Two warships were instantly overturned.
The remaining three warships immediately slowed down, watching the large number of navy soldiers falling into the water, and were momentarily struck with fear.
"W-what's going on?"
"Was that a flying slash?"
A navy rear admiral wiped the sweat from his forehead, swearing it was the first time in his life he had seen such an exaggerated scene.
That was a thunder dragon!
A dragon made of lightning!
If that had hit a person, they would have been instantly turned to charcoal.
At the same time.
Seeing that the remaining warships were intimidated, Vivian finally breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword.
"I don't think they'll pursue us anymore."
The five warships were likely dispatched from nearby branches. Since no one stepped forward to counter his slash, there probably weren't any officers of Vice Admiral rank or higher.
But this action would be hard to explain away once he returned to headquarters.
So… this is the key difficulty of my task?
He thought to himself.
While he was pondering this, the Straw Hat crew and the Galley-La Company members instinctively took a few steps back, watching Vivian with wary or fearful eyes, not daring to move.
"This guy… is he really that strong?" Sanji thought, even dropping the cigarette from his mouth.
So, he was pretending when I kicked him away earlier?
But why would he do that?
Sanji couldn't figure it out.
Meanwhile, Zoro, standing next to him, thought, "This guy is strong, and he's a swordsman. I really want to fight him."
Losing to Mihawk before entering the Grand Line hadn't discouraged him; it had only fueled his fighting spirit.
But Usopp and Chopper had different thoughts.
"This guy is so powerful. If he wants to capture us, we won't be able to escape, right?"
The two clung to each other tightly.
At this moment, everyone on the deck had various thoughts running through their minds.
"Can I have a cigarette?" Vivian asked Sanji.
"A cigarette?" Sanji hesitated, then reluctantly pulled out a pack of cigarettes and tossed it to Vivian.
"Could you also lend me a light? Thanks."
Click!
Lighting the cigarette with a lighter, Vivian, who had been smoking cigars for over a month, couldn't help but frown at the taste of a regular cigarette and spat on the ground in slight disgust.
Oh well, it's better than nothing.
"There's no need to be so tense, everyone. I don't actually plan to capture you," Vivian said.
The Straw Hat crew looked confused.
"You don't have to believe me. We'll reach Water 7 soon. Once you disembark, I'll leave on my own."
Vivian added, and Robin asked, "I want to know, what's your purpose in doing this?"
"Purpose?"
What purpose could there be?
He just didn't want to create more enemies.
Working for the World Government as a navy officer, Vivian considered himself someone who still retained a sense of justice.
Does he have his own principles, or perhaps professional ethics?
He couldn't stand seeing pirates oppress civilians or innocent people dying in front of him. That's why, even when he was powerless, he bravely stood up and saved a ship full of slaves, leaving a permanent scar on the back of his neck.
Was it really the system that forced him to follow the main force to Enies Lobby?
He knew in his heart that it wasn't entirely the case.
Otherwise, after the Buster Call was initiated and the warships bombarded the island, he wouldn't have secretly left the team and gone to great lengths to save people.
The subsequent side missions he received could have been abandoned at any time.
The reason he kept emphasizing the need for the teleport and warding skills was just an excuse to comfort himself and justify saving people.
He didn't want to be called a "do-gooder" or let others see his soft heart.
But he hadn't hidden it very well.
At least, Kuto, Tashigi, Smoker, and now Hina, all genuinely believed he was an absolutely kind and upright Navy.
This would undoubtedly add a lot of trouble to his ideal of "surviving" until the end.
So, after thinking about it, he exhaled a smoke ring and chose to answer this way: "It's simple. I've been paying attention to your pirate crew from the start.
First, you defeated the Arlong Pirates, saving dozens of villages. Then you defeated Crocodile, exposed the Dance Powder scandal, and liberated the people of Alabasta. And now, this Enies Lobby incident, all to save your comrade…
From beginning to end, you haven't killed a single person. Not even the most vicious pirates."
"So?" Sanji asked.
He had a vague understanding of what Vivian was trying to say.
"So, to put it bluntly, I don't think pirates like you are bad. On the contrary, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you'll do next."
Vivian spread his hands and said, "Of course, this is just my personal opinion."
This clearly indicated that the five pursuing warships had nothing to do with him.
"So consider it my investment in the future of this decaying world. I just hope I haven't misjudged you this time."
Vivian said, wringing out his uniform and then turning his gaze to Nico Robin.
"As for you, Demon Child… please don't spread the word about me saving people at Enies Lobby today."
…
[Receiving rewards…]
[Item Name: Insight Stone]
[From: League of Legends]
[Note: Places a permanent invisible ward, providing vision of the surrounding area. Up to three wards can exist simultaneously. When a fourth ward is placed, one of the previous wards can be chosen to disappear permanently.]
…
[Item Name: Summoner Spell – Teleport]
[From: League of Legends]
[Note: After a 10-second channel, instantly teleport to a ward location. (Cooldown: 24 hours)]
Seeing the rewards pop up in his mind, Vivian, with a sense of curiosity, took out an invisible ward from the Insight Stone and threw it above Luffy's head…