"Argh! I can't even leave. Those birds already have our faces." Nami shouted with frustration.
"Don't worry, Nami! Didn't that guy just leave to be bait? I am pretty….."
Boom!
Just when he said that the ship that Igaram was using exploded. The power of the explosion was so great that it knocked Luffy's hat to the ground.
At this moment, everyone was shocked.
"Let's go!" Luffy shouted as he ran away.
"Nami, did the log reset?" Zack turned around and shouted.
"Yes!" Nami nodded her head.
"Then, grab the girl, and the guy, let's leave." Before Zack could say, Zoro shouted as he ran toward Luffy.
"Luffy, go and bring those three to the ship," Zoro shouted as he rushed toward the ship.
"Alright!" Luffy ran toward the buildings while Nami turned her head at Vivi. At this moment, Vivi wasn't crying but rather biting her lips till the blood gushed out of her lips.
'What a strong girl?'
She instantly embraced Vivi and said "Don't worry, we will get you to your ship. Warlord? Humph! He is nothing. They might not look that much but they have freed the East Blue and destroyed two Marine Bases."
Zack watched her pulling Vivi toward the ship and sighed. He looked at Valentine and didn't know what she was thinking. So, he raised his hand and caught her hand, pulling her into the ship.
At this moment, a turtle slowly floated in the sea as a beautiful lady sitting on top of it muttered "Using such obvious bait. Isn't that too boring?"
.....
Near the ship, Vivi and Nami were searching for the duck until Zoro finally pointed it. As they entered the ship, Usopp and Sanji started begging others to stay and Nami gave them a short version of the entire situation. Mr.5 was took by Zack for interrogation and became a test subject for him. As he found a new skill called ' inventory ' where he kept Mr . 5 till deciding what to do with him.
( Inventory currently only have 10 slot only, it will upgrade later in story)
Bang! Bang!
With two of them lying on the floor, Nami returned to the deck as she spoke "Alright, set the sails! We need to move on fast."
"By the Vivi, how many people are going to come for us?" Luffy asked while sitting on the top.
"More than a thousand people are working on the Baroque Works. So, I don't know many they will send but it won't be low for sure." Vivi spoke with a serious expression.
"Isn't that too much? How can we fight so many people?" Nami panicked when she heard those words.
"Heh! You guys are going to die. Even if you somehow make it through our people, you can't defeat the boss."
Bang!
Suddenly, Zack punched Valentine's head and said "You are a prisoner here, not a crew member. So, shut up!"
"Isn't that too violent a way to deal with a girl?" Suddenly, a voice rang from the top as everyone turned their heads to that position.
"What?"
"Who are you?"
"I must say princess, you used such a foolish way to distract us." The girl sitting on the top spoke.
"So, is that you who blew up Igaram?" Vivi's expression was filled with frustration and anger.
"Isn't that obvious?" Robin smirked.
"Who is she?" Nami asked Vivi.
"I don't know much about her except for the fact that she is Boss' partner and also someone who handles other tasks. Her code name is Miss Sunday. She is the only one who knows Boss' identity."
"Igaram and I were tailing her till now to find out boss' identity." Vivi introduced her.
"To be exact, I let you tail me," Robin smirked and corrected her.
"And, I already know that. You are the one who told her that his identity has been leaked. What's your objective?" Vivi shouted.
"Well, no need to get worked up. I only followed you because it was amusing to see the single princess trying to take down the entire organization by herself." Robin smirked as she answered.
"You. Don't underestimate me!" Vivi instantly took out her weapon and Zoro followed her action but at this moment, Usopp and Sanji pointed their weapons at her which surprised Vivi.
"Hey Sanji, do you know what's going on?" Usopp asked.
"No, but this lady is a threat to the lovely Miss Wednesday." Sanji who was holding the gun replied.
"Come on, don't point such dangerous things at us."
Suddenly, Sanji and Usopp were thrown down.
