Whiskey Peak, outside the banquet hall.
"Dancing under the Moonlight… Cactus Rocks… Tonight you are still so beautiful and charming."
Igaram stood under the Moonlight, admiring the Moon and reciting poetry.
Behind him, nearly a hundred bounty hunters, armed with weapons, stood ready, their eyes filled with the excitement of an imminent catch.
At this moment, a woman dressed as a nun, full of muscles, pushed open the door from inside the banquet hall and said angrily through gritted teeth.
"Seriously, those guys can really eat and drink; our food is almost gone."
"I said we should have just killed them at the port earlier; our town was already running out of food."
Hearing the sound, Igaram turned to look, and after the nun approached, he took out a wanted poster from his person and said.
"Ms. Monday, calm down."
"Look at this."
Ms. Monday leaned in to look, and the anger on her face instantly turned to fright, her forehead covered in cold sweat, as she exclaimed in shock.
"Wh-what? 60 million Berries?!"
"That Straw Hat Boy actually has such a high bounty."
Igaram nodded and said.
"I have investigated thoroughly; that Straw Hat Boy is the pirate known as the 'Worst Generation'."
"As long as we can capture him and hand him over to the Government, we won't have to worry about food anymore."
At this moment, the bounty hunters behind him also eagerly rubbed their fists.
"A pirate with a 60 million Berries bounty, it's the first time we've caught such a big prey."
"As long as we catch the Straw Hat Boy, our ranking in Baroque Works should rise quite a bit! Maybe even I can be promoted to a numbered senior agent! It's truly exciting! Hahaha…"
"Ultimately, we still have to thank Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday! They brought back a big catch for us this time!"
"That's right! This time, it's really thanks to them."
Igaram also nodded in agreement, listening to their words, and said to everyone present.
"Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday are currently inside with the other members, getting the Straw Hat Crew drunk. Once they come out, it will be time for us to act."
...
At the same time, inside the banquet hall.
The lively and joyous banquet continued, but everyone's faces showed a bit more drunkenness, looking somewhat hazy.
Luffy was still sitting on the ground, stuffing meat into his mouth in large bites.
Beside him, Vivi and Mr. 9 had awkward expressions, their bodies stiff, and they constantly received enthusiastic thanks from the villagers, which made them feel even more uncomfortable.
"Phew… I'm so full!"
Luffy exhaled, rubbing his round belly.
Then he stood up from the ground.
Seeing Luffy stand up, the other members of the Straw Hat Crew, who had been mingling with the surrounding people, instantly changed their expressions from drunken ones to serious ones.
This sudden change made Vivi and Mr. 9 tremble; they knew that what was coming, was indeed coming.
And the other "townspeople" who didn't understand what was happening were momentarily stunned, then they all smiled and tried to persuade them.
"Hey! Swordsman, keep drinking!"
"Exactly, don't leave, Usopp, everyone still wants to hear your adventure stories!"
"Sanji, come and have another drink with me!"
...
Normally, these people might not be able to resist such temptation, but now, they already knew who these people were, and they dealt with them all in a few punches and kicks.
Luffy, meanwhile, picked up his Straw Hat, put it on his head, and then faced the main entrance, saying.
"Let's go!"
"They've been waiting for us outside for a long time!"
...
The grand door of the banquet hall was slowly pushed open, and the yellow light immediately spread out from the crack in the door, spilling onto the faces of Igaram and the nearly hundred bounty hunters.
Excitement and joy filled every face.
"Is the Straw Hat Crew finally drunk? We're going to get that 60 million Berries bounty."
"That's great, that's 60 million Berries!"
"It's truly exciting!"
"Eh?"
Their anticipation and excitement turned into a bubble and full of confusion the moment they saw the figures appearing from the banquet hall.
At the entrance of the banquet hall, seven figures stood side by side, with faint smiles on their faces.
Instantly, all the bounty hunters were dumbfounded.
After a moment of stunned silence, Igaram suddenly changed his expression to a smile and said.
"Honored guests, why have you come out?"
"Let's go back in and continue the banquet!"
Luffy smiled, his gaze fixed on Igaram and the nearly hundred bounty hunters behind him.
"Thank you for your hospitality, we enjoyed the meal very much."
"Since you've been so enthusiastic in entertaining us, we can't let you wait too long, can we?"
"Baroque Works assassins!"
When Luffy's last words drifted from his mouth, everyone present instantly changed their expressions dramatically.
"What? Why do you know our identities?"
