North Blue, Barrels Pirates.
Dies Barerus and his crew stared blankly at the treasure chest before them.
They had just used a treasure map they accidentally acquired to come to a desolate, uninhabited island, where they found a trove of unclaimed treasure.
After moving the treasure back to the ship, everyone excitedly opened the boxes, eager to know how much the treasure was worth.
The previous treasures had already been counted, and the haul was decent, but it wasn't enough to satisfy them, until the last small but exquisitely crafted box.
Barrels originally didn't have high hopes, but after opening the box, everyone's eyes were drawn to the item inside—
The Ope-Ope no Mi!
For a time, news related to the Ope-Ope no Mi had spread throughout the seas.
Although it had been overshadowed by recent major events, with such a short time interval, everyone naturally understood what this meant.
As the Captain, Barrels reacted the quickest, slamming the lid shut with a "thud" and clutching the box to his chest, his sharp gaze sweeping over the face of everyone present, including his own son, Drake.
The air, which had just been filled with excitement and greed, was instantly frozen by the coldness and killing intent in his eyes.
"Listen up, all of you!"
Barrels' expression was serious, his voice very low, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears, delivered in an unquestionable tone:
"From now on, keep your mouths shut! No one has seen this Devil Fruit!"
"If anyone dares to leak even half a word of this news..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his gaze swept over everyone, the meaning in his eyes self-evident.
In a corner unnoticed by his line of sight, a pirate named Grace quietly pressed the communicator in his arms.
A pre-set message was rapidly transmitted from the communicator to a distant location—the Ope-Ope no Mi is in position!
Barrels was completely unaware of this, he clutched the box tightly, emphasizing each word:
"All we found was Berries and gold, understood?"
"Yes, Captain!"
Everyone responded in unison, but their voices were not loud, nor were they firm.
Many people's eyes involuntarily glanced at the re-closed box, their expressions complex.
Barrels saw everyone's reactions.
He knew very well that facing such a precious item that could stir up the world's order, relying solely on command suppression was far from enough.
But he couldn't possibly silence everyone.
Setting aside the question of whether he had the strength, even if he could easily do so, Barrels didn't want his painstakingly assembled pirate crew to be destroyed just like that.
His brain worked faster than ever before, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck, a two-hundred-watt light bulb illuminating above his head.
Ding!
Barrels took a deep breath and slowly spoke:
"According to the news in the newspapers, to perform the Immortality Operation, the Ope-Ope no Mi user needs to awaken his ability and then use his own life to perform the operation on another person."
"Would any of you be willing to do that?"
Everyone looked at each other.
Barrels was originally a Marine; forming a pirate crew had only happened in the last two years, and the relationships among them were not yet close enough to sacrifice their lives for others.
Seeing that everyone's reaction was pretty much as he expected, Barrels grinned:
"Since no one wants to eat it, then this Devil Fruit is useless to us!"
"Useless?!"
"How could it be useless?!"
"Are we just going to pretend we never found it?"
The crew members bickered, scoffing at Barrels' statement.
Barrels knocked on the table twice forcefully:
"Quiet, everyone!"
"Since no one is willing to eat it, we'll sell it!"
"A treasure of this caliber, our pirate crew's strength is absolutely incapable of protecting it!"
"Rather than waiting for it to be discovered and stolen, we should find the highest bidder and sell it before anyone realizes what's happening!"
At these words, the crew members fell into contemplation.
To be fair, they thought the Captain's proposal indeed made sense.
One of them asked:
"Then who should we sell it to?"
"Those who bid high are all famous powers on the seas; how can we ensure they won't double-cross us?"
Barrels' expression had now become quite relaxed, he leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on the back of the chair:
"You're right! If we sell it to those hungry wolves on the seas, we will definitely be double-crossed!"
"But what if we sell it directly to the World Government?"
"Given the World Government's size, six billion Berries shouldn't be too much for them to pay, right?"
Wasn't it five billion?
Of course, it was because of Blake's news that many powers became interested in the Ope-Ope no Mi, and the price naturally increased.
Barrels' thinking was clear, but it must be said that his understanding of the World Government was still too shallow.
The standard the World Government has always upheld is—yours is mine, and mine is still mine.
If the World Government really knew about this item, especially if they knew the Ope-Ope no Mi was in the hands of a pirate crew, it's really hard to say if they would pay.
At least Vice Admiral Tsuru in the original work didn't seem to be carrying money.
Seeing that no one seemed to object to this proposal, Barrels confirmed one last time:
"In that case, I will contact the Blake market intermediary now."
"Grace, take the ship to that winter island we passed last time and hide it."
"From now on, no one can know our whereabouts!"
Grace scratched his head, a silly, goofy smile on his round, chubby face:
"No problem, Captain! I guarantee no one will find us!"
...Buruburu...Buruburu...The white transponder snail in his arms let out a series of urgent sounds, Blake narrowed his eyes and immediately pulled it out:
"Aramaki, what you have to say better be good news!"
"Yes, Your Highness! The Ope-Ope no Mi, as you predicted, fell into the hands of the Barrels Pirates."
Aramaki's voice carried disbelief.
He didn't know where Blake's intelligence came from; a year or two ago, he had been told to keep an eye on Dies Barerus, saying he would betray the Marines.
And indeed, the Ope-Ope no Mi ended up in this guy's hands.
Blake's face broke into a brilliant smile:
"In that case, let's initiate the plan!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Aramaki responded respectfully and then hung up the phone.
Shortly after their call ended, in Area 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago, at the base of the Yarukiman Mangrove, Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
Since Rayleigh's disappearance, Shakky's hospitality had become even worse than before, which led to the already sluggish bar now being completely deserted.
However, today, it welcomed two sneaky guests.
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