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"Huh? Zoro, so you didn't kill them just because the food they cooked was terrible?"
After hearing his crew's explanations, Luffy realized he had misunderstood Zoro.
"Hey... Ikki said it earlier. This is a lair of bounty hunters, meaning everyone here is the enemy! Were you even listening?"
Sanji lit the cigar Ikki had given him, taking a puff before speaking with a tone of exasperation.
"Oh? Did Ikki say that?" Luffy tilted his head, his face a perfect picture of confusion.
The rest of the Straw Hat crew fell into silence, collectively resigning themselves to Luffy's usual antics.
No one dwelled on Luffy's misunderstanding for long. After all, expecting him to suddenly change would be like expecting the sea to stop moving.
Ikki went on to explain the situation with Alabasta, Crocodile, and the mission they'd been assigned by Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
When the Straw Hats heard about their next destination, confusion spread across the crew.
"Shichibukai... that's a long way from anything in the East Blue," Usopp muttered.
But the moment Ikki mentioned that Dracule Mihawk—Hawkeye himself—was one of the Shichibukai, Zoro's mood shifted. His face hardened, his determination clear.
Sanji and Luffy's expressions also grew serious, while Usopp looked horrified, recalling Zoro's past encounter with Mihawk.
In Usopp's mind, Zoro was already a monster in his own right, but even Zoro had been utterly outmatched by Mihawk before.
"Oh? So... Vivi's the princess of Alabasta? That means she's really rich, right?"
When Ikki finished his explanation, Nami's eyes gleamed with the symbol of Beli.
However, Vivi quickly shook her head. "Our country may have a vast land area, but most of it is desert. Alabasta isn't rich—actually, we're quite poor."
"Oh..." Nami's shoulders slumped. "Well, never mind, then. I guess trying to make money off a country on the verge of collapse would be... a bit much, even for me."
Unlike her past self, Nami now fully embraced her role as a privateer for the Marines. Of course, if an opportunity to make a fortune presented itself, she wouldn't hesitate to act a little pirate-like.
Nami wasn't too worried about their mission in Alabasta. After all, they had the support of Fleet Admiral Sengoku. If they could sneak into the country, gather solid evidence, and deliver it to the Marines, the whole ordeal might be resolved without too much trouble for the Straw Hats.
As these thoughts ran through her mind, two strange figures appeared on the rooftop nearby.
A sea otter and a vulture stood there, both exuding an air of intelligence far beyond normal animals. These were Mr. 13 and Miss Friday, agents of Baroque Works and direct subordinates of Crocodile himself.
In a flash, Mr. 13 used his paintbrush and drawing board to sketch detailed portraits of every Straw Hat present.
When Vivi saw the completed sketches, her expression changed dramatically. If these images reached Crocodile, the difficulty of their mission would skyrocket.
Just as Mr. 13 and Miss Friday were about to escape with their drawings, Ikki moved swiftly. With a decisive toss of his weapon, he struck both agents, knocking them out of the sky.
Vivi let out a sigh of relief as the two were incapacitated. At least for now, the Straw Hats had averted disaster.
These two were known for one thing: snitching. If they managed to escape, the information about the Straw Hats and Vivi would undoubtedly reach Crocodile. Returning to Alabasta safely would become a much more dangerous challenge.
Despite this, Ikki chose not to kill them. Instead, he decided to capture Mr. 13 and Miss Friday, intending to keep them as pets.
After all, intelligent animals like these were rare—especially ones trained for reconnaissance and intelligence work.
Ikki had plans for them. Handing a camera to Mr. 13, he decided the sea otter would record any battles they faced, preserving those moments as valuable footage.
With that in mind, he brought out two sturdy iron cages and secured the duo inside.
"Ikki, what about these two?" Zoro asked, motioning to Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, who were tied up nearby. "Should we kill them?"
Zoro wasn't serious—it wasn't his style to attack defenseless opponents. But his words, delivered in his usual blunt manner, sent shivers down the spines of the Baroque Works agents.
The Straw Hats knew Zoro was joking, but Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine didn't.
"Wait! Please, don't kill us!" Mr. 5 pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation. "We're useful! We can... we can join you!"
"Who would want a guy whose weapon is snot?" Ikki muttered, shaking his head.
After thinking it over, Ikki shrugged. "Let's just put them on the ship. We'll hand them over to Smoker and the Marines later."
Hearing this, both Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine sighed in relief.
Suddenly, Ikki had an idea. He turned to Zoro with a smirk. "Hey, Zoro, this Miss Valentine can control her weight. You could use her as an adjustable dumbbell."
The thought seemed to intrigue Zoro for a moment. His current dumbbells weren't heavy enough anymore, and the ability to adjust weight sounded appealing. But after a quick consideration, he shook his head. "Too weak. Not worth it."
Ikki hadn't expected Zoro to show this much sympathy.
With the matter settled, the crew prepared to leave Whiskey Peak aboard the Going Merry.
Before they could set sail, Vivi's loyal guard, Igaram, approached the group.
"Princess Vivi," he began, "I will not accompany you. I must return to Alabasta alone and inform His Majesty of what we've uncovered."
Before Vivi could respond, Ikki interjected.
"That's not happening," he said firmly. "We don't know if Baroque Works has sent more assassins. Going back alone is too dangerous."
Ikki had a point. If Igaram left on his own, he'd be walking into a trap. Ikki recalled how, in the past, Igaram's ship had been destroyed, and though he survived thanks to Nico Robin's intervention, there was no need for him to endure that ordeal again.
After a moment of thought, Igaram reluctantly agreed to stay with the group.
And so, the Straw Hats suddenly found themselves with four more companions: Princess Vivi, Igaram, Mr. 5, Miss Valentine, and the two animals, Mr. 13 and Miss Friday.
The Going Merry, however, was beginning to feel a little cramped.
To manage the space, Ikki decided to lock Mr. 5, Miss Valentine, Mr. 13, and Miss Friday in his personal cabin. Every move they made was under his watchful eye, ensuring they had no chance to escape.
As the Going Merry set sail, an explosion suddenly rang out from the direction of the harbor.
The crew turned to see Igaram's ship, which had been docked nearby, engulfed in flames. The ship had been destroyed in an instant.
Igaram's face went pale as he realized the danger he had narrowly avoided.
If Ikki hadn't stopped him, he would have been on that ship—and caught in the explosion.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Igaram bowed deeply to Ikki. "Thank you, Mr. Ikki. You've saved my life."
Ikki simply smiled and waved him off. "Don't mention it."