The Great Voyage Begins with the Celestial Dragons

As a result, he was assigned some small tasks, and because he completed them very well, he earned a small reputation.

A bounty of 1000 million isn't much, but it's enough to make someone a big shot in the East China Sea.

Furthermore, the bounty is no higher than Ah Long's, which perfectly matches her image of enduring humiliation while possessing some strength.

As for why she revealed it herself, it was to mention a task that Uta had recently contacted her about.

Reaching the Grand Line without a bounty is somewhat like child's play, so they're planning a major operation to acquire bounties in Alabasta.

This was a task assigned to her by Uta and the Don Quixote family, and she dared not slack off in the slightest.

Upon seeing Nami produce the wanted poster, Usopp and Sanji's expressions changed slightly, and they began to ponder.

In comparison, Luffy is much simpler; he just chuckles and shouts energetically:

"It's decided, I want the highest bounty!"

While Nami and the others were chatting, the Going Merry was steadily approaching the battlefield.

After Zoro had almost finished off the enemy, the Going Merry finally arrived, albeit belatedly.

When Usopp saw the leader of the Alabasta merchant ship, his expression subtly changed.

He remembered a girl with long blue hair because he often stayed in the Kingdom of Jaya.

Nefertari Vivi, the princess of Alabasta, has a simple personality and is very close to her family.

How could someone like that possibly be surrounded by pirate ships in the waters near the Kingdom of Jaya and Alabasta?

There's something wrong with it no matter how you look at it!

With this question in mind, Usopp didn't say much, but just silently watched Vivi's angry face as she was talking to Nami.

After a while, Nami returned with a smile on her face.

"Comrades, we've got a big deal, but the enemy seems pretty strong."

"What enemy?" Sanji asked casually.

For the first half of the Grand Line, which was still next to the Kingdom of Jaya, he didn't feel any threat.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea - Crocodile!"

Nami pronounced the name slowly and deliberately with a smile. Just as Sanji had expected, she also knew that the Jaya Kingdom was another headquarters of the Donquixote Family, so it was impossible for them to have committed a major crime in the vicinity.

If all else fails, we can just call Uta; she's busy with important matters right now.

"Shichibukai?!"

Upon hearing that he was a Shichibukai, unlike his other incredibly calm companions, Chopper almost fainted from fright.

Unlike the original future, the current Seven Warlords of the Sea are not only all great pirates, but also lackeys of the Navy, guarding key locations and killing large numbers of pirates every year.

Is this the kind of opponent they can defeat?

"The client this time is Princess Vivi of Alabasta. According to her, this pirate crew was hired by Crocodile in order to assassinate her and seize the entire Alabasta."

As Nami spoke, she felt a little strange.

Although I could roughly guess that this was the bounty-related event Uta mentioned, their practice of accepting commissions was so much like that of bounty hunters...

"It seems that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, is not a good person after all," Usopp said with a smile.

Crocodile, as far as he knew, was not familiar with the family and it was unclear whether they had any deeper schemes, but the fact that the other party had been able to live well in Alabasta for so many years was probably due to the family's leniency.

The fact that the family allows him to do whatever he wants means he must have some ability; it's impossible for him to do something that seems full of loopholes, as Weiwei described.

"Hey, shouldn't we confirm this first?" Chopper chuckled dryly.

"How much is the commission fee?" Sanji asked, hands in his pockets.

“5 million Berries! That’s all of Vivi’s savings,” Nami said with a smile, clearly intending to accept.

"Next, it doesn't matter who Crocodile is, this is a big deal."

Upon hearing the high price, Sanji immediately made a bid.

He's just a mere Shichibukai, and not even the strongest one, Mihawk. He's not worth mentioning at all.

He had never met Vivi, but he had heard Reiju mention her a few times. She was said to be very innocent by nature.

With such a person facing a bizarre pirate siege, it's clear that the other side is just a pawn.

As for what kind of chess game it was, it wasn't really important to them.

Once he officially entered the Grand Line, all possible arrangements were part of a scheme orchestrated by his family. This reflected his confidence in his family and the absolute strength they possessed.

Since it's a scheme orchestrated by the family, all we need to do is follow it smoothly.

Chapter 351 The Performance Begins

"What an innocent child."

At the highest point of the Alabasta Royal Palace, Crocodile stood beside Corlab, watching together as Vivi led the Straw Hat Pirates into the palace and engaged in battle with the palace guards.

“He always thought you were a bad person; I'm the one who made him prejudiced against you.” Kolab shook his head with a wry smile.

