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[email protected]/Heroicverse
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"Little girl, I see you are young and don't wish to harm you! But if you continue to be reckless, I won't hold back!"
Auguro leveled his Zanpakutō, pointing it at the small, slender figure hiding behind a rock in the distance.
"Miss Goldenweek!"
Looking at the figure holding a paintbrush, Vivi immediately recognized her identity. The partner of Mr. 3, a girl who was only sixteen years old. Although not a Devil Fruit user, she could control others through paintings of different colors!
Seeming to sense the killing intent in Auguro's words, Miss Goldenweek hesitated for a moment before dropping her paintbrush. She was only sixteen and wasn't ready to die!
Auguro looked up. The other Senior Officers had all been dealt with.
Mr. 3 attempted to trap the group using his wax ability, only to be instantly frozen into an ice sculpture by Kuchiki Rukia. Mr. 4 attempted a brute force attack, relying on his tremendous strength.
However, Matsumoto Rangiku's Haineko Shikai was formless and invisible, giving his raw strength no outlet to be used, and he was easily defeated.
Miss Doublefinger was overconfident and underestimated the utterly un-intimidating Yamada Hanatarou, resulting in her being defeated by a fully incanted Hadō #61 (Six-Rod Light Ray).
Miss Merry Christmas was caught off guard by Pell, who seized an opportunity to grab her and fling her high into the air, where she fell and was instantly killed upon impact.
In a single battle, the high-level forces of Baroque Works were completely annihilated!
"Th-that's it? Baroque Works is gone?" Vivi was dumbfounded, completely unable to process the scene before her eyes.
Auguro shook his head lightly at her remark.
"It's not that simple! The most crucial part of Baroque Works is their President, Crocodile."
"Among these people, the only one Crocodile truly valued was Mr. 1. He honestly doesn't care whether the rest are alive or dead."
"To put it bluntly, Crocodile alone could have wiped out all of these people himself!" Don't underestimate the position of a Logia-type Devil Fruit user in the first half of the Grand Line!
"Is Crocodile really that powerful? Then what should we do?" Vivi felt even more uneasy. According to Auguro's description, even if Alabasta mobilized its entire army, they probably couldn't defeat him!
Seeing Vivi's worry, Auguro stated frankly, "When the time comes, we will handle Crocodile. All you need to do is ensure the stability of Alabasta!"
Vivi nodded. This was the best possible solution.
At this time, Auguro used the system to absorb the Devil Fruit souls of the defeated agents. A total of four Devil Fruits, which could be exchanged for four Rare-tier lottery tickets. Auguro unhesitatingly chose to reinforce his Reiatsu again.
The group prepared to move on. Auguro didn't forget Miss Goldenweek. He told Vivi, "Take this little girl with you! Her ability might come in handy later!"
Though she didn't know what Auguro meant by "come in handy," Vivi completely trusted him and brought the girl along. However, to prevent Miss Goldenweek from causing trouble, her paints and brushes were all confiscated.
The Super Sonic Ducks galloped away. Auguro subtly glanced back. In the shadow of the rock where Miss Goldenweek had hidden, a petal-shaped eye slowly dissolved—a flower-petal surveillance camera created by Nico Robin.
Due to the attempted interception, the group traveled day and night, finally reaching the capital, Alubarna.
Cobra thanked Auguro for escorting Vivi. But immediately afterward, Cobra and Vivi entered into a fierce argument.
Cobra was extremely displeased with Vivi's unauthorized deployment of troops. He believed it would cause anxiety among the citizens and give the rebels ammunition to attack the royalty. Vivi, however, argued that the situation was chaotic and required swift, decisive action. Otherwise, the citizens' resentment would only grow, eventually becoming unmanageable.
Neither could persuade the other. As the volume of their argument grew, Auguro couldn't help but interject.
"The nation is on the verge of collapse! Why are you still worried about their feelings? What right does a person have to be king if they stand by and do nothing while watching their citizens slowly slide into ruin?"
Cobra was shamed and angered by the accusation, his aged face instantly turning red.
"National affairs are not a game! Mr. Auguro, I thank you for saving Vivi, but that does not give you the right to dictate my country's affairs!"
Auguro sneered. "Then why don't you ask the people under your command? Do they prefer to do nothing, or cooperate with Vivi to completely dismantle Baroque Works' plot?"
After Auguro spoke, Pell, the Guardian God of Alabasta, and the high-ranking officers under his command immediately stood behind Vivi without hesitation. The few civilian officials exchanged glances.
Though they didn't explicitly side with Vivi, they did not clearly support Cobra either. They understood that continuing to wait was tantamount to slow suicide. However, Cobra had shown them kindness, and asking them to openly switch allegiance was difficult for them.
Auguro took all of this in and smiled at Vivi.
"Give the order, Vivi! Your people need you! Leave Crocodile to me!"
"You... you all..." Cobra saw that no one was supporting him, and he instantly looked defeated.
Vivi felt a pang of pain in her heart, but she stood firm.
"Father, please return to your chambers to rest! I will completely resolve the Baroque Works conspiracy!"
Cobra was subsequently escorted back to his private quarters.
"Pell!"
At this moment, Vivi's expression was serious, carrying a hint of a truly regal presence.
"Immediately lead the army to search the capital and surrounding areas! You must find the Dance Powder within twenty-four hours!"
Vivi then looked at the civilian officials.
"You must immediately arrange personnel to placate the citizens, explain the dangers of Dance Powder, and urge everyone to cooperate with the search as much as possible!"
"And, this little girl's ability can help you!" Vivi pointed to Miss Goldenweek in the corner. If the citizens reacted violently, Miss Goldenweek could forcibly calm them down. This was the strategy Auguro had planned from the start.
"Yes!" The officials immediately took their orders and left.
Vivi had originally intended to expose Crocodile's entire conspiracy as well.
But since she had no concrete evidence and Crocodile was a heroic figure in Alabasta, she abandoned that idea, focusing her efforts entirely on the Dance Powder. As long as she could solve the problem of the lack of rain in Alabasta, Crocodile's scheme to usurp the throne would fall apart!
"Haha! I truly believe you are more suited to be Queen than your father is to be King!" Auguro praised her.
Vivi blushed and waved her hand dismissively.
"I'm only forcing myself to be this way."
She then looked serious. "Mr. Auguro, the key to the problem still rests with Crocodile. As long as he remains in Alabasta, the danger will never be completely gone."
"For the sake of Alabasta, I implore you to win!" Saying this, Vivi bowed deeply to Auguro.
Auguro's mouth curled into a slight smile.
"Don't worry! Crocodile's good days are just about over!"