"What?" Everyone was shocked as they didn't understand what was going on. At this moment, a small hand popped out above Luffy's head but suddenly, another hand smashed Luffy's head and that small hand disappeared.
"Hey, Zack, what's your problem?" Luffy who was unaware of that hand shouted at Zack as he was smashed on the head.
Zack didn't reply to him but rather looked at Robin.
"That's my captain's hat and other than his crew members, nobody is allowed to grab it. How about we cut the chit chat and you leave? Right now, you might have a lot of experience with your devil fruit but you are no match against us."
Hearing his words, Luffy rubbed his head with confusion as he didn't understand how she was grabbing his hat. But, he decided to trust Liam's words.
Others were surprised as well. But, except for Vivi, everyone calmed down. Since Zack spoke, it meant he knows the situation and knows how to handle it.
Robin narrowed her eyes as she asked "Do you know me?"
"There is not a single informant who doesn't know about you, Nico Robin."
When he said her name, her eyes truly widened. She almost crossed her arms but she quickly calmed down. She saw that Zack had no intention of fighting with her.
She looked at Valentine and asked, "Are you inviting her to join your crew?"
"What? Is that true Zack?" Luffy asked him with wide eyes. But before he could say anything, Zack punched his head and said.
"Idiot, you are the captain. Although I can make suggestions, I can't invite someone to join the crew. We are going to fight against Shichibukai. I have to train."
"The current weights aren't going to help me that much. She is perfect as weights for training."
"Oh! That's why." Luffy smacked his fist on his palm as he realized something.
"How amusing. You want to train even though the journey between you and Alabasta is only two weeks away. How are you planning on winning when you aren't even ready?" Robin slowly regained her smirk as she asked.
"Are you an idiot?" Zack pointed his finger at her and asked.
At this moment, Robin was stunned. For the first time in her life, someone has called her an idiot. She didn't even know what to say.
"I am the Vice-Captain of the crew. He is the Captain of the crew. He might be an idiot but he can defeat Crocodile."
Zack stared at her and continued "A rat who doesn't have the guts to rely on his strength to conquer the sea can never defeat our captain. If anything he is rusty and just a shell of himself. I might respect his former self , one who was comparable to Bullet in prime but I pity his current self."
When he said those words, a bright smile appeared on the face of his crew mates except Vivi who was still in shock.
Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp, although they listened to their orders of Zack and have normal interactions with their captain like friends, they still know Luffy is the Captain.
They didn't follow Zack. They never followed Zack. They followed Luffy. They believed in Luffy. Although they also believe in Zack, they already know his place.
He said to himself. He was a resourceful guy on the crew. In their eyes, Liam was someone who could help them whenever they were in trouble. Sometimes, Luffy doesn't make it.
Sometimes Zoro forgets the way. Sometimes Sanji can't kick women. Sometimes Nami can't face her opponents. Sometimes Usopp became too cowardly.
And, these were the situations where Zack rises. These were the situation when they truly need their vice-captain, someone who can protect the crew when the captain is not there.
It has happened before. In Syrup Village, Zack saved his crew as a vice-captain. In Baratie, Zack fought for the crew because their second strongest man was injured.
In Cocoyasi Village, Zack went to retrieve what his crewmate had lost. In all of these situations, Zack acted in his position.
He wasn't recognized by strength. He was recognized because he did what the second in command should do. He protected his crew. People like Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy don't need protection.
So, protecting his crew means he protected Nami and Usopp when they were in true danger. That's why he was the Vice Captain of Straw Hat Pirates.
"It seems like you aren't a normal guy who came from the East Blue." Robin stared at Zack as she asked.
"Huh! Haven't you left yet? Are you waiting for an invitation to have tea? Our chef will be more than happy to serve you."
As soon as Zack finished speaking, Sanji appeared next to Robin with a tray in his hand and a cup of tea on that tray.
"Zack is correct, Miss Robin. Please have some tea."
