Chapter 146: Help Ralph Reclaim the Boss's Seat!
After listening to Zoro's supplementary account of Ralph's background, Nami nodded and said:
"Hmm, it all makes perfect sense! Like hell it does!"
She glared at Zoro, taking a long moment before squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth:
"Zoro, don't tell me you've been taken in by Ralph's fabricated story too!"
Zoro spread his hands helplessly:
"I don't want to believe it either. But there's no way around it—Ralph's story... is just too seamless."
Nami was so angry she wanted to argue back, but for the moment, she couldn't find any holes in the story.
"Ralph!"
Nami turned around and shouted furiously,
"You! Hurry up and clarify all that nonsense you've been spouting!"
She pointed at Ralph, "When Usopp lies and boasts, it's mostly to attract attention. But when you lie, you attract trouble! And big trouble at that!"
By this time, Ralph had already managed to calm Lufia down.
The crisis caused by the wanted poster had entered a new phase after Ralph's persuasion.
After the brief exercise earlier, Lufia had already digested all the food in her stomach.
She patted her flat, toned abdomen, strode ahead with large steps, and a bright smile spread across her face.
In the blink of an eye, all the unpleasantness had vanished into thin air.
Ralph followed behind her, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
In that smile, there was a hint of smugness, and another hint... also of smugness.
One part of that smugness came from the luck of having met a woman like Lufia, who was so easy to placate.
The other part came from the fact that his plan was progressing step by step.
Lufia walked to the center of the square and stopped.
She turned around, faced everyone, placed her hands on her hips, and announced in a tone reserved for major decisions:
"Alright! I've decided!"
Everyone looked at her.
"Next, our pirate crew's adventure is—"
Lufia took a deep breath and then declared loudly:
"Take down the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile!"
Silence.
Then—
"Oh?"
Zoro's eyes lit up,
"The captain has spoken. Are we confirming the battle? A Seven Warlords of the Sea like Hawk Eye... must be a formidable opponent."
He gripped the hilt of his sword, a smile also curling at the corner of his mouth:
"I can't wait to see what he's capable of."
After the initial shock, the light in Princess Vivi's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
A turning point.
This truly was a turning point!
What Ralph's intentions were no longer mattered.
What mattered was that he had convinced this powerful captain to become an enemy of Crocodile.
For Alabasta, this was a heaven-sent opportunity!
As for Nami...
"Thump."
Nami's legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
She held her forehead, feeling her brain buzzing:
"Lufia... we're just a small pirate crew that's barely entered the Grand Line. Do you know how much courage it took for me to even suggest 'running away with Princess Vivi' earlier?"
She pointed at Lufia, her voice trembling:
"And now you want to take down the big boss right from the start?! Why are we provoking such a powerful enemy?!"
Lufia giggled and said matter-of-factly:
"Of course, it's to help Ralph reclaim his rightful position as boss!"
Nami was going insane.
She turned to Ralph, this scumbag who had finally shown his true colors.
"Ralph! How can you deceive a girl like Lufia without feeling any guilt?!"
She pulled Lufia aside, trying to explain:
"Lufia, listen to me, Ralph isn't the boss of Baroque Works at all, he's—"
"Exactly!"
Lufia interrupted her, her eyes sparkling:
"Whether Ralph is the boss or not doesn't matter! What matters is that if I take down Crocodile, my bounty will definitely increase!"
She clenched her fist, her face full of anticipation:
"Ralph promised me again!"
At that moment, Ralph suddenly chimed in.
Ralph cleared his throat, stepped forward, patted Lufia's shoulder, and gave her a "trust me" look.
Then he turned to the others, his expression serious:
"That's right. I promise, if Lufia takes down one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and still doesn't get a bounty increase..."
He paused, then said something that made everyone's minds short-circuit on the spot:
"I'll go protest to the government right then and there! Hold up banners at Navy headquarters! Stop World Noble aristocrats to file a complaint!!"
Silence.
Dead silence.
Under the moonlight, everyone remained frozen in their previous positions, motionless.
Their expressions looked as if they had been struck by a powerful cultural shock from another world.
Are you even a Pirate?
