Chapter 209: The Mastermind's Codename—Mr. X!
The meeting proceeded more smoothly than expected.
Robin, however, raised her head and asked, "What about Mr. 3's group?"
Ralph was momentarily taken aback.
Mr. 3... Galdino.
He had taught him a lesson on Little Garden, and later, Galdino had stayed there with Miss Goldenweek and the Mr. 5 duo.
Ralph remembered leaving them a Devil Fruit as funds and telling them to lay low somewhere. He wondered how things had turned out for them.
If they had taken the funds without doing their job, Ralph might have to send someone to teach them another lesson.
"Let's give it a try."
Ralph grew curious as well.
"If they're still reachable!"
The call was dialed.
Beep—beep—beep!
After a long wait, the Den Den Mushi's eyes suddenly opened, revealing a face tinged with a mix of flattery and calculation.
"Hello? Who's there?"
"It's me."
Ralph replied with a smile.
"Ralph."
It was clear the other party was testing the waters.
The call had been made using Mr. 0's Den Den Mushi, but Mr. 3 didn't know which boss had come out on top.
After a brief silence,
"B-Boss?!"
Mr. 3's voice was unmistakably filled with excitement.
If Ralph was calling, it meant Crocodile had fallen into his hands. That meant... he was about to strike it rich!
Without hesitation, Mr. 3 began reporting on their recent work.
"We... we're currently heading to the Land of Giants."
Ralph's pupils contracted slightly.
The Land of Giants.
Elbaph.
That was...
Thankfully, the Den Den Mushi didn't transmit images, so Ralph managed to keep his composure.
As expected of Third Brother!
Always coming up with something new!
He had just opened up the latest version of the map in one go!
Ralph took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady:
"Elbaph? Are you sure?"
"Y-yes."
Mr. 3 wasn't entirely sure how Ralph felt about his decision, so he cautiously explained,
"Mr. Dorry said that Elbaph is different now."
"The former king, Harald, changed the foreign policy. It's no longer like before... plundering human nations."
"So we thought..."
Ralph fell silent.
This was exactly what he had told Dorry.
Thinking about it, with the friendship forged on Little Garden, this was indeed a great opportunity to establish deeper ties with Elbaph.
In the original story, Elbaph was the kingdom of the giants, home to the world's most powerful warriors.
If they could establish a foothold there...
"Very good."
Ralph's tone became more formal.
"Mr. 3, you've chosen an excellent direction."
"Elbaph's current foreign policy has indeed undergone significant changes, shifting from relying on their innate strength to plunder freely to gradually embracing peace."
"Therefore—"
A slow smile spread across Ralph's lips.
"Establishing a foothold in Elbaph, whether for trade or intelligence gathering, holds great potential for professionals like you."
Mr. 3's eyes lit up.
"Boss, you mean..."
"I support your decision."
Ralph said, "And I have two suggestions."
"Please, go ahead!"
"First, regarding the Den Den Mushi."
Ralph's gaze fell on the Den Den Mushi on the conference table, his eyes growing profound.
"If we can establish a Den Den Mushi Network to enable rapid transmission of intelligence, it would become the most formidable intelligence system in the world.
Elbaph has its own independent telephone system."
Therefore, you must be extremely careful when establishing your base and making external contacts, and never let them dislike you.
Mr. 3 nodded repeatedly, never expecting the boss to have such a deep understanding of Elbaph's internal affairs.
Could his sudden idea also be part of the boss's plan?
"Second, about integration."
Ralph's voice took on a subtle tone.
"If you want to quickly integrate into Elbaph, go to the Owl Library and find a history teacher named Saul."
"Saul?"
"Yes. This person holds some influence in Elbaph."
Ralph's smile widened, "Just say you are Robin's companions."
"Robin?"
Mr. 3 was taken aback, "Who is that?"
"Me."
A woman's voice suddenly came from the side.
Mr. 3 saw the Den Den Mushi morph into another face.
A woman's face.
The voice was also very familiar.
Miss All Sunday!
Then, the reliable little girl beside him, Miss Goldenweek, added, "Nico Robin, a wanted criminal with a bounty of 79 million Berries, known by the World Government as the Devil Child."
"You—you—you—you—"
The Den Den Mushi worked hard, mimicking Mr. 3's expression as if he had seen a ghost.
But Robin paid no attention to his reaction. Her full focus was on the words Ralph had just spoken.
Saul is still alive?
And... working as a history teacher in Elbaph?
She looked at Ralph's profile, her gaze too complex to put into words.
How much more did this man know?
"Saul is my friend."
