Chapter 152 The Player's Growth, Long Time No See...
Sabaody Archipelago.
The already bustling commercial and entertainment islands were even more lively tonight. Photos of a beautiful woman with deep blue hair and warm pink eyes were enlarged and hung on both sides of the street, and crowds of people holding cherry blossom pink light sticks walked shoulder to shoulder toward the island's largest concert venue.
Having grown considerably taller, Vera looked up at Sakura's photo and exclaimed, "Sakura is getting prettier and prettier!"
Since leaving Wano Country four years ago and joining the Whitebeard Pirates through Violet's help, Sakura has been striving towards her dream. In three years, she has grown from an unknown extra to someone whose fan meeting alone can cause a sensation across half of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Of course, without any background or power, in this dog-eat-dog world, Sakura would need the help of Whitebeard and Violet to smoothly become a big star.
"How effective was Sakura's endorsement of the R'lyeh Express line last time?"
Violet asked Tesoro, who was walking beside her, but he had just reunited with Stella with Violet's help using the [Potent Soul Seducer], and his mind was completely focused on the beautiful woman beside him who occasionally appeared translucent in the night. He didn't hear what Violet said at all.
Violet: "..."
She glanced at their tightly clasped hands with deadpan eyes, then gave a toothache-like expression.
Seeing Violet's pained expression, Luo couldn't help but lower his head and chuckle, which Violet immediately noticed.
"Luo, were you just making fun of me?"
"Ahem, no." Luo regained his calm and cool demeanor. He looked at the dense crowd around him, thought for a moment, and moved a little closer to Vera. "There are too many people. Be careful not to get separated."
"The auction house we're going to should be not far away."
Although Sakura will be holding a fan meeting in the Sabaody Archipelago tonight, Violet and the others are not here to see Sakura this time. Their goal is an item to be auctioned at the auction—an island transfer agreement.
Tesoro spent three years establishing the R'lyeh fruit and vegetable supply chain across the entire ocean, even extending to Mary Geoise on the Red Line. However, this meant that the original planting area on R'lyeh Island was far from sufficient. To maintain the business, Violet had to seize land from other pirates to cultivate crops.
Centered on R'lyeh, Violet's current territory extends to more than four large islands and the scattered smaller islands and sea areas between them. It can be said that among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Violet's territory is one of the largest.
Once the island transfer agreement is successfully signed today, Vie will own a total of five islands!
Therefore, Violet was determined to get that item.
Regarding finances, Tesoro assured Violet that she didn't need to worry. After three years of operation, Tesoro had even earned the nickname "Golden Emperor" among outsiders, which was enough to prove just how much money Violet's business was making.
What Law is most worried about is that such a large amount of wealth might attract the covetous eyes of some pirates.
However, at least for now, everything is still within their control.
The three people and one soul entered the auction house and sat down to wait for the auction to begin. The auction of the island transfer agreement was in the middle to later stages, but Violet looked through the previous auction items and found some that interested her.
For example, the recipe diary of a pastry chef, which is currently being auctioned, is of great interest to Violet.
"Lot number seven is now up for auction. Guests who are interested in bidding, please raise your paddles."
Vera calmly raised her paddle, and Luo, noticing her movement, raised an eyebrow, roughly knowing who Vera's item was intended for.
More than half of R'lyeh's honey products are sent to Whole Cake Island, and Katakuri from Whole Cake Island personally picks them up and drops them off each time. This makes Law sometimes wonder if Whole Cake Island is so idle that even the Sweet Commanders have nothing to do and just wander around aimlessly.
Moreover, the island lord's attitude was strange when facing Katakuri; he always seemed to be feeling guilty.
Katakuri's attitude was quite natural when facing the guilty island lord, as if the island lord really owed him a huge debt.
Luo had a gut feeling that there must be some secret behind this that he didn't know.
While he was pondering, Violet had already bought the dessert recipe book, and Tesoro had also bought Stella a crown belonging to a noble princess. As the auction entered its second half, their target finally appeared.
Among the crowd of people raising their paddles, an island was gradually auctioned off for an astronomical price. Those who were short of money or lacked the determination to win slowly lowered their hands one by one. In the end, only Violet, who had been holding her hand up the whole time, won the bid for it at an astonishing price.
Tesoro couldn't help but exclaim, "The island lord is really spending a fortune!"
He's right. This item may not be the most precious or rarest tonight, but it's definitely the most expensive. Even the Devil Fruit that appears later won't cost more than an island.
Violet keenly sensed the ill-intentioned gazes directed at them from all directions, and casually glanced around.
Who owns this auction house?
