Princess Vivi fell into complete confusion.
Everything Ryūjin had told her struck directly at the deepest secrets she had hidden for years. It felt as if every thought she carefully buried had been exposed without mercy.
That alone left her shaken.
At the same time, she could not fully trust him.
This was the first time she had ever met Ryūjin.
And more importantly, she found it difficult to believe his claim that he could deal with Crocodile.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
A monster standing near the top of the ocean.
To oppose someone like that, a person would need strength on the same level at minimum.
No matter how Vivi looked at Ryūjin, she could not convince herself that he possessed that kind of terrifying power.
Although his abilities seemed mysterious and incomprehensible, the risk was simply too great.
Ryūjin naturally noticed the hesitation in Vivi's eyes.
He did not bother wasting words trying to persuade her further.
Instead, he casually took out a Den Den Mushi and handed it to her.
"When you make up your mind, contact me."
The Den Den Mushi carried Ryūjin's chakra signature. As long as Vivi used it, he would immediately sense her location.
Whether through Kamui or Yomotsu Hirasaka, reaching her would take only an instant.
Vivi hesitated briefly before accepting it.
After all, keeping a Den Den Mushi itself was harmless.
Buzz!
The space around Ryūjin suddenly distorted.
Layers of spiraling vortexes appeared from his right eye and swallowed him whole.
Then he vanished completely.
Vivi stared blankly at the Den Den Mushi in her hand before slowly putting it away.
"Ugh..."
A groan suddenly sounded nearby.
Mr. 9 slowly woke up from the genjutsu Ryūjin placed on him.
Vivi quickly adjusted her expression while her thoughts raced, trying to think of an explanation for what had just happened.
But before she could speak, Mr. 9 rubbed his head and cursed loudly.
"Damn that whale! Did it smash into the Red Line again? I got thrown to the ground and knocked out!"
Vivi froze.
Ryūjin had not only knocked him unconscious, he had altered his memory as well.
In Mr. 9's mind, Ryūjin had never appeared.
His unconsciousness was simply caused by Laboon's violent collision.
A chill ran down Vivi's spine.
Memory manipulation.
That ability was terrifying.
"Miss Wednesday? What's wrong with you?" Mr. 9 asked suspiciously after noticing her strange expression.
"Nothing," Vivi replied while forcing herself to stay composed. "I just got dizzy from all the shaking."
Mr. 9 accepted the explanation without question.
The vibrations inside Laboon had indeed been violent enough to knock someone over.
Soon, the two resumed discussing how to deal with Crocus, who kept interfering with their mission.
Meanwhile, Ryūjin had already returned to the small island inside Laboon.
"Old man, I'm warning you, don't try anything funny! I've got a very powerful backer!"
"Have you heard of Demonic Eye Ryūjin Uchiha? I'm under his protection!"
The moment Ryūjin arrived, he saw Nami nervously yelling at an elderly man while trying to act intimidating.
Her expression made it obvious she was bluffing desperately.
"Never heard of him," the old man replied flatly while lying comfortably in a chair.
Nami immediately became more panicked.
"You've never heard of Ryūjin-san?!"
Ryūjin almost laughed.
"Nami, relax. This old man's just a doctor, not some serial killer."
The elderly man in front of them was Crocus.
Back in Roger's era, he had served as the Roger Pirates' ship doctor.
His appearance looked intimidating, but in reality, he was a surprisingly easygoing old man.
"You know who I am?" Crocus asked with visible curiosity.
Ryūjin's sudden appearance had already surprised him.
Now Ryūjin had immediately identified his background as well.
"Of course," Ryūjin replied casually. "Former ship doctor of the Roger Pirates, Crocus."
Nami's eyes widened.
"You were part of the Pirate King's crew?!"
"So people still remember that after all these years," Crocus muttered with a nostalgic sigh.
The group soon sat down and chatted casually.
Crocus explained Laboon's story to them, including his long wait for the Rumbar Pirates.
Nami listened quietly, clearly moved by the whale's loyalty.
As for Ryūjin and Nami, they simply claimed they were accidentally swallowed by Laboon.
Crocus did not question it much.
That sort of thing happened more often than most people expected.
After resting briefly, Ryūjin asked to borrow a Log Pose before leaving.
Since Crocus no longer needed it, he handed it over without hesitation.
He even personally opened the passage leading outside Laboon's body for them.
Soon, Ryūjin and Nami resumed their journey across the Grand Line.
This time, however, Ryūjin did not have the giant fish pulling the ship.
Instead, the small vessel drifted lazily across the sea.
Nami tilted her head curiously.
"Ryūjin-san, why aren't we moving properly?"
Ryūjin leaned back casually.
"I'm waiting for a call."
That wait lasted an entire week.
Meanwhile, at Whiskey Peak.
A sheep-headed pirate ship slowly docked at the island harbor.
