Hearing that familiar, aggravating voice, Smoker's face tensed, his eyes locked on Tony and the group approaching from the distance.
By now, the sun had begun to rise, casting light over the port. Tony, a wicked grin on his face, "held" the princess of Arabasta at his side, standing boldly in front of Smoker.
"Damn pirate! Using the princess of Arabasta as a hostage—how despicable!" Smoker seethed with anger. As a marine, he couldn't attack recklessly, especially with an innocent person involved. And Tony had chosen his hostage well; no one could risk harm to a kingdom's princess.
"Heh heh heh, Captain, I am a pirate. Call me despicable if you like—I'll take it as a compliment."
"Now, step aside and let us leave, or I might accidentally let loose and turn this little princess into a fireball," Tony sneered, playing the villain role to perfection without a single slip-up.
Vivi went along with the act, adding to the drama. "Please, Captain, save me! I'm so scared!" she pleaded, her voice trembling with just the right amount of fright.
Smoker, seeing Vivi's distress, felt his judgment falter and, after a moment, reluctantly cleared a path.
Tony knew Smoker's principles well—he would never endanger civilians in a conflict with pirates. Watching the scene, Nami and Robin shook their heads, covering their foreheads in embarrassment. They had to admit, Tony and Vivi were convincing enough to fool anyone.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the group quickly boarded their powered sailboat and prepared for departure.
"Bring back the princess of Arabasta!" Smoker shouted, furious.
"You're overthinking it! Once I'm safe, I'll release her. But until then… don't even think about chasing me!" Tony taunted from the deck, pretending to negotiate while fully aware that Vivi was now a permanent member of the crew.
Smoker remained rooted to the spot, fuming, as he could do nothing but vent his frustration at a distance.
...
After half a day at sea, with no sign of the Marines on their tail, Tony and his crew finally allowed themselves to relax, slowing the ship's pace.
Beside him, Vivi stood proudly, laughing. "Hee hee! I just joined, and I've already scored a major victory, helping us escape from Arabasta! Go on, praise me, Mr. Tony!"
"..."
"Heh, don't get too ahead of yourself. Actually, there was a second reason for staging things this way. As the princess of Arabasta, if you'd just left with us pirates, the World Government might take action against your kingdom. But with you as our 'hostage,' they won't know what's going on and won't give your father any trouble."
Tony's words finally sank in, and Vivi realized that his actions weren't impulsive at all—he had planned everything with incredible foresight. "You thought of everything, Mr. Tony. I hadn't even considered what this might mean for my father or Arabasta…"
Before she could fall into self-blame, Tony gave her a playful flick to the forehead, making her wince.
"What're you thinking, silly? As your captain, it's my job to handle those kinds of things. So, don't worry about your father."
"And another thing, stop calling me 'Mr. Tony.' Just Tony, or Captain, will do. 'Mr. Tony' is way too formal."
"We're all shipmates now, and we're going to face lots of challenges. We'll need a more close-knit way of addressing each other," Tony said, steering the conversation and giving Vivi a bit of a nudge in the right direction.
Vivi was silent for a moment, lost in thought. Tony let her be, knowing some things had to be worked out on her own to grow stronger.
Meanwhile, he grabbed a glass of juice and lounged back on a sun chair, enjoying the open sky and sea. Thankfully, he and Nami had stocked up on supplies in Arabasta, filling the ship with enough essentials to last a month. It was a good thing too; otherwise, they'd all be fishing for their meals by now.
Relaxing, Tony closed his eyes and called up his progress screen in his mind.
"Display progress panel."
A cool, confident voice filled his mind:
[Host: Tony
Devil Fruit Power: Flame-Flame Fruit — Progress 50%
Swordsmanship: Ryūjin Jakka — Progress 21%
Abilities:
Three-Tomoe Sharingan — Progress 15%
Kidō Techniques — Progress 45%, capable of Kidō spells up to level 90
Haki:
Armament Haki — Basic 75%
Observation Haki — Basic 82%]
Seeing his stats, Tony grinned. His battle with Crocodile had accelerated his growth, especially with his Kidō skills, which would now offer him greater support in combat.
~----------------------------------------------------------
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