"What was that just now? Is that bird and otter part of Baroque Works? Are they going to report that you've told us their boss's secret? Well, answer me!" Nami yelled, shaking Vivi as she saw the creatures take off.
Luffy's eyes gleamed with excitement. "A Warlord of the sea, I wonder how strong they are," he remarked, a grin spreading across his face as Zoro nodded, already looking forward to the fight.
Vivi, her eyes wide with guilt, stammered, "I'm really sorry! It accidentally slipped out, I swear."
Nami's grip tightened. "You think saying it was an accident makes it any better? Now we are going to be hunted because of your accident!" Her voice was thick with anger.
"Now look at what you've done. We've barely entered the Grand Line and already we have a Warlord chasing after us," Nami said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Yeah, we're real lucky to meet him so early on," Zoro remarked, his tone annoyingly cheerful.
"I wonder what kind of guy he is," Luffy mused.
"I wonder how much money he has. Since he's a Warlord, he's gotta be loaded, right? I bet he won't mind if I borrow some of his money," Lucas said with a smirk.
"Just shut up, would ya!" Nami screamed, the only one truly concerned about the situation.
"Come on, we'll be fine," Lucas said, trying to reassure her.
Nami shook her head, frustration boiling over. "Well, it's been real fun, but I guess this is where we part ways," she muttered as she walked away. However, she soon spotted the otter again, holding four sketches in its paw. "Wow, you're really good," Nami remarked, her voice tinged with sarcasm as the otter hopped onto the bird's back and flew away with drawings of Lucas, Nami, Zoro, and Luffy.
"Now I can't even run away," she yelled, returning with slumped shoulders.
"What interesting animals they are," Luffy remarked, seemingly oblivious to the danger.
"Where were you planning on running off to, anyway?" Zoro asked, noticing Nami's downtrodden demeanor.
"In any case, with this, all four of us are now on Baroque Works' hit list," Zoro added, his voice steady.
"Haha, so cool," Luffy chuckled.
Lucas, a smile playing on his lips, remarked, "It does feel thrilling to have a bounty on your head and now being hunted down by a Warlord of the sea and his organization. I feel like a character in a story." He mumbled softly to himself, "I really am a pirate, huh?"
Meanwhile, Nami wallowed in despair as she sat down, and Vivi tried to comfort her. "I... I have five hundred million in my savings account. You can have that," she offered, her voice filled with earnestness.
"Fear not! Ma, ma, maa! I've got a plan," Igaram said as he approached, his tone brimming with confidence.
"Igaram! You're okay! W-what's with that outfit?" Vivi exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise as she moved closer.
"Whoa! Pops, you definitely can pull that look off," Luffy added with a grin.
Igaram frowned, urgency in his voice. "We don't have time for jests. Once Baroque Works learns of you, they'll send pursuers right away. And to let you know, although the boss currently has no bounty on him since he became a Warlord, back in the days he used to have an eighty-million bounty on him," he warned.
"By the way, have you decided on whether you'll escort the princess back to Alabasta safely?" he added, his gaze intense.
"Huh? Whatcha talking about?" Luffy asked, his confusion evident.
"He means he wants us to take her back home," Igaram clarified, all dressed up as Princess Vivi, intending to act as a decoy.
"There should be two or three log records along to Alabasta if you continue this way. Please take care of the princess," he said, standing beside a ship ready to sail. Vivi's eyes filled with tears as she watched Igaram preparing to sacrifice himself for her safety.
"Please be safe," she whispered, her voice breaking as he departed.
"Umm... actually, I have a better idea," Lucas interjected, his tone cutting through the sorrowful mood.
"I can be the decoy; it'll be more convenient that way," he suggested, prompting puzzled looks from the others.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nami asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Here, see," Lucas said, beginning to split into multiple clones like a Ditto the Splixson. With a touch of transformation magic, he made the seven clones resemble each of them. "See, with this, there won't be any risk of losses," he explained as the clones boarded the ship and set sail.
The mood turned sour despite their farewells. "Now then, should we..." As Lucas spoke, an explosion rocked the ship just as it left the coast. Everyone stood in shock, realizing the gravity of the situation.
"They've already come," Nami remarked, her voice trembling as she started to sweat.
"We can't stay here anymore. Luffy and Lucas, go get the others, and we'll head to the ship first," Zoro commanded, spurring them into action. They hurried to leave the island, the weight of their predicament pressing heavily on their shoulders.
"Ahhhhh! It's a dog monster!" Usopp screamed, jolting awake to the sound of a loud noise. His eyes widened in terror as he saw a big orange dog-like creature with Luffy perched on top of it.
The sound of Usopp's screams startled Sanji awake. He blinked groggily, catching a brief glimpse of the dog before it transformed back into Lucas. "Huh, what!? A werewolf?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.
"We don't have time for this. Luffy, grab Usopp and I'll get Sanji," Lucas commanded, urgency in his voice. They hurriedly dragged their crewmates out, heading straight for the Going Merry.
As the others arrived at the ship, Vivi hesitated, her eyes scanning the area for Carue. "Wait! I can't leave without Carue," she said, her voice tinged with desperation.
"Hey! We're back!" Luffy yelled as they approached.
"We don't have time to go looking for him!" Nami yelled, her tone frantic as she urged them to hurry up.
"Ma, Ma, Maa. We won't take too much time, but if need be, you can go ahead and I'll look for him and come find you," Igaram offered, trying to reassure her.
"What's wrong with you people? Didn't you see that big explosion? They'll get you if you stay here!" Nami exclaimed, her voice rising in panic.
"What's going on?" Zoro asked, prepping the ship to leave. "Are you guys arguing about him?" he added, pointing to Carue standing next to him.
*Quack,* the duck quacked, looking at them.
"He was there the whole time?" Nami and Vivi exclaimed, astonished by the sudden revelation. Quickly, they boarded the ship, preparing to set sail.
As they hurried, Lucas muttered to himself, "Hmmm, now that I think about it, there's not much tech in this era. It's odd, with people capable of cybernetic augmentations, but still using cannons."
The Going Merry set sail in a rush, leaving the island behind as the crew braced themselves for whatever lay ahead.
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