Chapter 11 : First Contact, Baroque Works, Mr. 3!
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Dawn.
As the first rays of sunlight touched the beach, the ocean rolled in with waves like white foam. The sounds of battle within the town had fallen silent.
The once-bustling streets and marketplaces were now a ghost town. Only the boldest dared to peek out, some hoping to gather news, others looking to scavenge what they could from the chaos.
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Inside the Royal Palace.
Jin was sampling a local delicacy provided by the King of Kilauea—a rare fruit that grew near the island's volcanoes.
The captain of the guard entered. "Your Majesty, Captain Sherlock has arrived."
The King of Kilauea was a portly, middle-aged man. With a complex look in his eyes, he said, "Show him in."
Clack... clack...
With steady footsteps, the blood-spattered Captain Sherlock entered the palace, carrying a cloth bundle. With each step closer to the throne, his heart beat faster. The future he'd never imagined had arrived.
It had arrived.
"Your Majesty," Captain Sherlock announced, "the traitor, Bona Sherlock, has confessed to his crimes. He was killed in the fighting. This is his head."
He tossed the bundle to the floor. A head, its mustache still perfectly curled, rolled out in a gory display.
"Ah! Get it away! Get it away from me!" the King shrieked, leaping from his seat.
The captain of the guard quickly removed it.
The King clutched at his chest. He had lived a life of luxury, and even after Minister Sherlock had usurped his power, he had never lacked comfort. When had he ever seen blood, a severed head, a corpse?
He gagged, bile rising in his throat.
"After all this chaos," he said, his voice strained, "what is it you people actually want?"
Jin set down his spoon. "It's simple."
"You remain the King of Kilauea."
"Captain Sherlock, acting on your authority, has eliminated Minister Sherlock and his accomplices. He will take over the Bona family's assets."
"And I get my five million Berries back."
"At the same time, on behalf of the Winter Blossom Kingdom of Drum Island, I wish to establish friendly diplomatic relations with your nation and open a free trade zone."
"We each get what we want. We all have a bright future ahead of us."
The King was silent for a moment.
"As far as I know," he said, "Minister Sherlock had a business partner, a man named Gano. Did you capture him?"
Jin was surprised. He glanced at Captain Sherlock, who was also frowning. This was unexpected.
"I wasn't involved in all of the family's affairs," Captain Sherlock said quietly.
"Gano is a mineral merchant," the King explained. "But it is said that he and the Minister were involved in weapons manufacturing and smuggling, operating out of the northern cliffs of the island. This Gano is a man of mystery. He seems to be connected to a very secretive organization... Baroque Works."
Crocodile's organization?
Jin raised an eyebrow. "What does he look like?"
"He wears glasses and has a topknot in the shape of a '3'," the King replied. "He looks frail, but he is deeply cunning."
One name immediately sprang to Jin's mind.
The one and only Galdino, aka "Mr. 3."
The guy was a certified genius with a knack for survival, the future strategist of a Yonko crew, and one of the most effective vice-commanders when it came to high-stakes situations.
In the original story, Galdino first appeared on Little Garden, where he single-handedly manipulated two giant captains into nearly killing each other. All while sipping tea, he nearly wiped out the entire Straw Hat crew. Later, after joining up with Buggy, he quickly became his right-hand man, helping the clown secure the title of Yonko.
This was a man of talent.
If Crocodile already had operations in Kilauea, then making contact with them ahead of schedule might not be a bad idea.
With that thought, Jin stood up. "I'll go find him."
"I'll go with you," Captain Sherlock said, worried something might go wrong.
Jin shook his head. "Your job is to show yourself to the public as soon as possible and take control of the Bona family. I don't want any complications."
The core objective of his alliance with Captain Sherlock was to secure the market in Kilauea.
"Don't worry," Jin said confidently. "As long as he's a businessman, there's always room for negotiation."
He had two aces up his sleeve.
First, he knew everything about Galdino's Devil Fruit, his techniques, and, most importantly, his weaknesses. In the first half of the Grand Line, Haki wasn't widespread. Often, a single Devil Fruit was enough for someone to dominate a region. But no Devil Fruit user was invincible. By targeting their specific weaknesses, one could easily turn the tables.
Crocodile was the prime example of that.
Second, Galdino was a strategist. He preferred cunning and manipulation to direct confrontation. As things stood, the situation in Kilauea was already decided.
Galdino's options were limited.
He could flee, fail his mission, and face the wrath of Mr. 0, risking demotion or even being hunted by the organization.
Or he could try to fight back and retake the country. But he hadn't shown his face last night; he'd abandoned Minister Sherlock. This meant that Baroque Works' power in Kilauea was still minimal. Galdino didn't have the confidence for a direct fight.
It was important to remember that this was four years before Luffy set out to sea. Crocodile was only just beginning to lay the groundwork for his Alabasta plan.
Therefore, the overall strength of Baroque Works was far from what it would be in four years. The same was true for Galdino.
Jin was confident he could reason with him.
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The situation was just as he'd expected.
The northern part of Pincer Island was riddled with a network of caves carved out by the sea. Influenced by the nearby volcanoes, the area was rich with sulfur deposits.
Due to the toxic volcanic gases, few people ever ventured there.
But hidden within one of these caves was a black-market weapons factory—one of Baroque Works' sources of armaments.
Inside the foreman's office, Galdino was waiting for news, pacing back and forth. Last night's events had thrown him into a state of indecision.
In his early days, though Galdino was clever, he was prone to cowardice when his life was on the line. It was only after his time in Impel Down, influenced by Luffy and Bon Clay, that he began to find his courage.
That's why he had chosen to flee last night instead of fighting to protect Minister Sherlock.
Now, he was regretting it. Minister Sherlock had been a valuable asset. He shouldn't have given up on him so easily.
"If the President's plans and business are affected... I'M DEAD!" he muttered, his anxiety mounting.
"Then we'll just have to make sure they're not affected."
The voice came out of nowhere.
Galdino jumped, whirling around. He didn't know when, but a figure in a gas mask was now crouched in the window frame.
It was Jin, who had snuck in.
"WHO—? WHAT ARE YOU?"
Galdino secretly began to release a white substance from the soles of his feet—the "wax coating" of his Paramecia-type Wax-Wax Fruit.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Candleman—" Jin said calmly. "—Saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal make for a rather potent black powder. And there's a lot of it piled up around here. If a fight breaks out, one little spark... Boom. We all go up together."
Galdino's pupils contracted. How did this person know he was the user of the Wax-Wax Fruit? He'd only obtained the fruit after joining Baroque Works. Very few people knew about his ability.
"Who are you?" Galdino asked, his mind racing. "Were you sent by the President?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he'd made a mistake. He clapped a hand over his mouth. If this person wasn't from the organization, he'd just exposed himself.
Seeing this, an idea suddenly sparked in Jin's mind.
Baroque Works operated primarily on a need-to-know basis. Its members were largely strangers to one another. He, on the other hand, knew all about them.
Could he...?
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