The Syndicate*

Robin was dressed in a violet ballroom dress, a matching masquerade mask, and the crystal necklace with Victor's vivre card. She looked exquisite and drew the attention of the men and women alike. 

"I wonder how she looks under the mask. She must be beautiful." One of the ladies started the gossip.

"Do you dare? She is the only wife of Victor Moriarty himself. You were not at the scene so let me tell you, he's an incarnation of the devil himself. Only in front of his wife does he act like a harmless rabbit. They even gave him a nickname, 'The angel of Death'."

*gasps*

*murmur*

"This brother is right, not only has he taken over his grandfather's Moriarty Empire with an iron fist but also defeated his lifelong enemy who murdered his parents. Rumours suggest that he was a prodigal before his marriage but after meeting his wife he has changed drastically. You should not underestimate Ms Moriarty, she must be extraordinary to bring about such change."

*Gasps* The lady and the surrounding audience were shocked, the lady cursed herself for speaking too loudly. Does she dare? Not in this life.

"Sister!! This Victor Moriarty hides too well. I am thankful that he's on our side, I wouldn't want to be his enemy." A higher-up mobman said with a sigh.

The celebratory banquet was in full swing with a lavish dinner, slow music, gossip, and clinking of glasses. Zala approached Victor and Robin who were busy chatting near the bar while enjoying their drinks, "Victor! The private meeting for the negotiation will start now. We have discovered two reporters who took your photo but we have taken care of it."

"Did you kill him?"

"No, we burned the photo and camera, then paid him compensation."

"Good! You did great today Zala, tell your men they'll be highly rewarded for participating in the war."

"What a generous Boss! What about my reward?"

"You'll get your cafe in the main economic zone along with a big cheque. Also, I want you to join the elite unit directly under my command. I'll teach Haki to the elite unit personally."

"Fufufu... Interesting! I accept the offer Boss!!" She said with a bow.

****

Inside the large meeting room:

Maria stood and gave the report, "We have captured Vito, Gotti, and 900 of Bege's men. After collecting the loot we discovered Four Billion bellies in cash, we will also claim Bege's 138 million bounty, 200 horses, 160 cannons, many art pieces, arms, and ammunition costing around 300 million in a rough estimate. We have also seized the flagship Nostra Castello along with 8 warships."

Everyone present in the room was shocked after hearing the numbers.

Sophia spoke out first, "Let's divide the loot into three parts, both families will take one-third while we'll use the rest to strengthen the Syndicate. What's your opinion, Victor?

"I agree!" He wasn't to worried about money.

"Great! Now as the leader of the Syndicate, my first order is to capture as much of the enemy territory as possible. The five families who plotted against us have been severely weakened, we'll wipe them out one by one before there's external interference. The Syndicate will fill the power vacuum so that there's no more violence. Meanwhile, we'll work closely with Moriarty's Blacklight Org. to promote economic development for the masses inside The Syndicate Territory." She paused for a moment as everyone listened with rapt attention. 

"The Syndicate will have an organized hierarchy based on strength and talent. We'll be the government and create a rule-based society with proper military force, a judiciary, and an investigative body to keep each other in check and maintain law and order. Our core focus will be economic and urban development while preventing any war from threatening our borders in the future." 

"Cheers to new beginnings!" She raised her glass of wine and everyone on the table cheered in response.

Captain Smith and Zala were also on the table handling the smaller details about the alliance. After more hours of talks and negotiations about trade and defense the meeting finally ended. Both parties shared a lot of common goals so there weren't many disagreements. The major hurdle was what to do with the prisoners and Sofia's faction was determined to execute them all but Victor firmly vetoed the idea. Even though he was merciless on the battlefield, his principles wouldn't allow him to harm the innocent prisoners. Finally, it was decided to hold an investigation and identify the ones who had a bad track record. They will be kept in prison. The rest will be given the chance to either leave the life of crime or join the syndicate. Victor wants to use them to take control of the enemy territory from inside so that there's minimal resistance.

When the group meeting ended, only Victor and Sofia were present in the room.

"Do you think the Marines will take action? It's impossible they didn't notice such large-scale movement."

"They're surely monitoring us but as long as both sides are heavily injured they'll not interfere. We have to act swiftly, I'll send my men to begin the joint operation. Focus on taking control of the big cities and the resource-rich unaffiliated islands first and don't harm the civilians at all costs. That'll keep the Marines at bay for now."

"You want to create a shadow organization along with the Syndicate? Couldn't we just put them under one banner?"

"No, they will be different. The syndicate's sole purpose is to maintain long-term stability in West Blue and promote development in our territory. Meanwhile, the shadow organization will serve a far greater purpose when the time comes, till then we have to grow in shadows and increase our strength."

"When will that time come? I don't us to keep running towards impossible dreams."

"The fated child who bears the will of this world has already been born. The next Pirate King with a mythical power to liberate this world."

"Do you believe in such words? What if it's all just a hoax and superstition?" Sofia didn't believe in myths and legends. She has seen the darker side of this world, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. How can a pirate liberate this world?

"Trust me on this! What you see now is just the calm before the storm."

"What's your goal in all this Victor? Why are you doing this? Do you want to rule the world from shadows?"

"Do I seem like that type of guy?"

"Honestly yes, I know you made me the leader of the Syndicate in order to avoid attention."

"Hey, I don't want to deal with the paperwork. You'll do a fine job, I know that. Anyway, your devil fruit powers will be very useful in interrogation and keeping away spies from infiltrating the ranks."

"You can resign if you are not interested, we can look for another candidate," Victor said after a pause.

"I'll do it! In exchange, you'll owe me a favor. Oh! Just to inform you, I'll be taking out your wife on a date." She said with a playful tone.

"Don't try to steal my girl Sofia, return before it gets dark, and don't cause any trouble," Victor replied. 

'What's wrong with this bastard's tone? Does he think we are little children who run around causing trouble?'

"When will you tell her that you love her?" She teased.

"So you can read minds now?"

"My powers don't allow me to read minds, I can sense others' emotions. Honesty, greed, anger, love whatever it may be. Pretty handy in managing my social circle."

"Wish I had that power too. I'm envious."

"Here, this is a gift for you! Even you'll be surprised." She put a briefcase on the table.

***

Next Day: Naval HQ

Tsuru was shocked to see the confidential report and images after the battle sent by VA Yamakaji. It was a bloody one-sided massacre but fortunately, no civilians suffered an injury. Bege's army and Navy were completely defeated by the Sanchez Family which was completely unexpected. Moriarty and Sanchez have allied under one banner, The Syndicate led by Sofia Sanchez. Its goals: Unknown. Possibility of the unification of West Blue Underworld.

"This can't be kept hidden anymore, he's a threat we should look out for." She muttered to herself.

"What are you talking about Sister Tsuru?" A melodious voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Ohh Gion, did you finish your tea and snacks? Let's go to Sengoku's office, I'll explain there." She said while picking up a folder with 'Victor Moriarty' written on it.

Gion was now a newly promoted Rear Admiral under Tsuru. Both have a close relationship due to the latter treating Gion as her little sister. She nodded obediently and followed Tsuru like a little duckling.

When they entered Sengoku's cabin they heard a loud bickering.

"Garp! Why don't you stop your family from causing more trouble? The WG has decided to increase your son's bounty to 600 million bellies." Sengoku was annoyed. If someone spreads the information that the Marine hero's son left the Marines and started a criminal organization then it'll cause a scandal.