Yet Will paid no mind to any of that. Upon hearing her words, his brows immediately furrowed tightly, his tone laced with utter astonishment:
"Vivi, what on earth are you talking about?"
"You even went out of your way to try persuading them? What good does convincing just the rebel army's leader do?"
"Do you think that at this point, with things having escalated this far, a single leader alone can still stop the entire rebel army's thoughts and footsteps?"
At this, he couldn't help but raise his voice:
"With the kingdom on the brink of war and chaos, you, as a princess, are actually deluding yourself into thinking you can prevent a single person on either side from getting hurt? Isn't that a bit too naive!"
"Will…" Karina and Nami froze at the sight, unsure how to help Vivi.
Vivi's pupils trembled at his words, and she hurriedly replied in an anxious tone:
"But… I just don't want anyone to die innocently because of this war caused by a conspiracy. Is that wrong?"
As she spoke, she could no longer hold back the emotions welling up inside her; her eyes gradually grew moist:
"Whether it's the royal army or those rebels, none of these people are actually in the wrong…"
"Why does someone have to die because of this…"
As the princess of a kingdom, how could she possibly be unaware of war's cruelty?
Yet she had still been numbing herself all this time, desperately trying to achieve that beautiful vision where no one got hurt.
Now that his words had pierced through it, Vivi understood in her heart that she simply didn't have the power to make it happen.
The others present, hearing this, all felt a stir in their hearts, yet no one spoke up.
Even Issho merely stood silently to the side.
His past experiences had long since taught him that wishing for a war with no sacrifices at all was indeed nothing more than a naive fantasy.
Seeing Vivi's pained expression, her sorrowful gaze, and the tears continuously streaming down her face…
Will felt not the slightest pity; instead, he furrowed his brows in frustration, as if hating iron for not becoming steel, and roared loudly:
"What's with that expression! What's with that look! And what are those tears!"
"Can your tears stop this war and chaos! Can they save this country!"
Hearing these harsh words…
Vivi froze completely in place, her tears instantly halting.
The others around them were equally shocked by what he said.
Yet Will paid no attention to their reactions.
He slowly walked up to Vivi, raised his hand to press it against her head, and spoke in a serious tone:
"Vivi, because your strength is far too weak, even if you risked your life, you could never prevent anyone from getting hurt."
"But my strength is great—greater than anyone else in this kingdom."
"So you don't need to think about so much; just leave this matter to me."
"And the only thing you need to do is believe in me."
Hearing this…
Vivi couldn't help but lift her head, looking up at the tall man before her. A glimmer of something extraordinary flickered in her slightly moist eyes.
And after saying that…
Will didn't wait for Vivi's reaction or response. He turned to the others and said:
"Just like I said earlier, leave those rebels to me alone."
"As for the other group—the senior agents from Baroque Works…"
Here, he paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, seemingly pondering who to assign.
After all, with that group's strength, he figured sending just Karina and Robin together should be enough to take them on.
Those people had no idea Robin had already betrayed the organization, so they naturally wouldn't be overly guarded against her.
As long as Robin used her Hana Hana no Mi abilities to take out a few first, then teamed up with Karina, defeating the rest shouldn't be a problem.
And if they were really worried it wouldn't be safe enough, they'd just have to send Issho.
But before he could speak, Issho had already stepped forward on his own.
"Captain, there's no need to trouble yourself over this."
"Since the rebel army has been entirely entrusted to you, allow this old man to handle the other group."
"After all, with how generously you've treated this old man, it's only right that I show some reciprocation."
The kindness and value Will had shown him over these past two days…
He had kept it all in his heart.
Thus, he had long wanted to offer the man some help.
And dealing with something like this was hardly any trouble for him at all.
Will raised a brow and smiled, nodding in agreement without refusal:
"Alright then. With Issho taking action, this matter is as good as settled."
Robin, hearing this, let her gaze wander for a moment before smiling and proactively suggesting:
"In that case, why don't I guide Issho-san there?"
"After all, just giving an address might make it hard for Issho-san to find the place on his own."
Issho didn't take offense at her words; instead, he spoke with a hint of gratitude:
"Then I'll have to trouble Miss Robin to lead the way for this old man."
"Not at all—this is simply what I should do." Robin smiled politely in response.
Will nodded slightly at the exchange and finalized it with a decisive tone: "Then it's settled."
With that, he turned his head:
"Nami, Karina, and Chopper—you three stay here with Vivi."
"Just in case any other unexpected situations arise."
"Got it." The three nodded in unison.
Nami even walked over, pulled Vivi to her side, and comforted her with a smile:
"Don't worry—Will's got this."
At that moment, Will seemed to remember something and immediately asked:
"Oh, right—Vivi, where are those rebels right now? You should have some intel on that, right?"
Vivi didn't hesitate and quickly replied: "Yes. Originally, I thought the rebels might be in the city of Yuba."
"But earlier, when Colonel Smoker of the Marines was exchanging intel with us…"
"He mentioned spotting a large army from afar near Cattleya, close to the 'City of Perfume,' Rapeseed Blossoms."
"They were moving away." "So I believe it's very likely the rebels have already shifted their main base to—"
"Near Cattleya by Rapeseed Blossoms… next to that port city, huh."
Will's face took on a thoughtful look before he nodded: "Got it. I'll head over there first and check it out."
Vivi said nothing more at this point. She simply clasped her hands tightly in front of her abdomen, bowed deeply, then straightened up with firm resolve:
"I'm counting on you!"
Will gave a slow nod in response, then without bothering with any moving crabs, he turned, kicked off the ground, and soared into the air.
He sped quickly toward the south of the capital, Alubarna—far faster than any moving crab could manage.
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