Simulation: Starting from Under One Person

"You're dressed quite fashionably!"

Looking at the old woman's clothes, Fang Rui said this, while adding in his mind: We're in the same boat.

No, you went a little too far than me!

I just came in to take a look, but you've taken over my place.

"What? You're asking me the secret to staying young forever?"

Whether she hadn't heard Fang Rui's words clearly or was doing it on purpose, the old woman's lips curled into a smug smile. She slowly raised her right arm, tilted her body slightly to the right, pressed her thumb against the neck of the wine bottle, and held the other four fingers upright next to her ear, as if she were listening intently to something.

This is such a familiar scene… Fang Rui smiled and replied in a normal voice, “That’s right, I’m asking you for the secret to staying young.”

At the same time, Fang Rui flipped through his memories, searching for information about the person in front of him.

Dr. Kureha, known as the "Witch" in the Drum Kingdom, possesses exceptional medical skills.

Dr. Kureha chuckled a few times, her somewhat strange laughter echoing through the castle, seemingly satisfied with Fang Rui's answer: "Since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you!"

As she spoke, she took a swig of wine and beckoned to Fang Rui: "Come on up!"

Following Dr. Kureha up the stairs to the second floor, Fang Rui arrived at a room filled with bookshelves and medical equipment. A plain bed, similar in style to those in hospitals, was placed diagonally opposite the door. Next to the bookshelves was a workbench…

At the workbench, Chopper, whom Fang Rui both knew and found unfamiliar, stood on a stool, intently studying the preparation of pills...

'Are they developing a Rumble Ball?'

'Speaking of which, Rumble Balls are indeed a very powerful drug~ They can activate the transformation wavelengths of Zoan-type Devil Fruits, allowing users who originally only had two transformation stages to gain an additional transformation stage…'

Thinking this, Fang Rui's gaze towards Chopper changed slightly. This little reindeer is a person... no, a deer.

"Turn your eyes off him, don't scare Chopper."

A book suddenly appeared in his field of vision and quickly approached his handsome face...

"Snap!" Fang Rui caught the book and looked in the direction from which it had flown. Dr. Kureha, holding a bottle of wine, said softly, "The book I gave you is my secret to staying young. I'll give you 500,000 Berries."

"They actually charge money?!" Fang Rui said in surprise.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Dr. Kureha explained. “Besides, you scared my Chopper, so you should pay some compensation for emotional distress.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Fang Rui nodded in agreement and said, “Dr. Chopper’s medical skills are very high. It was my fault for scaring him. It’s only right to give him some compensation for his health.”

Upon hearing this, Dr. Kureha narrowed his eyes. From Fang Rui's words, he sensed something was amiss. The other party seemed to... know Chopper very well.

"Damn it~ Even if you praise me, I won't be happy." Chopper, who was hiding behind Dr. Kureha, happily rippled out.

"Dr. Chopper, do you need financial support? Researching medicine must be very expensive!"

As he spoke, Fang Rui's gaze fell upon Dr. Kureha. Dr. Kureha's medical skills were likely even better than Chopper's; such a skilled doctor absolutely could not be let go...

Does Dr. Kureha need financial assistance?

Before Fang Rui could finish speaking, Dr. Kureha raised her right hand, the bottle of liquor sloshing around with a "whoosh" sound, and said expressionlessly:

"State your purpose..."

Chapter 220 Recruiting Talent

"The purpose..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Rui thought for a moment: What was his goal in coming to the Sailing World?

Tourist attractions? Earn virtual currency? Collect local specialties?

Thinking this, Fang Rui nodded slightly, acknowledging that knowledge was also a unique commodity.

To be fair, there are many amazing items in the world of navigation, as well as a lot of advanced knowledge...

"Simply put, it's about collecting treasures, and in my opinion, knowledge is one of those treasures."

“You are all people who possess the most cutting-edge knowledge in the world today… and Lu, in my opinion, investing in you is undoubtedly a profitable investment.”

"I see..." Dr. Kureha nodded slightly in understanding; knowledge is indeed a treasure.

She thought for a moment, then did not reject Fang Rui's suggestion, but asked, "How much funding can you provide?"

"How about one million Berries a month?"

"A little too little."

Dr. Kureha was not satisfied with Fang Rui's offer. Some medical equipment was quite expensive, and at one million a month, she would have to save up to buy it...

"Then... what about ten million Berries?" Fang Rui immediately doubled the amount.

Upon hearing this, Chopper opened his mouth in surprise. Although he had been learning medicine from Dr. Kureha and rarely went to human towns alone, he still had a certain understanding of the value of currency.

Therefore, when he heard the monthly salary Fang Rui offered, he was immediately stunned.

He's so rich!

Dr. Kureha raised an eyebrow slightly and inquired about something unrelated: "How strong is your organization overall?"

