Chapter 7: "Negotiating" with the Northwest Family

Dipper's POV

After separating from Mabel, I went to the Northwests' with some documents and of course my equipment, as I doubt they will be cooperative.

"Ding!" I press the doorbell.

Why don't I sneak inside? I like to try the civilized option before taking action, but unfortunately, there are cases where I can't afford to try that.

"To whom do I have the honor?" asked a middle-aged man dressed like a butler, as we often see in movies.

He came a few minutes after I pressed the doorbell, and he seems to be in charge of greeting the Northwest's guests, as there were two imposing people behind him.

"I'm Dipper Pines and I've come to meet the Northwest family on business," I said nonchalantly.

"Unfortunately, we have no guest scheduled today by the name of Dipper Pines," the man declared in a emotionless voice before trying to close the manor's door behind him.

I blocked the closure with my foot, it was an action that seemed to have surprised him, but he quickly regained his composure before opening his mouth to continue speaking.

"Mr. Dipper, you are on the private property of one of the most influential people in the state of Oregon," he politely warned me before gesturing to the two imposing people behind him.

"So, it would be regrettable if a little problem were to happen to you." After he finished these words, I just took out my modified flashlight.

"I've tried to be civilized," I sighed at the waste of time, but I had to try first.

After shrinking the servants, I was able to easily persuade them to guide me through the Northwest residence.

"Hello, dear Northwest family, I hope you are well," I said nonchalantly as I entered the huge room that serves as their living room.

It seems they were having some kind of family meeting, and of course there were other servants with them.

"Who are you? And why have I not been notified of the presence of a guest?" Mr. Northwest interrogated, frowning at the strange situation before him.

"It's surely due to the incompetence of your servants, please excuse me a second and there you go," I said, shrinking all the servants present, except the Northwests.

"Who the hell are you?" Mr. Northwest declared, leaving his comfortable chair to keep his distance from me.

I could see his wife and his daughter Pacifica hiding behind him, probably in the hope of getting a small sense of security.

"I'm not really your enemy, but I need your influence. But don't worry, I'm not a thief who just wants to take advantage of you," I said, taking a seat in an armchair in front of them.

"I wanted to start a business, but as you can see, I'm too young and the administration is a pain in the ass," I explained.

"So you also want the money of our family," Pacifica declared in a clearly contemptuous tone.

"No, that doesn't interest me," I replied, which clearly shocked them given the expression on their faces.

"I need your influence or, to be precise, your authority for my projects, and nothing else," I explained calmly, taking a cup of coffee that, I must admit, was extremely good.

"You mentioned that you wouldn't just take advantage of us, right? That means we're also going to gain something from our relationship?" Mr. Northwest asked with a greedy look directed at my flashlight.

"Yes, indeed, I will provide you with a large quantity of gold so that you can buy things for me, and of course, you will keep a portion of the gold," I explained, demonstrating it to him.

I threw a little gold on the floor and enlarged it with my flashlight so that it could reach the size of a huge rock.

"So, are you interested in working with me?" I asked the most prosperous man in the city.

"Of course, of course, we're partners, Mr. ?? Mr. ??" he asked.

It seems he has already forgotten my existence, the idiot.

"Dipper Pines, and try not to forget my name again, Mr. Northwest," I said, waving my flashlight.

"Of course, please excuse me," he apologized hastily after seeing my gesture.

"Father, you can't work with him, he's clearly a criminal," Pacifica said, approaching her father in an attempt to reason with him.

"Silence, Pacifica," he said nonchalantly without even looking at her.

"But father, he's clearly dangerous. We clearly can't..." Pacifica wanted to say more, but the sound of the bell that her mother rang seemed to immediately silence her.

"Pacifica, go to your room, the adults are talking," she said in a emotionless voice that, I must admit, surprised me.

After listening to her mother, Pacifica left the room in silence.

She almost made me step on her, but I have other priorities today.

"Now that we are partners, Mr. Northwest, I would like you to do this for me, and of course you will be paid in gold," I said after giving him a list of my demands.

"But I also want you to take a look at these documents and understand that I not only have gold and strength, but I am also aware of a lot of things about you and your family," I said with the scariest smile I could muster.

I could see his face turning white as he looked at the copy of the documents that prove they are a family of liars and that they are not the founders of Gravity Falls.

"I really hope that our agreement is and will remain a secret, so your family and I will be the only ones aware of it."

Those were my last words before erasing from the memory of all the servants and maids of the Northwest residence the information related to my visit.

Only the Northwest family remained unchanged by me, since I have an agreement with them.

I could have intimidated them and completely exploited them, but people as proud and at the top of the food chain as them will never long accept being exploited by a third party.

Hence, I prefer this carrot-and-stick approach.

First, I show them that I can kill them and ruin their lives whenever I want to create a clear power dynamic between us, and then I show them that I'm not their enemy, but an opportunity.

"Anyway, when they are no longer useful to me, after obtaining everything on this list, I can just erase their memory," I said, smiling as I imagined erasing their memory after they have solved all my concerns.

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When I got back, I had a little conversation with Soos about the photo he took on the lake without telling me.

Although he explained to me that he wanted to keep it as a souvenir, it doesn't change the fact that he couldn't keep it away from his mother.

"Dipper, don't be too angry with Soos, it was an accident," Wendy declared, who was informed of the situation on the lake by Mabel.

In truth, I don't mind that she knows, since no adult will take a teenager with a family like hers seriously.

"I'm not angry, just disappointed," I explained before heading towards the garage.

Wendy wanted to continue this discussion with Soos, but he grabbed her by the shoulder before slipping away to show his refusal of her intervention.

"Leave him, he needs to calm down, and I'm also at fault for not having properly put away my things," he said before leaving the room as well.

"Soos..." Wendy muttered, watching her colleague walk away.

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Soon, I will be able to start creating my devil fruits with the assistance of the Northwest family, who will help me create a real laboratory.

But I have to start planning the creation of my team on my own, or should I just have servants who think they are my friends?

Whatever, I've already selected the goat that hangs around the Mystery Shack. The reason is that it must already have a certain loyalty towards Mabel and me.

"I just need to create a human fruit version of Chopper, and there I have a usable servant who can learn easily, and he won't be the only animal," I said, planning things out.

There is also the pig that Mabel hasn't met yet.

Anyway, for now, I have work here and I need to settle things with Gifany.

After that, I need to look for important elements in the forest, such as the DNA of certain ancient creatures like dinosaurs or minotaurs.

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Author's Note: Yes, Dipper is starting to shift into high gear, so expect a lot of action and genetic manipulation, as well as the creation of machines.