Understanding Violet's implication, Law couldn't help but chuckle softly: "It should be Doflamingo's."
Doflamingo, then I won't feel bad when we fight him.
However, if possible, Violet still hopes to come and go quietly, because with R'lyeh's expansion, although she considers herself the most peaceful and least likely to provoke conflict among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, she is probably the one that the World Government is most wary of.
You have to be discreet when doing business, but alas, she's just too amazing, I can't keep a low profile anymore.
As Violet and her subordinates left the auction venue, they suddenly stopped in the dark corridor and turned to look behind them.
A black-haired woman dressed as a maid appeared behind them.
"Lady Violet, the young master requests your presence."
Young Master, Doflamingo?
Violet didn't see any need for her to communicate with Doflamingo. While they weren't exactly sworn enemies, they were at least separated by the hatred between Rosinante and Law.
Without a second thought, Violet turned and left.
“Fufufu…”
A strange, low laugh rang out, followed by the faint sound of sharp threads scraping against the walls on both sides. Law frowned in disgust and turned around, extending his black-tattooed index and middle fingers together, making the standard pose for activating a Devil Fruit ability.
"ROOM".
The semi-circular slaughterhouse swallowed most of the corridor. Baby5, who was in the middle, had just opened her eyes wide in tension when she felt her body lighten. Her gaze involuntarily rose and rotated until she saw her arms and legs floating on the other side.
Baby5: "Hey, my limbs?!"
A few feathers fell from Doflamingo's exaggerated pink coat, and the Haki surrounding him prevented him from being hit by Law's Devil Fruit ability.
"Fufufu... The power of the Op-Op Fruit, huh? You've actually developed it to this extent." Doflamingo looked at Law and Tesoro beside Violet, his forehead veins throbbing.
These two, one ate his Op-Op Fruit and the other ate his Gold-Gold Fruit, were tracked down by the Donquixote Family for so long, and finally both joined Violet's ranks.
Adding to that the Flame-Flame Fruit that Violet used as bait, Violet essentially stole three Devil Fruits from him!
Doflamingo's malice relentlessly pressed down on Law, while Violet stood leisurely beside him, watching the battle. Only when Doflamingo's five-colored threads were about to sever Law's arm did Violet gently raise a single index finger from her sword hilt.
The next second, a ferocious and overwhelming Conqueror's Haki charged straight at Doflamingo!
Upon sensing Violet's Conqueror's Haki, Doflamingo, who had been in control of the battle, immediately changed his expression.
With his back to Violet, Luo glanced down at his perfectly intact cuff, tried to suppress it, but couldn't help but let out a faint smile.
In contrast to Law and Tesoro, who were in a relaxed state, Baby 5, who faced Violet's Conqueror's Haki, was knocked unconscious. Doflamingo, even though he released his Haki to fight against Violet at the first moment, still broke out in a cold sweat under that violent aura.
When did she become so strong?!
It's no secret that Violet possesses Conqueror's Haki these past few years, but Doflamingo never expected that Violet's Haki would be so aggressive!
If Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki is the aura and pride deeply buried in the marrow of a royal family that has been passed down for hundreds of years, then Violet's Conqueror's Haki is undoubtedly that of a tyrant of the sea. She extends her own will and recklessly manipulates and transforms the world until it becomes the way she desires, and in the process, everything that stands in her way will be torn to shreds.
“Fufufufu…”
Doflamingo suddenly felt a sense of absurdity and laughter.
Among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Jinbe, Violet, and Crocodile are the three with the best reputations, and Violet is the most beloved of the three among ordinary people from all over the world.
The R'lyeh Fruit and Vegetable Route brings them cheap and fresh ingredients, and the islands along the route also receive their convenient and unpaid protection.
They all thought that Violet was a kind, powerful, and righteous Shichibukai.
But a kind and righteous person would not possess such a chilling aura of dominance.
She was a fierce storm, relentlessly carrying everything in her reach forward. At one point, a school of fish in the sea happened to be moving in the same direction as the storm and assumed that it was a gentle ocean current carrying them to their destination.
But what if one day the storm changes direction and heads in the opposite direction from the goal that all the fish desire?
The fish caught in the storm have no power to refuse either.
So all they can do is pray that the storm will always move in the direction they want "just right".
Doflamingo withdrew his Haki first, and Violet followed suit, easily withdrawing hers as well.
Seeing how effortlessly Violet worked, Doflamingo's eyes behind his sunglasses darkened even more.
"We've been waiting for you for a long time, Violet, don't be such a spoilsport."
Let's talk about it.
us?
Vera was a little curious about who else Doflamingo's "we" referred to besides him.