'Zack, you bastard! You finally recognized me.' At this moment, Sanji was giving Liam a compliment in his heart.
On other hand, Zack was frozen.
'Fuck! Is this a comical effect? How the hell did he prepare the tea so fast?'
"Since you are so confident, I have something for you. The next island after this is Little Garden and you might not want to go there." Robin took out an Eternal Log Pose and threw it at Zack.
"That's the Eternal Log Pose to Alabasta. I hope I can see you soon." Robin got off the fence and walked toward the side of the ship.
"So, what should we do, Captain?" Zack turned his head at Luffy and asked.
Luffy took the Eternal Log Pose from him and smashed it into pieces.
"She doesn't decide where this ship goes." Luffy's eyes revealed a bit of anger when he crushed. But, that anger faded away when Nami smacked his head.
"Why did you have to do it? She was nice enough to give us a direct route."
"Luffy, look at that Giant Turtle!" Suddenly, Usopp pointed his finger at the turtle that acted as Robin's boat and spoke.
"Turtle? Where is it?" Luffy instantly stood up without even replying to her and ran towards Usopp.
"That moron! Zack, do something about this." Nami clenched her fist and looked at Zack.
"Maybe it was wrong to ask for your help. I am already giving you so much trouble." Vivi muttered as she clenched her fists after seeing Nami's reaction.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Nami flicked her forehead and continued "If you didn't want us to be in trouble, you shouldn't have told us in the first place."
"And, besides, nobody cares. Isn't that right, Luffy?"
Luffy raised both of his hands and shouted "Sanji, it's morning. Let's have some breakfast."
"Maybe he doesn't care," Vivi muttered after seeing his expression.
"So, what are we going to do now? You already knew Luffy would do that, didn't you?" Zoro walked closer to Zack and asked.
"Haha! This is Luffy we talking about. Why would he skip the adventures between Alabasta and our current location? Let's just follow the Log Pose and go to that Little Garden."
"Anyway Nami, I will leave everything to you. I am going to train." Zack said as he picked up unconscious Valentine and walked to the back of the ship.
"He better not do something nasty with her." Nami clenched her fist and muttered.
"Well, you heard him. I am going for a nap." Zoro stretched his hands and
"Argh! You guys…" Nami shouted in frustration as she walked toward the cabin.
Vivi stared at them and got a bit confused.
'Just what kind of crew is this?'
"Hey, what are you waiting there for? I need your help with maps." Nami shouted when she saw Vivi mindlessly standing on the deck.
Vivi woke up from her confusion and hurriedly followed Nami into the Cabin. Inside the Cabin, Luffy and Usopp were chatting while Sanji was preparing breakfast.
"Alright, you need to tell us more about Baroque Work. If we are going to fight them, we need more information about them." Nami sat in front of Vivi and asked.
Vivi got a bit confused and asked "Shouldn't you invite them as well?"
Nami shook her head and sighed "One doesn't need to know, another knows too much. The one who needs to know is already here. So, you can start talking."
Vivi was once again left in confusion but she quickly started explaining to them the situation of the Alabasta.
On the back of the ship,
Zack shook Valentine's head and woke her up. As soon as she woke up, she saw Zack's face and shouted.
"You bastard, can't you be more gentle with ladies?"
"Nope! Anyway, let's start training." Zack shook his head and spoke.
"Humph! I am not going to help you train even if you kill me." Valentine pouted as she folded her arms on her chest.
Two minutes later,
"Ummmh ubbb uhmmhsfff!"
Valentine was tied by a fishing rope as Zack tossed her down. After soaking her in the seawater for a minute, Zack pulled her up. Not only she was extremely tired but also wet.
Zack raised her head and said "I am not your friend. I am your enemy. So, you better do as I say or I will let my swordsman friend cut you in half. Unlike me who resorts to these kinds of tricks, he will simply cut in half."
Valentine who panting hard after being soaked in seawater heard it and her body trembled. For the first time in her life, she experienced true weakness.
