In Alabasta, within the royal palace at Alubarna...
"Princess Vivi, something terrible has happened!" A middle-aged man with long, curly hair rushed to Vivi's door, holding several wanted posters in his hands.
Vivi, who had been reading, immediately put her book down and asked, "What happened, Igaram? What's going on?"
Igaram quickly handed over the latest wanted posters.
When Vivi saw Takumi's face on one of them, her expression changed. "What? Why is Takumi, a traveler, on a wanted poster?"
"He... he killed a Celestial Dragon..." Igaram's expression turned serious. "The World Government has issued a direct bounty. If it were just a pirate being targeted, it might be less severe. But killing a Celestial Dragon is a grave offense. Anyone found connected to him could be implicated..."
Vivi frowned deeply. "What are you trying to say, Igaram?"
Igaram responded seriously, "Princess Vivi, though Alabasta is a powerful kingdom, we are still under the jurisdiction of the World Government. Now that Takumi has been branded as a criminal directly by them, if they find out that we have any ties to him, it could affect our kingdom."
"So, you're suggesting I cut ties with Takumi?" Vivi's tone grew cold. "Regardless of whether he sees me as a friend, he's my savior. How could I possibly abandon someone who saved my life?"
"I understand, Princess, but this situation is extremely serious..."
"I get it," Vivi said, clearly frustrated. "Where's my father? I need to speak with him."
"The King is currently meeting with a very important guest."
"A very important guest?" Vivi was momentarily surprised. "I didn't know he was expecting anyone today. Who is it?"
"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile..."
On Jaya Island...
Montblanc Cricket, with his distinctive chestnut-shaped head, was preparing for a dive.
Just then, a news bird flew overhead, dropping off a newspaper before flying away.
Cricket picked up the newspaper, ready to complain about how early it was being delivered, when something caught his eye—a wanted poster tucked inside. His complaint died on his lips as he recognized the face on the poster.
"This..." Cricket stared in shock at the poster, double-checking to make sure it was indeed Takumi, the young man who had set out from his place for Skypiea years ago. After confirming it, his shock turned into exhilaration. "I knew it! Skypiea exists! Haha! This is amazing! So the island in the sky is real! Could it be... the bell I heard that day wasn't a hallucination? Is the Golden Bell up there?"
In Water 7...
Kalifa, dressed in her professional attire, handed the day's newspaper to Iceberg.
Iceberg, typically calm, felt his composure slip when his eyes landed on the news. A look of surprise crossed his face.
Noticing his expression, Kalifa poured him a cup of tea and asked, "Is something troubling you, Iceberg-san? Did you read something bad in the paper?"
With a sigh, Iceberg spread the newspaper on the desk, pointing to the enlarged headline. "Takumi... that kid has gotten himself into big trouble."
On Enies Lobby, in a certain office...
"Hahaha! I knew it! You guys were doomed from the start! Messing with the World Government? You've got to be out of your mind! Die! All of you, just die!" Spandam, wearing his half-mask, slammed his desk as he laughed maniacally. Spread out before him were a newspaper and a stack of wanted posters.
"Sir, what about Kaku? He's still undercover. Will he be affected by this?" a concerned soldier standing beside Spandam asked.
Spandam stopped laughing and shot the soldier a cold look. "Don't mention that guy to me! He had the nerve to hang up on me, and he hasn't reported back yet. I think he's about to turn traitor!"
"But..."
"But what?" Spandam sneered. "I know how the World Government works. Anyone associated with Takumi is doomed. Don't forget, Kaku is on Takumi's crew now. Just because his name isn't on the bounty yet doesn't mean it won't be later."
"But Kaku is your undercover agent! If you explain that to the World Government, he should be safe, right?"
"Explain it to the World Government? Are you kidding?" Spandam scoffed. "There's no way I'd bother negotiating with those troublesome people over a disobedient pawn!"
On Baltigo...
Dragon was in the middle of a meeting with the Revolutionary Army leaders.
Suddenly, a short man in a white hat burst into the room, waving a newspaper excitedly. "Boss! Big news! Something huge happened in Sabaody!"
Sabo, sitting closest to Dragon, smirked. "What could be so exciting?"
The man placed the newspaper in the center of the table, spreading it out. He pointed to the headline and said, "This kid named Takumi... he killed a Celestial Dragon."
"Takumi?" Both Dragon and Sabo spoke at the same time.
"You know him too?" Dragon glanced at Sabo.
Sabo nodded. "His sister saved me once... no, actually, it was twice."
Sitting beside Sabo, Koala, with her short orange hair, pouted. "You mean the girl who you woke me up in the middle of the night to talk about?"
"Yeah, that's her." Sabo grinned.
Koala turned away, clearly annoyed.
Sabo, puzzled, asked, "Why are you upset?"
"Boss," Karasu, a man with a crow-like appearance and a raspy voice, spoke up, "what's this Takumi's background? You've never mentioned him before."
Dragon glanced at the bounty poster and smiled faintly. "We crossed paths in the East Blue a few years ago. Looks like the World Government is seriously mad this time."
On an unknown island...
A group of pirates, exhausted from a night of partying, lay scattered across the ground, fast asleep.
Among the few who were still awake was a red-haired man sitting on a large rock, holding his stomach with a queasy expression. "Ugh... drank too much... I feel sick..."
At that moment, a chubby man approached, holding a chunk of meat in one hand and a newspaper in the other. He said, "Captain, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
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