As Tom used the Den Den Mushi to speak with the boss of Baroque Works, the duel between Luffy and Zoro was nearing its conclusion.
The floating Miss Valentine, upon hearing Tom speak to her boss like that, had already been scared off and fled to who-knows-where.
"Let's finish this!"
Zoro was covered in bruises, with traces of blood at the corner of his mouth. As he spoke to Luffy, the arms gripping his swords suddenly swelled, clearly preparing to use his full power for a final strike.
"My thoughts exactly!"
Luffy also bore numerous cuts, the blood from his wounds dyeing his red vest a dark crimson. As he looked at Zoro, he clenched his fists, the biceps on his arms visibly expanding. Like Zoro, he was ready to give it his all for the final clash.
A sharp killing intent flashed in both their eyes as they charged at each other, their fighting spirit soaring to its peak.
At this moment, Luffy and Zoro genuinely wanted to kill each other. They were no longer comrades-in-arms, but two men engaged in a life-or-death battle.
Just as Luffy swung his fist to smash Zoro and Zoro raised his swords to cut Luffy down, someone walked over.
In the darkness, a pair of bright, striking eyes appeared behind Luffy, who was throwing a punch, and Zoro, who was swinging his swords.
"STOP IT!"
Two small but powerful fists connected with the faces of Luffy and Zoro, who were brimming with killing intent and about to unleash their final attacks. Their faces distorted instantly as they were sent flying, landing face-first on the ground, temporarily unable to fight.
Nami had waited a long time but hadn't seen Zoro or Tom return with the Princess of Alabasta, so she had come out to look for them.
Arriving at the scene, she found Tom sitting off to the side, while Luffy and Zoro were actually fighting, and quite fiercely at that. Without hesitation, Nami punched the two just as they were about to deliver fatal blows to each other.
Vivi had just recovered from her stunned state when she saw Nami single-handedly knock the two impossibly strong fighters, Luffy and Zoro, to the ground with one punch. She and her super spot-billed duck, Karoo, behind her, were so shocked their jaws dropped. Karoo was so scared it broke out in a cold sweat, and any desire to quack was silenced.
"What are you doing? They were in a duel! How could you interfere?"
Seeing Nami punch both combatants away at the climax of their duel, Tom immediately expressed his shock to her.
"I should be asking you that! What in the world is going on?"
Nami couldn't comprehend the idea that one shouldn't interfere in a duel between men. After saying this to Tom, she glanced at Vivi behind him, took a few steps forward, and grabbed the collapsed Zoro and Luffy by their collars. "Do you have any idea you almost cost me one billion Berries?"
"At least the girl is safe. It seems you did protect her, so I'll forgive you this time."
Nami's words confused Vivi. "What are you talking about? Why are you helping me?"
"You owe her so much money and you're still playing dumb? Careful, she'll hit you!"
Tom vaguely remembered Nami telling him to find some princess worth a billion Berries. In his mind, it was simply that Vivi owed Nami a huge debt, and Nami had sent him to collect. So he kindly reminded Vivi.
"If you're drunk, just sit over there and be quiet!"
Seeing Tom's drunken state, Nami felt that if she let him keep talking, he'd ruin everything. She directly told him to shut up.
Hearing Tom's words, Vivi was even more baffled. She had no idea when she had ever owed Nami money.
"Right, I need to discuss this with you. Would you like to make a contract with us?"
Seeing Vivi's confused expression, Nami decided to discuss the one billion Berries matter in detail.
"A contract?"
Vivi didn't understand why Nami would want to make a contract with her, considering she had been an enemy not long ago.
As Nami was about to have a proper talk with Vivi, the Luffy and Zoro she was holding by their collars were still furiously trying to fight. Luffy kicked Zoro in the face, while Zoro used his hand to pull hard on Luffy's rubbery mouth, stretching it out.
"I said STOP FIGHTING!"
Nami had had enough. She punched Luffy and Zoro hard on their heads, knocking them flat again. This time, they were truly done.
"Can you two stop now?"
