Chapter 30: Vivi: Just How Strong is 'The Zodiac'?
Alabasta, inside the Royal Palace.
Chaos reigned.
"Princess! You cannot go there! It's possible... no, the South Hall is definitely in danger!"
Igaram blocked Vivi's path, his face grave.
"Pell and Chaka left Alubarna with His Majesty. The palace forces are currently insufficient to guarantee your safety."
"No."
Vivi's voice was firm. "That explosion just now... it must be the assassins Sir Ryuji warned us about."
"They somehow impersonated me... I... I have to make sure he's safe!"
She was frantic with worry. She hadn't expected Ryuji to be attacked the moment she left the South Hall.
And according to the reports, the attacker had impersonated her to dismiss the guards and enter the hall.
If Ryuji died because of this, and Alabasta's hope was lost... she could never forgive herself.
"I have to go, Igaram. Please, don't stop me."
She looked at Igaram pleadingly.
To her, the Guard Captain wasn't just a bodyguard. He was family, an elder who had watched her grow up.
"...Very well."
Igaram knew Vivi too well. Seeing the look in her eyes, he knew he couldn't stop her.
Usually, the Princess was approachable and easygoing. But once she made up her mind, nothing could stand in her way.
"But you must promise me: if there is danger, or if fighting breaks out, you will flee immediately!"
"I promise!"
Vivi knew she couldn't help in a fight, so she nodded quickly.
Igaram hesitated no longer. Leading a squad of battle-ready guards, they rushed to the South Hall.
The South Hall was devastated. The explosion had left its mark—walls and pillars were cracked, and the floor was littered with rubble and craters.
Fortunately, the ancient architects of Alabasta knew their craft. Despite the massive explosion, the structure held firm. It wouldn't collapse anytime soon.
"Go! Move in!"
Igaram shouted the order.
The guards surrounded Vivi and charged into the hall.
And then...
"Ah!?"
"What... is that?"
Gasps of shock and disbelief erupted from the guards.
Normally, as Captain, Igaram would have reprimanded them for such a lack of discipline.
But right now, he couldn't.
His own eyes were bulging out of their sockets, and his golden curls were practically standing on end.
"..."
Even Vivi covered her mouth in shock, her eyes wide with horror.
The scene inside the South Hall was impossible.
On the left side, the pillars and walls were coated in thick, glistening frost. Freezing mist curled in the air.
On the right side, the floor had melted. The carefully selected stone bricks were now glowing red-hot, and waves of heat distorted the air.
Extreme cold and searing heat.
It was a single palace hall, but it looked as if an invisible hand had split it into two opposing worlds.
And at the boundary where ice met fire...
The assassins of Baroque Works lay defeated.
Mr. 2 Bon Kurei was frozen into the ice, face up. Mr. 3 Galdino's wax hair had melted into a puddle. Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 were unconscious nearby, her parasol and his sunglasses destroyed.
Miss Merry Christmas's mole gloves were burnt to ash. Mr. 4 and his gun-dog lay near her, his giant bat snapped in two.
In the center of the hall lay Miss Doublefinger, her body covered in burns. And...
"Mon... ster..."
In the middle of the battlefield...
Mr. 1, Daz Bonez, was being held up by his neck, dangling in the air. Ryuji held him with one hand.
His steel-blade body was covered in frostbite cracks. Part of his right leg had clearly been melted away by something intensely hot.
"I... lost..." he rasped weakly. "Kill me..."
There was no fight left in the hard-boiled assassin.
Not just because of his injuries. But because the "battle" just now...
No, it wasn't a battle.
It was a display of pure, overwhelming power.
Just as he had thought—this man was a monster. Challenging a monster was foolishness.
As a veteran assassin even before joining Baroque Works, Daz Bonez had long accepted death.
"Kill you?"
Ryuji's voice from under the mask was calm. "No. I think you pass."
"Wha...?"
Mr. 1 didn't understand.
But Ryuji didn't explain. He casually tossed Mr. 1 aside like a sack of potatoes.
Confirming the man was unconscious, Ryuji dusted off his hands. "Phew... A little warm-up. Worked up a bit of a sweat."
He turned around, smiling at the stunned Igaram and Vivi.
"Oh? Captain Igaram, Princess Vivi. Perfect timing. Please, take these people away."
"They... they... are... No, wait... this... this environment is..."
Igaram couldn't even form a sentence.
Vivi was the first to recover. She took several deep breaths—the mix of hot and cold air clearing her head slightly.
"These people are..." she stammered.
"Yes."
Seeing her regain her composure, a hint of approval flashed in Ryuji's eyes under the mask.
"Correct. These are the executive agents of Baroque Works. And the 'evidence' King Cobra asked for."
"You can tell King Cobra to come back now."
He said calmly.
"Wait, you mean... Father..."
Vivi froze, then realized. "He knew? That's why he left the palace to tour the disaster areas?"
"And... Baroque Works?"
"The ones secretly causing the drought in Alabasta... it's this Baroque Works?"
"More accurately, the 'President' of Baroque Works," Ryuji corrected. "You can ask King Cobra for the details when he returns—if he's willing to tell you."
"..."
Vivi felt like she was going to explode.
Ryuji and her father had planned this whole thing. They had even captured the enemy. And she had been kept in the dark the entire time.
And she knew her father. Even if she asked him, he probably wouldn't give her a straight answer.
She looked at Ryuji, who had turned away, clearly done with the conversation.
Vivi took a deep breath. "Igaram. Arrest them all."
She had made up her mind. If her father and this annoying guy wouldn't tell her, she would pry it out of these assassins herself.
The guards rushed forward, binding the unconscious agents.
"Use Seastone if you have it. They're all ability users," Ryuji added. "Alabasta has Seastone, right?"
"All of them?"
Vivi and Igaram were shocked again.
They knew how powerful Devil Fruit users were. Even a superpower like Alabasta only had two guardian deities who were users.
But Baroque Works had sent eight ability users on a single assassination mission.
It showed just how powerful this criminal organization was.
But then, Vivi realized an even more terrifying fact.
Looking at the devastation around them... even eight ability users combined... hadn't been able to inflict a single effective wound on Ryuji.
The implication was clear.
Even though they were both executives of mysterious organizations...
'Ryuji,' the executive of 'The Zodiac', was far stronger than the infamous agents of 'Baroque Works'.
Not because Baroque Works was weak.
But simply because the existence known as 'Ryuji' was overwhelmingly strong.
And more importantly...
"Someone this powerful is just one of the twelve."
"Then 'The Zodiac'... just how strong is this organization?"
No one could answer Vivi's silent question.
After the Baroque Works agents were secured, Vivi invited Ryuji to help with the interrogation. She hoped to glean some information from him during the process.
Unfortunately...
"I'll pass. But I'll need you to arrange a new room for me. No guards this time... Oh, and don't forget to leave a bottle of cola in the room."
Ryuji waved her off.
"And... don't kill the ones you caught today. I still have a use for them."
Vivi was disappointed by his refusal, but she didn't press him. She left with Igaram and the prisoners.
Ryuji was led by attendants to a new residence—an equally exquisite room on the south side of the palace.
After showing him the amenities, the attendants left silently.
Ryuji walked over to the sofa in the center of the room, sat down, and cracked open the ice-cold cola waiting on the table.
Pshhh.
The satisfying sound of carbonation filled the room.
Ryuji poured two glasses of cola.
Then...
"I've brought out the good cola for you."
"Guest hiding in the shadows... if you don't come out soon... it'll be rude."
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