Mr.
9 was a bit more capable than Vivi, who hadn’t stepped foot outside since her Transmigration.
He had been to Loguetown before, and now he was introducing the power structure of the town to her with a smug tone.
He was being incredibly long-winded.
Logically, a simple introduction to the leaders of each faction and their troop numbers should have sufficed, but Mr.
9 insisted on starting from the countryside grandmother of the underground criminal organization’s leader.
How long was this going to take?
If he were simply showing off to a pretty woman, Vivi could understand.
She knew her appearance was top-tier in this world, and even the surname Nefeltari meant “the most beautiful person.”
She didn’t mind praise or flattery, but Mr.
9’s endless rambling about the underground leader’s grandmother was just a bit much.
Vivi kept a straight Face, nodding as she listened.
“Mhm, it doesn’t seem any different from other towns.
Underground criminal organizations handling stolen goods, pirates briefly docking here, and gray-area Bounty Hunters.
At most, Loguetown just happens to have Marineford soldiers stationed here.”
Marineford soldiers were completely different from the soldiers the Marine stationed in the four seas branches.
The former were direct subordinates, elites strictly trained by the headquarters, while the latter were just cannon fodder—some were even locals recruited with little to no training.
The fact that Marineford kept a garrison in Loguetown fully demonstrated the importance they placed on this entrance from the East Blue to the Grand Line.
“The Marine has nothing to do with us, and we aren’t here to kill anyone.”
Vivi was still a bit sleepy and yawned.
She had zero interest in working for Baroque Works.
“It’s too slow for just the two of us to recruit people.
They’re all adults; they should be able to recruit themselves…
No, wait, I mean we can recruit a few key figures first, and then have them recruit subordinates.
In the end, it’ll be like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger!
Yes, let’s do that!”
She couldn’t openly defy the organization right now, but she could stir up trouble and muddy the waters.
The more factions and complex cliques within Baroque Works, the harder it would be for the headquarters to maintain control.
If she incited insubordination every few days, maybe the organization would collapse on its own without needing Luffy’s help.
Mr.
9 counted on his fingers, seemingly contemplating whether her method of one recruiting three, and three recruiting nine, would be effective.
Vivi looked at the list, then pointed to a tavern not far away.
“Ms.
All Sunday said there’s a guy named Rem here.
Let’s start with him and go ask for some information.”
Rem was a somewhat well-known Bounty Hunter in the area.
If Vivi hadn’t interfered, he would have eventually joined Baroque Works and received the codename Mr.
11.
In Baroque Works, the closer the codename was to 0, the stronger the person.
Ms.
Wednesday, which was Vivi, was equal in rank to the Mr.
9 beside her.
In her current eyes, Mr.
9 was only slightly stronger than cannon fodder—the kind she could take down with one hand.
As for Mr.
11, who was even weaker than Mr.
9, his strength could be easily imagined.
“Rem?
You’ve come at a good time.
See him?
The one sitting by the window wearing a black top hat is Rem.”
After Vivi pulled out 1,000 Berries, the bar owner was very accommodating and pointed out the target for them.
Mr.
9 didn’t even bother to gauge their relative strength; he grabbed his favorite iron club, swaggered over with a thug’s attitude, and walked toward the man.
Vivi, on the other hand, looked at the long sword Rem had placed on the table.
That’s right, after her gaze landed on it, the sword conveyed a feeling of joy to her.
This famous blade, one of the 50 Skillful Grade swords known as “kazuhou,” liked her, and she also liked this sword with its flame-like heat-treated pattern.
This sword and I are destined to be together!
In the past month, her mindset had gradually been assimilated by this world: why buy a sword when you can just steal it!
In reality, Vivi’s swordsmanship wasn’t that advanced.
But everything is relative.
Compared to this swordsman who would eventually become Mr.
11, she was definitely an expert.
Famous blades choose their masters, and since she could even hear the sword’s inner voice, it was no surprise that “kazuhou” chose her.
Rem sat alone in the corner, wearing a top hat that covered most of his Face, with the famous blade “kazuhou” resting on the table within arm’s reach.
Just looking at his poised, imposing posture, he seemed like an expert.
Unfortunately, he was a fraud.
Even with a famous blade, his strength wasn’t even as good as Mr.
9’s, and if he lost this sword, his level would be even worse.
Under normal circumstances, this recruitment wouldn’t have any issues.
The reputation of Baroque Works was resounding in the Bounty Hunter circles, much like a Fortune 500 company from her past life.
Recruiting an unknown swordsman shouldn’t have been difficult at all, but since Vivi had ulterior motives, the outcome was hard to say.
From over thirty meters away, Vivi flicked her wrist, and a silver Chain shot out like an arrow.
Controlling the ring with her pinky finger, she gave a light upward tug, and the Chain coiled around the famous blade “kazuhou” resting on the table.
Before Rem, that fake-expert-turned-real-rookie, could even react, the famous blade “kazuhou” was pulled back into Vivi’s hand by the recoiling Chain.
“Nice blade!” Vivi drew the sword, revealing a pattern on the blade that looked like flames.
She flicked her wrist, quickly executing two sword flourishes.
The sharpness of the blade cutting through the air delighted her; it felt as if with this sword in hand, she could cut through any obstacle.
Unlike traditional katanas, “kazuhou” had a relatively small curve, allowing for thrusting techniques in addition to slashing.
“That’s my sword!
You bastard!
Give it back!” Rem was furious.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he roared and charged at Vivi.
With no weapon in his hand, his threat level dropped even further.
Although Vivi still kept her principle of “staying low and surviving” in mind, she couldn’t help but feel an itch to test out her moves on him.
She slashed her long sword straight down, the snowy blade light flashing before his eyes.
Rem hadn’t expected her to have such strength and speed; he could only stop and retreat in terror.
Vivi didn’t stop her momentum, executing a “kesa-giri” (diagonal slash) from right to left, cutting the table and the side wall in two.
Seeing that he had no power to fight back, she drove her blade straight into his center, accompanied by her unwavering gaze, aiming the tip of the sword directly at Rem’s throat.
It was a common skill used by pirates, a simple “thrust.”
Rem slammed heavily against the wall.
With nowhere left to retreat, he gasped, his eyes fixed on the tip of the sword at his throat, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Tsk tsk, you’re so weak.” Vivi was a bit disappointed.
This guy’s level was too low.
She had created a few sword techniques by combining her Swordsmanship Lv4 with Dance Lv4 and had wanted to test them out, but he had gone down before she even had the chance.
She sheathed the sword with a sense of listlessness.
The table had been sliced diagonally in two, but the chair remained.
She sat down by herself, and the famous blade “kazuhou” stood casually in the corner.