The drunken Tom went over to help Zoro and Luffy up, but he lost his balance and fell, ending up lying on the ground with them. None of them spoke. The night breeze blew over them, feeling cool and refreshing.
Seeing how easily Nami had subdued the formidable Luffy and Zoro, beating all the fight out of them, Vivi was momentarily afraid to speak. Karoo beside her was trembling uncontrollably.
Some time later, Nami brought Vivi back to where Igaram was and began discussing matters.
Earlier, Nami had learned from Igaram that Baroque Works' ultimate goal was to establish an ideal country. Within the organization, the more merit one earned, the higher the position one would attain in the ideal country founded by the President.
The President of Baroque Works had the codename Mr. 0. The closer an agent's number was to 0, the stronger they were.
Igaram had also told Nami that agents ranked Mr. 5 and above were especially monstrously strong.
It was after hearing Igaram say that the Mr. 5 they were dealing with was very strong, and waiting a while with no one returning, that Nami had gone to check. She then realized her worry was for nothing—the supposedly powerful Mr. 5 had been beaten to a pulp by Luffy and the others and was completely unconscious.
The moon hung high in the sky. Luffy laughed heartily. "So that's how it was! Why didn't you say so sooner?"
Now understanding the truth, Luffy finally realized why Zoro had attacked the people of Whisky Peak. He had initially thought Zoro had slaughtered the townspeople because the feast they prepared didn't include his favorite food.
"Don't lump me in with you!"
Zoro said, still simmering with anger, but Luffy just laughed carelessly and told him not to worry about it, which finally extinguished Zoro's fury.
"That's impossible, but I still must thank you for saving me."
Hearing Nami demand a reward of one billion Berries, Vivi said to her with utmost seriousness. She re-tied her long, aqua-blue hair into a ponytail.
As soon as Tom saw Vivi with her long ponytail, he looked shocked. "The princess is gone! Why are you here, Pineapple Head? Did you lose the princess?"
Before Vivi could figure out how to communicate with the hopelessly drunk man, Nami—with a dark cloud over her head—tossed him over to where Luffy and the others were, saving Vivi the trouble of explaining.
"Why not? Aren't you a princess? One billion Berries shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
Nami was somewhat frustrated. She thought she was about to strike it rich, only to have her conditions flatly rejected by Vivi with no room for negotiation.
Vivi asked Nami if she knew what kind of country Alabasta was, but Nami had just entered the Grand Line and had never heard of it.
"The Alabasta Kingdom is known as one of the most civilized and peaceful great nations in the Grand Line. But that was in the past."
Vivi told Luffy and the others about the Alabasta Kingdom, explaining that in recent years, its citizens had begun revolutionary actions, with many inciting the riots everywhere, plunging the nation into chaos.
Later, Vivi obtained intelligence about the Baroque Works organization. She suspected this organization might be inciting the riots, but lacking evidence and understanding of the group, she had no way to oppose it.
Therefore, Vivi asked Igaram, who had cared for her since childhood, to investigate Baroque Works as much as possible and find a way to infiltrate the organization.
Vivi believed doing so would allow her to uncover the mastermind threatening her country and their goals.
Seeing Vivi risk her life to infiltrate Baroque Works as a spy for her country, Zoro bluntly said she was a very brave princess.
The drunk Tom remarked that the green-haired guy was sucking up, asking when he'd started acting like that pervert cook. Zoro couldn't let that slide and immediately started tussling with Tom.
"But isn't Baroque Works' goal to build an ideal country?"
Nami found it strange that Vivi's words made Baroque Works sound sinister, contradicting what Igaram had told her earlier.
However, Nami quickly realized another possibility. This guess was hard for her to believe, but Vivi's next words confirmed it.
"While the President of Baroque Works tells his subordinates his goal is to establish an ideal country, the organization's true purpose is to usurp the Alabasta Kingdom."
At this point, Vivi's expression turned grave. "If I don't hurry back to my country to tell our people the truth and stop their riots, Baroque Works will succeed."
Now Nami finally understood. Vivi's country was already in civil war, so she couldn't possibly pay such a huge reward.
"Hey, who's the mastermind?"
