Chapter 145: Everything Has Fallen Into Place!
Under the moonlight of Whiskey Peak, the smoke of battle had yet to fully dissipate.
The lingering force of Lufia's punch seemed to still hang in the air.
In the direction where Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine had been sent flying, a clear human-shaped hole remained in the wall, with rubble still trickling down.
Princess Vivi and Igaram stared blankly at the hole, then at Lufia, before finally exchanging a glance.
A certain fervent light burned in both their eyes.
Meanwhile, Nami had swiftly shifted into negotiation mode.
She walked up to Princess Vivi, placed her hands on her hips, and flashed the grin unique to the Cat Burglar.
"You're Princess Vivi, right?"
Nami began, her tone imposing,
"As you've seen, you've witnessed the strength of our Straw Hat Pirates."
She pointed at Ralph, then at Zoro, and finally at Lufia, who was still flexing her wrist:
"Ralph, bounty 35 million, impervious to blades and bullets, and a master of deception—oh no, I mean, exceptionally cunning."
"Zoro, a Three Sword Style Swordsman, cuts down dozens without batting an eye."
"Lufia, our captain, can send your so-called 'elite agents' flying with a single punch."
Nami paused, her smile deepening:
"With this level of combat power, keeping you safe on your journey home should be more than enough, right?"
Princess Vivi was taken aback for a moment before understanding dawned on her. She took a deep breath and asked earnestly:
"Then, what is the price?"
"Excellent question!"
Nami's eyes lit up as she held up all ten fingers, "Ten billion Berry, guaranteed to get you safely back to Alabasta."
She thought for a moment and added:
"And we'll help you deal with that Baroque Works... pursuit."
Nami was being quite meticulous here.
After all, an escort mission and dealing with pursuers were not the same as directly confronting Baroque Works.
But the moment the figure of ten billion was uttered, the air fell silent for a second.
Princess Vivi's expression froze.
Igaram nearly jumped up: "Ten billion Berry?! Y-you're extorting us!"
"Wrong."
Nami raised a finger and shook it,
"This is a fair trade. We provide the manpower and effort, you provide the money. Perfectly reasonable, right?"
Princess Vivi spoke softly:
"That's impossible."
"Impossible?"
Nami frowned, "You're the princess of Alabasta! A princess of a nation, and you can't even come up with ten billion Berry?"
The question was asked with absolute confidence.
But Princess Vivi's response left Nami stunned.
"Yes, I can't."
Vivi lifted her head, her eyes carrying a heavy calmness,
"Because Alabasta... is already in the midst of a severe crisis."
Then, she began to recount what had befallen her country.
Alabasta, one of the few ancient civilizations along the Grand Line.
A land where deserts and oases coexisted, with a long history and a love for peace.
But in recent years, everything had changed.
"Drought."
Vivi's voice trembled as she uttered the word:
"Years of consecutive drought. Rivers dried up, oases shrank, crops withered. The people had no water to drink, no food to eat.
"And then... revolution began."
"The people rose in rebellion, claiming that the king had used 'Dance Powder' to cause the drought."
"Dance Powder?"
Nami asked, puzzled.
"A powder that can forcibly induce rainfall."
Igaram took over the explanation, "But using Dance Powder causes rainfall in one area by stealing rain from others. It's a banned substance strictly prohibited by the World Government."
"His Majesty the King never used Dance Powder!"
Vivi suddenly raised her voice, "Father... he loves this country and his people more than anyone!"
She took a deep breath before continuing:
"But the people didn't believe it. The riots grew worse, and the entire nation was plunged into war."
"Until later, I heard the name of an organization—Baroque Works."
Vivi's eyes sharpened:
"I suspected that this organization was behind the scenes, inciting the people and creating riots. So I decided... to infiltrate them."
"I, the Princess of Alabasta, along with Captain Igaram, disguised ourselves as bounty hunters and joined Baroque Works."
"Our goal was to uncover the mastermind behind the turmoil in Alabasta."
The story was finished.
Under the moonlight, Princess Vivi stood there, her blue hair tousled by the wind.
She was a princess, yet at this moment, she wore such... peculiar civilian clothes, with traces of battle still on her face.
But her eyes were as firm as the rocks in the desert.
Nami fell silent.
She looked at Vivi and suddenly felt that her earlier remarks about "one billion Berries" were somewhat... ugly.
Zoro set down his bottle and looked directly at Vivi for the first time.
"As a princess, to go this far... I respect you."
But Princess Vivi shook her head with a bitter smile:
"What good is courage and responsibility? In the end, I still fell into the hands of Baroque Works."
She paused, her gaze shifting to Ralph not far away, her tone growing complex:
"And... I truly never expected that the mastermind behind Baroque Works would be someone so..."
She seemed to be searching for the right words.
Finally, she said:
"Unremarkably handsome."
At this, Nami was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing:
"You don't actually think Ralph is the mastermind behind Baroque Works, do you?"
Pointing at Ralph, she laughed uncontrollably:
"That's obviously a lie he made up! Don't you know, in our pirate crew, he's the best liar!"
At least, that's what Nami believed.
Usopp was fast asleep and offered no rebuttal.
But Vivi's expression was serious:
"It doesn't seem like a lie."
"Why?"
Nami asked curiously.
"Because according to our investigation, Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, is indeed Mr. 0 of Baroque Works."
Vivi's voice dropped to a whisper:
"Aside from us, very few people know this information. If it were leaked, it would surely lead to pursuit by Baroque Works."
She looked at Ralph:
"And yet, Mr. Ralph easily mentioned Crocodile's name. Therefore, it's highly likely that what he said is true—he was once the mastermind behind Baroque Works, only to be overthrown by Crocodile."
This logic...
Actually made some sense?
Zoro nodded while drinking, wearing an expression of understanding:
"Hmm, after Ralph was overthrown, he was pursued by Crocodile, severely injured, forced to cross the Calm Belt, and drifted to the East Blue."
"Then, he lost his previous memories and was rescued by Lufia."
He spoke more smoothly as he went on:
"This also explains why he knows so much about the New World and has mastered the Six Powers as well as Haki cultivation methods."
"Everything falls into place now."
After finishing, Zoro nodded to himself in affirmation.