So, I was thinking of doing Q and A.
You ask me anything in the comments and I will answer them in the next chapter.
Daily type of thing.
.
.
Okay, I wanna ask: WHY THE HELL YOU ALL ARE AFTER VIVI!?? WHAT DID SHE EVEN DO!?
.
.
Spread Youe che--I mean agendas... Yes, agendas.
HERE<---
.
.
Attendance Please:
--------------------
The moon rose like a sliver of bone over the town of Whisky Peak, casting pale light across the rooftops.
Inside the tavern, the party was in full swing. Townsfolk crowded from all sides, their eyes following each Straw Hat like hawks watching wounded prey. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meat and spilled ale.
"…and so I said, 'Hey, you sea monsters, get your flippers off my friends!'" Usopp struck a pose, one foot on a barrel, his silhouette dramatic against the light.
"Wow! Captain Usopp is so cool!" The crowd cheered, a beat too fast, too rehearsed.
Usopp smirked and took a sip from his juice glass. "I must admit, our great escape from that giant whale had me shaking… with excitement, that is!" He paused, sniffed the glass quietly, and then took another sip.
Across the room, Yuji and Zoro had transformed their corner into a battlefield strewn with empty barrels. The table groaned under the weight of fallen men, locals who had challenged them and lost, their faces peaceful in drunken slumber. A bartender stood frozen, his hand trembling as he poured another round.
"JUST LOOK AT THESE STRONG WARRIORS!! THEY OUTDRANK TEN MEN EACH!!"
Nearby, Nami scooped up her winnings with quick hands. Coins clinked between her fingers as another challenger slumped forward.
"WOW! THIS LADY OUTDRANK TWELVE PEOPLE!! SHE SURE CAN HOLD HER OWN!"
Luffy had transformed into something barely human, a rubber balloon of a boy, his stomach stretched impossibly as he inhaled food like a vacuum with legs. The pantry behind him was now visible, its shelves completely stripped bare.
"GIMME MORE!!!"
"WOW! THE CAPTAIN HAS EATEN ENOUGH FOOD FOR FORTY PEOPLE!!"
"No—no more..." The cook's eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the floor, a wooden spoon still clutched in his pale fingers.
"THE COOK'S DOWN!"
And Sanji... Sanji drifted through a garden of perfume and fluttering eyelashes, his heart-shaped eyes reflecting twenty different smiles. "My dear ladies~~ you are all angels sent from heaven~~," he said, his voice dreamlike, intoxicated by something far stronger than alcohol.
"WAAHH!! LOOK AT THIS ONE! HE'S FLIRTING WITH TWENTY GIRLS AT ONCE!! WHAT A PLAYBOY!!"
From the shadows near the entrance, Igarappoi watched everything unfold. His smile stretched unnaturally wide, too wide, if anyone had been paying close attention. "HAHAHAHA!!! This has certainly been… ahem! Ma-ma-ma-ma~~! An enjoyable evening! I'm so glad you're having fun."
His expression shifted like a mask being changed between acts. The laughter faded, revealing something sharper beneath.
"Indeed, I truly am."
He turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the empty street as the tavern door swung shut behind him.
--------------------
Zoro's head slammed onto the table with a crack that would have alarmed anyone still awake. Ten empty barrels stood around him like silent sentinels. His breathing soon settled into the deep rhythm of sleep.
Yuji's cheeks flushed pink, his eyes swimming as he swayed. "Waaah, Zorroooo~~ don't tell me you're done already~~~!" he hiccupped. "MORE… BRING ME MORE~~~!"
"WHOA!! THE SWORDSMAN IS DOWN, BUT THE VICE CAPTAIN WANTS MORE!! SOMEONE BRING MORE ALE FOR THIS MAN!!"
At Nami's table, she slammed her final cup down, staring at the unconscious nun before her. "Hic~~ hehehehe~~ looks like I win~~~ hic~~~" Her head hit the table mid-laugh, orange hair spilling across scattered playing cards.
"SHE'S DOWN!"
Usopp was curled up on the sofa like a cat. Luffy sprawled on the floor, rubbing his swollen belly with the bliss of someone truly food-comatose, his snores rattling the windows. Sanji had reached some form of paradise minutes earlier, his head resting in a girl's lap, a frozen smile on his face that spoke of dreams too wonderful to describe.
Only Yuji remained upright, for two more barrels, swaying like a ship in rough seas, before he, too, gave in to gravity, his head thumping softly against the wood.
A long moment passed, followed by another.
The townsfolk maintained their smiles as they backed away from the unconscious pirates, moving together like actors exiting a stage. One by one, they slipped through the door until the tavern was filled only with the Straw Hats' breathing and the dying crackle of the fireplace.