Why do you come up with so many... bizarre ideas?
Are those things Pirates should be doing?!
Ignoring Ralph's nonsense, Nami was the first to snap out of it.
She took a deep breath and countered with the same reasoning Ralph had once used to lecture Lufia:
"Lufia! You're the captain! Don't drag the whole crew into danger just for your own selfish gain!!"
Her words made perfect sense.
But just then————
"Thud."
Princess Vivi knelt before Lufia.
As a leader, sometimes you have to make sacrifices.
For her country, Vivi could even give up her life!
Moonlight shone on her blue hair, illuminating her pale face.
She looked up, her eyes filled with sincerity—a heartfelt plea:
"Please, consider this my request..."
Recalling her people suffering in dire straits, her voice trembled:
"Since your enemy is also Crocodile... please save the Alabasta Kingdom, save its people!"
Lufia blinked.
She might not have fully grasped how heavy the responsibility of "saving a country" was, but she understood the plea.
So, she nodded naturally and said loudly:
"Leave it to us!"
She turned to Ralph, excitedly saying:
"See! By taking down one person, we accomplish three things! This is what Ralph calls 'one bite, three birds'!"
Ralph corrected:
"It's 'one arrow, three targets.'"
"Exactly!"
Lufia swung her fist, "Shoot one arrow and hit three birds, then eat them all in one bite!"
A logical genius.
Nami covered her face, no longer wanting to speak.
But Ralph knew he needed to add fuel to the fire.
He scanned the surroundings, his gaze suddenly locking onto a rooftop in the distance.
There, in the shadows untouched by moonlight, were two small figures.
"Nami, look over there."
Nami followed his pointing finger.
Then, she saw—
A sea otter.
And a vulture.
The sea otter was riding on the vulture's back, holding a telescope and peering in their direction.
When it realized it had been noticed, it quickly put away the telescope. The vulture flapped its wings and took off, carrying the sea otter as they vanished into the night sky.
"That... that was..."
Nami found them familiar.
"The Unluckies."
Princess Vivi's voice rang out, "Mr. 13 and Miss Friday. The intelligence couriers of Baroque Works."
She looked in the direction where the vulture had disappeared:
"By now, they've probably already reported your opposition to Baroque Works to Mr. 0—that is, Crocodile."
"..."
Nami murmured,
"..."
But Lufia's reaction was completely different.
Her eyes suddenly sparkled like stars:
"So, we're already on their hit list?"
Her tone was actually full of excitement.
And so, everyone finally became grasshoppers tied to the same rope—Princess Vivi successfully joined the team!
To "escape" the impending pursuit, or rather, to actively confront their boss,
everyone decided to leave Whiskey Peak as soon as possible.
Before departing, Princess Vivi and Igaram bid farewell to their former partners, Mr. 9 and Miss Monday.
The ruthless system of Baroque Works ultimately couldn't outweigh the friendships formed between people.
Mr. 9 and Miss Monday, through a twist of fate, now knew the secrets of Baroque Works.
They planned to leave this place temporarily and go into hiding for a while.
Fortunately, Baroque Works' main focus would likely be on Princess Vivi and not on two minor traitors like them.
Just before boarding the ship, Igaram proposed a plan.
"Use me as bait."
He said with a determined expression, "I'll return directly to Alabasta using the 'Eternal Pose,' drawing Baroque Works' attention. You take the princess and go another way."
It was a brave plan.
And also a... dangerous one.
Ralph looked at Igaram and hesitated for a moment.
He wondered whether he should tell everyone that, in the original storyline, the ship Igaram boarded would definitely explode.
But in the end, he gave up the idea.
Because the mastermind behind that explosion had actually intended to spare Igaram's life.
The explosion was only meant to create the illusion that "Igaram was dead," to mislead Baroque Works.
If Igaram avoided this explosion, what if he were to truly lose his life in the face of Baroque Works' subsequent pursuit?
Since he was destined to be safe and sound, it was better not to change such minor misfortunes.
What truly needed to be changed...
was the mastermind behind this explosion.
Ralph looked toward the distant night sky, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Devil Child, Nico Robin..."
He silently thought to himself:
"You are the most crucial piece in my plan."