"Alright now that your arrogance is down, let's start with the training."
Saying so, Zack opened his palm and a deck of the card appeared in his hand. For this training, he had something else in his mind.
Unlike normal training, he was going to use his system and devil fruit to train. Of course, he wasn't sure if it will work but if it does work, then it would be amazing.
He puts his hand on the deck and thought for a moment.
'My fruit name is not Card Card No Mi. It is Kake Kake No Mi. It gave me the power to gamble, not to play cards. That means I should be able to gamble other things as well, right?'
'So, I want to gamble in training. Let's see if I can motivate my abilities to do my bidding.'
Zack stayed silent while having only one thought in his mind. After two minutes, a purple light appeared in front of him. This light was so strong that even though he had closed his eyes, he could still feel it.
Zack opened his eyes and saw that his cards have changed. This time, there weren't that many cards and when he checked the card, it was different in itself.
At the top of the deck, a card slowly floated above him. On that card, it was the picture of a Joker and there were some words written on it.
'One Who Overcomes the Challenge'
At this moment, his deck of cards suddenly shuffled on its own and three cards appeared in front of Valentine and three cards appeared in front of him.
When those three cards appeared, a new memory appeared in his mind. Unlike other fruits, this fruit was constantly giving him information about his abilities of this fruit.
On three cards, he saw three different pictures. One picture was of him with Valentine on his back, doing push-ups and at the same time, there was a total number of push-ups he had to do.
-1000
Corresponding to this card, Valentine's card showed the same picture but there were extra words with different numbers.
-500 Kilograms
The second card revealed Valentine sitting on his shoulders as he was supposed to do squats.
-2000
Corresponding to this card, Valentine's card showed the same picture but the words and numbers were different once again.
-2000 Kilograms
The third card revealed Valentine punching him. But, surprisingly, there were no numbers.
Corresponding to this card, Valentine's card not only showed the same pictures but also the numbers.
-5000 Kilograms
At this moment, those six cards suddenly glowed with a bright purple light and flew up in the air. Finally, Zack understood the entire situation.
Although his luck was good, it wasn't that good. So, when he tried to gamble for his training. He got these cards. Just as the cards suggested, he must complete those training or else, he will receive the punishment.
Unlike the time where he gets power from his opponent which is temporary, this is permanent. And, this time bet is even more ridiculous. If he can complete this training, he will improve at rapid rate thanks to his abilities.
But on other hand, if he can't complete this training, he will lose the strength he was supposed to gain.
For example, if he was supposed to gain the strength of 500 doriki which is One Piece world's strength measuring unit. To gain 500 doriki, he must complete the training but if he can't he will lose 500 doriki.
And, he has to keep one thing in his mind.
This is a gamble.
Just like how you lose your own money in the gamble, if he can't complete the training, he will lose his own doriki. That means if he gains 200 doriki during training but can't finish the training, he will lose 700 doriki.
One thing is certain though. Zack truly wanted to slap his face. He almost forgot that most of the people in One Piece have a lot of luck. Even Valentine should have a lot of luck.
If only he had waited till he could gather more luck, he could have tremendously reduced the punishment. As for what decided his punishment.
It was the first card on the deck. The card that wrote 'One Who Overcomes the Challenges.
It was this card that gives him the benefit and punish him if he fails. Zack bitterly smiled and told Zoro not to disturb him during training.
Finally, he got into Push up position and asked Valentine to get into his back. She could only comply with his order but she decided to teach him a lesson by using 10000 kilograms. Unfortunately, she forgot that she can't control her powers right now.
The cards dictate her will. Her weight changed to 500 kilograms but it was more than enough to push Zack to the ground.
'Damn it! I must finish this challenge. I must overcome and grow stronger. This is the only ability that allows me to get stronger like Luffy. Both Zoro and Luffy can constantly get stronger after each battle.'
'Not to mention, currently, they are still stronger than me. I don't want to get left in the dust.'