--------------------
Midnight swallowed Whisky Peak whole.
The streets were empty but not abandoned. Shadows moved between buildings with practiced ease. The only sound was the whisper of the wind through cactus spines.
"They're all passed out cold," a woman's voice drifted from an alley, followed by the click of heels on stone.
"Sweet dreams, brave adventurers." Igarappoi stepped into the moonlight, his eyes fixed on something distant. "Tonight, the cactus rocks seem to dance beautifully in the moonlight."
"You're quite poetic today, Mr. 8!" The woman stepped out of the darkness, her sharp features and even sharper eyes coming into view.
Igarappoi, Mr. 8, turned at the sound of footsteps. Two figures approached him.
"Ahh~~ Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9, you're finally back." He looked them over, searching for injuries and answers. "Did you succeed in your mission?"
Mr. 9 sighed dramatically. "Sadly not, Mr. 8. Even with the two of us, that old man at the lighthouse overpowered us." He rubbed his jaw at the memory. "The geezer hits like a cannon."
"Hmmm… I see…" Mr. 8's voice softened, becoming almost thoughtful. "Well, it doesn't matter now. We hit the jackpot tonight." From his coat, he pulled out two pieces of paper, bounty posters, clearly recognizable even in the moonlight.
Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday unfolded them.
Their eyes widened.
"Seventy million berries and fifty million berries!" Mr. 9's voice cracked. "That's way too much for rookies just entering the Grand Line! What the hell did they do?!"
"Whatever they did," Mr. 8 said with a thin smile, "it's none of our business, Mr. 9. Now go tell the others to take everything valuable from their ship. Send some men to tie up these pirates so they can't escape. I don't want them dead." His voice hardened. "If we kill them, their value drops by thirty percent. The government likes to execute pirates like these publicly. It's better for morale."
Mr. 9's expression shifted from shock to hunger. He nodded, already stepping back. "On it, Mr. 8." He rubbed his hands together. "Ohh… we're gonna eat good tonight!"
His footsteps faded around the corner, swallowed by the darkness.
Mr. 8 and Ms. Wednesday stood still until the last echo faded away. Then Mr. 8 turned to the blue-haired girl and gestured toward a nearby bakery, its windows dark and its door unlocked.
Inside, they moved with the efficiency of people who had done this before. Every corner was checked. Every shadow inspected. The smell of day-old bread hung in the air, earthy and plain, as if the building itself had nothing to hide.
Finding nothing, they exhaled in unison.
And then Ms. Wednesday broke.
She threw herself against Mr. 8's chest, her arms wrapping around him with desperate strength.
Mr. 8 caught her. His arms circled her gently, like those of a guardian. His hand found her back, patting it softly.
He pulled back, his hands resting on her shoulders as he studied her face. "Are you okay, Princess? You were gone for almost a week. I was really worried."
The blue-haired girl shook her head. "I'm fine, Igaram. We were captured by that old man at the lighthouse. If it weren't for those strange pirates, we would never have escaped. So, in a way, they're responsible for our freedom."
Igaram's expression softened, then hardened once more. "I see. I'm just glad you're safe. Now then—" His voice dropped. "—did you find it?"
The princess's expression shifted. The vulnerability disappeared, replaced by a steely, regal resolve. She was no longer Ms. Wednesday; she was Nefertari Vivi, bearing the weight of a kingdom in her response.
"Yes. The person behind all of this is none other than one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
She paused, as if saying the name might summon the man himself.
"Sir Crocodile."
The silence that followed was heavier than words. Igaram's face turned pale, his eyes widening with a horror that seemed to age him ten years in a single heartbeat.
"This... can't be..."
"Well, that's a bummer."
The third voice came from everywhere and nowhere, a lazy drawl that curled through the bakery like smoke.
Igaram and Vivi jolted as if struck by lightning, spinning toward the source of the sound.
Yuji sat cross-legged on the bakery counter, a half-eaten cheesecake balanced on his knee. His spoon hung loosely between his fingers, and amusement was evident on his face.
"WAAAHH!!"
Both Igaram and the princess leaped backward, dropping into fighting stances with the muscle memory honed by years of training. Pistols materialized in their hands as if from thin air.
Yuji raised an eyebrow at their stances, then slowly, deliberately, took another bite of cake. "Believe me when I say this," he said through the mouthful, "you do not want this fight."
Igaram's throat bobbed. "H-How are you here? You were knocked out in the tavern!"
"Oh yeah, that…" Yuji examined his reflection in the curve of the spoon, tilting it to catch the faint moonlight streaming through the window. "Alcohol doesn't affect me. Never has." He lowered the spoon and met their eyes. "And you guys were way too generous toward a pirate crew. Towns don't just throw parties for strangers without asking questions. Not real towns, anyway."
