li Xia chuckled. Those who came later would lose the advantage of starting first. The little cat's worries were indeed valid; the later the apostle was, the later they would set off.

Therefore, the willingness to pay is decreasing.

Why lower the price?

He picked up the sign that Blackie was holding and added a line to it:

"Two thousand Hall Points per person, immediate release, free ship repairs (guaranteed to be completed at the same time as the first person to pay)."

He threw down the pen:
"It's that simple."

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

(End of this chapter)