Leno cleared his throat. "Ahem… Leno, the adventurer!"
Feeling several murderous gazes from behind, he quickly withdrew his wandering eyes and introduced himself.
"I've long heard of your fame. The name 'Thunder God' truly echoes like a legend. I never imagined I'd have the honor of meeting you in person today"
"Please, follow me. The town has already prepared a banquet to welcome all of you!"
After speaking, Igaram took the lead toward the town. The blue-haired girl glanced once more at the women beside Leno before following as well.
Just as Leno lifted his foot to catch up, a sharp pain twisted in his waist.
"Hss—"
He turned around to find Nami's blackened fingers digging into his side, leaving him completely confused.
When he looked up again, Nojiko, Robin, and even Uta were staring at him with wounded, resentful eyes—enough to make his scalp tingle.
"Wait, I… I don't think I did anything outrageous. Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Hmph! You big idiot! You big pig hoof! You pervert!"
"Your eyes were glued to that girl just now! And you still insist you did nothing?"
Nami jabbed a hand at her waist, head raised high as she listed Leno's crimes one after another. She simply couldn't understand it.
There were so many beautiful women around him already—so why did this bastard never feel satisfied?
Every time he saw a pretty woman, his eyes would wander. Was a wild flower really that much better than a flower at home?
"…"
Hearing her accusations, Leno wanted to die. Heaven knew he hadn't been thinking that way. He was simply curious why Vivi had shown up so early.
He only looked a few extra seconds—and somehow that had stirred up a riot.
"I swear, I'm innocent. I was just thinking about something strange just now!"
"Oh, strange? Strange how such a plain little town could have such a pretty girl, right?"
"…"
Unbelievable. Was she not done yet? Why was her mouth so relentless today? It felt like she had locked onto him and refused to let go.
Leno swept his gaze across the group—then spotted Uta avoiding eye contact beside Nami. Oh. So that was the cause.
Just a few days ago, he'd promised Nami he would restrain himself. And then he had gone and devoured Uta the very next morning.
And judging by Nami's reaction, she clearly knew. So today, she seized the perfect chance to vent her rage.
There was no fixing this now. The only thing left was to coax her properly—after all, he was the one who broke his promise.
Leno immediately stepped forward and hugged Nami, explaining in the softest, most pleading tone he could muster.
"Nami, I was wrong. I shouldn't have been curious. I shouldn't have spoken. I shouldn't have even opened my eyes…"
"…"
"…"
By the time Nami finally calmed down, Leno noticed the surrounding townspeople giving him rather peculiar looks.
As if saying: To think the mighty Thunder God is actually whipped by one of his own crew—a little girl at that.
Leno didn't mind at all. But Nami, still in his arms, couldn't bear those stares. She quickly squirmed free and ran to Nojiko's side.
When Leno and the others arrived at the prepared banquet grounds, they found the food and drinks all set out—waiting only for them to sit.
Olga, Chopper, and the others were touched to the point of tears, their gazes filled with gratitude toward the villagers.
"These people are so warm-hearted~"
"Yeah! They're really nice! They even waited for us!"
Under the villagers' enthusiastic urging, the group quickly settled in and began to enjoy the feast.
But not long after the banquet started, Igaram excused himself and slipped away. The blue-haired girl never appeared at the banquet at all.
Once outside, Igaram headed to a secluded spot where the blue-haired girl was already waiting.
"Your Highness… have you truly made up your mind?"
Igaram spoke softly and respectfully to the girl before him. This blue-haired girl was none other than the princess Leno had recognized earlier—the Princess of Alabasta, Vivi.
Two years ago, after the 'Dance Powder Incident' at the port, the king's credibility plummeted. Rebel forces rose, and the nation fell deeper into chaos by the day.
From childhood, Vivi had loved her country deeply. She believed her father would never commit such a foolish act as poisoning the land with Dance Powder.
So she secretly tasked her guard to investigate. Eventually, they uncovered the truth—the mastermind behind the unrest was the mysterious Baroque Works.
Thus Vivi infiltrated Baroque Works with Igaram, hoping to uncover the one behind it all.
Her appearance at Whisky Peak was simply because her rank was still low, so she had been assigned to the pirate-cleanup mission.
But today, when she learned that the Adventurer had arrived in town, a bold idea suddenly took root in her heart.
The Thunder God—Leno. Just as Igaram had said, his name truly resounded across the world.
She had often fantasized: If only I had such strength… wouldn't Alabasta's troubles be so easy to solve?
And after seeing the Thunder God and his crew in person today, that thought hardened into determination.
"Igaram, you know exactly what state Alabasta is in. If we don't solve this soon, the kingdom will fall within days!"
"But… but you are the princess! How can you disregard your status?"
Igaram stared at Vivi with heartache. He had watched this girl grow up—this kind, gentle princess.
And now she intended to offer herself to a monster. Yes—offer herself to a monster.
The moment she learned the Adventurer had landed, Vivi had made up her mind to sacrifice herself if it meant saving her country.
She had long studied Leno's information. Though immensely strong and wanted by the world, he wasn't truly evil.
Aside from the few world-shaking incidents he had caused, there were no rumors of atrocities.
What concerned Vivi more were the women on his ship—all beauties of different kinds.
In fact, what made the Thunder God more infamous wasn't his deeds—but his reputation as a ravenous womanizer.
Rumor had it that any beautiful woman he encountered would never escape his hands.
He had even declared openly that he wanted to gather every beauty in the world aboard his ship.
And because of such an absurd reason, Vivi formed her plan.
Though she was a princess, she knew that identity meant little in front of such a man.
The only thing she could offer… was her looks.
And today she had seen it herself—the women on his ship, aside from a few standouts, were roughly on the same level as her in beauty.
And judging from their behavior, they didn't seem mistreated. So if she followed him… maybe—just maybe—
"Igaram. There's no need to debate this any further. I've already decided."
"I only hope… that if I follow him… he will help Alabasta regain peace…"