Igaram and Vivi exchanged a glance.
"So, you heard everything?" Vivi's voice was steady now, the princess fully present.
"Indeed," Yuji said, his spoon scraping the plate. "That was quite a spicy topic you two were discussing."
Two pistols rose, aimed with steady hands, though their fingers trembled slightly on the triggers.
"Then you're a threat," Igaram said, his voice hardening. "We cannot let anyone else hear about this."
Yuji paused mid-bite. He looked at the pistols, then at Igaram, and finally at Vivi. His expression was flat, but something dangerous flickered behind his eyes.
"It would be wise for you to put those away." His voice hadn't changed, still lazy, still casual. But the room seemed to grow colder. "After all, as I said before…"
He set the plate down with a soft clink.
"…you do not want this fight."
Sweat beaded on Igaram's temple. Vivi's finger tightened on the trigger, then loosened, tightened again. The silence stretched like a wire about to snap.
Yuji leaned back against the wall, completely relaxed.
"Igaram, Commander of the Royal Guard of the Alabasta Kingdom."
The pistol in Igaram's hand trembled.
"And Nefertari Vivi, Princess of Alabasta."
The pistols clattered to the floor.
Vivi stumbled backward until her back hit the wall. Her voice came out as a whisper, stripped of all pretense. "H-how do you know that?"
Yuji reached into his coat with slow, deliberate movements. He pulled out two photographs, candid shots, slightly creased from being stuffed into a pocket.
"Well, you see, I met these two idiots on my way here..."
--------------------
FLASHBACK — TWENTY MINUTES EARLIER
The Straw Hats woke up fifteen minutes after most of the townsfolk had left. Luffy's snoring continued until Zoro kicked him.
Nami immediately grabbed Usopp by the collar and dragged him into the night, her eyes gleaming with the promise of treasure. "Every building, Usopp. Every drawer. Every loose floorboard."
"W-Wait, Nami, shouldn't we—?"
"Do you want to be rich, or do you want to have morals?"
"…Rich. Definitely rich."
Sanji followed without being asked, twirling once in the moonlight. "I shall accompany Nami-swan to ensure her safety, carry her bags, and admire her beauty in this romantic evening light!"
Luffy and Zoro had wandered off together, arguing about something involving meat and sake, their voices fading into the maze of empty streets.
Yuji had gone his own way.
He strolled through the back alleys of Whisky Peak at an unhurried pace, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded.
He was about to turn a corner when voices reached him.
"—telling you, Mr. 5, we should just go and take them now, before any of those pirates wake up," a woman's voice said, sharp with impatience.
"I understand where you're coming from, Ms. Valentine, but we're higher-ranking agents. Everything we do should be done with style," the man's voice dripped with self-importance. "That is why I'm telling you, we should wait. Let the tension build, and then make a grand entrance with fashion to finish the job. That's the Baroque Works way."
"Fashion? We're bounty hunters, not runway models."
"You wound me, Ms. Valentine. You truly wound—"
"Yo."
They spun around.
Yuji's palm struck the back of Mr. 5's neck before the man could finish turning. His other hand found Ms. Valentine's pressure point. Both bodies crumpled in perfect sync, their unconscious faces frozen in mild surprise.
"Grand entrance," Yuji muttered, looking down at them. "Guess I should have dressed better."
He dragged them into a nearby building and tied them up with spare rope he found coiled in a corner. Their breathing was steady. They would wake up with headaches and bruised egos, but nothing worse.
Then he searched them thoroughly.
He found two photographs tucked into the inner pocket of Mr. 5's coat.
Yuji held them up to the moonlight.
Igaram. Vivi.
"Well, look at this…" His voice trailed off as he studied the images. "Looks like tonight is going to be interesting."
--------------------
FLASHBACK ENDS—
"…and that's the short version," Yuji finished his explanation with a yawn, as if taking down two elite Baroque Works agents had been a minor chore during an otherwise dull evening.
Igaram and Vivi's mouths opened and closed like fish gasping on a dock, their words forming and dissolving before reaching their lips.
"Y—you took down Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine just like that!" Vivi finally managed, her voice rising with each word.
Yuji shrugged.
It was the most infuriating shrug Vivi had ever witnessed.
"Don't just shrug at us!" she stamped her foot, frustration briefly overriding her fear. "Those are two of the top Officer Agents of Baroque Works! They've killed dozens of—"
"They were monologuing about fashion," Yuji interrupted flatly. "They weren't exactly at their best."
Igaram placed a steadying hand on Vivi's shoulder. His face had regained some color, though his eyes remained wary. "What will you do now with this information?"
"Nothing."
The word hung in the air.
"What?!"
"Yeah," Yuji said, examining his fingernails. "This whole Baroque Works thing is none of my business. You do your thing; I'll do mine."