"Very strong. While they might not be able to defeat a Yonko-level pirate crew, they could certainly defeat a Shichibukai."

Fang Rui said with absolute certainty.

As someone who controls Baroque Works and can indirectly command the Beasts Pirates and Wano Country, defeating the Seven Warlords of the Sea should be relatively easy.

The Seven Warlords of the Sea are one of the three major powers alongside the Four Emperors and the Navy. They are renowned on the high seas and are a symbol of strength.

Therefore, Dr. Kureha did not completely believe what Fang Rui said, thinking that he must have exaggerated.

Without aloud his guess, he pondered for a moment and asked, "Can you deal with a pirate with a bounty of 50 million Berries?"

"Of course..."

Hearing Dr. Kureha's question, Fang Rui could vaguely guess what she was thinking. Sometimes, when you tell the truth, people won't believe you because the truth is too exaggerated...

"If you don't believe me, I'll send someone to capture a pirate with a bounty of fifty million Berries right now."

"No need," Dr. Kureha waved her hand, indicating that it was unnecessary.

“I accept your proposal. In addition to the ten million yuan per month, you also need to help me solve one problem.”

"Okay, go ahead..."

Fang Rui had no objection to this.

In any transaction, both parties should be satisfied; a win-win situation is the best option.

"Walpo, the former king of the Drum Kingdom, may return to Drum Island someday, but we do not expect his return, so..."

“I understand!” Although Dr. Kureha did not finish her sentence, he understood what she meant: “Protecting technical personnel is also the basis of cooperation.”

Dr. Kureha nodded in satisfaction and pointed to the rows of bookshelves on the left, saying, "You can copy a copy of those books; consider it my way of showing my sincerity."

"Then I'll show you some sincerity too!"

Fang Rui took out a Den Den Mushi and said, "Write down my phone number. Call me if you need anything." Then, in front of the man and the deer, he dialed the number, and the call was connected with a few "plop~plop~" sounds.

"Mr. Fang Rui, is there something you need?"

The Den Den Mushi's expression changed slightly, mimicking the person on the other end of the phone.

"Robin, send a team to Drum Kingdom. There are two people who need protection."

Fang Rui got straight to the point: "We need someone with strong capabilities."

"Okay." Robin nodded slightly and began to consider the candidates...

Although Baroque Works has a large number of employees, most of them are of average ability. The only employees who can be described as having "some ability" are the codenamed members, and only a few of them at the top of the codename sequence.

After finishing his explanation, Fang Rui hung up the phone and looked at the man and the deer, saying, "The bodyguards will arrive in about three days. As for the funds... it will take about a week."

Dr. Kureha nodded slightly in satisfaction. With the deal settled, Fang Rui went to the bookshelf, took down a book, and began to read.

No, it's less about reading and more about quickly flipping through the pages.

Dr. Kureha remained calm and made no comment regarding Fang Rui's actions. The world is so big, it's not surprising that some people have strong memories. Besides, there are so many strange Devil Fruits, it's normal for one or two to help people quickly remember certain information.

and……

The castle is located at the top of the mountain, and there were only two ways to get there: one was by cable car, which no longer exists, and the other was by climbing along the steep rock face...

But Fang Rui, whom she saw, was completely clean, with no trace of climbing the cliff.

From this, she could tell that Fang Rui was not simple.

………………

Half a day later.

Fang Rui has read all of Dr. Kureha's books, and Robin's chosen bodyguards have arrived in the Drum Kingdom.

The Den Den Mushi's appearance changed; its lips were painted with bright red lipstick, but its voice was very rough, creating a striking contrast.

"I've arrived! Where are you?"

From the way he spoke and the expressions the Den Den Mushi mimicked, Fang Rui had already guessed who was on the other end.

'Wow! What a weirdo!'

After a moment of inward musing, he thought, "Of all the people at Baroque Works, it has to be that oddball. I hope he doesn't anger Dr. Kureha, otherwise..."

The image of Dr. Kureha chasing after Mr. 2, wielding weapons like swords, spears, halberds, and axes, seems to already appear before my eyes.

Let's give them a heads-up.

Thinking this, Fang Rui said, "Just a heads up, the bodyguards we've assigned to you are quite capable, but they have some... minor issues with their personalities. I hope you don't mind."

Dr. Kureha and Chopper: "…………"

No, now that you say that, we were initially quite relieved, but now we're suddenly a little nervous.

After saying that, Fang Rui left with the words "I'm going to pick someone up" and then teleported away from the place.

'Spatial capabilities?'

Dr. Kureha silently said to herself.

A dozen seconds later, Fang Rui returned carrying a strangely dressed man and said, "He is your bodyguard."

After saying that, Fang Rui teleported away and went straight to the territory of the Alabasta Kingdom.

Inside the castle room, Mr. 2 von Clay circled around and said to the man and the deer, "Hello, you two~ Please rest assured, I will definitely protect you."