Vivi lifted her head to look at Nami, then glanced around at everyone before finally speaking with some hesitation.
"Alabasta used to be a peaceful kingdom, but things are different now."
"Used to be? What happened?" Nami asked. A country that big shouldn't have trouble producing a mere two billion Berries.
"We're in the middle of a civil war. For years now, someone has been stirring up rebellion, and the people keep responding. The whole country is getting more and more chaotic."
Vivi bit her lip hard, her hands clenched tightly at her sides as she tried to suppress her emotions.
"Later, I learned there was a mysterious organization behind it all—one that kept inciting the people to revolt. That organization is Baroque Works!"
"I originally wanted to investigate the truth, but every clue was cut off. I found nothing!"
"So I thought… if I could infiltrate Baroque Works from the inside, maybe I could figure out who was pulling the strings and why."
"So you personally joined Baroque Works? You're quite a brave princess."
Robin was genuinely impressed. This young princess had far more courage than she expected.
"So, did you find anything out?"
At that, Vivi let out a discouraged sigh.
"No. I had only just joined before they sent me here on this mission."
"I see. So that's what happened. If your country is in the middle of a civil war, of course they wouldn't have money."
Now that she understood the full story, Nami helplessly spread her hands and immediately lost interest.
No reward meant no reason to get involved in trouble.
She'd seen enough of the world to know that anyone capable of plunging an entire country into chaos was never someone simple.
Even with Leno around, she wasn't some world savior. Why bother getting tangled up in someone else's mess?
"Baroque Works? Mikita… Those people earlier, were they…?"
Robin finally connected the dots and looked toward Mikita, who had kept her head down the entire time.
"Y-Yes. We're all Baroque Works agents."
Startled by Robin's question, Mikita shrank back before carefully answering.
She hadn't forgotten Robin—the culprit behind the complete destruction of her team tonight—and she clearly had a close relationship with the captain.
With someone that important questioning her, she didn't dare be careless.
"Miss Valentine?! Why are you here?"
Seeing Mikita with Leno's group shocked Vivi. Wasn't she a Baroque Works agent? Why was she now mixed in with these adventurers?
What exactly was going on?
Mikita clicked her tongue in disdain at Vivi's overreaction.
So this low-rank agent was actually an undercover princess?
If she had known, she could've reported it to the boss—maybe even gotten a promotion.
But it was far too late for that now. She was already on the adventurers' ship. Undercover missions had nothing to do with her anymore.
While Mikita was still lost in her thoughts, Robin continued calmly:
"As a senior agent of Baroque Works, do you know who your boss is?"
"Huh? Well… as far as I know, none of us know the boss's identity."
Seeing everyone's strange looks, Mikita panicked and quickly added,
"I'm telling the truth! I've never seen him! He only sends orders through letters. He's never shown himself!"
Robin observed her carefully, and only when she saw how flustered the woman was did she look away.
"I see. Quite the cautious boss. Seems he doesn't trust any of you."
Then she turned to Leno, clearly probing for confirmation.
Leno sighed and gave her an exasperated look.
"Yes, I know who their boss is. Happy now?"
Strange… Robin was unusually talkative today. It wasn't like she'd never been curious about him before, yet she had never pressed this hard.
But since she wanted to know, he would tell her.
"Everyone here knows this man. And we have quite the grudge with him."
Seeing Robin deep in thought, Leno decided to reveal the answer directly.
"Remember the one who kept targeting you at Marineford? One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Crocodile. It's him."
"!!!"
"..."
Nami and the others weren't the only ones stunned—Mikita and Vivi's eyes went wide in disbelief.
"C-Crocodile?! That's impossible! He's a national hero!"
Vivi couldn't accept it. She had imagined countless possibilities but never suspected Crocodile.
He had always worked with the kingdom to defeat invading pirates.
Whenever pirates attacked, he was the first to appear and crush them.
It was why the people admired him so deeply.
If anyone else had said this, she would have argued immediately.
But it was the Thunder God himself saying it—she couldn't deny it.
Vivi was young, but far from stupid. Her thoughts quickly came together.
Investigating the truth from the beginning was difficult, but reasoning backward—tracing the "effect" back to its "cause"—was far simpler.
But she still didn't understand why Crocodile would do this.
Still… since the man before her knew his identity, he surely knew the reason as well.
"Crocodile…"
Nami, Nojiko, and the others gritted their teeth. Back at Marineford, he had nearly gotten Robin killed.
Even after seeing Leno's overwhelming strength, he still hadn't given up on targeting her.
"That idiot… We're definitely giving him a proper beating this time!"
"Don't worry. I had no chance before. But this time, I won't let him go."
Leno patted Nami's shoulder lightly before turning to Vivi.
"Crocodile's goal is to seize Alabasta for himself, then use the full power of the nation to search for something."
"Whether it's using Dance Powder to create droughts or inciting rebellion, it's all preparation for a takeover."
"How… could he…?"
Vivi trembled all over.
The people's "hero" was secretly a devil plotting to steal her nation.
"All for his own ambition… he dragged innocent citizens into war, left them homeless…"
"He made Alabasta's already harsh environment even worse… How could he have no humanity at all?!"
Collapsed on the ground, Vivi pounded the floor with her fists as she screamed in anguish.
For her country. For her people.
How could someone be so cold-blooded?
Each life was precious—how could he commit such cruelty?
While she cried and cursed, a light voice drifted beside her, freezing her in place.
"What are you thinking? He's a pirate."
"..."