"Impossible! Our organization is a secret society, our identities are hidden from outsiders; it's impossible for outsiders to recognize us."
"Could it be… Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday? They brought these people back; it must be them who betrayed us and told these people our identities."
"Those two… dare to betray our Baroque Works, we will definitely not let them go."
The guesses in the field were continuous, and finally, everyone blamed Vivi and Mr. 9.
In fact, Vivi and Mr. 9 had already anticipated this point.
The moment their identities were exposed, if they couldn't eliminate those who knew their identities, there would only be one outcome, which was to be hunted down by Baroque Works.
Because the secrets of Baroque Works are not allowed to be leaked.
And Igaram, hearing these guesses at this moment, was stunned, his eyes filled with worry, muttering.
"Princess Vivi…"
Just then, the anger of the bounty hunters behind him was completely ignited, and everyone was in an uproar.
"Those two traitors are inside, let's rush in and kill them."
"Along with the Straw Hat Crew, eliminate them all."
"What if the bounty is 60 million Berries? Don't underestimate the strength of our Baroque Works."
"Up until now, we have eliminated countless pirates. On this cactus-shaped Whiskey Peak, tombstone spikes are already standing everywhere. It seems tonight, a few more tombstones will be added."
As the bounty hunters finished speaking, they roared madly, drawing their swords and guns, and were about to rush towards Luffy and the others.
However, at this moment, Igaram, who was leading these people, suddenly turned around and stood in front of everyone.
His face was grim, his expression severe, and he said in a deep voice.
"I… will not let you pass!"
This sudden scene made all the bounty hunters present stunned again, and even Igaram's partner, Ms. Monday, looked at him in confusion and doubt.
"Mr. 8, what are you doing? Don't block our way!"
"Exactly! Hurry and join us to eliminate the Straw Hat Crew and the traitors!"
"Could it be… even Mr. 8, you are going to betray us?"
Facing the anger and questioning of all the bounty hunters and Ms. Monday's doubts,
Igaram did not answer them, but suddenly shouted loudly towards the banquet hall behind him.
"Princess Vivi, hurry and escape!"
"I'll stop these people!"
Inside the banquet hall.
Vivi was currently sitting there blankly, her mind in chaos.
Suddenly hearing the shouting from outside the door, Vivi trembled, her eyes filled with worry, and she quickly ran to the doorway.
Seeing Igaram standing alone in front of a hundred bounty hunters, Vivi immediately shouted worriedly.
"Igaram!!"
And at the same time, everyone present was thinking about the title Igaram had just called Vivi.
On the Straw Hat Crew's side.
"Princess Vivi?! So Ms. Wednesday was a princess?"
"Why would a princess join a killer organization like this?"
"What on earth is going on?"
Over on the bounty hunter side.
"Hey! Mr. 8! What did you just say? Princess? Who exactly are you?"
"Is he calling Ms. Wednesday a princess?"
"Princess… The princess around here… Hey! Could it be… the Princess of Alabasta who is currently missing?"
"So you were Baroque Works' undercover agents? Mr. 8, Ms. Wednesday!"
"Catch them and hand them over to the boss. We'll definitely make a great contribution."
"The Princess of Alabasta, she's worth more than Straw Hat's 60,000,000 Berries!"
"Hahahahaha… Brothers, charge!"
With discussions and shouts, the bounty hunters completely lost their minds after realizing Vivi's value.
One by one, they turned into hungry wolves, grabbing their weapons and charging forward.
"Princess Vivi, run!"
Igaram shouted, then unleashed the weapon hidden in his hair.
"Stinger Horn!"
Igaram roared, and the shotgun hidden in his hair continuously fired, quickly engaging in a chaotic fight with the bounty hunters.
Seeing this, Vivi cried out Igaram's name with worry.
"Igaram!"
Fighting a hundred against one, Igaram was naturally no match. In the blink of an eye, he was covered in wounds and blood.
He looked back at Vivi and said,
"Princess Vivi, don't mind me, hurry and escape."
"Don't forget, millions of citizens in Alabasta are waiting for you to save them!"
Vivi watched Igaram getting beaten, tears streaming like a fountain, but recalling Igaram's words, she gritted her teeth, wiped away a tear, and was about to flee towards the coast.
Just then, she suddenly heard a voice by her ear.
"If you need help, just ask!"
Vivi turned her head and looked at Luffy, who had been standing there quietly.
Vivi was touched and forced a smile, but she refused him.
"Thank you, Mr. Luffy. You are good pirates."
"But I don't want to involve you in my affairs; it would put you in danger."
