Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

The darkness before dawn is the deepest, and the air of Whiskey Peak is filled with the smells of gunpowder, burnt meat, and a faint stench of blood.

Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji brought Vivi, who was still in shock, back to the stone house where Nami was.

Upon seeing everyone return, especially seeing Vivi unharmed, Nami's eyes instantly turned into the symbol of Bailey.

"Well done, guys!"

Nami's face beamed with a capitalist-like benevolent smile. "You didn't just save one person, you saved my billion Berries! A great victory!"

Vivi rode on the back of the exhausted Karu, looking at the strange group of pirates in front of her with a complicated expression.

She couldn't help but ask, "Why...why did you save me? You knew this would cause huge trouble..."

"Oh, right! We haven't officially talked about it yet."

Nami suddenly realized, then adopted a serious, business-negotiation-like expression. "Regarding the escort fee..."

Just then, the door of the stone house next door was kicked open with a "bang".

A huge, round ball of flesh squeezed out of the door.

That's Luffy.

At this moment, his belly was so swollen it looked like a hot air balloon that could burst at any moment, and his short limbs hung at his sides.

It walks like a penguin, each step making a dull "thump-thump" sound on the ground.

"Phew... I slept so well... I need to pee... I need to pee..."

Luffy rubbed his sleepy eyes, and was startled awake by the scene before him as soon as he stepped outside.

In the dim morning light, he saw the ruins scattered everywhere, and the bounty hunters' corpses strewn across the square.

"what?"

Luffy blinked, looking at Ronan and the others with a blank expression:

"What happened? Ah! Ronan, Sanji, Zoro, you're all here! Looks like everything's been resolved."

Sanji lit a cigarette, looked at his captain's state, and muttered helplessly:

"Of course."

Nami completely ignored Luffy's existence; all she could see now was Vivi, the goose that lays golden eggs.

"Listen up, Princess Vivi."

Nami's tone was full of seduction, "We did show our strength, didn't we? Ronan and the others took care of that explosive guy and the heavy woman like swatting flies."

"If you agree to pay one billion Berries, we'll guarantee your safe return to Alabasta."

"This isn't such a bad thing for you, is it?"

However, to everyone's surprise,

The light in Vivi's eyes dimmed. She gripped Karu's reins tightly and shook her head firmly.

"That's impossible. Although I'm very grateful that you saved me, I cannot agree to this condition."

"ha?!"

Nami's smile froze instantly, followed by a sharp roar:

"Why?! Aren't you a princess? A mere ten billion Berries! Isn't your life worth that much?!"

"Because... Alabasta simply can't afford this money right now."

Weiwei's voice trembled slightly, but it was filled with sorrow.

She raised her head, her gaze seemingly piercing through the sea, seeing her distant homeland being eroded by wind and sand.

"Have you heard of Alabasta? It's one of the few ancient nations on the Grand Line that's known as a 'civilized superpower'."

"It used to be a symbol of peace and prosperity... but that was then."

Vivi took a deep breath, her voice gradually lowering:

"Now, my homeland is facing unprecedented internal turmoil."

"Drought, famine, riots... In recent years, a mysterious drought has shrouded the entire country, with no rain falling anywhere except in the capital, Albana."

"The people, driven by despair, rioted, and the revolutionary army swept through the country, bringing it to the brink of collapse."

Ronan listened quietly, thinking to himself:

"Crocodile's 'Utopia' project? Using dancing powder to create drought and frame the king, what an old and vicious tactic."

"In order to find out the truth, Ikaram and I infiltrated Baroque Works."

Vivi continued, tears welling in her eyes, "We discovered that the mastermind behind all of this was actually hiding at the top of this criminal organization."

"He's controlling everything, trying to devour the entire country!"

While picking his nose, Luffy casually asked, "Who's the mastermind behind this?"

"Can't!"

Vivi suddenly looked up, waving her hands in terror, "You'd better not know his true identity! Once you know that name, you'll be considered targets that must be eliminated!"

"I can't drag you into this; it could be life-threatening!"

Upon hearing this, Nami gave an awkward laugh and took a half step back.

"Haha... never mind then. A guy who plots to usurp a country must be an unimaginable problem. It's better if we don't know."

"That's right." Vivi nodded, her eyes filled with deep fear.

"No matter how powerful you are, you can't do anything to someone of that level. He's... Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

The air suddenly fell silent for three seconds.

The sea breeze seemed to have stopped flowing.

Ronan's lips twitched, and he looked at Vivi speechlessly: "...Didn't you just say it out loud?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow: "Ah, you said it."

Vivi abruptly covered her mouth, her face turning deathly pale: "Ah! I'm so sorry! I accidentally... let it slip!!"

"Coo coo—!!"

"Squeak—!!"

In the midst of this deathly silence, the sound of flapping wings came from the stone roof above.

Everyone looked up and saw a huge vulture spreading its wings and soaring into the depths of the sea.

On the vulture's back, a sea otter wearing sunglasses was frantically sketching something on a drawing board, its eyes filled with mockery and murderous intent as it looked back at the crowd.

The unlucky duo – Mr. 13 and Miss. Friday.

"That's..." Nami felt her heart skip a beat.

"Of course, they are Crocodile's subordinates from the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

Ronan calmly delivered the final blow.

"Aaaaaahh ...

Nami broke down.

She grabbed Weiwei by the collar and shook her frantically, tears streaming down her face like a fountain.

"That bird and the sea otter were just delivering a message, weren't they?! Absolutely! You stupid princess! Do you think just apologizing will solve anything? Why drag us into this?!"

"Waaaah... I'm so sorry!" Vivi was so dizzy from being shaken that she could only keep apologizing.

Nami knelt on the ground, covering her face and weeping, "This is so unlucky... I've only just entered the Grand Line, and I've already become the target of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

"We're going to die! We're definitely going to be killed!"