On the streets of Whiskey Peak, the smoke had not yet fully dissipated.
"Hey! Marimo! You bastard! Didn't I already apologize to you?!"
"Huh? How about I slash you once and then apologize to you!"
While the two idiots, Luffy and Zoro—who were completely out of the loop—were still bickering and scuffling.
Tap, tap, tap.
Two figures stepped through the moonlight, walking unhurriedly from the end of the street. One man wore a flamboyant trench coat and sunglasses, his hair styled like an explosion. The other was a woman floating in mid-air, carrying a lemon-patterned parasol and wearing a bright dress.
They were the high-ranking agents of Baroque Works—Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.
The two completely ignored the bickering Luffy and Zoro, walking straight toward the unconscious Mr. 8 (Igaram) and Miss Wednesday (Vivi) lying on the ground.
"How unsightly, to be beaten into this state by a bunch of rookie pirates." Mr. 5 pushed up his sunglasses, looking coldly at the two on the ground.
"Since the mission failed and your identities are exposed... we have no choice but to ask you to die. After all, the Boss hates it when secrets are leaked."
At these words, Luffy and Zoro stopped their scuffling and looked on with curiosity.
"Identities exposed?" Luffy tilted his head.
"Hmph." Mr. 5 sneered, looking at the girl on the ground as if she were a corpse. "No need to pretend anymore, Miss Wednesday... or should I call you the Princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, Nefertari Vivi? And you, Captain of the Guard, Igaram.
Infiltrating Baroque Works to investigate the Boss's true identity... you certainly have a lot of nerve."
As the truth was revealed, the air instantly froze. Mr. 5 slowly raised his hand and, in front of everyone, stuck a finger into his nostril, nonchalantly digging out a grey-black booger.
"To punish your crimes, let this special bomb send you on your way."
Just as he was about to flick that disgusting "bomb"...
"Hold on."
A voice filled with pure revulsion interrupted him. Viktor stood in front of Vivi and Igaram, blocking Mr. 5's line of sight. His dark eyes were filled with disgust, as if looking at a walking pile of trash.
"You, the guy digging his nose." Viktor furrowed his brows, roasting him mercilessly. "Although I am a tolerant person, your actions are truly disgusting. Using that filthy stuff as a weapon... you have severely polluted my eyes."
"Huh?!" Mr. 5 stiffened, veins popping on his forehead. As a user of the Boom-Boom Fruit, he took great pride in his ability to make any part of his body explode. To be called disgusting?
"You mortals who don't understand art!!" Mr. 5 roared in fury, flicking his finger. "This is the art of explosion! Taste the sensation of being blown to pieces! Nose Fancy Cannon!!"
Zip—!
The unremarkable-looking booger, carrying enough power to level a house, whistled through the air toward Viktor's face.
Simultaneously.
"Hehehe, leave these two idiots to me." On the other side, Miss Valentine giggled. Using the Kilo-Kilo Fruit, she made her body light and floated above Luffy and Zoro. "10,000 Kilo Press!!"
She instantly increased her weight, crashing down like a meteorite. "Die, you idiots!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN IDIOT!!!" Luffy and Zoro looked up simultaneously, their faces twisted with rage as they roared in unison.
Back with Viktor.
Facing the "disgusting bomb," he stood his ground without even flinching. In that instant, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes swirled slightly, and a bizarre spiritual wave pierced into Mr. 5's brain.
"Explosion is art?" Viktor's lips curled into a mocking arc. "No... this is Genjutsu."
[Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!]
Hum—
In Mr. 5's perspective, the world changed instantly. The booger bomb he had just flicked froze and split in mid-air.
One became two, two became four... In the blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of black booger bombs filled the sky. Like a swarm of enraged hornets, they turned around and flew back toward him!
"Wha... What?!" Mr. 5's eyes widened in terror, cold sweat drenching his body. "No! Don't come over here!!!"
To the outsiders, Mr. 5 suddenly let out a shrill scream. He clutched his head like a madman, jumping and twisting frantically in place, trying to dodge attacks that didn't exist in reality. "Aaah! It's blowing me up! Get away!!"
Finally, he tripped over his own feet and fell pathetically to the ground.
Thump.
A black boot stepped unceremoniously onto his face. Mr. 5's screaming stopped abruptly. He opened his eyes in terror, only to see a pair of crimson Sharingan looking down at him.
"Playing with bombs?" Viktor applied pressure, making Mr. 5's facial bones creak. His tone was cold and playful. "Since you like them so much, I'll satisfy you!"
Viktor wove signs with his hands, chakra compressing violently in his throat. "Since you love explosions, let's give you your fill."
[Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!]
BOOM—!!
Viktor exhaled a massive fireball several meters in diameter. Carrying blistering heat, it struck Mr. 5 at point-blank range!
RUMBLE—!!!
The flames instantly triggered Mr. 5's special constitution as a "Bomb Human." A violent explosion shook the heavens, and fire soared into the sky. The agent who fancied himself an artist was turned into charcoal before he could even showcase his "art."
On the other side.
"Gum-Gum... Balloon!" "Three-Sword Style: Dragon Twister!"
Luffy and Zoro's coordination was simple and crude. Luffy bounced the falling Miss Valentine away, and Zoro delivered a strike with the back of his blade, knocking her unconscious instantly.
"Too weak," Zoro said, sheathing his sword.
The battle was over.
"Cough, cough..."
At that moment, Igaram was jolted awake by the massive explosion. He struggled to open his eyes, seeing the two high-ranking agents defeated. Looking at the Straw Hat crew standing before him, tears instantly surged.
"I beg of you... I beg of you..." Ignoring his injuries, Igaram knelt on the ground. He painfully recounted the truth: Vivi was a princess who had risked her life to infiltrate the enemy to save her kingdom from being stolen by Crocodile.
"Our identities are exposed... they will send countless assassins... Please! Escort Princess Vivi back to her country! Stop the rebellion! I beg of you!!"
Vivi, who had woken up nearby, couldn't help but cover her face and weep upon hearing this. Those were the desperate tears of a girl carrying the fate of an entire nation.
"Okay!" Luffy pressed down on his straw hat. Looking at the crying Vivi, he agreed loudly without a shred of hesitation. "Since the Old Man asked, we'll help out!"
"Help with what?!" Whack! Zoro delivered a fist to Luffy's head, shouting with a face full of dark lines. "Can you not be so casual?! These guys were enemies! They were trying to kill us minutes ago!"
"It's fine! Besides, that Old Man treated us to so much meat!" Luffy argued righteously.
"Hah? Is this a matter of meat? You idiot!"
Just then.
"This deal... isn't impossible to make." Viktor let the fiery aura fade from his body, returning to his smiling self as he walked slowly up to Vivi. He crouched down, looking at the tearful blue-haired princess. "Did you hear that, Princess?"
Viktor extended a finger, calculating the bill methodically. "The previous boat fare, plus saving your lives just now, and the upcoming escort mission... You people owe us a lot of Berries now."
Vivi froze, staring blankly at the red-eyed man. "I... I will pay! As long as Alabasta can be saved..."
"We'll talk about money later." Viktor interrupted her, his smile widening. "As a down payment... tell us everything about this secret called 'Baroque Works' and its so-called 'Boss'."
Looking into Viktor's eyes, which seemed to see through everything, Vivi finally nodded heavily.
At the same time, the crisp system notification arrived in Viktor's mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for slightly altering the plot.]
[Reward: 1,000 Ninja Way Points.]
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