"Cr… Crocodile…"
For some reason, ever since learning Crocodile's story, Luffy felt an inexplicable fear toward him…
Cross-dressing… no, wait!
A manly cross-dresser, terrifying as ever!
At Luffy's voice, Crocodile immediately fixed his gaze on Luffy's face, causing Luffy to freeze in place.
After a brief pause, Luffy finally spoke:
"Your subordinates… tomorrow they'll lead the rebels to attack Alubarna, right?"
"Mm…"
Crocodile nodded lightly to Luffy, his voice low and serious:
"If nothing goes wrong, the assassins of Baroque Works will arrive here tonight."
Now, Luffy and Crocodile had quietly formed an unspoken superior-subordinate relationship.
Luffy wouldn't treat Crocodile like a subordinate, but Crocodile would obey Luffy's orders as if he were.
Thus, the soon-to-be-out-of-job Shichibukai quietly became one of Luffy's minions, albeit a very peculiar one.
Luffy nodded at Crocodile's words.
Then he turned to Vivi, still kneeling, and suddenly said:
"In that case… let them come directly to the palace.
Vivi, get ready.
To meet your… first batch of subordinates."
Vivi's fists clenched tightly. A bead of sweat slid across her palm.
It was clear she was extremely tense.
Even though she still carried some uncertainty, she showed no trace of fear and replied firmly:
"Understood, Luffy-sama!"
Once she decided something, she would see it through, even if it meant risking her life.
After all, she was Nefertari Vivi!
Night had long fallen over the Arabasta Kingdom.
After the day's chaos, the capital of Alubarna returned to calm with the coming darkness.
Everything seemed to revert to the state before today's events.
Though today's events had been spectacular, the real impact was small.
Even less than the attention Crocodile usually drew when chasing pirates.
In the past, Crocodile's "heroic" image required him to wreak havoc across Alubarna countless times.
Yet the citizens would still greet him with smiles.
Truly, the very essence of cunning perfected.
"Hey~ we've arrived at the agreed location.
Where is the legendary 'boss' we haven't met yet!?"
A slender woman with curly hair, dressed in terrifyingly tight black clothing, stepped first into the dimly lit Arabasta palace.
"Oh my! Walking so far, my back is killing me!
I never thought the first high-level Baroque Works meeting would be held here."
A short, plump woman with a mole-like face followed closely behind.
Behind her, a tall, heavyset green man trudged along, moving clumsily.
"I'm really excited~
I wonder if the boss will be a handsome young man…"
The flamboyant Mr. 2 twirled onto the palace steps, performing ballet-like steps.
Behind him was the most formidable agent of Baroque Works, the calm and silent Mr. 1.
These were the last remaining senior operatives of Baroque Works, all summoned by Crocodile's orders.
Miss Doublefinger entered the palace, placing her hands on her slender waist, raising one leg like a fashionable modern lady, and surveyed the empty, dim hall as she chewed audibly:
"So, the boss who called us here… has already dealt with the Arabasta situation, right?"
Though phrased as a question, the Baroque agents accepted it as fact.
After the morning's events, even an ordinary newcomer to Alubarna would have heard rumors of the chaos at the Rain Docks.
The agents had long assumed their boss's identity.
Fsh!
As Miss Doublefinger's words faded, candles flickered to life along the palace walls.
From the entrance to the main hall, the entire space was illuminated.
"You… you've come…"
A delicate, unexpected voice echoed from the darkness atop the throne.
A figure as pure as the sky slowly emerged in the candlelight.
Her composed brow exuded a thunderous authority.
The ruthless gaze of a royal swept indiscriminately over the Baroque operatives below.
Vivi remained expressionless.
Only the disdain in her eyes conveyed her thoughts to the agents.
"You… you are!?"
"Incredible… truly unbelievable!!!"
Miss Doublefinger marveled, trembling slightly, her excitement clear in her quivering arms.
High upon her throne, Vivi was unfazed by their reactions, her expression calm and dignified.
Her fair arm rested on the armrest, her head tilted lazily to one side, face propped in her palm.
With the same calculating expression as Crocodile, she spoke impatiently:
"So, this is all the people there are!?"
"You…"
"Wait!!"
Before the other Baroque agents could react, the silent Mr. 1 shouted.
His sharp gaze cut toward Vivi while addressing the others in a low voice:
"This… is too strange, isn't it!?
All this time we've been sent to destroy this country… only to find the heir of the kingdom herself!
According to my intelligence, the princess of Arabasta is extremely kind, beloved by the people.
I can't understand why she would create Baroque Works and make us do those things…"
As Mr. 1 spoke, a razor-sharp blade extended from his arm.
The candlelight glinted ominously off the steel, chilling the air.
Yet Vivi, watching Mr. 1's every move, remained calm, unshaken:
"What… do you intend to do!?"
Her steady gaze carried an authority that made Mr. 1 sweat.
Still, he made no move to retract the blade, only adopting an attack stance while saying:
"If my assumption is wrong, I will pay the ultimate price for it."
With that, he vanished in a streak of green light, moving like lightning through the hall.
In an instant, his deadly blade appeared before Vivi.
BOOM!!!
A muffled impact resounded.
Vivi let out a soft breath and addressed the darkness on the other side of the hall:
"Luffy-sama, how was my performance…?"
"Mm! Excellent!"
Luffy stepped out from the shadows, smiling.
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