Leaving that remark, Vivi turned and ran towards the coast.
In the air, a few drops of her tears fell.
······Please give flowers······
Luffy's expression remained unchanged as he stood there quietly, but a hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.
He understood Vivi's character.
He knew she was too kind and didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially not because of her.
That's why she refused to accept help from others.
But he secretly cursed Vivi for being naive; how could she possibly escape Baroque Works' pursuit on her own?
Especially since he had already sensed that two presences were gradually approaching the coast at this moment.
Based solely on their presences, Luffy couldn't determine who they were.
But he remembered that in the original story, at this time, the fact that Vivi was the Princess of the Alabasta Kingdom had already been exposed.
And Crocodile had sent two assassins here to hunt down Vivi.
So Luffy now guessed that those two should be specifically here to eliminate Vivi.
"I'll leave this to you!"
Luffy left a remark and walked in the direction Vivi had just fled.
Igaram could no longer hold on and finally collapsed.
The bounty hunters' eyes were now only on Vivi; they even completely ignored the Straw Hat and intended to pursue her.
But just then, three figures blocked their path.
"If you guys have so much energy, then let us play with you! My new sword just happens to need a test subject."
Zoro smiled, holding the Sandai Kitetsu in his hand, his eyes filled with obsession.
"Guys who make ladies cry, I won't forgive you!!"
Sanji stood sideways, hands in his pockets, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"Let's try out my newly developed [Explosion Star] on you guys!"
Usopp adjusted his glasses, pulled a slingshot and a small black ball from his backpack.
.. ... 0
The [Explosion Star] was a simplified version of his [Mini Buggy Bomb], with only about a tenth of the power, but it was more than enough to deal with these small fry.
...
Whiskey Peak, on a street leading to the coast.
Vivi rode a large land duck, speeding towards the coast.
There were tears in her eyes, and her mind was filled with the image of Igaram, covered in wounds, telling her to hurry and leave.
"Quack!"
Karu, the duck beneath her, suddenly quacked and then braked to a sudden stop.
Vivi, startled from her daze, was abruptly jolted and immediately asked in confusion,
"What's wrong, Karu?"
"Quack quack!"
Karu quacked loudly, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
Vivi followed his gaze, and her pupils instantly trembled.
She saw opposite her a man with an afro and sunglasses, and a woman holding an umbrella, slowly walking towards her.
"That's…"
Vivi cried out, her eyes filled with fear.
"Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine!"
"Why are they here?"
Vivi's heart was filled with panic.
Then, she saw Ms. Valentine opposite her say with a playful expression,
"What a coincidence! We were just coming to find you!"
Vivi was puzzled.
"Find me?"
Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine said in unison,
"The boss told us his secret had been discovered."
"Of course, we don't know what kind of secret it is."
"After all, the motto of our Baroque Works is [Mystery]; no one in the organization can be investigated."
"Of course, you definitely cannot investigate the boss's identity."
"However, you seem to have violated the principles of our organization!"
"Princess Nefertari Vivi!!!"
As the two finished speaking, Vivi's face instantly turned pale, her pupils trembled and whitened, and her inner fear and tension reached their peak in an instant, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.
After a moment of shock and fear, Vivi suddenly screamed,
"Run, Karu!"
"Quack!"
Karu quacked loudly upon hearing this, immediately turned around, and ran wildly.
"Don't even think about escaping!"
But just then, Ms. Valentine's voice came from behind.
Vivi turned back in terror.
She saw Ms. Valentine leap up with her umbrella, reaching a height of a hundred meters.
The next second, she saw her body descend rapidly like a comet, in a flying kick posture, towards her.
Bang!
A loud bang, and dust billowed.
Ms. Valentine landed steadily on the ground, a large, cracked crater beneath her feet.
And in front of her, Karu and Vivi lay sprawled on the ground, struggling bitterly.
Ms. Valentine smiled, slowly walked towards Vivi, and looked at her playfully.
"You really are naive!"
"We are high-ranking agents of the organization; how could you possibly escape our grasp on your own?"
Mr. 5 also walked over at this moment, picking a booger from his nose with his finger.
"My Explosion Fruit can turn any part of my body into a bomb. With this ability, none of the missions we've undertaken have ever failed."
"Farewell, Princess Vivi!"
Vivi lay on the ground, her expression pained, her eyes filled with despair and unwillingness.
She bit her lip tightly, so much so that blood flowed from between her teeth.
She couldn't die yet!
But at the moment, she was powerless.
"If you need help, just ask!" San.