Author: Xiao Yifeng
Translator: PapaSmurf0700
As Bai Ye stepped out of his room, he was greeted by a rather unexpected scene — Nami was in the midst of a heated argument with Luffy. Bai Ye was momentarily confused by the situation, wondering what was happening.
Nami, hands on her hips and face contorted in anger, was scolding Luffy. "Are you an idiot? Why did you cause such a big commotion and almost blow up the boat?!" she yelled.
Luffy, sporting a swollen face, looked back at Nami, somewhat sheepishly. "Sanji asked me to fish," he explained.
Nami's frustration was palpable as she retorted, "Do you think I'm as dumb as you? How can fishing lead to an explosion?!"
Luffy, in his usual nonchalant manner, explained, "Fishing was too slow, so I used a better method." He then proudly added, "I found that Bai Ye's talismans are really useful. You just need one to catch and fry a lot of fishes." As he spoke, Luffy pulled out a stack of talismans that Bai Ye had given him earlier.
Bai Ye, witnessing this, couldn't help but feel a twitch at the corner of his mouth. "It's obviously not just one; you've already used more than half of them!!" he exclaimed in exasperation.
Hearing Bai Ye's voice, Luffy turned towards him with bright eyes. "Bai Ye, you're here! Can you give me some more talismans? I want to fry more fishes!" he requested enthusiastically.
Bai Ye was at a loss for words, trying to calm himself. He asked Luffy, "Who taught you to fry fish like this?" He suspected that someone must have influenced Luffy to adopt such an unconventional method.
"It's Usopp," Luffy replied innocently.
Bai Ye, now realizing the source of this idea, remarked, "It really is you."
Usopp, sensing Bai Ye's displeasure, started to explain, "Bai Ye, listen to me, it's not what you think..."
But before Usopp could finish, Bai Ye, in a no-nonsense manner, invoked a technique.
Golden Light Curse—Sanction of the Vice-Captain!!
This immediately brought Luffy and Usopp to a state of apology. "I'm very sorry," they both said in unison.
Bai Ye sighed, half in frustration and half in resignation. "Is it really too much to ask for you guys to stay out of trouble?" he lamented. "Just fish normally, you bastards!!" And with that, he reestablished order, albeit with a sense of bemused tolerance for the antics of his crewmates.
After his encounter with Luffy and Usopp, Bai Ye decided to visit the kitchen, where he found Sanji. He asked Sanji to prepare some food for him, seeking a bit of normalcy after the earlier chaos.
As Sanji served the food, he casually brought up a sensitive topic. "Have you killed Wapol?" he inquired. Among the crew, Sanji was the only one who, in addition to his duties providing food, was made aware of Wapol's presence by Bai Ye. Bai Ye had a simple rationale for informing Sanji. Before taking any final action against Wapol, he wanted to ensure that Wapol was not accidentally starved to death.
Bai Ye, while eating the food prepared by Sanji, confirmed with a nod, "Well, I killed him." His response was straightforward, indicative of the gravity of the situation he had handled.
Sanji, upon hearing this, simply nodded and chose not to delve further into the matter. His primary concern wasn't the act of killing itself, but rather the amount of food Wapol had consumed. To Sanji, the thought of all that food being eaten was somewhat troubling.
Just then, both Bai Ye and Sanji sensed that something was happening outside. Intrigued and wanting to know what was causing the disturbance, they both decided to leave the kitchen and check out the situation. They stepped out, prepared to face whatever new event was unfolding on the Golden Merry.
Before Bai Ye and Sanji, an astonishing and somewhat comical scene unfolded. Sanji, in utter disbelief, exclaimed, "Two of Luffy!!" His eyes were wide with shock, and the cigarette he had been holding fell to the deck in his surprise.
In front of them stood two individuals who looked exactly like Luffy. One was dressed in Luffy's usual attire, while the other was wearing an outlandish swan ballet costume. Bai Ye, stepping forward, stamped out Sanji's fallen cigarette and observed the scene with keen interest.
Having read the original story, Bai Ye immediately recognized who the impersonator was: Baroque Works' Mr. 2, a unique senior cadre who operated without a partner. Bai Ye speculated that Mr. 2's ambiguous gender presentation might have made it difficult to assign a conventional partner to him. Mr. 2 was not just an ordinary character; he was a human chameleon, a formidable individual who believed in living as a 'human monster.' He possessed the ability of the Clone-Clone Fruit, enabling him to transform into anyone he touched with his right hand and retain the transformation of everyone he imitated for later use. This fruit's power didn't just replicate the appearance; it also mimicked the voice and even the body of the person.
Bai Ye's thoughts drifted to a particular plot point from the original story. After being captured by Luffy and his crew, Mr. 2 had imitated every member of the Straw Hats. The incident that stood out was when he transformed into Nami, lifted her clothes, and flaunted 'her' figure.
As expected, the current situation mirrored that past event. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were utterly shocked, their expressions a mix of surprise and amusement. Nami, blushing fiercely, reacted by punching the transformed Mr. 2 to the ground. The trio of Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, thoroughly entertained, applauded Mr. 2's performance. Nami looked exasperated, while Zoro remained stoic.
Bai Ye couldn't help but think that for someone as amorous as Sanji, this scenario would be like a dream come true. Though Bai Ye wasn't sure how to console Nami in this situation, he couldn't deny the entertainment value of the scene unfolding before them.
The atmosphere on the Golden Merry took a dramatic turn when Mr. 2, having just formed a newfound camaraderie with Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, was preparing to leave upon the arrival of his own ship. Suddenly, Bai Ye intervened with a technique,
Xun hexagram - wind trap!, catching Mr. 2 off guard.
Mr. 2, standing at the edge of the boat, felt himself being bound by the wind like a rope. Surprised, he turned to Bai Ye and calmly asked, "Why are you treating me like this?" His tone was calm, but it sent shivers down Bai Ye's spine.
The other members of the Straw Hat crew, except for Chopper who was new, didn't immediately question Bai Ye's actions. Instead, they remained quiet, demonstrating the trust Bai Ye had built with them over time. This silent understanding showed the depth of their bond.
Bai Ye then turned to Vivi, who was on the second floor, and inquired about Mr. 2's identity. "Have you met the Baroque Works senior cadre code-named Mr. 2, Vivi?" he asked.
Vivi, taken aback for a moment, replied, "Mr. 2 is quite mysterious, and I've never seen his true face." She then described rumors she had heard about Mr. 2: a tall transvestite with a feminine way of speaking, often seen wearing a swan coat with the words [The Way of Okama] emblazoned on the back.
The ship fell silent as everyone processed this information, realizing that the description matched Mr. 2 perfectly. They all turned to Vivi, who was now confronted with a shocking realization. "Do you recognize him, Princess Vivi?" they asked.
Mr. 2, overhearing the conversation, quickly grasped the situation. He addressed the crew, "No wonder I couldn't find Mr. 3. It seems that he was defeated by you, Straw Hat Boys." He recognized the Straw Hats as a group of pirates who had recently risen to fame but hadn't paid them much attention as his focus was on Mr. 3.
In a surprising twist, Mr. 2 then transformed into the king of Alabasta. This transformation prompted an urgent reaction from Vivi, who exclaimed, "You just became like my father! What did you do with my father's identity?!" Her voice was filled with fear and anger, concerned about the implications of Mr. 2's impersonation of her father.