"Chirp! Chirp!!"
Inside the quiet room, the soft sound of bird calls suddenly broke the silence.
After Robin had quietly left the room, Qing Ling—the small bird that had just bumped into someone and seemed a little dazed—slowly regained consciousness. With a gentle flutter, Qing Ling spread her delicate wings and flew over Nami's head, landing lightly on her shoulder. Then, without hesitation, she pecked Nami's forehead twice with her tiny beak.
A faint stream of bluish-white air flowed from Qing Ling's mouth, brushing gently across Nami's cheek like a soft breeze. The sensation was strange but soothing, and in the next moment, Nami's eyelids twitched twice, and she slowly opened her eyes.
"Ouch! That hurts!"
"Did someone just hit my head?"
Nami blinked, still a little confused from her sudden awakening. But the tingling sensation at the back of her head quickly brought her to full awareness. She furrowed her brows as the memories started to rush back to her.
"Leo! You actually hit me!"
Her voice was half shocked, half angry.
"If you don't come up with one or two million Baileys today, I will never forgive you!" Nami growled, her eyes narrowing fiercely.
At the instant she remembered, she sprang up, grabbed Leo's collar with both hands as if she had teleportation powers, and began shaking him wildly.
"Ahem! Calm down, Nami!" Leo exclaimed, trying to stay calm despite the rough treatment.
"Listen, I'll make it up to you! Isn't paying you enough compensation?"
But Nami wasn't having any of it. The way Leo moved so carelessly had caused her to get hit, and she was far from forgiving him.
"Ahem, what are you talking about, Deputy Captain? I'm just playing with you~" Nami blinked in mock innocence, stuck out her tongue, and then gave Leo's collar a few playful tugs.
"Next time, just remember to warn me earlier~"
"And what about the money?" She rubbed her hands together, hesitating for a moment before looking up at Leo with expectant golden eyes.
Leo sighed but reached into his pocket and pulled out two thick stacks of Baileys notes. With a secretive smile, he stuffed them into Nami's hands and whispered something quietly in her ear.
After hearing Leo's words, Nami's eyes sparkled with excitement. She nodded quickly, clenched her fists in anticipation, and rushed into the house.
Looking at Luffy and the others who were still asleep—no, unconscious, really—Leo gave them a few light punches to wake them up.
Luffy and Usopp both groaned and covered their heads, utterly confused about why Nami had hit them.
Sanji, however, saw Nami smiling at him and simply ignored the pain in the back of his head. Instead, he stared at her with hearts in his eyes, completely indifferent to anything else.
"Ahem, ahem, Leo asked me to wake you guys up. Zoro has found a princess, and I heard something else is going on," Nami said, trying to explain.
Her eyes darted from side to side. She felt a twinge of guilt for hitting them but quickly pushed it aside when she thought about the huge amount of Baileys she would receive later.
At worst, she could give each of them 100 Baileys after the deal was done. She smiled to herself, feeling generous. (⑅˃◡˂⑅)
Then Nami's eyes involuntarily drifted toward Vivi, who was eating heartily nearby. Nami had never expected that this seemingly delicate girl was actually a princess.
"Wait a minute, Nami, there's a bird on your head..." Zoro's voice broke into her thoughts.
He had noticed Qing Ling fluttering around for some time but had kept quiet until now. Luffy and Usopp nodded in agreement; the bird looked familiar.
"Bird?" Nami tilted her head in confusion and reached up to touch her head.
Sure enough, she felt the soft flutter of wings. Qing Ling jumped onto her hand and rubbed against it affectionately, chirping softly while pointing a wing accusingly at Leo.
She looked so cute, almost as if she was blaming him for something.
Nami, a little surprised, touched Qing Ling gently and then looked at Leo.
"Qing Ling, meet Nami. Because of you, she's regained some simple self-awareness," Leo said, pointing to a glowing magical pattern on his arm.
"Think of Qing Ling as a pet," he explained. "You don't need to feed her. She can help you gather storm energy; all you have to do is collect the sticks she sends."
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!" Qing Ling flapped her wings angrily a few times, releasing a burst of wild energy that rushed toward Leo. But just before it reached him, the energy softened into gentle wisps of air.