Luffy, sitting on a barrel, asked Vivi curiously.
"The President's true identity? You'd better not ask! I can't tell you that!"
Vivi waved her hands frantically at Luffy, indicating she truly couldn't reveal the mastermind behind Baroque Works. "If I tell you, you'll be targeted too."
"Haha, I don't want to be targeted by Baroque Works. The mastermind is someone who wants to take over a whole country, so he must be incredibly dangerous."
Nami gave a dry laugh. She had decided to have nothing more to do with Baroque Works. Being targeted by such a terrifying organization would be a real disaster.
"That's right. As strong as you are, you definitely can't defeat one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocod—"
Vivi had just let it slip when she realized her mistake and hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands.
Hearing that the mastermind behind Baroque Works was actually one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—one of the current three great powers—Nami was so shocked she froze on the spot, arms clutching her body, her pointed jaw nearly hitting the ground.
Luffy looked excited. Zoro, who had been fighting with Tom, stopped and said to Vivi, "You said it."
"What? A Warlord is here? Tell him to come out! I'll punch him!"
The drunken Tom heard Vivi mention something about a Seven Warlord and thought the person she spoke of was right there. He immediately stopped fighting Zoro, jumped up, and shouted loudly.
"Just sit over there and be QUIET!"
Nami had had enough, baring her teeth at Tom.
Just after yelling at Tom, Nami turned and inadvertently spotted a weasel and a bald eagle, both wearing sunglasses, standing on a roof behind them. It was the Baroque Works Unluckies, tasked with monitoring employee movements.
The weasel and eagle swept their gazes over the faces of Luffy and the others, memorizing their appearances. Then the weasel climbed onto the eagle's back, and they flew off into the sky.
"What were those weird animals? Are they going to report to Baroque Works that you told us the secret? Answer me!"
Nami grabbed Vivi by the collar in a frenzy, shaking her back and forth until Vivi was dizzy, repeatedly apologizing to Nami.
"I-I'm really sorry. It just slipped out."
Vivi apologized to Nami very sincerely.
"You think saying 'it slipped out' makes it okay? Your one careless sentence has thrown us all onto the same sinking ship! Do you have any idea how serious this is?!"
Nami clenched Vivi's collar tightly, spraying her with spit as she spoke harshly.
"Did you hear that? A Seven Warlord!"
Luffy said to Zoro and Tom, his eyes shining.
"That's not bad at all."
Zoro said with clear pleasure. The fact that their opponent was a Warlord clearly stoked his fighting spirit, especially since the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk, was also one of the Seven Warlords.
"Then we'll be making a big splash in the Grand Line soon!"
Having been utterly defeated by Mihawk last time, Tom had indeed become more mindful of the Warlords. As one of the world's three great powers, he wanted to know exactly how large the gap between him and them was.
"We'll meet him soon enough. To encounter such a powerful opponent right after entering the Grand Line... our luck is really good."
"What kind of guy is he?"
"Who cares what he looks like? If he gets in our way, we just punch him hard."
As Zoro, Luffy, and Tom continued chatting with keen interest about the Seven Warlords, Nami turned and yelled at them, "ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP!"
"Boo hoo... to be targeted by a Warlord right after entering the Grand Line... it's too tragic."
Nami couldn't hold back her tears. Covering her face with one hand, she spoke with a crying expression.
"Why are you crying? Don't be scared. I'll comfort you."
Seeing Nami so upset, Tom gently stroked her fair, smooth cheek with his hand, hiccuping and patting his chest as he spoke to her.
Feeling the warmth from the man's palm, Nami initially felt slightly reassured, with a hint of sweetness. A beautiful smile had just appeared on her face as she was about to say something when Vivi behind her remembered something.
"Actually, even if I hadn't told you about Crocodile, you would have been targeted by Baroque Works anyway."
Vivi had been focused on telling Luffy and the others about Alabasta and had forgotten about Tom's call with Crocodile. Remembering now, she brought it up.
