Shiki looked down at her for a long moment.
"If begging could save kingdoms," he said coldly, "pirates would have gone extinct long ago."
Vivi's fingers tightened around his trouser leg, but she refused to let go.
"Then name your price!"
Her voice trembled, yet she forced the words out.
"Whatever it is... I'll pay it."
Shiki's gaze lingered on her.
The princess remained kneeling at his feet, her fingers clenched tightly around the fabric of his trousers. Fear still coursed through her body, but beneath it burned a determination far stronger than before.
She was desperate.
Desperate enough to offer everything she possessed without even knowing what he might demand in return.
Nami watched from the side, her expression gradually becoming uneasy.
She knew that look in Shiki's eyes.
He was considering something.
And whenever Shiki began considering something with that faint smile on his face, someone usually ended up regretting it.
"Whatever it is?" Shiki repeated.
Vivi swallowed nervously but still answered.
"Yes."
"Even though you have no idea what I might ask for?"
"Yes."
Shiki stared down at her for another moment before slowly bending forward.
Vivi instinctively flinched as his face drew closer, but she forced herself not to retreat.
"You're making a dangerous promise, Princess."
His voice was calm, yet the teasing note within it sent a chill crawling down her spine.
"A pirate might ask for your kingdom's entire treasury."
Vivi's lips parted slightly as a miserable thought crossed her mind.
'Does Alabasta even have anything valuable left after years of drought and civil unrest? He might open the treasury doors, look inside, and demand compensation for wasting his time...'
"Or perhaps..." Shiki's eyes narrowed faintly. "He might demand the princess herself."
Those words made Vivi's breath caught.
Nami immediately stepped forward.
"Hold on! What exactly are you planning to do with her?!"
Shiki glanced sideways at her.
"Why are you getting nervous?"
"Because you're saying suspicious things while smiling like that!"
"I'm merely explaining the risks of making careless promises."
"That smile says otherwise!"
Shiki ignored her and returned his attention to Vivi.
The princess' face had gone pale, yet she still had not released him.
Which meant she was genuinely considering it.
"I..."
Her voice faltered.
For a moment, images of Alabasta flashed through her mind.
The endless desert.
Cities suffering without rain.
The people who had once loved her father now raising weapons against the royal family.
Rebel soldiers preparing for war.
Children going thirsty while Crocodile continued manipulating the kingdom from the shadows.
If she returned empty-handed, the blood of countless people would stain the sand.
Her own fear could not compare to that.
Vivi lowered her head and bit her lip tightly.
"If that is the price required to save Alabasta..."
She drew a trembling breath.
"Then I'll accept it."
"Princess Vivi!" Igaram shouted.
Even Nami froze.
For a brief moment, she saw a shadow of her former self in Vivi—a frightened girl willing to sacrifice everything to save her home.
Vivi's shoulders shook, but she forced herself to continue.
"My life belongs to the people of Alabasta. If sacrificing my freedom will save them, then I have no right to refuse."
Igaram stared at her in horror.
He wanted Vivi to survive more than anything, but this was something he could never allow.
"No! Absolutely not!"
Despite the blood pouring from his severed shoulder, he struggled to rise.
"You are the future of Alabasta! His Majesty would never accept such a thing!"
Vivi turned toward him, tears gathering in her eyes.
"And what future will I have if Alabasta destroys itself before I return?"
Igaram fell silent.
Because he knew she was right.
Vivi took a deep breath and looked back at Shiki.
"So tell me your price."
Shiki studied her for a moment before finally straightening.
"All right. I'll help you."
Hope flickered across Vivi's face, but Shiki continued before she could speak.
"As for the price, I'll leave that to you. Once everything in Alabasta has been settled, you must present me with something worthwhile."
His golden eyes locked directly onto hers.
"Of course, if you fail to satisfy me..."
The faint smile on his face sharpened.
"I won't mind turning the hand that helped you into the one that strangles you."
Vivi stiffened.
"So, Princess Vivi... do your best."
"I accept."
To Shiki's surprise, Vivi nodded almost immediately.
Whether she could truly offer him something worthwhile did not matter.
In fact, it might be even more interesting if she could not.
'Something worthwhile...'
Vivi's thoughts raced.
'Maybe Father has some secret royal treasure hidden beneath the palace! Kings always have secret treasure rooms, don't they?'
Her confidence returned for all of three seconds.
Then she remembered exactly who her father was.
'No... Father would probably use a secret treasure room to store old documents and embarrassing portraits from my childhood.'
Her face slowly paled.
'What if Shiki-san doesn't want money?'
Her eyes nervously drifted toward the pirate standing before her.
'What if he really asks for me?'
Heat rushed into her cheeks.
'W-Wait! In what way would he even want me?!'
Several possibilities attempted to enter her mind.
Vivi crushed them before they could take shape.
'No! Stop! This is not the time to imagine strange things! Alabasta is in danger! People are suffering! I have to remain dignified!'
Then she noticed something was amiss.
Shiki was staring at her with a strange expression.
'Why is he looking at me like that?! Did my face reveal what I was thinking?!'
"How long do you plan on clinging to me like that?" Shiki asked. "Aren't your arms getting tired?"
"Ehhh?!"
Vivi immediately released his trouser leg and hurriedly pulled her hands back.
"S-Sorry!"
She tried to stand, but her legs had gone numb after kneeling for so long. The instant she placed her weight on them, her knees buckled.
"Whoa!"
Before she could hit the floor, an arm caught her around the waist and effortlessly lifted her upright.
Vivi blinked in surprise as she found herself pressed against Shiki's chest.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
"Thank you..."
Nami folded her arms and watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.
