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Three Options
Hearing Red's words, Vivi was stunned for a moment, shock and suspicion flashing in her eyes.
It was a problem that had troubled the Nefertari royal family for many years, yet when Red spoke of it, he made it sound so insignificant.
"Are you lying to me?" Vivi asked boldly.
At this moment, she was like someone who had lost her footing and fallen into deep water. She suddenly spotted a rope dangling before her but feared it might actually be a venomous snake in disguise.
However, facing Vivi's doubts, Red simply smiled indifferently and leaned back.
"Lie to you? I don't think... that would be necessary, right?" As he spoke, he looked directly at Vivi. "What could I possibly gain by deceiving you now?"
His gaze intensified. "Is it your princess status that could vanish at any moment? Or perhaps your rather attractive appearance?"
"Please!" he scoffed. "You'll soon have nothing! What reason would I have to lie to you?"
"I..." Under Red's intense gaze, Vivi's cheeks instantly flushed pink. It was hard to tell whether from anger, embarrassment, or both.
But she knew Red was right. She truly was about to lose everything.
After thinking this through clearly, Vivi suddenly lowered herself and looked at Red sincerely. "Maybe you're right," she admitted. "But I still hope you're truly capable of saving my country."
"Hahaha~" Red laughed. "You can rest assured about that, Princess Vivi! After all, this is a win-win arrangement for us both."
Red showed what appeared to be a sincere smile, though the sincerity seemed somewhat artificial. Perhaps it was a desperate gamble on Vivi's part, or maybe she was treating a desperate situation with any available remedy.
In this moment, Vivi chose to believe in Red and the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Okay," she said firmly. "I want to know what your three plans are, and what we—or the kingdom—need to pay."
The corner of Red's mouth lifted slightly. Seeing that Vivi had agreed to negotiate, he didn't hold back.
"Before I explain, I want to ask you something. Do you know why Crocodile, a Shichibukai, wanted to destabilize your kingdom, and why he specifically chose Alabasta?"
"This..." Vivi hesitated for a moment, but Red's question happened to touch on information they had uncovered after infiltrating Baroque Works.
"Utopia!" she replied angrily. "That's the slogan he's been promoting throughout Baroque Works!"
"But..." Her slender hands rested on her white thighs before suddenly clenching into fists. Vivi lowered her head, suppressing the rage in her heart.
"What kind of ideal country is this? It's just a massive lie he's told to achieve his goal! Crocodile's real purpose... is to seize power over the Kingdom of Alabasta!"
"Stealing the country?" Red took a sip of juice and nodded. "Such an old story."
"It's unfortunate that your guess is wrong, Princess Vivi."
"Huh?" Vivi raised her head, confusion evident on her face.
Red's mouth curled into a knowing smile. "The Utopia isn't a lie Crocodile created to steal the country. On the contrary... stealing the country is merely a means for him to realize his ideal nation!"
"That is the dream and ambition Crocodile wants to achieve, even if he must give everything! Never underestimate a pirate's persistence when it comes to ambition. Isn't that right, Luffy?"
Red suddenly turned his head to look at Luffy beside him.
"Yeah!" Luffy immediately grinned and nodded. "Because that's what makes him a pirate!"
Usopp frowned from where he was standing. "But... it's too cruel for this guy to destroy a country's peace and stability just for his own dreams."
Coming from a peaceful village, Usopp couldn't understand the mindset of such ambitious individuals.
Meanwhile, Sanji lit a cigarette, intentionally walking to the kitchen window to let the smoke flow out with the breeze. "That's just how it is," he murmured softly. "This is the law of survival in this world."
Having grown up in the Kingdom of Germa 66, Sanji understood this deeply. After all, from his earliest memories, he had often seen Germa 66 troops leading wars against other kingdoms or regions because of contracts.
For those in power, everything was just a tool to achieve their goals—including people's lives.
"Hmph~ They're all damn pirate bastards!" Smoker snorted, though his eyes deliberately avoided the Straw Hats and looked elsewhere.
"In short," Red continued explaining, "Crocodile has been planning for years, and what he wants is definitely not just simple political power." He smiled slightly. "And this brings me to the first method I can offer you."
Red reached out and grabbed the astonished Smoker, then said to Vivi: "You can report Crocodile's crimes to the Marines and ask them to help solve this crisis."
"Hey~" Smoker struggled slightly, showing his reluctance to be too close to a pirate.
"Yes!" Nami suddenly clapped her hands together. "Since Crocodile is a pirate, wouldn't it be better to just ask the Marines to send troops to stop him?"
"Impossible," Vivi shook her head in disappointment, her eyes dimming. "If the Marines could help, Alabasta's problems would have been solved long ago."
She sighed. "Crocodile is a Shichibukai under the World Government's command. Unless there's direct evidence that he's harming countries affiliated with the World Government, they won't send troops."
"Oh, Marines~" Zoro, who had always looked down on Smoker's self-righteousness, didn't miss this opportunity to cast a contemptuous look his way.
Smoker just took a deep drag on his cigar, letting the smoke rings turn red, offering no rebuttal.
It was Red who suddenly interrupted Vivi. "Who said the Marines won't intervene?"
He once again displayed that confident smile that Vivi found difficult to understand. "There are ways to get the Marines—and even the World Government—to send troops, Princess Vivi. After all, like I said... Crocodile's real goal has never been just a country."
Red's eyes narrowed. "His purpose is to find the Poneglyph hidden beneath your royal court—the very thing considered taboo by the World Government!"
"How... how do you know this?" Vivi's eyes widened in fear. "Who are you?"
After all, this secret was one that the Nefertari family had guarded for hundreds of years! Even Vivi had only learned about it recently after coming of age.
But Red wasn't prepared to answer her question. Instead, he continued: "As one of the Twenty Royal Families, you should know how sensitive the World Government is about Poneglyphs. If you report this matter to them, they'll definitely send troops to arrest Crocodile immediately, and the unrest in your kingdom will be resolved."
"No... impossible!" Vivi stood up excitedly and objected. "That is a secret the Nefertari clan has guarded for 800 years... Absolutely... absolutely not..."
But halfway through her protest, she froze in astonishment.
It dawned on her: if Crocodile's goal truly was the Poneglyph, then they could instantly resolve the turmoil in Alabasta. The World Government would never stand idle in such a situation!
Even if that wasn't Crocodile's actual goal, they could still distort the facts to their advantage. Although this would undo eight hundred years of the Nefertari family's efforts...
But weren't the millions of people in Alabasta more important than a stone recording ancient secrets?
Red's words seemed to open a new door for Vivi, suddenly awakening her. If it were another clan protecting a Poneglyph, they might willingly sacrifice everything to safeguard it.
But Vivi was different! Influenced by her father, King Cobra, she believed that people came above all else!
"I..." Vivi suddenly realized something and sat back down.
Before she could fully process this kingdom-saving plan, Red grinned. "Of course, if you don't want the World Government to discover your hidden Poneglyph... well, how about you listen to my next two plans? I believe you'll find them even more interesting."
Vivi remained silent for a moment. Finally, she nodded calmly and cast an expectant look at Red.
This time, she completely believed in him—believed that he truly had a way to save her country!