Hearing Vivi describe how Tom had spoken to Crocodile, before Luffy and the others could say anything, Nami's previously warm and pleasant mood vanished instantly. With a dark expression, she grabbed Tom by the collar and shook him violently. "So this is how you comfort me?! Do you have any idea what you've done? He's a Warlord! How could you talk to him like that? What if he really comes looking for trouble? What will you do then?!"
Tom was shaken until he was dizzy. After letting go of his collar, Nami truly began to cry. "I'm really done this time! I'm going home!"
"Even though we haven't been together long, thank you for taking care of me."
As Nami said this to Luffy and the others, she began walking slowly away.
Seeing Nami about to leave, Luffy asked where she was going.
"You're not really going back to that village to grow tangerines, are you?"
Seeing Nami's resolute departure, Tom asked with some surprise.
You idiot! If I say I'm leaving, won't you even try to stop me? I'm ignoring you! Go die!
Thinking this, Nami took a heavy breath and continued walking forward. "While Baroque Works' President doesn't know what I look like yet, I'm getting out of here now."
But just as Nami finished speaking, the weasel that had flown off earlier on the eagle reappeared in front of her holding a sketchpad. With a few quick strokes, it produced four portrait sketches in mere seconds and showed them to Nami.
"Wow, these are really good! You're amazing!"
Seeing the four portraits in the weasel's claws—lifelike images that anyone could recognize—Nami couldn't help but clap.
Indeed, the four portraits were of Nami, Tom, Zoro, and Luffy.
By the time the weasel flew off on the eagle with the four portraits, Nami realized her appearance was already exposed. Escape was impossible. With a grim expression, she turned around and walked back, shouting, "So that's what they meant! We have nowhere to run?!"
Seeing Nami return, Luffy found her erratic behavior amusing, while Zoro wondered where she had actually planned to escape to.
Seeing Nami was back, Tom said happily, "That's great! If you went back to Cocoyashi Village, I wouldn't know how to find you."
"Do you finally understand what you did wrong now?"
Seeing Tom cared about her, Nami's mood improved slightly.
"I was really too slow. It's all the alcohol's fault. How did I not realize the guy I was talking to was Crocodile? I should have told him to come find us directly, or asked where he was so we could go to him instead."
Tom said with deep regret. His words made Nami's pretty eyebrows twitch, and she was on the verge of exploding.
"It seems all four of us have been added to Baroque Works' hit list."
"I feel pretty excited about it."
Seeing things had come to this, both Zoro and Luffy were full of anticipation for the journey ahead.
Seeing their reactions, Vivi found it unbelievable. She had originally thought that upon learning Tom had actually provoked Crocodile, Luffy and the others would beat Tom severely or, more coldly, cut ties with him to avoid being targeted by a Warlord.
But looking at them, they didn't care at all. They were even thinking of actively seeking out Crocodile. In Vivi's eyes, the only normal one was Nami.
In this state, Nami no longer had the energy to deal with Tom and the others. She sat alone in a corner, hugging her knees, her whole body seeming gloomy and dark, forming a stark contrast with the enthusiastically discussing Luffy and the others.
Seeing Nami so depressed, Vivi thought for a moment and walked over to comfort her. "Despite my country's current state, if there were one hundred million Berries..."
Just as Vivi was about to continue, Igaram's voice interrupted. "Please rest assured! I have a brilliant plan!"
Igaram was wearing women's clothing similar to Vivi's, with white shorts underneath revealing his thick leg hair. His heavily curled hair was combed into a ponytail identical to Vivi's. Moreover, he had applied lipstick and was holding several dolls.
Tom, who had been sobering up in the breeze nearby, staggered forward a few steps and accidentally bumped into the somewhat bulky Igaram.
To be precise, Tom bumped into Igaram's chest, due to Igaram's taller stature.
Tom looked up and saw Igaram's face—made up in drag with heavy makeup, especially the bright red lipstick on his mouth. It was nearly blinding. The sight of Igaram's current appearance immediately made Tom's stomach churn, and he almost vomited on the spot. "You're so ugly, Pineapple Head! It's disgusting!"
"Why are you saying that to me?!"