"Hey, how long are you two planning to hold each other?" she demanded. "Don't tell me you've already started working on your payment plan, Princess."
Although Nami sympathized with Vivi, watching the princess seemingly attempt to seduce her captain for all of three seconds was already beginning to annoy her.
"U-Uh... I-It's not what you think!" Vivi shouted, her face turning bright red. She truly had not been trying to do anything like that.
"Sure."
"Nami-san!"
From the floor, Miss Valentine wriggled helplessly against the ropes binding her.
"W-What about me?"
Everyone turned toward her.
Miss Valentine forced an awkward smile.
"Since you're all leaving, perhaps you could kindly forget everything that happened here and release me?"
Shiki glanced at her with utter disinterest.
"You? You can get lost."
Steel whispered through the air as he drew his sword.
Miss Valentine flinched and squeezed her eyes shut.
Slash!
The ropes binding her fell apart.
"..."
Miss Valentine slowly opened one eye.
She looked at the severed ropes.
Then at Shiki.
Then back at the ropes.
For some reason, being dismissed that casually felt even more insulting than being threatened.
...
Dawn's first light found the battered inn deserted, save for the unconscious thugs scattered across its ruined floor.
Down at the pier, Shiki waited quietly beside the ship. With a casual wave of his hand, several crates of supplies rose into the air and floated aboard as though they weighed nothing.
Before long, Nami and Vivi appeared.
Vivi had wrapped a borrowed cloak around herself, its collar pulled high to conceal the bruises circling her neck. The two women stepped aboard while Igaram remained on the pier below.
His face was pale from blood loss, and his voice came out hoarse.
"Princess... forgive me. I wasn't strong enough to help you."
Vivi looked down at him and gently shook her head.
"You kept me alive all this time, Igaram. That's more than enough."
Igaram lowered his head, his fists trembling at his sides.
Above them, Shiki planted one foot atop the figurehead. His coat snapped behind him like a banner in the morning wind.
"To Alabasta!"
"Aye, Captain!"
Nami spun the rudder to starboard, and the sails swelled as the wind caught them. The ship surged away from the pier, cutting cleanly through the water.
Vivi stood near the railing and stared toward the distant horizon. Her fingers rose unconsciously, brushing against the bruise at her throat.
Father... wait for me.
Her gaze hardened with resolve.
I'm coming home—with a lion at my side.
Behind them, Whiskey Peak slowly shrank into the distance until it became little more than a speck against the sea.
Far inland, Miss Valentine was still fleeing down the road, clutching her parasol like a lifeline.
She ran without looking back, while the echo of her own nervous laughter seemed to chase her every step of the way.
...
Several hours later, the peaceful atmosphere aboard the ship was shattered by Nami's scream.
"THREE HUNDRED MILLION BERRIES?!"
A flock of News Coo scattered into the air as her voice exploded across the deck.
Vivi nearly fell from the seat where she had been resting.
"What happened?! Is there an attack?!"
"Worse!"
Nami stormed across the deck while clutching a newspaper and a freshly printed wanted poster.
"Shiki's bounty increased again!"
Shiki, who had been lying against the side of the ship with his eyes closed, opened one eye.
"How much?"
Nami thrust the poster into his face.
"Look at it yourself!"
The portrait depicted Shiki standing amid the ruins of the Marine base in Loguetown, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword as shattered stone and the defeated Smoker lay behind him.
Beneath the image was a name and an amount large enough to make Vivi's heart stop.
Shiki.
DEAD OR ALIVE
300,000,000 BERRIES
Vivi stared blankly at the poster.
"Three... hundred million?"
At that moment, a familiar translucent display appeared before Shiki's eyes.
Only he could see the words floating in the air.
[The name of the Golden Lion has begun spreading throughout the Grand Line.]
[Your crew's reputation has increased substantially.]
[Yami Sukehiro Template Compatibility increased by 3%.]
Shiki's eyes narrowed slightly.
The increase was not enormous, but it confirmed his earlier conclusion.
The greater his reputation became—and the stronger the people gathered beneath his banner—the faster the template would progress.
A bounty of three hundred million had already pushed him forward.
Once Crocodile fell and the entire world learned that the Golden Lion had defeated one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the increase would be far greater.
Shiki looked toward the horizon.
He had already considered visiting Little Garden.
The two giants fighting there—Dorry and Brogy—were unquestionably powerful. Either one would be a valuable addition to a crew, especially for the reputation-based requirements of his template.
However, strength alone did not make someone recruitable.
The giants of Elbaf possessed fierce pride and even fiercer loyalty.
Dorry and Brogy had spent a century duelling over an old disagreement, refusing to abandon their honour even after forgetting how the dispute had begun. Convincing men like that to follow an outsider would be nearly impossible.
More importantly, the giants' deepest loyalty was tied to Elbaf and the warrior culture built around the Sun God.
Even if they temporarily sailed beneath another pirate's banner like Shanks, that allegiance would never completely disappear.
To earn the genuine loyalty of Elbaf's warriors, Shiki would likely need to defeat their king, conquer the nation, or accomplish something so overwhelming that the giants acknowledged him as a figure greater than their legends.
Simply visiting Little Garden and asking two proud captains to join him would accomplish nothing.
There was no reason to waste time.
"We're skipping Little Garden," Shiki said after discussing their next course of action and revealing part of his plan.
Nami crossed her arms.
"I agree, but unless you happen to have an Eternal Pose to Alabasta hidden in your coat, saying that doesn't solve anything."
A woman's lazy voice suddenly drifted down from above.
"Perhaps I can help with that."
Nami and Vivi froze at the unexpected voice.
Shiki alone remained calm, having already sensed her presence and identity.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.