"I..." Vivi began, her voice trembling as she opened her mouth to speak.
Before she could finish her sentence, Leo's eyes suddenly rolled back, and he cut her off sharply. "Forget it. Anyway, this uncle here won't get into any serious trouble. We'll send you back to Alabasta soon enough."
Leo glanced at Vivi and pretended to tuck a small wooden doll into his pocket. But just as he was about to do so, Sanji snatched the doll from his hand with a sly grin.
Earlier, after Luffy and the others had been roughed up, they had huddled together and whispered for a long time. It was clear they were plotting something.
"No way. I've taken it out, so I'm not putting it back," Sanji said, holding the doll firmly.
"Captain, we need to talk to you, right? You stinky green algae head!" Sanji teased provocatively, shooting a challenging look at Leo, who was momentarily caught off guard.
Leo's arms dropped slowly to his sides as he looked on with mild curiosity, waiting to see what the group would do next. Originally, he had planned to tease Vivi a little, but Sanji's sudden boldness had clearly taken over the scene.
Zoro dusted himself off and glanced coolly at Sanji. "I hate your smug look," he said with a faint smirk, "but this time, you're not wrong, you perverted cook."
Leo's gaze shifted to Luffy and the others as they smiled back at him and closed ranks around him. A silent warning hung in the air—something was about to happen.
"Ready to grow your wings and rebel?" Leo muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, with a sharp whoosh, a long, transparent whip materialized from thin air behind Leo and wrapped around him tightly.
"Leo, don't blame me! They forced me to do this!" Nami said with shining eyes as she grabbed the whip, though her voice carried no hint of coercion—rather, excitement and delight.
"Surrender, Leo!" she commanded.
The moment Nami acted, Luffy and the others surged forward with precision. Some grabbed Nami's legs to steady her, others reached for Leo's arms. Their movements were coordinated, as if each had a role carefully assigned.
A small, sky-blue bird swooped toward Leo's head, aiming for the hat perched there. The entire group had silently agreed—they were going to teach this sly deputy captain a lesson for his constant cheating and scheming.
Snap!
Boom!
Bang!
In the next instant, Leo found himself overwhelmed by flying fists and lightning-fast blows. The group fought fiercely, bruising each other's faces and noses as they went, until they finally knelt before him with solemn expressions.
"Private Marseille! Sorry! We were wrong!" they chorused in unison.
Their apology was sincere but strangely devoid of any other emotion—no anger, no resentment, just pure regret.
Leo's once-pristine coat was now marred by several muddy footprints. His hair was disheveled, a faint purple-blue bruise forming around one eye. Nobody knew who had dealt the blow. A stray bird feather was even stuck in his messy hair—how Qing Ling, in her elemental bird form, had lost a feather here was a mystery.
They were stronger now than in the original story. Dealing with them without getting hurt was impossible. And Leo wouldn't dare attack them seriously—he knew better.
So instead, he endured a few kicks, a punch to the eye, and the torment of having his hair pulled by that mischievous bird.
If Nami hadn't taken Qing Ling back to her perch, Leo was certain he would have plucked every feather off that little troublemaker.
Leo glared fiercely at the kneeling group. "Don't think I didn't see it."
Luffy's grin stretched from ear to ear, and the others kept their heads bowed, trying hard to suppress their giggles. Their quarreling with Leo was meant to distract Vivi and ease her worries. But that didn't mean they weren't waiting for the right moment to strike back!
Leo snorted. "I'll deal with you all later, when I have the time."
"Hey, hold the doll," Leo commanded, retrieving the wooden figure that Sanji had placed on the table and handing it back to Vivi. "I'm going to ask you a question. Think carefully before you answer."
Vivi looked at Leo, her lips twitching nervously. She clenched her fists tightly.
The unrest in Alabasta had stemmed from a deep-seated distrust among its people. Could she afford to let that same distrust keep her from saving her homeland?
No. Absolutely not.
At that moment, Vivi's burden seemed to lift from her chest. She nodded decisively.
"No," she said firmly. "I can't give up. Are you really pirates?"
"Ha! Haha! I believe you!" Vivi laughed crisply, the tension in her voice melting away.
After all their teasing and antics, Vivi had completely let down her guard. She found this group strangely entertaining.
The moment Vivi's voice fell, the puppet in her hand began to glow with an intense, dazzling light. A translucent shimmer appeared over her body, merging slowly into the puppet.
A burning heat radiated from the doll, and Vivi instinctively loosened her grip. The puppet slipped from her fingers, but instead of collapsing, its fragile wooden joints seemed to gain new strength. It stood upright on its own.
The small wooden doll, barely twenty centimeters tall, began to grow rapidly in the light.
Then, a human-shaped figure appeared in the luminous beam. Judging from the form and silhouette, it resembled Vivi closely.
"Forbidden Creation: Wei Lisi."
Leo carefully pulled out the worn, scribbled booklet again. He flipped through its pages several times, nodding with satisfaction before tucking it away.
It seemed Vivi was indeed a lucky star. But Leo also owed a debt of thanks to Nami—after all, it was her skilled handiwork that had made the previous process possible.
With the puppet magic complete, the ten dolls Nami had sewn no longer seemed necessary. Should he tell her?
Leo thought back to the whipping she had given him earlier and quickly decided against it. Absolutely no way was he telling her anything. Nami must love sewing dolls—she had probably already made several by now. If he spoiled the surprise, she'd likely be furious.
Besides, Nami hadn't screamed or complained even once during the process. Clearly, she was skilled at manual labor.
As for that promise of 2 million Baileys? Well, that was something Leo could only dream of.
Feeling pleased with himself, Leo watched as the beam of light at the center of the group slowly shrank and finally disappeared.
The wooden doll, once a simple figure of carved wood, had transformed into an elegant girl standing gracefully before them.
Her face was unmistakably similar to Vivi's, her features delicate and soft.
She wore a gray-and-white woolen vest and a fluffy white hat perched cutely atop her head.
Her gloves covered her entire palms, and her slim jeans and white boots made her look adorable and fragile.
Everything about her seemed perfectly normal—except for the clockwork key protruding from her back, and the gear-shaped lace skirt around her waist, clear marks that she was no ordinary human.
If one looked closely, some parts of her body, though exquisitely crafted, bore faint seams—traces of the puppeteer's handiwork.
"Wow, wow, wow!" Luffy and Usopp's eyes sparkled with admiration. This exquisite creation, with its intricate gears and delicate mechanisms, was truly impressive.
Sanji, ever the romantic, suddenly rushed forward, a bouquet of roses clutched between his teeth. With a swift movement, he dropped to one knee before Wei Lisi.
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