Vivi said to Tom, who had hurriedly run aside to gulp air, a dark cloud over her head.
Luffy, seeing Igaram dressed almost like Vivi, said his appearance would make many people die laughing.
"Listen well. Since the Mr. 5 pair was defeated, Baroque Works will likely immediately send someone to pursue us."
Igaram addressed Luffy and the others. "There's something you must know. Although he is now a Warlord and carries no bounty, the President of Baroque Works, Crocodile, was once a pirate with an 80 million Berry bounty."
After saying what he needed to, Igaram very seriously requested that Luffy escort the princess back to the Alabasta Kingdom.
Luffy still didn't know who Igaram was talking about. Zoro pointed at Vivi, telling him Igaram wanted their help getting Vivi back to Alabasta. Luffy agreed without a second thought.
"Wait a minute. An 80 million bounty is four times Arlong's! Why aren't you refusing?"
Hearing that Crocodile had an 80 million Berry bounty from way back—undoubtedly much stronger than Arlong—Nami immediately said to Luffy.
Unfortunately, the captain had already agreed, sealing their next destination.
Igaram asked Vivi to give him the Eternal Pose pointing to Alabasta.
Nami, hearing about an Eternal Pose for the first time, was still conflicted about escorting Vivi but couldn't help asking.
Igaram explained to Nami that an Eternal Pose was essentially a preserved version of a Log Pose. Once it recorded an island's magnetic field, it would permanently point to that island no matter where you went.
The one Igaram held was an Eternal Pose permanently pointing to Alabasta.
Igaram's plan was to disguise himself as Vivi and use several dummies as decoys to head directly for Alabasta, drawing Baroque Works' attention. Meanwhile, Vivi would sail on Luffy's ship to Alabasta.
According to Igaram, if Luffy and the others sailed normally following their Log Pose, they would reach Alabasta after passing two or three islands.
"I hope we can reunite safely in Alabasta!"
Igaram once again earnestly asked Luffy's crew to take good care of Vivi. After bidding farewell to Vivi and preparing to leave, he suddenly remembered something very important.
It was about Usopp. Earlier, due to his bragging, he had been mistaken for Tom, the pirate with a 30 million Berry bounty, and given special treatment—locked in a secret room far from here. They needed to find him quickly.
"My ship is behind that cactus rock over there. He's locked up nearby. It shouldn't be hard to find him."
Igaram pointed to a giant cactus-shaped rock in the distance.
"Then I'll go find him. After all, that guy got into this mess because he was mistaken for me."
As Tom said this, he deliberately avoided looking at Igaram to avoid getting sick.
"In your condition, how are you going to look?"
Nami, seeing Tom was still drunk, thought it would be better to send Zoro.
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon. At least I won't get lost."
Tom's point was valid, as Zoro had a terrible sense of direction. Sending him might take even longer.
"That bastard... who's he calling directionally challenged?"
Zoro muttered as Tom quickly ran off.
Thus, Tom and Igaram left in the same direction, while Luffy and the others began preparing to set sail.
To avoid being nauseated by the cross-dressing Igaram running ahead, Tom deliberately kept his distance.
Running along, Tom spotted Karoo in an alley. He happily mounted him. "Alright, let's go, Donald!"
"Quack!"
Karoo had been with Vivi earlier but had wandered off alone. He hadn't expected to run into Tom.
Riding Karoo back onto the main street, Tom saw that Igaram, who had been ahead, was already out of sight.
After running a while longer, Tom saw a tall woman with long black hair. She wore a purple fedora, a purple sleeveless denim vest, and a purple denim mini skirt. Even her boots were purple. Her all-purple outfit was sexy and alluring yet gave off a mysterious, noble air.
The soft moonlight shone on her, making her jet-black long hair gleam. Under the silver light, her curvaceous figure was perfectly outlined. Just seeing her back silhouette, one could clearly sense the mature and elegant aura she exuded.
"Who are you?"
Tom, riding Karoo, was momentarily stunned and asked the black-haired woman with her back to him. He didn't notice the unconscious Igaram lying in the dark shadows to his left...
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T/N :
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