He's a pirate, but also a Pokémon Master.

The Delock family.

Its headquarters are located in the city center in an impressive building.

On the top floor, in the spacious chief's office.

Delock Barthes, the head of the Delock family, is receiving guests from the Baroque Works.

If the Nefit Royal Family is the visible power holder in Alabasta, then Baroque Works is the hidden mastermind.

Baroque Works has a presence in almost every industry, large or small, within Alabasta, and its strength should not be underestimated.

Many of them are powerful individuals serving as high-ranking agents, with the leader being Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Therefore, even though Bart was a subordinate of the Sea King, one of the six great underground emperors, he would be cautious about dealing with Baroque Works.

It was called a "transaction," but it was actually a "spoils deal."

As a consequence of the Delock family's exploitative operations in Rapeseed Flower Port, 20% of the annual profits must be given to the Baroque Works, to be handed over every six months; today is the day for that handover.

"You two must be Miss Wednesday and Mr. 8 from Baroque Works. I've heard of you before." Bart's face was sinister as he leaned back slightly on the soft sofa.

Sitting opposite me on the sofa were a man and a woman.

The woman had fair skin and delicate features. Her hair was tied back in a light blue high ponytail, and she wore a dark short skirt, exuding a capable and efficient demeanor.

The man was tall with a thick head of curly, explosive hair and a long, thin face with two small, upturned mustaches.

To outsiders, the two are high-ranking agents of Baroque Works, codenamed "Miss Wednesday" and "Mr. 8".

However, their true identities are Princess Nefit D. Vivi of the Alabasta royal family and Captain Icarim.

Princess Vivi discovers that the prolonged drought in Alabasta may be related to the Baroque Works, so she goes undercover to find evidence.

To ensure the princess's safety, Icarum also accompanied her.

After several months of infiltration, they have successfully infiltrated into high-ranking agents, acquired independent codenames, and gained Crocodile's trust.

The task of receiving the profits this time was assigned to the two of them.

"It's just a little bit of empty fame; I never expected to be remembered by Patriarch Bart. It's truly an honor for us," Vivi said with a natural smile. "I imagine the Delock family's business has been thriving these past six months?"

When it came to business, Bart's expression remained unchanged. He straightened up, picked up the iced tea on the table, and almost instantly, the iced tea boiled and turned into hot tea. He then pushed it in front of Vivi and the other woman.

Bart feigned distress and said, "As you both know, the drought in Alabasta has been going on for quite some time now, and the whole country is facing a severe water shortage."

"My perfume business has naturally suffered tremendous setbacks; alas, it's a complete disaster..."

"Regarding the 20% rule, I think it might be necessary to change it?"

At the end of his speech, Barthes made no attempt to conceal his intention to reveal his true feelings.

He thought that handing over 20% was too expensive.

In the past, when there was no climate crisis in Alabasta, the profits were quite considerable, and even handing over 20% wouldn't have been a problem.

However, with drought and water shortages in various regions, the perfume industry has also been severely impacted.

If he were to hand over another 20% of the profits at this point, it would be difficult for him to explain to his superiors, not to mention that the interests of his own family would also be hard to guarantee.

Behind Bart, a tall, thin man with a long scar running across his face stood quietly, his single eye gleaming with unusual sharpness. His right thumb lightly touched the hilt of his sword, and a clang rang out.

Vivi recognized this person.

He is Yas, the swift swordsman with a bounty of 60 million, a renowned swordsman who once killed an entire village and several warships of marines with his swift sword.

I never expected him to be recruited by Bart...

Seeing this, Weiwei's heart sank, but she remained calm and composed.

The other side is engaging in blatant protest.

Let's not even mention Quick-Knife Yas.

Burt is a fried man who ate the Paramecia-type Fried-Fried Fruit. He can not only secrete high-temperature oil and water to attack, but also transfer heat and ignite objects.

It is said that he often turned his subordinates or enemies who disobeyed him into deep-fried sculptures, and his style of doing things was ruthless.

She felt very uncertain about her chances of winning a fight against these two...

But she can't concede, otherwise she won't be able to get past Crocodile.

This is a tough job… Weiwei sighed inwardly, then said with a serious expression:

"What does Patriarch Bart mean?"

Seeing that Vivi seemed inclined to relent, Bart smiled, elegantly picked up his hot tea, took a sip, and said gently:

"It's very simple. Considering our long-standing partnership with Baroque Works, I propose reducing our share from 20% to 10%."

"Of course, these are extraordinary times. Once the climate in Alabasta returns to normal, we can discuss this amount more thoroughly. It's all for the sake of maintaining our friendship."

One-tenth?!

Weiwei frowned.

Are you kidding me? This is a direct halving! If she goes back with this news, she'll be lucky to escape with her life.

Bart is deliberately making things difficult for them because he sees them as weak.

The office fell into a deathly silence; neither of them spoke again.

A moment later, a commotion arose downstairs, seemingly from someone firing a gun. Bart raised an eyebrow but remained seated.

It was mostly some ignorant refugees who came to cause trouble and were then shot dead by his men... This was nothing new, and he was used to it.

Just as Weiwei was about to break down under the pressure and speak again, the door slammed open, breaking the silence.

The assistant looked anxious and quickly walked to Bart's side, deliberately lowering his voice.

Despite being so close, Vivi and Icarus still managed to hear what was said, and Vivi couldn't help but show a look of surprise.

The assistant just said...

A group of people have broken into the building?

A team of over a hundred people was wiped out in an instant!

"What a joke!" Bart's expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily.

Who can take down his security team in a short time?

Keep in mind that those were hundreds of highly trained gangster elites!

Each of them possesses extraordinary physical abilities and is equipped with firearms and even rocket launchers, making them capable of holding their own even against pirate crews with bounties of tens of millions!

He spends a lot of money every year to maintain this team!

But his assistant wouldn't lie to him, which means... it's true?

"Interesting..." A smile appeared on Yas's ugly face, his voice hoarse, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

He enjoys torturing his enemies, especially powerful ones.

The next moment, rustling footsteps came from outside the door.

An indescribable sense of oppression was closing in...

Guxin, with a stern expression and wearing a black cloak, stood at the head and center of the group, exuding a natural sense of leadership.

Fujitora and Gardevoir are positioned to the left rear, while Van Augur and Chopper are positioned to the right rear.

Immediately afterwards, Guxin casually tossed a wooden bucket, and the remaining dirty water inside splashed out and landed on the luxurious and expensive carpet.

"Bart, right?"

"Nice to meet you, I brought you a gift."

"A bucket of water from a refugee you killed."