The darkness before dawn was at its deepest.
The air over Whisky Peak was thick with gunpowder smoke, the scorched scent of roasted meat, and a faint trace of blood.
When Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji returned to the stone house where Nami was waiting—with Vivi still frozen in shock—
The moment Nami saw them, especially the completely unharmed Vivi, her eyes instantly turned into Beli symbols.
"Well done, boys!"
Nami beamed with the benevolence of a capitalist overlord.
"You didn't just save a person—you saved my ten billion Beli! A glorious victory!"
Vivi, still riding the utterly exhausted Karoo, looked at this strange group of pirates with a complicated expression.
She couldn't help asking,
"Why… why did you save me? You knew this would bring you enormous trouble…"
"Oh, right! We haven't properly talked yet."
Nami suddenly remembered, immediately switching into a serious business-negotiation mode.
"About the escort fee—"
At that exact moment, the stone house door beside them burst open with a loud bang.
A massive, round lump of flesh squeezed its way out.
It was Luffy.
His belly was swollen like an overinflated balloon, looking ready to explode at any second. His arms and legs dangled uselessly at his sides.
He waddled like a penguin, each step producing a dull thump against the ground.
"Haa… slept so good… gotta pee… I need to pee…"
Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Luffy stepped outside—only to be jolted awake by the scene before him.
In the faint pre-dawn light, he saw shattered ruins everywhere and bounty hunter corpses littering the plaza.
"Huh?"
Luffy blinked, staring blankly at Ronan and the others.
"What happened? Oh! Ronan, Sanji, Zoro—you're all here! Guess everything got taken care of already."
Sanji lit a cigarette and glanced at his captain's state, sighing helplessly.
"Obviously."
Nami completely ignored Luffy's existence. Right now, all she could see was Vivi—the golden goose that laid Beli.
"Listen carefully, Princess Vivi."
Nami's voice oozed temptation.
"We've shown you our strength, right? That explosion guy and the weight woman were swatted like flies by Ronan and the others."
"As long as you agree to pay ten billion Beli, we'll guarantee your safe return to Alabasta."
"That's not a bad deal for you, is it?"
However—completely against everyone's expectations—
The light in Vivi's eyes dimmed. She clutched Karoo's reins tightly and shook her head with firm resolve.
"I can't do that. I'm deeply grateful that you saved me, but I can't agree to those terms."
"Huh?!"
Nami's smile froze solid—then shattered into a piercing scream.
"WHY?! Aren't you a princess?! It's only ten billion Beli! Is your life not worth that much?!"
"Because… Alabasta can't afford that sum anymore."
Vivi's voice trembled, filled less with fear than with sorrow.
She lifted her head, her gaze seeming to pierce across the sea, toward a distant homeland being devoured by wind and sand.
"Have you heard of Alabasta? It's an ancient nation on the Grand Line, once praised as a 'civilized great power.'"
"It used to be a symbol of peace and prosperity… but that was in the past."
Vivi took a deep breath, her voice sinking lower.
"Now, my country is facing unprecedented internal chaos."
"Drought, famine, riots… In recent years, a mysterious drought has blanketed the entire nation. Except for the capital, Alubarna, not a single drop of rain has fallen."
"The people, driven to despair, rose in rebellion. The Revolutionary Army advanced relentlessly, and the country now teeters on the brink of collapse."
Ronan listened quietly, thinking to himself:
"So it really is Crocodile's 'Utopia' plan. Using Dance Powder to create drought, framing the king—an old trick, but vicious."
"To uncover the truth, Igaram and I infiltrated Baroque Works," Vivi continued, tears glimmering in her eyes.
"We discovered that the mastermind behind it all… was hiding at the very top of this criminal organization."
"He controls everything, trying to devour the entire nation!"
Luffy picked his nose and asked casually,
"So who's that mastermind?"
"No!"
Vivi suddenly looked up, waving her hands in panic.
"You mustn't know his real identity! Once you hear that name, you'll become targets that must be eliminated!"
"I can't drag you into this—it's a matter of life and death!"
Hearing this, Nami gave an awkward laugh and took a step back.
"Ahaha… then forget it. Anyone plotting to steal an entire country is definitely an unimaginable headache. We're better off not knowing."
"Yes."
Vivi nodded, deep fear filling her eyes.
"Someone on that level… no matter how strong you are, you can't touch him. He is—one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile!"
The air went dead silent for three full seconds.
Even the sea breeze seemed to stop.
Ronan's mouth twitched as he stared at Vivi in disbelief.
"…You just said it."
Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. You said it."
Vivi clapped a hand over her mouth, her face instantly turning pale.
"Ah! I'm sorry! I—I let it slip!!"
"Goo-goo—!!"
"Chirp-chirp—!!"
In that deathly silence, the sound of flapping wings suddenly came from above the stone house.
Everyone looked up.
A massive vulture was already spreading its wings, flying straight toward the open sea.
And on its back, a sea otter wearing sunglasses was frantically scribbling on a sketchpad—glancing back at them with a look full of mockery and killing intent.
The ill-omened duo—Mr. 13 and Miss Friday.
"That's…" Nami felt her heart skip a beat.
"Obviously Crocodile's subordinates," Ronan added calmly, twisting the knife.
"AAAAAAAH—!!!"
Nami completely snapped.
She grabbed Vivi by the collar and shook her violently, tears gushing out like a fountain.
"That bird and that otter are going to report this, right?! They absolutely are, aren't they?! You idiot princess! Is apologizing going to fix anything?! Why did you drag us into this too?!"
"I—I'm really, really sorry!" Vivi was shaken until she was dizzy, only able to apologize over and over.
Nami collapsed to her knees, covering her face as she wailed.
"This is the worst… We just entered the Grand Line, and now we're already targets of a Seven Warlord!"
"We're going to die! We're absolutely going to get killed!"
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