Robin continued, her voice trembling slightly with emotion, "If you truly succeed in reaching Elbaph, please give him my regards. Tell him..."
She took a moment to steady her breath.
"Tell him I will definitely visit Elbaph in person."
Mr. 3's expression shifted from shock to awe, and then from awe to ecstasy.
Connections? Check. Information? Check—
This trip to Elbaph was turning out to be much simpler than he had imagined!
"Boss, you're amazing!"
He shouted excitedly, "I'll get right on it!"
Then—
The Den Den Mushi's eyes suddenly closed.
"Hello? Hello?"
Ralph tried dialing a couple more times, but there was no response.
"Poor signal."
Robin said, "Under normal circumstances, being able to connect at this distance is already lucky."
Ralph nodded, not particularly concerned.
He turned to look at Robin, meeting her deep, penetrating gaze.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Robin averted her eyes, though the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, "It's just that... following you might really be a good choice."
Ralph smiled and was about to say something when he noticed the shocked expression on another Den Den Mushi.
One could imagine how much of an impact the conversation they had inadvertently overheard had on them.
The Devil Child, a wanted criminal with a bounty of 79 million Berries, was actually the second-in-command of Baroque Works?
But what shocked them even more was something else.
"That call just now..."
Mr. 1 said gravely, "Mr. 3 is going to the land of giants?"
"Correct."
Ralph admitted frankly.
"Those fools get to go to the land of giants, while we have to atone in Alabasta?"
Miss Goldenweek's voice carried clear dissatisfaction.
Ralph smiled.
He had anticipated this kind of reaction.
"What, think it's unfair?"
The four of them remained silent, but their expressions said it all.
Ralph leaned back in his chair and spoke slowly:
"Mr. 3 and the others went to Elbaph because they happened to be heading in that direction, and they had Dorry and Brogy's recommendation."
"You... were just unlucky, switching sides too late!"
Then, he shifted the topic:
"Besides, who says you have to stay in Alabasta for the rest of your lives?"
The eyes of all four lit up simultaneously.
"Once the heat dies down, you'll still be free."
Ralph said, "Baroque Works' future focus isn't limited to just being Bounty Hunters."
He began to outline his plans—
Continue the group's business as Bounty Hunters, striving to become the industry leader.
Maintain the secretive nature of the organization, but allow subordinate agents to develop their own ventures, with the organization providing support.
Plant reliable agents to infiltrate major factions—
the government, the Navy, the Revolutionary Army, Pirate crews, and even the World Economy News Paper.
Establish a powerful intelligence network.
"To change this world, Baroque's reach must first spread across the globe."
Ralph's tone was calm as he spoke, but the content was earth-shattering!
The four on the other end of the Den Den Mushi fell silent.
No matter how much Crocodile stirred things up, he only had his sights set on Alabasta, a desert nation.
But this young man had already quietly set his gaze on the entire world.
As he spoke passionately, his eyes gleamed faintly.
When he grew excited, his cheeks flushed, his breathing quickened slightly, and even his pupils took on a faint red hue.
Just then, static came through the Den Den Mushi.
The signal was about to cut out again.
"That's enough for now."
Ralph reined in his emotions, "We'll end it here today. The specifics can be refined later."
"Wait!"
Miss Goldenweek suddenly called out, "What should we call you? Still Mr. 0?"
Ralph thought for a moment.
Crocodile had already fallen, so using the codename Mr. 0 wasn't really appropriate anymore.
"Call me Mr. X."
He revealed a meaningful smile.
"It's more mysterious, and it suits me better."
The Den Den Mushi's eyes closed.
The meeting was over.
Ralph let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.
It felt so good to boast!
But what he didn't expect was—
While he was passionately outlining his grand vision, another Den Den Mushi had also heard his voice.
Off the coast of Alabasta, within the Navy blockade.
On the flagship's deck, Smoker clenched his cigar, his face ashen.
"What did you say?"
"It came from the Intelligence Division."
Tashigi held a document, her fingers trembling slightly,
"The wiretap... intercepted communications related to Baroque Works."
"Crocodile's already been captured. What's there to listen to?"
"It's not Crocodile."
Tashigi's voice trembled, "It's... another organization."
She opened the file and read:
"According to the intercepted content, there exists a higher-level mysterious organization behind Baroque Works."
"This organization has already planted agents within multiple world-influential factions, including the government, the Navy, the Revolutionary Army, major Pirate crews, and the World Economy News Paper, establishing a vast intelligence network."
"Its scope of influence... is immeasurable."
Smoker's cigar fell onto the deck.
"The leader of that organization has the codename—Mr. X."