Chapter 144: As Expected of You! Shameless Ralph!
Three sentences.
The skeleton of a brutal power struggle story was thus constructed.
The mastermind behind the scenes, the double, betrayal, usurpation, twisted ideals...
All the elements were in place, the plot was melodramatic, worthy of being called the drama of the year.
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were both stunned.
Their brains were operating at their limit at this moment.
"You... you're talking nonsense!"
Mr. 5 struggled to refute, "Everything you said has no evidence!"
Ralph opened his eyes.
A gleam flickered in those eyes.
He smiled.
Confident, composed, as if everything was under his control.
"The most compelling evidence is—
"I know the true identity of that double, the fake Mr. 0, who is currently giving orders to all the agents."
In the square, even the sound of the wind ceased.
Everyone held their breath.
Ralph looked around, then slowly spoke:
"That is—one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile."
Dead silence.
Then—
"You're lying!!"
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine roared almost simultaneously.
Their voices were distorted by shock and anger,
"A dignified Seven Warlord of the Sea, openly competing with a nameless Pirate for the position of Baroque Works' boss? Is there any lie more absurd than this?!"
But just then—
Princess Vivi raised her hand.
Her expression was as serious as if she were speaking in class:
"Based on my investigation into Baroque Works, everything Mr. Ralph said is true."
Igaram beside her quickly chimed in:
"The princess is right! This is the result of our investigation, and the reason we're being hunted!"
The two of them sang in harmony, cooperating seamlessly.
Although they didn't know what Ralph's intentions were, to escape their current predicament, they didn't hesitate to join this "chorus of lies."
And they acted... quite convincingly.
At the same time, they were genuinely shocked that someone else knew the true identity of Mr. 0.
Could it be that what this Ralph said was true?
Princess Vivi and Igaram were no longer certain if their investigation had uncovered the whole truth.
Meanwhile, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were going insane.
They had just taken on a simple "eliminate the traitors" mission.
How had they gotten dragged into such a complicated event involving "power struggles between the mastermind and his double," "a dignified Seven Warlord usurping a position," and "the Utopia plan being twisted"?!
The sheer amount of information, the plot twists, the character relationships...
Brain overload.
CPU fried.
The two exchanged a glance and saw the same thought in each other's eyes:
Stop thinking.
Yes, stop thinking.
If something is too hard to understand, just don't think about it.
"Never mind!"
Mr. 5 roared angrily, raising his hand and curling his fingers into a snapping gesture.
That was the sign of his ability, the Bomu Bomu no Mi, activating:
"I'll just kill all of you! Then the mission will be complete!"
Miss Valentine also raised her green umbrella, a standardized, cold, fake smile returning to her face:
"That's right~ We just need to follow orders and carry out the mission~"
Killing intent once again filled the air.
But just then—
"..."
A sound came from the edge of the square.
Very soft.
It was the sound of a yawn.
Everyone turned at the same time.
Under the moonlight, Lufia rubbed her eyes and sat up, her large belly prominent.
She clearly wasn't fully awake yet, her eyes dazed, a bit of grease still clinging to the corner of her mouth.
"Mmm... so good..."
She mumbled, looking toward the center of the square.
Then, she saw the fallen bounty hunters—the very "townsfolk" who had just been singing, dancing, and warmly hosting them at the feast.
Her gaze fell on the scattered weapons, the shattered houses, and the mottled bloodstains on the ground.
Finally, her eyes fixed on Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.
These two: one poised in a stance, murderous intent radiating; the other holding a green umbrella, a cold smile on her face.
They definitely didn't look like good people.
More importantly, she had heard their final words!
They wanted to kill everyone!
No need to ask—they were definitely the bad guys!
In just one second, Lufia's eyes went from "dazed" to "alert" to "burning with rage."
She sprang to her feet, her straw hat swaying atop her head.
"You two despicable bastards—"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a suppressed fury:
"Was it you who hurt the townsfolk who so warmly hosted us?!"
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were both taken aback.
Before they could react—
Lufia was already moving.
No buildup, no warning.
Just a simple step forward, her rubber arm stretching back.
Then—
"Gomu Gomu..."
Her fist left afterimages in the air.
"Twin Pistols!!"
Two fists.
Simultaneously.
One left, one right.
In Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine's eyes, those two pitch-black fists rapidly grew larger under the moonlight.
They didn't even have time to react—
"Thud! Thud!"
Two dull thuds, almost overlapping.
Mr. 5's cheek caved in.
Miss Valentine's smile froze on her face.
Then—
The two of them shot backward like cannonballs.
Soaring through the night sky.
Crashing through a distant wall.
Disappearing into the rubble.
The square fell silent once more.
Princess Vivi and Igaram stared dumbfounded at the Straw Hat Girl standing under the moonlight.
Legend had it that in Baroque Works, the lower the code number, the stronger the agent.
Agents ranked 5 and above almost all possessed Devil Fruit abilities and were incredibly powerful.
And yet...
These two agents hadn't even had a chance to use their abilities before this Straw Hat Girl...
With one punch.
Just one punch.
Knocked them out.
Princess Vivi's lips trembled slightly.
Something glimmered in her eyes.
Hope!
The Alabasta Kingdom... could be saved!
Under the moonlight, Lufia retracted her arms, then turned to look at Ralph and Zoro, wearing a sorrowful expression:
"Such kind people, throwing us a feast, eating barbecue, singing songs... and then suddenly getting attacked! It's just so awful!"
The others fell into a brief silence.
Lufia still thought the people in this town were good.
Anyone who gave her food was a friend—what a kind of innocence worth protecting!
Ralph flashed in front of Lufia, gently cupping her elastic cheeks.
"Cheer up! You've already avenged them!"
As he spoke, Ralph glanced back at the others present.
"Even though everyone's battered and bruised, at least you're alive! And it's all thanks to you! They should be thanking us! Right?"
The implication was clear!
What's done is done—let's just go with it!
Since we're on the same side now, let's just smoothly move past our previous conflicts!
Miss Monday and Mr. 9, who had been beaten up, along with the wailing Bounty Hunters, finally saw the situation clearly.
What else could they do?
When someone has a bigger fist and says to let it go, you let it go!
Besides, what if… this Ralph really is the boss of Baroque Works?
"Thank you… thank you for saving our town!"
Mr. 9 thanked him with a face that had been thoroughly roughed up by Zoro.
Zoro, who had witnessed—and even participated in—the whole ordeal, couldn't hold back a laugh.
"That's just like you! Shameless Ralph!"
Ralph didn't have time to dwell on Zoro's mockery, as Lufia had spotted the wanted poster on the ground and was about to get upset again.
Meanwhile, Nami, who had been pretending to be drunk, had been eavesdropping from inside the house the whole time. Now, as she looked at Princess Vivi, it was as if she saw a walking pile of Berries!