"Okay, okay, be nice," Nami laughed, stroking Qing Ling's head as she set the bird on her shoulder.
For some reason, Nami immediately felt connected to Qing Ling and accepted the little bird with ease.
Then, standing tall and proud, she looked over at Vivi, who was still eating with gusto.
This girl… she's all money!
Vivi suddenly paused mid-swallow, a strange feeling stirring in her chest as if someone were silently thinking about her.
She shook her long aqua-blue hair and glanced around, her eyes searching the room.
Everything seemed normal—no strangers, no signs of danger.
Still, she felt uneasy and shrank back slightly, looking fragile and uncertain.
Nami noticed and felt even more satisfied, thinking Vivi was easy to fool.
Mimicking Leo's playful manner, Nami revealed a simple, honest smile and walked up to Vivi, rubbing her hands together eagerly.
"What! One billion Baileys!!"
Vivi's mouth paused mid-chew, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"That's impossible!" she said firmly. "Although I'm very grateful you took me in, Alabasta can't afford that kind of compensation today."
Nami blinked in surprise.
"If you were really paid such a large sum, even if the civil strife ended, the financial crisis would destroy the kingdom," Vivi explained, wiping the grease off her cheeks.
Nami nodded slowly, finally understanding.
"So… the country is in civil unrest and has no money, right?"
Vivi's expression grew solemn.
"Yes. The kingdom is in the middle of a riot launched by the people, and everything is in chaos."
She looked at Leo and the others, her voice dropping.
"After investigating further, I found someone was behind this—a group called Baroque Works."
"The people started the riots under their instigation. But besides that, we have no other leads. Without concrete evidence, we can't take action."
Vivi sighed and continued:
"I came here looking for proof. But right now, I only have 500,000 Baileys left of my own money."
Nami's face fell in disappointment.
She glanced at the others, who seemed just as troubled.
Just then, Luffy's voice broke the heavy silence.
"So… who did you find out was behind all this?"
Leo's voice rang out calmly, cutting through the tension like thunder:
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea—Crocodile."
Compared to Vivi and Ikalem's shock, Nami and the others barely reacted.
It seemed Leo had known the truth for some time already.
Forget about the news from East Blue.
Leo's knowledge went far beyond —he seemed to know a lot about the Grand Line and the dangers that lurked there.
---
Expanded and Improved Details
The room buzzed quietly with a mixture of relief and concern. Vivi's confession had cast a shadow over the group, but Leo's calm revelation brought a strange sense of clarity.
Nami, always practical, clenched her fists, her mind racing with possibilities.
If Crocodile was truly behind Baroque Works and the unrest in Alabasta, then things were far more complicated than she had thought.
She glanced again at Vivi, whose usually radiant face was now pale and drawn with worry.
"You risked so much coming here with only half a million Baileys left. Why didn't you call for help sooner?" Nami asked gently.
Vivi sighed, looking away for a moment.
"My father—the king—could not risk exposing the truth. The Baroque Works has spies everywhere. Even my closest advisors may be compromised."
She paused, swallowing hard.
"That's why I had to leave secretly. I hoped to find allies who could help me gather the evidence and put an end to the chaos."
Zoro leaned forward, his brows furrowed.
"If Crocodile's behind this, then he's more dangerous than we imagined. The Seven Warlords are no joke."
Luffy nodded, eyes blazing with determination.
"We'll help you, Vivi! No matter what!"
Leo smiled slightly, proud of the crew's spirit.
"This is only the beginning. The Grand Line is full of dangers like Crocodile, but together, we can face them."
He looked around at everyone.
"Now, we need to gather all the information we can and prepare. Vivi, you'll rest here. We'll protect you."
Vivi gave a small nod, grateful for their support.
Nami, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, suddenly looked at Qing Ling on her shoulder.
"If Qing Ling can help me gather storm energy, maybe we can use it to our advantage against Baroque Works."
Leo nodded.
"Exactly. We'll train and prepare. The storm is coming."
The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of their mission settling in.
But beneath the seriousness, there was hope.
Because no matter how dark the path ahead, they had each other—and that was their greatest strength.
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)