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Boom!!!
Another explosion echoed through the night air. Vivi ignored her pain and looked over, only to see a small figure standing resolutely in front of her, effortlessly deflecting Mr. 5's attack.
"You... who are you?!" Her expression was one of pure disbelief.
"Yo! You're Vivi, right? I'll protect you from now on," Satori said. He turned his head slightly, flashing a signature grin.
Before she could respond, another figure descended from the sky, landing with a heavy thud in front of her.
"Satori! What do you mean you protect her?! Princess Vivi's safety will be guarded by me!" Sanji declared indignantly. His expression shifted instantly; he dropped to one knee, produced a bouquet of roses from nowhere, and handed them to Vivi. "Ah! My beautiful princess, I am honored to meet you. Rest assured, your safety is in the hands of this knight!"
Vivi was stunned. She couldn't comprehend why these two strangers had appeared, let alone why they were fighting for her.
"Princess Vivi, we were entrusted by Igaram," Sanji explained quickly. "You don't need to worry about anything."
Joy surged in Vivi's heart. Igaram isn't dead! Sanji stood up and scanned the perimeter. When his gaze hit Mr. 5, he was ice-cold. But when it hit Ms. Valentine, his eyes turned into hearts. "Wow! There's a very kawaii girl here too!"
Ms. Valentine twirled her umbrella. "Ya ha ha ha! I accept your praise. While I'm in a good mood, leave now and I won't attack you."
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke. "Hoo... I usually never refuse a lady, but tonight, please forgive me. I have to protect the princess."
"Ya ha ha ha! Then you can be buried with her!"
The Power of the Ruyi Jingu Bang
On the other side, Mr. 5 sneered at Satori. Up until now, he had blown away Igaram, Miss Monday, and Mr. 9 with ease. No one had survived a single "bomb" strike. As a Bomu Bomu no Mi (Bomb-Bomb Fruit) user, he was a walking arsenal.
"Another overconfident fool," Mr. 5 muttered. He picked a booger and flicked it at Satori.
Satori didn't flinch. He swung his Ruyi Jingu Bang, splitting the booger mid-air and making it detonate away from him. "If you don't leave Vivi alone, I'll have to beat you," Satori warned.
Mr. 5 charged like a cheetah. "Just try it, kid!"
When the assassin was less than three meters away, Satori leveled his staff at the man's stomach. "Extend! Ruyi Jingu Bang!"
Whoosh!!!
The staff elongated with lightning speed, slamming into Mr. 5's gut. The man's eyes bulged as he was launched backward by the force of the extending pole. He flew over the river, past the town, and crashed into the cactus-shaped mountains in the distance, disappearing from sight.
Vivi and Carue stood there with their mouths open. Mr. 5, the man who had seemed invincible, was gone in one strike.
Satori turned and gave them a peace sign. "Done!"
He looked over at Sanji, who was struggling. Sanji refused to strike Ms. Valentine, adhering to his "knight's code" even as she tried to crush him with ten thousand kilograms.
"I would rather die than strike a woman!" Sanji declared, just before Ms. Valentine sent him flying with a kick.
Satori's face tightened. "You aren't allowed to hurt Sanji!" He aimed his staff. Ms. Valentine shrieked as the Ruyi Jingu Bang sent her soaring into the sky to join her partner.
A Terrifying Secret
Shortly after, Nami and Igaram arrived. Once the dust settled, Vivi addressed Nami's 1,000,000,000 Berry reward request.
"I'm sorry," Vivi sighed. "My country is suffering from unprecedented civil unrest. We can't even afford 100,000,000 Berries right now."
Nami was shocked. A whole kingdom couldn't afford 100 million?
Vivi explained the situation in Alabasta: the drought, the rebellion, and the secret organization, Baroque Works, that was orchestrating the collapse. "Their objective is to seize our country!"
"Who is the mastermind?" Satori asked curiously.
"He's Crocodile of the Shichibukai!" Vivi blurted out. She instantly covered her mouth, but it was too late.
Nami's hair stood on end. "Why did you ask that, Satori?! Now we know a secret that will get us killed!" The Shichibukai were legendary pirates sanctioned by the World Government—facing one was a death sentence.
Suddenly, Nami spotted the Unlucky Duo—a vulture and an otter—on a rooftop, sketching their faces. "They're intelligence agents!" Vivi cried. "They're reporting back!"
Yeet!!
Satori's staff flashed. Caw! The bird and otter crashed to the ground, seeing stars. Nami rushed over, tied them up, and destroyed the sketches. "Phew... now we won't be hunted down."
"I've decided," Satori said with a grin. "I'm going to fight this Crocodile!"
The alley went silent. Nami shivered. "Do you know how dangerous he is?!"
"I know, but he's a bad guy making people suffer," Satori said firmly. "I want to help Vivi defeat him!"
Vivi was moved to tears. She asked if they would escort her back to her kingdom. Satori nodded heavily. "Of course!"
The Final Sacrifice
Half an hour later, Igaram disguised himself as Vivi to act as a decoy. He handed her the Eternal Pose to Alabasta. "Please, take the long way. It's safer. I'll draw the pursuers away."
"Igaram, be careful," Vivi whispered.
Igaram looked at Satori. "I entrust her safety to you."
"Don't worry," Satori and Sanji promised.
As Igaram's ship sailed into the night, the crew watched from the shore. Suddenly...
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion ripped through the ship. Flames soared into the sky, dyeing the water red.
"How could this be?!" Nami cried.
"Who did it!!" Anger flared in Satori's eyes. He stuck his staff into the ground, vaulting himself into the air and extending the pole to race toward the burning wreckage.