Author: Xiao Yifeng
Translator: PapaSmurf0700
Whisky Peak, a town that seemingly rolls out the red carpet for pirates. Yet, beneath this facade lies its true nature—a nexus for bounty hunters working under the organization known as Baroque Works.
The man at the helm of this town is a middle-aged figure sporting curls reminiscent of rolling waves, known by his code name Mr. 8. He and the townsfolk are busy putting on a grand, warm welcome for the unsuspecting Straw Hat Pirates.
Usopp, whose pride is easily stroked, can hardly believe his eyes. "Is there really a place that greets pirates with open arms like this?" he wonders aloud, his voice tinged with delight and surprise.
Beside him, Sanji is equally entranced, though for a different reason. His eyes are drawn to the local women, whose flirtatious winks leave him spellbound. "What an enchanting place, filled with such beauty!" he exclaims, his heart skipping a beat.
Luffy, with his signature laugh and hands confidently perched on his hips, is the quickest to embrace this peculiar setting. "Hahaha, who knew the Grand Line could be this much fun?" he declares, unbothered by the oddity of it all.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew maintains a more skeptical outlook. Bai Ye's gaze is drawn to a blue-haired girl standing to the side, shrouded in mystery. Zoro, arms folded, is lost in contemplation, sensing that something doesn't quite add up. Nami, with a look of stark surprise, strides towards the mayor. "Thank you for such a warm welcome, Mr. Mayor!" she says, her voice brimming with faux gratitude.
But then, in a swift, unexpected move, Nami produces a talisman from the depths of her cleavage and adheres it to Mr. 8's forehead with the speed of lightning. It's the same kind of charm that Bai Ye had previously used to manipulate two fish-men back in Cocoyasi Village.
Luffy and Usopp are the first to react, their exclamations filling the air, a mixture of confusion and concern: "Nami!"
Without missing a beat, Nami whirls around, her reprimand sharp as a knife, "You fools! Since when do pirates get a warm welcome anywhere in this world?" Her tone carries the weight of skepticism, suggesting the welcome they've received might be too good to be true.
Nami's smile held a hint of victory as she turned to address the mayor, who was now under the influence of her charm. "Alright, let's get to the bottom of this," she said cheerfully. "I want to know everything—what this place really is and who you truly are."
Under the talisman's compelling power, the middle-aged man didn't hesitate. He spilled the secrets that had been cloaked in the facade of hospitality. He admitted to luring pirates here under the guise of a welcome only to betray them, taking their lives to claim their wealth for himself. The revelation struck Luffy and Usopp silent, their previous elation replaced by shock.
Sanji, snapping back to reality—and perhaps to cover his earlier distraction—sprang into action. He dived into the crowd with swift precision, taking down a bounty hunter in his path.
Just as the crew was digesting the initial shock, the man, still under Nami's control, dropped a bombshell that compounded their astonishment. "I may play the part of a mayor here, and a senior officer of Baroque Works under the codename Mr. 8," he declared, "but beyond those disguises lies my real identity—I am Igaram, the captain of the royal guard for the Alabasta Kingdom."
Gasps and exclamations rippled through the group. Even the bounty hunter floored by Sanji was caught off guard by this confession. It was then that Ms. Wednesday, the blue-haired girl who had been keeping to the shadows, made her presence known with urgency.
"Hey, Igaram, what's going on?" she called out as she emerged into the open.
"Who is she?" Nami demanded, her voice sharp with curiosity.
Without missing a beat, Igaram responded, revealing yet another stunning truth. "She is none other than the one who led me into the depths of Baroque Works, Her Royal Highness, Princess Vivi of Alabasta!"
The group was flabbergasted, their shock echoing through the air. The story that unfolded was as strange as it was unexpected. They learned that the Alabasta Kingdom was mired in internal conflict, a turmoil that Princess Vivi sought to end. Her strategy had been a dangerous one: to infiltrate Baroque Works, climbing the ranks to become a senior officer.
It was through this perilous mission that they uncovered the true agenda of the shadowy organization's leader—a man whose idealistic vision of a new country was a front for a sinister plot to overthrow the Alabasta throne itself.
Luffy burst into laughter, clearly entertained by the unfolding drama. "Haha, can you believe this?" he was the first to voice his thoughts.
As Sanji ignited a cigarette, his brow furrowed with thought, "So, a kingdom and a bounty hunter syndicate are in cahoots?"
Usopp nodded, wide-eyed with the weight of the revelation, "We've just uncovered some pretty hefty info."
Nami's voice cut through the speculation, firm and urgent, "Cut the chit-chat. Whoever is bold enough to snatch control of a kingdom is not to be trifled with. We need to charge up the magnet and make our exit, pronto."
Nami was spot-on with her advice, but curiosity got the better of Luffy. He casually inquired, "So, who's the big boss, Mister?"
Nami was having none of it and interjected with urgency, "We don't need to know!" She reached to remove the charm from Igaram's forehead to stop him from spilling more secrets.
But she was a moment too late. Igaram's proclamation rang out powerfully, echoing around the town, "He's none other than the Warlord of the Sea, 'Desert King' Sir Crocodile, with a whopping bounty of 81 million Bellys!!"
At Igaram's words, the hunters who were just a second ago frozen in shock now looked as if they had seen a ghost.
Sanji, perplexed by their sudden terror, questioned, "Why are these guys freaking out all of a sudden?"
Bai Ye spoke up, his voice steady as he pointed towards the rooftops, "It's because of those two up there, spying on us." His fingers directed their gaze to an odd pair on a nearby rooftop—a sea otter and a vulture.
Bai Ye labeled them aptly, "An ill-fated duo."
Princess Vivi, her royal identity now revealed, was a picture of despair, "They're Crocodile's insiders, tasked with reporting back to him."
Immediately after her words, the creature resembling a sea otter displayed several sketches. The drawings vividly captured the scene at hand, including all of the Straw Hats.
Usopp, impressed, commented without thinking, "That's some fine drawing." Then, it hit him, "Hold on, aren't they marking us as foes?"
"We have to stop them... Zoro!!"
As Usopp was on the brink of pulling out his trusty slingshot, Zoro had already subdued the two animal spies with his blades, causing them to break out in a nervous sweat.
"Please don't move," Zoro requested calmly. His newfound skill, Observation Haki, had tipped him off to the animals' presence from the moment they arrived.
Nami couldn't help but remark, with a touch of admiration, "Zoro can be pretty dependable when it counts." Her gaze then shifted to Igaram, skepticism in her voice. "Just 81 million Bellys for his bounty?"
She compared the amounts aloud, "Bai Ye is valued at 100 million, and Luffy's at 60 million. Is this Crocodile really as formidable as you say?"
Despite still reeling from being under someone else's control moments ago, Igaram took the time to clarify, especially after hearing Nami's question.
"It's different," he began. "Crocodile's bounty hasn't gone up since he was titled a Warlord of the Sea."
"He wields the power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit, the Suna Suna no Mi, or Sand-Sand Fruit. He can conjure massive sandstorms and is virtually untouchable in battle."
Igaram expected his explanation to instill a sense of gravity about their situation among the Straw Hats.
Contrary to his expectation, they didn't exhibit the slightest hint of alarm. Usopp, whose perspective had grown with his experiences, shrugged off the warning. "So, he's only a Logia Devil Fruit user, huh?"
"That makes sense why his bounty isn't above 81 million."
Igaram and Princess Vivi could only exchange looks of disbelief. To them, the Straw Hats' underestimation of "just 81 million" seemed like sheer folly.