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"Still, we shouldn't underestimate him."
Bai Ye finally spoke up.
"The whole point of the Warlord system is to balance the power in the seas."
"They're government-approved pirates with the power to destroy nations. Together with the Yonko and the Navy HQ, they make up the three main forces of the Grand Line."
"Only pirates with massive strength or reputation—ones who can scare the hell out of others—get chosen as Warlords."
Bai Ye wasn't trying to scare them, just laying it out clearly.
He honestly believed Crocodile wasn't nearly as weak as he seemed in the manga.
This was the real world. And someone the World Government believed could rival the Yonko or the Navy? There's no way someone like that would go down so easily.
It must've been "plot armor" at play in the story.
Besides, the original manga did later show how strong Crocodile really was.
During the Paramount War, he went toe-to-toe with Doflamingo.
And that guy? Luffy only managed to beat him after two years of intense training.
Then there was the One Piece: Stampede movie.
Crocodile made his name at just 20 years old, when he fought to a standstill with Douglas Bullet—a former crew member of the Pirate King's ship—who was only 19 at the time.
That's Douglas Bullet, people!
Considering all that, Bai Ye figured it was best to prepare for Crocodile being way stronger than anyone expected.
"In that case… yeah, we should totally get out of here ASAP," Nami said after hearing Bai Ye's explanation.
Meanwhile, Vivi had made up her mind.
Even if they captured the Unlucky Duo, it would only delay Crocodile from finding out their plans.
The truth was already known. And just relying on Alabasta's forces alone… wouldn't be enough.
There was no evidence—so the Navy couldn't help.
Maybe… just maybe… it was time to gamble.
To ask pirates for help.
The blue-haired princess thought hard—then made her decision.
"Will you… will you please help me!!!"
Vivi stepped in front of the Straw Hats and yelled with all her heart.
"Princess Vivi?!" Igaram was stunned. He didn't understand why she was doing this.
"I must be crazy," Vivi thought. "I'm asking pirates to help… to take down another pirate."
But even so, she kept going:
"I've read about your journeys. Everywhere you go, you take down pirates."
"As the princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, I beg you—please help me. Help my country."
By now, tears were streaming down her face.
"I don't… I don't know what else to do anymore."
She was ready to drop to her knees—but before she could, someone gently caught her.
"Seeing a beautiful woman cry breaks my heart… there's no way I'd let you kneel like that."
It was Sanji.
Vivi looked up through her tears. Sanji had caught her just in time.
Nami and Usopp both looked away, trying to hide how emotional they felt too.
They'd been through their own tragedies—Usopp with Kaya's inheritance, Nami with Arlong's tyranny.
So they got it.
They really did.
"In that case, let our captain decide," Bai Ye said, turning to Luffy.
"So what do you say, Luffy? Want to help her? Head to Alabasta and take down a Warlord of the Sea?"
Everyone turned to Luffy.
He tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then grinned.
"Sounds fun. Yeah—let's go to Alabasta."
"We'll take down that Baroque Works group!"
Hope returned to Vivi's eyes. She looked at Luffy, then at Bai Ye, Nami, and the others.
Their honest, determined gazes made her tear up again.
But this time, not out of despair—out of hope.
"But before we set sail, let's deal with those two who've been spying on us over there."
Sanji, still holding Vivi, suddenly looked to the side.
"Hahaha, guess we've been found," said a voice.
Out stepped Miss Valentine, dressed in her gothic outfit, twirling an umbrella.
She had the Float-Float Fruit, which let her adjust her weight at will.
Right now, she was floating at just 0.1 kg.
"Princess Vivi, I've got some bad news for you," she said.
Her partner, Mr. 5, walked out beside her:
"The boss already knows you're a mole. We've been sent to take you out."
He then looked over at the Straw Hats:
"And now that you all know about Baroque Works, you're not going anywhere."
"Listen up—I've eaten the Bomb-Bomb Fruit. I'm a human bomb. All I have to do is—"
[Earth Dragon Roar!]
Before Mr. 5 could finish, the ground under him and Miss Valentine cracked open like a giant mouth and swallowed them whole.
"WHAT?!" they both shouted, stunned.
They stared at Bai Ye in total disbelief.
"Dude, that's not how this works! Aren't you supposed to let us finish explaining our powers first? Then you reveal yours, and we all act surprised before the fight starts!"
"Can't you let people finish their lines?!"
Bai Ye just looked at them blankly. No way he was letting Mr. 5 use his nasty booger-bombs.
Disgusting. Absolutely not.
Vivi stepped forward again.
"They're higher-ranked officers than me and Igaram. If they know my cover's blown…"
"It means we don't have much time left."
"Luffy, Nami, Bai Ye…"
She looked at them all and said clearly:
"I need to get back to Alabasta as soon as possible."
Luffy slapped his palm with his fist.
"Then it's settled. Next stop—Alabasta!"
"Yeah!!!" everyone cheered.
Though, practically speaking, they'd need to wait for the Log Pose to set before they could sail.
So for now, they'd just have to hang around town for a bit.
Good thing the place had plenty of booze and food.
"Princess Vivi!"
Suddenly, Igaram appeared in front of everyone—dressed in full-on drag. His "flower-like" look nearly made Sanji kick him out of sheer shock.
"I've decided to disguise myself as the princess and leave ahead of you all. That way, I can draw at least some of Baroque Works' assassins away from you."
"And then we'll—"
He was speaking with heartfelt sincerity when Bai Ye suddenly cut in:
"That's not necessary, old man."
"No matter how many enemies come after us—we can handle it."
Bai Ye gave a confident smile. "We're strong, you know?"
Igaram blinked. "That's all well and good, but why are you looking off to the side while you're talking?"
Bai Ye: You seen what you look like right now? Come on, man...
"He's right, Igaram," Vivi finally spoke up.
"Come with us back to Alabasta."
"Nope!" Bai Ye interrupted again.
"I said you didn't need to sacrifice yourself as a decoy—but I never said you were coming along with us."
Igaram & Vivi: "???"
"Hey, Bai Ye, how about you just say everything at once and stop with the dramatic pauses?" Nami sighed.
"Hahaha, my bad."
Bai Ye laughed and then continued, "It's simple. Before we even reach Alabasta and deal with Crocodile, we should send the old man back first to handle some of the chaos."
Vivi blinked, confused. "Huh?"
With a quick flick of his wrist, Bai Ye pulled out a shiny new talisman.
"You mentioned before, right? Alabasta's suffering from a drought?"
"....."