BOOM.
The explosion tore through the night, close enough to shake flour from the bakery's ceiling. Dust sifted down like snow. Nearby, a building was collapsing.
"What the—!?" Igaram and Vivi exclaimed in unison.
Yuji hummed, tilting his head toward the sound. "Sounds like Luffy and Zoro are having fun. They have always preferred the direct approach." He slid off the counter, landing silently, and started toward the door.
"Hey, wait!" Vivi's voice cracked with desperation. "You can't just leave after telling us all that!"
"Princess, I think we should let him go," Igaram began.
But Vivi was already moving, her hand reaching out as if to physically stop the pink-haired man. The princess of Alabasta had spent two years undercover, deceiving killers and gathering information. She had learned when to remain silent and when to speak.
This was a time to speak up.
"No, Igaram. He knows our secret, and he'll surely tell his crew. We can't just let him walk away."
Yuji looked back at her as if she had grown a second head. His expression was genuinely confused, as though she had suggested solving their problems by juggling sea kings. "Girl, are you crazy? I told you, your business is none of my business."
"Y-Yeah, I know that… b-but you—"
BOOM.
A second explosion occurred. Through the bakery window, they saw an orange glow burning in the distance.
Yuji sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Jeez, what the hell are they even doing out there? It sounds like a war zone."
Vivi took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and when she spoke again, her voice carried the authority of royalty, tempered by two years of living among wolves.
"Look, I have a proposal for you and your crew."
"Wait, Princess—" Igaram's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "You're not thinking about that, are you?"
Vivi nodded once, firm and final.
"But are you sure about this? We don't even know them! They could be worse than—"
"I know, Igaram." Her voice softened, just for him. In that moment, she was not a princess speaking to her guard commander; she was a young woman speaking to the man who had protected her since childhood. "But this is the only way out of here. Crocodile probably knows we've been compromised. Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine were sent to eliminate us. We have no allies, no resources, and no time." She met his eyes. "We have no other choice."
Igaram stared into Vivi's eyes, searching and weighing. Finally, his shoulders sagged in acceptance. "Fine."
"Hey, you two," Yuji's voice cut through their moment as he was already halfway out the door. "If you're done talking, let's go. Whatever's happening out there sounds way more interesting than this conversation."
He vanished into the night.
Vivi and Igaram exchanged one final glance and followed.
--------------------
The street resembled a battlefield.
Or rather, it looked like the aftermath of a natural disaster that happened to bear the faces of Monkey D Luffy and Roronoa Zoro.
Dozens of bodies littered the cobblestones, Baroque Works agents in various states of unconsciousness, their weapons scattered like fallen leaves. One building was on fire, and two others had already collapsed. In the center of it all, standing atop a pile of defeated bounty hunters as if it were a throne, Luffy and Zoro appeared to be having a casual argument.
"—telling you, I took down more than you did."
"You're counting incorrectly. That guy was already unconscious when you punched him."
"He got back up!"
"He was sleepwalking!"
Yuji approached the wreckage, stepping over groaning bodies. "Yo."
Luffy spotted him immediately, his face breaking into a grin. "Yo, Yuji! You missed it! Zoro's being a sore loser!"
"I won," Zoro stated flatly, nodding at Yuji before his eyes caught the two figures trailing behind. His expression sharpened. "Hey, isn't that the girl from before? And the fake mayor?" His hand drifted toward his swords, not drawing them, but ready. "Why are they following you?"
Yuji explained the situation clearly.
By the time he finished, Zoro's hand had left the sword hilt, and Luffy tilted his head with interest.
Vivi stepped forward.
"You're the captain, right?"
She addressed Luffy directly, the way one ruler speaks to another, even if one wore sandals and still had a stomach swollen from overeating.
"Then I have a request. Please escort Igaram and me to Alabasta, a great kingdom in the Far East." Her voice did not waver. "You will be rewarded handsomely."
A moment of silence.
Then, from the darkness behind them, came a voice like the jingle of coins:
"And just how handsomely are we talking?"
Everyone turned around.
Nami emerged from the shadows like a merchant queen surveying new territory. Behind her, Usopp and Sanji staggered under the weight of bulging sacks, each clinking with the unmistakable sound of stolen treasure. Nami had looted Whisky Peak down to the floorboards, and from the satisfied curve of her smile, it was clear she had found plenty.
She stopped in front of Vivi, looking the princess up and down with the appraising eye of a woman who could assess net worth at a glance.
"We'll do it," Nami said, her smile widening into something that made Igaram instinctively check his pockets.
"For a billion berries."
Vivi blinked, and Igaram choked.
And the night was far from over.
--------------------
Like the chapter, then please share your powerstones with me.
See you in next chapter...