Simulation: Starting from Under One Person

Casino Rain Party, Nicole Robin's office.

Disturbed by Fang Rui's words, Nicole Robin was slowly grinding coffee beans with a hand-cranked grinder to calm herself down. Listening to the cracking sound of the beans, Robin's mood gradually returned to normal...

My gaze fell upon the open window, beyond which stretched a clear blue sky and a golden desert…

Suddenly, another person appeared in his field of vision.

"Yo!"

Fang Rui raised his hand in greeting, and at the same time threw Crocodile, which he was holding, on the ground. The dull thud echoed in the room, drawing Nico Robin's attention to the floor.

'These clothes look so familiar…'

Robin's heart skipped a beat when he saw the person's clothes on the ground.

I slowly moved sideways a short distance, looking at the person's face...

"emmm..."

Looking at that swollen face, Robin scrutinized it for a while, but couldn't find a single resemblance to Crocodile.

Is it fake?

"it is true."

Seeing Robin's hesitant expression, Fang Rui kicked Crocodile, who was lying on the ground, and one of his legs instantly turned into yellow sand...

Chapter 205 The dove takes over the magpie's nest

"I admit, you are indeed very strong."

Nicole Robin said this without a trace of falsehood in her tone.

The Seven Warlords of the Sea are recognized by the World Government as great pirates, possessing catastrophic destructive power and formidable combat strength comparable to that of a nation. They are considered one of the three major powers of the Grand Line, along with the Four Emperors and the Marine Headquarters.

Therefore, being able to defeat Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, was indeed considered very impressive in Nico Robin's eyes, especially...

Crocodile was bruised and swollen; his injuries were severe.

Fang Rui was completely unharmed, his hair was perfectly styled, and he looked clean and tidy.

In comparison, the difference in skill is obvious, which is enough to prove how strong Fang Rui is.

and……

"What exactly are your abilities?"

When it left, it transformed into light and flew away.

When they returned, they were teleported instantly.

As we all know, a person can only eat one Devil Fruit, which means they can only have one power.

Therefore, Robin was curious about this.

Upon hearing this, Fang Rui was stunned for a moment, then his face showed a look of sudden realization.

In other worlds, most people choose to keep their information hidden, since intelligence is closely related to combat. Having detailed information about a person allows one to formulate corresponding countermeasures.

But the world of sailing is different. People here will even explain their abilities during battles, with no sense of secrecy whatsoever.

In other words... it's quite reasonable for Robin to directly ask about his abilities.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Rui came up with a not-so-convincing reason: "It's a superior version of the Imitation Fruit, capable of imitating the abilities of other Devil Fruits."

But to Nico Robin and Crocodile, it sounded quite plausible and reasonable.

In the world of seafaring, everything illogical becomes logical when encountering a Devil Fruit.

"There's such an outrageous fruit..." Robin said in surprise.

Crocodile, lying on the ground, silently gave a thumbs up, completely agreeing with his vice president's statement.

That's an absolutely outrageous ability!

How could such a fruit exist!

Crocodile did not believe Fang Rui's words, taking it as Fang Rui talking nonsense and not revealing his true Devil Fruit ability.

"Actually, there are quite a few Devil Fruits with similar abilities..."

Perhaps driven by a desire to show off, Fang Rui explained: "For example, the Gluttony Fruit allows one to fuse what they eat with themselves. In other words, if a Gluttony Fruit user eats another Devil Fruit user, they become a dual Devil Fruit user."

For example, the Dark-Dark Fruit allows one to steal the Devil Fruit power of the deceased user. As for the specific conditions, I'm not entirely sure yet..."

Crocodile: "…………"

There's more than one Devil Fruit?!

What should I do if I suddenly don't find the Sand Fruit smells good anymore...?

"I see."

Robin nodded slowly. Although she had read many books in the library of Ohara, there was not much detailed explanation about Devil Fruit abilities.

After listening to Fang Rui's explanation, I gained some knowledge.

Fang Rui didn't continue the conversation, but instead steered the conversation back to the initial topic: "How have you considered it? Are you willing to work for me?"