The Going Merry.
The Straw Hat Pirates had finally entered the Grand Line.
Not long after Ryūjin left Laboon, Luffy's crew had also encountered the giant whale and been swallowed whole.
Just like the original sequence of events, Luffy accidentally interfered with Vivi and Mr. 9's mission, forcing Vivi to return to Whiskey Peak alongside the Straw Hats.
The only difference now was that the Straw Hat Pirates already had another navigator.
Luffy still wanted Nami to join his crew, but she had disappeared completely after meeting Ryūjin.
Left with no choice, they found someone else to handle navigation duties.
"It's pirates!"
"More pirates finally arrived!"
"Welcome!"
As the Going Merry approached the shore, the Straw Hats saw countless residents enthusiastically greeting them.
The scene felt strangely suspicious.
Most islands feared pirates.
Even places willing to tolerate them remained cautious.
But Whiskey Peak openly celebrated pirate arrivals.
Only someone as carefree as Luffy would happily accept the welcome without questioning anything.
Once they entered the town, the residents prepared a massive banquet in their honor.
Food.
Alcohol.
Music.
Everything looked like a festival.
But after the celebration ended, the people of Whiskey Peak finally revealed their true faces.
Every resident on the island was a bounty hunter.
Their goal from the beginning had been collecting pirate bounties.
The entire town suddenly attacked the Straw Hat crew.
Unfortunately for them, they severely underestimated their targets.
Especially Zoro.
The swordsman casually destroyed wave after wave of bounty hunters almost effortlessly.
The gap in strength was overwhelming.
"Damn it, that swordsman's insane!"
"Mr. 9, are you alright?!"
Vivi and Mr. 9 were among the defeated crowd, both staring at Zoro nervously.
"Pathetic."
A cold, arrogant voice suddenly interrupted the chaos.
Everyone turned immediately.
A man and woman slowly walked into view.
Just from their matching appearance style alone, everyone recognized them as Baroque Works agents.
The man had curly hair, sunglasses, and a smug expression.
Mr. 5.
User of the Bomb Bomb Fruit.
Even his boogers exploded like bombs.
Beside him stood a woman dressed entirely in yellow while carrying an umbrella.
Miss Valentine.
The user of the Kilo Kilo Fruit.
Even someone unfamiliar with Baroque Works could tell these two ranked far above Mr. 9 and Vivi.
After all, the numerical difference between Mr. 9 and Mr. 5 spoke for itself.
"Mr. 5! Miss Valentine!"
The remaining bounty hunters instantly looked relieved.
"With you here, that swordsman won't be a problem anymore!"
Mr. 5 sneered dismissively.
"You think we came all the way here for trash like this?"
"We're here on another assignment," Miss Valentine added casually.
Mr. 9 immediately looked confused.
"What mission?"
Mr. 5's expression turned cold.
"Someone discovered the boss's secret."
Vivi's heart instantly skipped a beat.
An uneasy feeling spread through her chest.
Could it really be...
Was Ryūjin telling the truth?
"What are you talking about?" Vivi asked while pretending to stay composed.
Mr. 5 slowly pulled out a photograph.
The face in the picture was clearly Vivi herself.
"Nefertari Vivi, princess of Alabasta."
"We received direct orders from the boss."
"To eliminate you."
Vivi's face instantly turned pale.
Ryūjin had been right.
Crocodile already knew everything.
"We absolutely won't let you harm Princess Vivi!"
Igaram suddenly climbed up while firing wildly at Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.
Gunfire echoed across the area.
But once the smoke cleared, the two agents stood there completely unharmed.
Mr. 5 casually flicked a booger.
Boom!
The explosion instantly blasted Igaram away.
Vivi and Mr. 9 immediately rushed forward to fight back, but the difference in strength was overwhelming.
Within moments, both were beaten badly.
"Run, Princess Vivi!" Igaram shouted weakly from the ground. "If something happens to you, Alabasta is finished!"
Vivi clenched her teeth tightly before jumping onto Karoo's back and fleeing desperately.
"Giggle... where exactly do you think you're running?"
Miss Valentine laughed while floating into the air using her Devil Fruit ability.
Then she suddenly increased her weight and crashed downward like a meteor.
Boom!
The ground exploded apart.
At the same time, Mr. 5 casually launched explosive attacks one after another around Vivi.
The situation instantly became deadly.
If not for Karoo's incredible speed, Vivi would already be dead several times over.
But even then, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were clearly toying with her.
Like predators enjoying a hunt.
Vivi's expression became increasingly desperate.
She could not escape them.
Then suddenly, she remembered something.
Without hesitation, she pulled out the Den Den Mushi Ryūjin had given her.
"I agree!" Vivi shouted desperately into it.
The next moment, space twisted violently in front of her.
A spiraling vortex appeared out of nowhere.