Chapter 52: Inheriting Crocodile's Legacy
After her identity was revealed, Vivi looked a bit anxious, but she quickly regained her composure. It was clear she had matured after working at Baroque works for a long time.
Since the man in front of them had stopped Crocodile's plan to invade Alabasta, he likely meant them no harm. Vivi showed the grace expected of a princess, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you for your help in Alabasta, lord Bane. "
"It's not that I'm helping you. I'm just not interested in Crocodile's plan," Bane waved his hand and said. "You just heard me stop this so-called 'Utopia' operation. Now it seems there is no conflict between us. I hope that from now on, you, the Nefertari family, will not interfere with the Baroque Works here. "
Bane's tone was calm and didn't sound threatening, but Vivi still carefully agreed, saying, "No problem. We, the Nefertari, truly hope to build a friendship with you."
Crocodile's Baroque Works had already caused trouble for their Family. Bane, who had killed Crocodile, was clearly more powerful and had more resources. Vivi naturally wanted to avoid making him an enemy.
After confirming Vivi's attitude, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "As far as I know, Crocodile funded... "
Bane then looked towards Robin, who appeared well-prepared and quickly answered, "Four hundred and thirty thousand rebels. "
"Yes, 430,000 rebels," Bane nodded. He continued looking at Princess Vivi and said, "Since we have stopped this plan, these rebels should not continue to exist. I don't think you, the Nefertari family, want such a large armed force to remain in Alabasta, right? "
"Of course, restoring stability and prosperity to the country is our goal," Vivi replied immediately.
"But it's a bit regrettable that before I arrived, Crocodile had already invested a large amount of money in this group of rebels this year. And you know, as I mentioned earlier, I need a lot of Berries," Bane said gently as he looked at Vivi.
Vivi was smart and understood what he meant. After thinking for a moment, she quickly responded, "I believe the rebels haven't spent all their money yet. If we work together to recover it, we should be able to get some back. At the same time, on behalf of the Nefertari family, I am also very happy to offer you a substantial reward for your help. "
After getting this response, Bane laughed and said, "Very good. I can see your sincerity, Your Highness. If you have any problems in the future, we at Baroque Works will gladly help you solve them. You are one of us now. If you want, we can keep this position for you. I hope our friendship lasts forever. "
Alabasta is a strong military power. They have a large weapons supply and hundreds of thousands of trained soldiers.
At the same time, Alabasta also needs to have a large military production capacity.
Bane wanted to befriend the Nefertari family mainly for this reason. The new navy needs money and must turn that money into weapons.
Building a complete and effective military-industrial system from scratch is necessary but Bane currently doesn't have the ability, and it will take a lot of time and money.
Therefore, until they develop this ability, they still need a partner to help them.
Alabasta is definitely the right choice. They might not build warships, but they can provide weapons and artillery shells. The new navy's arms logistics need that strong support.
Taking over Alabasta and gaining this productivity is too risky. The Nefertari family is not just anyone. They are descendants of the twenty kings. Bane is smarter than Crocodile and doesn't need to take such risks.
Especially since this country is in the first half of the Grand Line, Bane does not want to set up his base here because it has too many restrictions.
He believes that the New World is a better base since the world government's control is weaker there.
In the New World, Bane thinks that Kaido's territory is very fitting. Wano Country also has strong military and industrial capabilities. It's not right to take over Alabasta's legacy, but it's perfect to take Kaido's.
There was no need for lengthy discussions during their first meeting. Both sides only needed to show their intentions. Bane got the outcome he wanted, and Princess Vivi felt relieved.
After a nice conversation, the meeting ended. Vivi said her father would visit Bane in person once all the issues in Alabasta were sorted out.
Bane did not refuse, but he thought that by then, he would probably no longer be in Alabasta.
Once everyone else left, only Bane's core team remained: Issho, Zoro, Nami, and Robin.
The group gathered in Crocodile's office to discuss the next steps.
"Robin, I've shared some information with you before. We will all join the navy later, and your identity is clearly not suitable," Bane said to Robin while drinking tea.
Robin nodded and said, "I understand. I will stay in Alabasta and help you manage Baroque Works, keep the association running, and set aside enough funds for you."
"Alright, I'll leave everything here to you. If you have any problems you can't solve, don't push yourself. Just contact me and I'll help you," Bane explained. He then added very seriously, "Finally, there's one thing I need you to remember. "
Robin became serious when he heard this and said softly, "Please give me your orders. "
Bane smiled and said, "To me, you are more important than the whole Baroque Works. So, if you face any emergencies, I hope you will prioritize your own safety. If necessary, you can give up everything here. "
Robin was surprised for a moment, but before she could feel touched, Bane changed the topic. He said, "The Nefertari have a historical text in their funeral hall. You can discuss it with Vivi or Cobra later. If we find the historical text during our journey, we will take a photo and fax it to you. You don't have to share the details of the text with me. I'm not interested in that. "
Robin was silent for a long time after hearing this, then said softly, "I understand, thank you."
Bane waved his hand and did not say more about it. Soon, under Nami's impatient urging, everyone began to check how much of Crocodile's inheritance was left.
Robin took out the share certificates, Rain Dinners account books, and other related documents from the safe, and everyone read them with great anticipation, smiling.
"Oh my," Bane said as he looked at the information, raising his eyebrows. "That guy Tesoro is actually a shareholder of Rain Dinners and owns 16% of the shares here. "
Tesoro is the only other shareholder besides Crocodile.
But this makes sense. Crocodile still owns 3.6% of the shares of Golden City, showing he likely had a good relationship with Tesoro.
Additionally, Crocodile's assets are spread across many areas. He has shares in many well-known hotels, and numerous powerful figures in the dark world have partnerships with him.
After studying it for a while, Bane said without getting into details, "Sort all of this out. For now, we cannot reveal the news about Crocodile's death. Everything stays the same. When the time is right, transfer all of these assets to our names. "
"No problem. " Robin agreed immediately.
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