Robin lowered his eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "...Do I have a choice?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Rui looked down at the ground and saw Crocodile's bruised and swollen face. He immediately understood Robin's meaning. He slowly squatted down and stared at Crocodile's swollen face...

Crocodile also struggled to open his eyes, meeting Fang Rui's gaze...

There was no fear in his eyes, but rather a sense of wariness...

Fang Rui didn't care about that, and said, "From today onwards, you and Nicole Robin are my subordinates. Do you have any objections?"

'How could I possibly object?!'

Crocodile roared inwardly. Although the person in front of him seemed quite kind, he remembered very clearly how Fang Rui had helped him with "plastic surgery" not long ago.

The person in front of me is not a good person.

"If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. What do you mean I'm not a good person? I'm a perfectly good young man."

Fang Rui looked displeased.

Crocodile was taken aback by these words, and looked up in surprise, thinking to himself, 'Do you know what I'm thinking?'

"How could I possibly know what you're thinking?" Fang Rui said with a mocking expression.

Crocodile: "…………" You still say you can't read minds?!

"No," Fang Rui shook his head. "Don't talk nonsense."

Crocodile: "…………" I hate the superior version of the Imitation Fruit.

“That’s because you don’t have the ability…” Fang Rui said.

Crocodile gave up thinking.

"Alright, Crocodile has agreed."

With that, Fang Rui stood up and said to Robin, "Go and issue the order to instruct the employees of Baroque Works to collect some special ores and hand them over."

“Okay.” Robin glanced at Crocodile lying on the ground and agreed when she saw that he had no objections.

"...How much capital does the cooperative have at its disposal?" Fang Rui asked again after a short pause.

Robin glanced at Crocodile again, then replied, "The funds currently available are approximately 365 million Berries."

Is this a lot or a little?

Not being familiar with prices in the One Piece world, Fang Rui couldn't be sure whether 300 million Berries was a lot or a little.

"Not too much, not too little," Robin gave an ambiguous answer.

Saying that is as good as saying nothing...

Fang Rui rolled his eyes and then said, "Round the bill and take out 300 million Berries to buy all kinds of metals and special kinds of wood."

Upon hearing this, Crocodile shuddered: "…………"

My money—!

“Okay.” Nicole Robin nodded gently.

"...contacted the King of Alabasta under Crocodile's identity...what was his name again?"

Fang Rui stopped halfway through his sentence; he couldn't remember the name of the king of the Alabasta Kingdom.

“Neferutari Cobra,” Robin said.

“Yes, it’s him.” Fang Rui nodded and continued, “Invite him to dinner, saying you have something to discuss with him.”

“Okay,” Robin replied.

Given Crocodile's status as a Shichibukai and his heroic demeanor in Alabasta, there's an over 80% chance that King Cobra would agree to a dinner invitation.

"Is there anything else?" Robin asked.

"That's all, you can go ahead and do your work."

Upon hearing this, Robin immediately left the office and closed the door.

Fang Rui's gaze also fell on Crocodile. He pulled up a chair and sat down, saying, "Let's have a chat."

After a moment, Crocodile spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse, "...What is there for me to talk about with you?"

Chapter 206 Crocodile, you didn't want this either...

"Of course there is..."

Fang Rui sat in the chair, leaning slightly forward with his elbows resting on his thighs, looking down at Crocodile, and said clearly, "We have a lot to talk about, such as your dreams, your ambitions, and... your plans that are bound to fail!"

After a moment of silence, Crocodile laboriously shifted his body and sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly trying to open his eyes and adopt a serious expression. Unfortunately, the swelling on his face wouldn't allow it, and after trying for a while without success, he gave up.

He looked at Fang Rui and said in a hoarse, somewhat indistinct voice, "How much do you actually know?"

"How much do you know..." Fang Rui nodded a few times. "That's a good question. To put it simply, I know everything I should know, and I also know everything I shouldn't know."

"Your dream is to become the Pirate King, a very common yet very grand dream. The reason you play the hero in Alabasta is for the secret guarded by the Alabasta royal family—the most evil battleship in history, Pluton."