Chapter 28: Are you the only one here to take my head?
Half a month later.
Alabasta, Royal Palace South Wing.
This was a relatively quiet part of the Royal Palace, normally uninhabited.
However, for the past half a month, it had been heavily guarded by a considerable number of royal guards.
"Tap!" "Tap!" "Tap!"
At this moment, clear footsteps echoed.
Hearing this, the guards' expressions turned solemn as they looked towards the approaching figure not far away.
"Princess Vivi!?"
And upon seeing the beautiful princess with blue hair, they naturally bowed in unison.
"Obeying my father the King's command, I've come to visit that esteemed noble, to thank him for the rain in Katorea."
Vivi said concisely and with an air of self-assurance.
"Please make way."
Hearing this, the guards showed hesitation.
But their hesitation didn't last long, and they made way as requested.
In fact, when they first began guarding that 'noble' in the South Wing, they were quite wary—especially those guards who had attended the previous conversation in the guest hall, as they were keenly aware of that person's identity and formidable power.
But as time passed, this wariness gradually faded.
After all, up until now, that person had successively used his miraculous ability to bring rain to the three cities of 'Yuba', 'Katorea', and 'Alubarna', stabilizing Alabasta's domestic situation.
King Cobra had also already had a one-on-one meeting with the other party.
Furthermore, His Majesty the King had recently been extremely busy appeasing the common people throughout the country, making Princess Vivi the highest-ranking individual within the entire Royal Palace.
Therefore, they naturally dared not disobey her orders.
And after the guards made way, Vivi naturally walked into the South Wing.
From afar, she saw a reclining chair.
Sunlight streamed down from the translucent dome, falling directly onto the reclining chair, where Chen Long, wearing a mask, was seated.
He held a cola in his hand, with a straw inserted through the gap beneath his mask.
"Oh? It's Princess Vivi. Here to disturb someone's sunbathing again?"
And after seeing Vivi arrive, Chen Long turned his head and greeted her, but Vivi could clearly see him quickly hide the cup behind his back.
'Who would want to snatch that kind of thing?'
Vivi complained inwardly.
But after this month, she had already become quite familiar with Chen Long.
She also knew that this self-proclaimed 'Twelve Star Signs' executive, an extremely powerful fellow, had a very peculiar personality in certain aspects.
So at this moment, she simply performed a standard royal bow: "Your Excellency Chen Long, good day."
"I received my father the King's order to come and thank you for the rain in Katorea not long ago."
She stated a seemingly reasonable excuse.
But...
"Ah, about that excuse—I'm very sorry to inform Your Highness, but you've already been exposed."
At this moment, Chen Long, however, spoke quite bluntly.
After confirming Vivi seemed to have no intention of snatching his drink, he resumed drinking his cola: "Not long ago, your guard captain, Sir Igaram, came to see me. I learned from his words that King Cobra never gave you such an order."
Speaking of which, his voice from beneath the mask seemed to become playful.
"And according to my guess, those guys who are plotting against your country should also be making their move against me soon—therefore, I advise Your Highness not to come here unless absolutely necessary."
Hearing these words, Vivi's expression also changed.
"Igaram."
She gritted her teeth, a little annoyed at her own guard captain's big mouth.
But then, she stubbornly looked at Chen Long: "This won't do. You have to tell me who the mastermind behind all this is? Why won't my father the King tell me, no matter what?"
"I am the princess of Alabasta, and I also have a responsibility to my people!"
Indeed.
This was the reason why she had been tirelessly coming here recently, even inventing excuses and lies.
Not long ago, her father the King and Chen Long had met—but this time, he didn't bring her along.
But according to Igaram's revelation, she could confirm that Chen Long had revealed the mastermind behind Alabasta's great drought during that meeting.
But when she questioned King Cobra, her father merely shook his head and refused to tell her the answer, no matter what.
"That's not something you need to know, Vivi."
His Majesty the King merely replied thus.
But Vivi couldn't accept it—she believed that as a princess, she should naturally know who the villain attempting to destroy her country was.
"That fellow must pay for what he did to Alabasta!"
Vivi said, panting with anger.
And facing Vivi's attitude, Chen Long remained indifferent.
"Your Highness, allow me to presumptuously ask a question."
He said softly: "Have you ever left Alabasta?"
"I..."
Hearing this question, Vivi was somewhat puzzled.
But she still said with effort: "Of course, I..."
As the sole princess of Alabasta, she had indeed almost never left Alabasta.
The only exception was three years ago.
"I accompanied my father the King to the last 'World Conference'."
She gritted her teeth, recalling that World Conference three years ago.
Her father had publicly criticized 'Wapol', the King of Drum Kingdom, at the conference, and the latter had retaliated against her after the conference.
Although at the time she calmly chose to compromise, swallowing her anger and apologizing, she still later cried loudly in her father's arms.
That was not a good memory.
And so, Chen Long spread his hands: "This is the reason—Your Highness."
"You haven't truly seen this 'world' yet, and your father the King obviously thinks so too."
He smiled: "Therefore, please go back."
"..."
Vivi bit her lip, looking at Chen Long, and after a long while, she let out a huff.
She stood up, turned, and walked away.
But after walking halfway, she suddenly turned back, and amidst Chen Long's surprised "Oh!", she picked up the cola bottle he had placed in the ice bucket beside him and guzzled down the remaining cola.
Afterwards, she then gave Chen Long a triumphant look and walked out of the South Wing.
"..."
And looking at the empty cola bottle, Loy beneath the mask naturally shed silent tears of exasperation.
As expected of someone who almost became a Straw Hat crew member in the future, this unique way of acting and thinking is already quite apparent.
But it was precisely when he was about to ask the guards outside for another bottle of cola.
"Your Highness, why have you come back again?"
The guards' voices came from outside.
"I just forgot to tell that noble inside something; shh, it's a very important secret, so you all leave first."
"Ah? But Officer Igaram said..."
"Hmm? Are you disobeying my orders as the princess?"
"Of course not, not at all—we'll leave now."
As the words outside the door fell silent.
Chen Long saw that Vivi, as expected, walked into the South Wing again.
Upon seeing Loy, she also showed a warm smile: "Your Excellency, I have something to tell you."
She quickly walked to Chen Long's side.
"What a coincidence, I also have something to ask you?"
Chen Long was still lying on the reclining chair, and asked with a smile: "Only you came?"
And so, Vivi's expression visibly became a little flustered.
But she adjusted herself instantly and said with a slight smile: "What do you mean 'only me'? Didn't I just come here alone?"
"That's not what I meant."
But Chen Long continued to say with a smile.
"I mean—are you the only one here to take my head?"
"Swish!"
It was precisely the moment Chen Long's words fell that Vivi's slightly smiling face instantly turned cold.
Her legs, almost instantly like a long whip, lashed out towards Chen Long with a kick.
At this moment, her face also instantly changed—from Vivi's beautiful face, it instantly transformed into the heavily made-up face of a flamboyant okama.
And the latter half of Chen Long's sentence, which had just fallen, also revealed his identity.
"Baroque Works, MR.2."
(end of chapter)