Violet: "Tesoro, you and Stella go and finalize the deal first."
“Okay.” Tesoro held Stella’s hand reassuringly. “Then we’ll be going now.”
"Heh." Doflamingo was quite disdainful of Violet's blatant protection of her own, but the obvious disparity in strength meant that he couldn't do anything about Law and Tesoro, who were under Violet's protection.
The Conqueror's Haki she just displayed was a warning from Violet. Law can attack Doflamingo and the Donquixote Family members at will, but if his attack is about to touch Law, Violet will stop him without hesitation.
Such double standards.
But Doflamingo had done this kind of double standard many times before, so at this moment, apart from a suppressed resentment, he actually damnably understood her!
Doflamingo turned away, not wanting to look at that infuriating face any longer: "Follow me."
Violet nodded to Law, who glanced at Baby5, who was still suspended in the air, raised his hand and pieced her body back together, which had been severed by the power of the Op-Op Fruit. Then he took a step back and followed behind Violet.
Vera glanced at Doflamingo walking beside her. He did seem to like that pink feather coat, though she wondered if it was the same one from three years ago…
Violet looked at Doflamingo's white shirt and floral shorts with a puzzled expression: "Your taste is getting more and more indescribable."
The original burgundy suit was so nice, why did you have to copy Shanks?
Doflamingo felt the veins on his forehead throbbing again: "Shut up."
Doflamingo led them to the top floor of the auction house. After the doors opened, Doflamingo strode in arrogantly, and Violet, who followed closely behind, also caught sight of the figure standing by the window, seemingly observing the crowd outside.
Crocodile?
How did these two end up together?
Because she had once helped resolve the problem of the desert antlions, Violet had maintained a good relationship with King Cobra of Alabasta and had heard from him about the increasingly severe drought in Alabasta in recent years. However, thanks to the snowball launcher left behind by Violet and the assistance of Baroque Works led by Crocodile, things didn't go too badly.
Violet has tried trading primary farms with Cobra to help them improve their food shortage problem caused by lack of rainfall.
Although Violet didn't personally participate in the previous encounters, it's said that Crocodile was quite interested in it and would basically appear every time they discussed the specific implementation methods.
But Violet couldn't understand why this great hero from Alabasta had come to Sabaody Archipelago to see her.
Doflamingo handed Violet a sealed document. Violet opened it and took out the stack of papers. The first page on the cover had the words "Pacifista" written in large characters.
"What's this?"
"A semi-biological, semi-mechanical creation researched by the World Government," Doflamingo chuckled sarcastically. "A weapon prepared to deal with the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the Four Emperors."
Vera turned to the next few pages and roughly understood why Crocodile was there.
These so-called pacifists, still in the research stage, have several models that more or less resemble the clockwork creatures that Violet saw in the Alabasta crypts.
Violet ran her finger over one of the photos, which was clearly taken secretly, showing a pacifist with a purple gemstone embedded in his head.
Why are you telling me all this?
"Fufufu... I just don't want the Seven Warlords of the Sea to be defeated one by one by the World Government without knowing anything about it."
"You want me to go and test the waters first, to let you see how strong these pacifists are?" Vera thought Doflamingo was daydreaming.
Crocodile, a cigar dangling from his lips, the white smoke obscuring his expression, asked, "Who do you think the Pacifistas will be used against first after they're invented?"
Vera: "...It's not me, is it?"
Crocodile nodded slightly, and Doflamingo let out a mocking laugh.
Violet felt wronged: "Why? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
She's practically the most cooperative Shichibukai with the World Government; she even pays her taxes on time and in full!
Can the World Government find another Shichibukai who can legally pay taxes?!
“Because you’ve done so many good things,” Crocodile said. “It’s better to work for you than for the World Government, and better to be under your sphere of influence than to become a constituent republic.”
"How can you be so good, so good that it makes the world government look so bad?"
Violet: "..."
In addition, there's the matter of Nico Robin. The World Government is already extremely wary of any interpretation of history, yet Violet openly included Nico Robin under her protection, which made the World Government suspicious of her intentions.
It's normal for pacifists to test Violet's true strength, but could this test actually turn Violet, who originally had no ulterior motives towards the World Government, into an enemy?
“They have great faith in pacifists.”
They were so confident that they didn't need to consider the consequences of doing so, since the dead don't speak for themselves or seek revenge.
The reason why Doflamingo and Crocodile would be here is also clear: Doflamingo somehow obtained information about the World Government's secret research project, the Pacifista, which has intricate connections with Alabasta, where Crocodile is located.