"I don't really care, but it's worth noting that Vivi is very close to the Don Quixote family."

Crocodile spoke calmly, a cigar dangling from his mouth, his expression indifferent.

According to the plan, Vivi will learn from the attacker that he is plotting against Alabasta, that the pirates were originally recruited by him, and that they are not people who can keep secrets.

On Vivi's merchant ship, there were quite a few of Corlab's trusted men with considerable strength. It was precisely because of these people that Vivi's merchant ship was able to hold out until the Straw Hat Pirates arrived. Everything was a result of good control.

Based on his intelligence gathering on the Straw Hat Pirates, they are not a group of pirates in the conventional sense, but rather an outlier among pirates.

Having traveled all the way from the East China Sea to the Grand Line without ever having a bounty on his head, it all seems like a child's game.

But what can you do when someone has powerful connections?

Crocodile feels a pang of sadness whenever he thinks about his arduous journey back then.

The grandfather of a naval hero, the paving stone for the pirates second only to the Emperor in the New World, the father of a revolutionary army member—how can the differences between people be so vast...?

After considering the Straw Hat Pirates' situation, he and Corlab came up with the most feasible plan in order to get Vivi to join the Straw Hat Pirates.

Now, we just wait for the main character to appear.

"That person is the one Shanks was talking about? He seems...to be quite weak?"

Corab, who had been observing Luffy, hesitated for a moment before asking a question.

He didn't understand the world of the strong or the extent of their strength; the few times he had witnessed it, it was Crocodile who had taken action.

But Luffy's performance was so bad that the difference was immediately apparent.

"The Straw Hat Pirates have four combat members: Captain Luffy, swordsman Zoro, cook Sanji, and sniper Usopp. According to the intelligence we have, the navigator and the reindeer pet are not very capable in combat."

Crocodile took a puff of his cigar and suddenly smiled knowingly:

“Corab, you’re absolutely right. Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, is useless except for his background. His strength is even inferior to that reindeer.”

In the battlefield below, to prevent the Straw Hat Pirates from killing anyone, only palace guards were deployed.

Facing a group of guards roughly equivalent to a million pirates, Luffy fought to a standstill against about 10 guards and one captain.

In comparison, Zoro, Sanji, and others have already dealt with twice as many enemies as Luffy.

"This... Is it really okay for Vivi to go with them?" Kolab asked with concern.

He was already somewhat worried about his daughter's safety, and after learning that Luffy was unreliable, his worries obviously intensified.

"It doesn't matter. His background and achievements determine that he is the closest to success. However, he doesn't seem to be very bright."

Crocodile sneered, his tone revealing a hint of jealousy and regret.

He has experienced three major defeats in his life so far: one against Whitebeard, one against Shiki, and one against Luther.

These three individuals, each one a formidable figure standing at the pinnacle of the world, are all exceptionally powerful.

Having been enemies with this group, he understood the gap between himself and the three, and he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.

But compared to that seemingly useless kid at his feet, who only knew how to act recklessly, he was confident that he was ten thousand times stronger.

If he possessed the Devil Fruit power of the other party, and if he had their background and lineage, he would be comparable to Whitebeard and Luther.

Corab looked at Crocodile's expression, his mouth slightly agape, and finally sighed.

They've known each other for over 10 years, so how could he not know Crocodile's resentment?

But a person's birth and limits are already predetermined at birth.

Some are born to be kings, while others are destined to be cannon fodder.

He wanted to say something to comfort Crocodile, but he didn't know where to begin.

After all, he himself was a man controlled by fate, and he had no choice but to face those who were secretly manipulating the game.

boom!!!

Before long, Vivi led the Straw Hat Pirates to the highest point.

"Crocodile, release my father!"

Vivi cried out urgently when she saw Crocodile's hook at Corab's neck.

"Let go? I found this opportunity through my own abilities, so why should I let it go?"

Crocodile gave Vivi a gloomy look, instantly getting into character:

“Weiwei, this is all your fault. If you had just died at sea, I wouldn’t have had to go to such extremes.”

"I knew you weren't a good person!"

Vivi glared at Crocodile with resentment; from the beginning, she had never thought he was a good person.

But neither Corrab, nor the Don Quixote family, nor even Dr. Clover believed her.

"Yeah, I'm not a good person. So you think you can use these few kids to cause me trouble?"

Crocodile chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Luffy and the others before focusing on Usopp and Sanji.

At his level, he could roughly judge the skill level of a few people just by watching their moves.

Within the entire Straw Hat Pirates, only Usopp and Sanji are slightly stronger, with bounties around 2 million.