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However, even if Brook regained his body, dealing with Baroque Works was not easy. Moreover, he was eager to reunite with the whale, Laboon, so in the end, he pointed Princess Vivi in the right direction and advised her to seek Shin's help.
In Brook's view, although Shin had a somewhat pragmatic personality, he wasn't a bad person. If he could help, he would.
Furthermore, Brook knew that Shin had been collecting Devil Fruits. There were quite a few Devil Fruit users in Baroque Works, and while Shin wouldn't go out of his way to provoke them if they crossed paths, he certainly wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of the situation.
Brook's assessment proved to be spot on. After meeting Princess Vivi, Shin had already decided to intervene.
Asking where she had obtained her information was merely a matter of curiosity. In truth, as long as Baroque Works dared to show up, Shin had no qualms about stripping them of their Devil Fruits.
"Alright, since Brook introduced you, let's talk about the trouble you've encountered in a moment," Shin said.
"But first, let's deal with the problem you attracted that is currently floating in the sky."
As he spoke, Shin looked up to see a woman holding a parasol, hovering in the air.
"Wahaha! You dare to take in the traitors of Baroque Works? Little brother, you sure are bold!"
A girl dressed in a lemon-themed outfit laughed as she looked down from above.
"Be careful, Shin! That's a senior agent of Baroque Works—Miss Valentine!" Princess Vivi immediately warned.
Shin rolled his eyes. "What kind of small fry is this? Talking so arrogantly… you have guts! Universal Pull!"
With a whoosh, Miss Valentine was yanked downward. Before she could react and adjust her weight, Shin seized her by the neck.
The woman's expression was one of utter confusion. Feeling Shin's grip tighten, she instinctively tried to increase her weight.
Then, a sharp crack sounded.
Miss Valentine's eyes rolled back, white foam bubbling from her mouth. Instead of breaking free, she had snapped her own neck.
Shin scoffed. "Are you trying to be funny? This is the most bizarre suicide attempt I've ever seen."
Without hesitation, Shin's hand flickered with black mist. Using the powers of the Munch-Munch Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit simultaneously, he extracted the Devil Fruit from her body. Then, he casually tossed Miss Valentine onto the deck.
Miss Valentine touched her neck with a look of terror, taking a long moment to realize she was still alive. "I—I'm fine? I survived?!"
But when she lifted her head, she saw Shin holding a Devil Fruit—the very Kilo-Kilo Fruit she had once eaten!
Although the Kilo-Kilo and the Float-Float Fruit differed by only one word, their capabilities were vastly different.
The Float-Float Fruit could lift entire islands with ease, whereas the Kilo-Kilo Fruit could only alter one's body weight, with a limit measured in kilograms.
In fact, Shin had encountered an advanced version of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit before—the Ton-Ton Fruit, which allowed its user to adjust their weight in tons.
Though the Kilo-Kilo Fruit was of no real use to Shin, he still added it to his collection. After all, free money was still free money.
"That's… that's my Devil Fruit!" Miss Valentine gasped. She tried activating her powers, only to find that the familiar sensation of the Devil Fruit was completely gone from her body.
"This ability… You're the Predator, Shin! The infamous pirate with a billion-berry bounty!" Miss Valentine shrieked. Then, as if instinctively reacting to a threat, she clutched her chest and curled into a ball.
Shin was speechless.
'Are we really doing this again?'
Seeing Miss Valentine's terrified reaction, Shin could only sigh and glance at Charlotte Pudding.
Pudding immediately understood. Smiling, she stepped forward, reached out, and grabbed Miss Valentine's head. With a gentle pull, she extracted the woman's memories.
After scanning through them, Pudding nodded. "She really is an agent of Baroque Works."
She then organized the information and continued, "The members of Baroque Works never use their real names. They all go by codenames."
"The higher-ranked agents work in male-female pairs. The male agents use 'Mr. + a number'—the lower the number, the stronger they are. The female agents use 'Miss + a date or festival.'"
"The organization's declared goal is to annex Alabasta and establish an 'ideal kingdom.'"
"An ideal kingdom? Sounds a bit like those revolutionary armies," Violet mused with a frown.
"But judging from their actions and methods, they remind me more of the Donquixote Family. Just thinking about it makes me nauseous."
"Don't compare them to the Revolutionary Army," Shin said flatly. "The Revolutionary Army doesn't overthrow countries for no reason. They only intervene when people are truly suffering… at least, they haven't strayed from that mission yet."
Then, Shin turned to Princess Vivi and Igaram. "So, these are the enemies you're up against?"
Princess Vivi clenched her fists. "Yes. We suspect that the ongoing drought in Alabasta is their doing. We believe Baroque Works has been using Dance Powder to manipulate the rainfall."
"The entire kingdom is on the verge of collapse due to the lack of water."
Tears welled up in Princess Vivi's eyes. "Please, help save Alabasta. Even if you must take me as payment…"
"Your Highness! How could you sacrifice yourself like that!?" Igaram wailed, his face streaked with exaggerated tears.
'Enough already. You're just embarrassing yourself at this point.' Shin was now exasperated.
Just as Shin was about to respond, a sudden explosion rocked the ship.
A massive blast erupted from Princess Vivi's ship, sending crew members into a panic.
Shin extended his hand, manipulating gravity to pull the survivors onto the Azure Dragon. Moments later, Princess Vivi's ship split in two and began sinking into the sea.
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