The two were worried that the World Government would eliminate the Seven Warlords of the Sea one by one after completing the development of the Pacifistas, so they approached Violet, who was most likely to be the first unlucky one, to test her abilities.
Violet: "..."
She felt like she was sitting at home when trouble came out of nowhere.
But was the reason Doflamingo and Crocodile chose her first really the reason they said?
Violet's gaze swept over a photo of one of the pacifist models, which featured a very blurry line drawing of a rose.
Almost all the items that Violet has acquired so far have their uses and functions, except for the [Fragile Rose] that she picked up, which can neither be destroyed nor thrown away.
And now, the rose pattern has reappeared.
Who proposed the pacifist research project?
Doflamingo frowned. He didn't understand the point of Violet's question. He knew about the Pacifistas only because of his years of tireless efforts in planting spies in the Navy and his collaboration with researcher Caesar Clown.
"Is this important?"
“I hope this is part of our intelligence exchange.” Vera glanced at Doflamingo. “You should also understand that what you offer me is not equivalent to what you want from me.”
Doflamingo expects her to personally test the Pacifistas' capabilities just by providing such a simple piece of information. Does he think she's a clueless kid who knows nothing about business?
After saying that, Violet looked at Crocodile and said, "As for the reward you are to pay, I am still thinking about it."
The clockwork creatures in the underground caves of Alabasta cannot be considered Crocodile's intelligence. Considering that she is the one who can truly save Alabasta from the drought, she can directly ask Cobra for information without needing Crocodile as an intermediary.
Violet's uncompromising attitude caused both of the not-so-good-tempered pirates to change their expressions. However, Violet was the most dangerous one in this deal, but this also gave her absolute initiative.
More importantly...
Crocodile looked up at the black-haired girl, who had grown considerably taller than he remembered.
Her current strength is sufficient to support her current attitude.
Crocodile nodded: "I hope you'll come to your senses soon."
"Rest assured, I always adhere to the principle of fair trade."
Violet straightened her crossed legs and stood up: "Goodbye, both of you."
Only after leaving the room and getting out of Doflamingo and Crocodile's sight did Law show a hint of worry.
“Island Lord…”
Since the World Government dared to plan to use pacifists to deal with the Seven Warlords of the Sea, it means that their research has made good progress. And the island lord has not neglected his training in recent years, and his strength is far greater than anyone imagined.
But pacifists are endless, painless experimental machines.
After confirming that no one was watching, Violet winked at Law: "We don't necessarily have to go against the World Government, do we? Remember what Doflamingo said about why they used me to test the Pacifistas?"
Luo paused for a moment, then fell into recollection. Firstly, the island lord's actions had made the people reliant on R'lyeh doubt the World Government's rule; secondly, the World Government had confirmed that the pacifists could defeat and kill the island lord without dire consequences.
The former cannot be changed, but the latter is different.
Since concealing her identity and going to Wano Country to fight Kaido four years ago, Violet's main activities have been developing new islands. Originally, due to her age and experience, she had the lowest bounty among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and after four years of silence, she inevitably became the one most easily underestimated.
If the owner behind that rose pattern didn't insist that she be used as a whetstone, then Violet only needed to demonstrate her current strength to persuade the World Government to retract its original idea.
As for intelligence, Violet could obtain it through other means. Even if she couldn't, it would just mean that her deal with Doflamingo and Crocodile had failed.
If the World Government continues to pursue Violet even after she has demonstrated her strength, then it means that she is indeed being targeted by the person behind the rose pattern.
Luo agreed with Vera's idea.
But who to choose? Whitebeard and Shanks are the most suitable. They are not only powerful, but the relationship between the island lord and them means that even if the island lord makes a mistake, nothing serious will happen.
However, precisely because of this, the island owner may not be willing to choose them.
The other seven Shichibukai were also good choices, but after thinking for a while, Law realized that, apart from Doflamingo, the island lord seemed to have a good relationship with the other Shichibukai as well.
Thinking of this, Luo's pupils trembled slightly, shocked by Vie's extraordinary talent in interpersonal communication.
"boss."
As soon as Violet and Rogan stepped out of the auction house, Tesoro and Stella, who had been waiting nearby, approached. Tesoro handed Violet the island transfer agreement and the dessert menu.
Violet put the island transfer agreement back into her backpack, but still held the dessert menu in her hand.
Vera waved the notebook in her hand at Luo: "Isn't this the perfect time and reason to visit?"
"Let's choose World of Warcraft."
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Author's Note: Time is of the essence! Romantic scenes are off-limits for minors, but are allowed once they're adults. [doge emoji]
Violet can now easily hold down crocodiles and flamingos. [Let me see!]
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