Disclaimer
I keep dreaming of having a personal Den Den Mushi that orders pizza for me. In the meantime, I settled for using Observation Haki to find the remote control lost between the sofa cushions.
Maybe someday I'll invent a Devil Fruit that teleports you directly to Raftel... or at least to the fridge when you're too lazy to get up! Anyway, the life of a fanfic writer is hard. But at least we can continue exploring One Piece together, even if it's only in our imagination!
Chapter 4: Island Rumors and Maritime Preparations
Vivi burst into the royal library like a blue and gold whirlwind, her pigtails flying wildly and her eyes sparkling with a mixture of contained excitement and palpable nervousness.
She tightly held a rolled-up parchment, sealed with a small royal emblem that barely contained her agitation. Sung Lee, who was absorbed in reading an ancient treatise on Arabasta's marine geography, calmly looked up at the princess's untimely appearance.
"Sung Lee, Sung Lee, you won't believe what I've discovered!"
Vivi exclaimed breathlessly, unrolling the parchment on the table with a dramatic gesture. "It's even more incredible than we imagined!"
Sung Lee attentively observed Vivi's theatrical display, a slight smile appearing on his lips at her contagious enthusiasm.
"Easy, Vivi. Take a deep breath and tell me in detail. What have you found out?"
Vivi took a couple of deep breaths to calm her agitation and began to quickly and emphatically recount the results of her palace espionage mission, moving restlessly from side to side as she spoke.
"It's been harder than I initially thought, but in the end, it paid off! The people in the palace are more discreet than they seem, but with a little patience and my childish charm (knowing giggle), I managed to extract some very interesting information. I spoke with servants, with guards, and even with a couple of absent-minded advisors I caught resting in the gardens. And they all agree on the same thing: Whiskey Peak is a suspicious place."While Vivi was speaking, Sung Lee spread the parchment out on the table. It was an administrative report written in precise and formal calligraphy.
"And what is this?"
"Ah, yes!"
Vivi exclaimed, pointing at the document with a finger. "This is the best part! While snooping around in my father's office (don't look at me like that, it was for a good cause!), I found this half-hidden among other papers. It's a confidential Navy report, directly from the Arabasta naval base! It seems they intercepted suspicious communications near Whiskey Peak, and they classified it as 'possible large-scale piracy and smuggling activity!"
Sung Lee took the report in his hands with interest, quickly examining the document's content. He recognized the concise and precise style of naval reports, full of technical jargon and references to military protocols.
"Interesting... they mention 'unusual movements of unidentified vessels', 'suspicious light signals on the coast at night', and even 'rumors of bounty hunter presence in the area'... it all points to Whiskey Peak."
"Exactly!", Vivi exclaimed, visibly pleased with her investigative work.
"And there's more! According to the rumors I've gathered, Whiskey Peak is not just a quiet fishing port as people think. It's an island in the middle of the ocean, quite isolated from the coast of Arabasta! They say it's inhabited by some very peculiar bounty hunters who welcome pirates arriving on the island... as if they were honored guests!"
Sung Lee frowned, thoughtfully. An island of bounty hunters who welcome pirates as guests... the piece was starting to fit together too easily. "Bounty hunters and pirates collaborating... that smells very bad, Vivi. Too bad. And if Baroque Works is behind all this... Whiskey Peak could be more than just a simple smuggling port. It could be... a base of operations."
"Then we have to go there immediately!", Vivi exclaimed impatiently, slamming her fist on the table with enthusiasm.
"We can't stand idly by while Baroque Works is planning something against Arabasta!"
"Calm down, Vivi"
Sung Lee replied serenely, although urgency was rapidly growing inside him.
"You're right, Whiskey Peak is our next destination. But we can't rush headlong. We need to plan our trip and our infiltration well. Whiskey Peak is an island, which means we'll have to travel by sea. And we'll need disguises, and a plan to go unnoticed among those bounty hunters."
Vivi nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling at the prospect of a sea adventure. "A boat trip! Awesome! I've always wanted to sail the high seas. And as for disguises... I already have some ideas in mind! We could dress up as..."
Sung Lee smiled slightly at Vivi's torrent of ideas, interrupting her with his usual pragmatic tone. "Step by step, Vivi. First, we need to get a boat and provisions for the trip. Then, we'll think about disguises and our infiltration plan into Whiskey Peak. And most importantly... we need to keep all this secret. If Baroque Works is involved, we can't afford to alert them to our intentions."
While they planned the logistical details of their secret journey, a subtle unease settled in the atmosphere. Vivi, always attentive to details, suddenly interrupted the conversation, frowning with concern.
"Wait a moment, Sung Lee. Don't you have the feeling that someone is watching us?"
Sung Lee stopped short, sharpening his ears and activating his nascent Observation Haki. A chill ran down his spine as he perceived an undefined presence in the distance, an invisible gaze resting upon them from some hidden point in the palace corridors.
"You're right, Vivi", he murmured seriously, discreetly scanning the surroundings.
"I'm not sure who it is, but... someone is spying on us. We have to be more careful. The eyes of the shadow have already fallen on us."
Under the protective cloak of twilight, Sung Lee and Vivi, now disguised in simple traveler's clothes and hoods that partially hid their faces, slipped discreetly out of the royal palace. Behind them were the imposing walls and labyrinthine gardens of their palace refuge, silhouetted against the twilight sky tinged with orange and violet hues.
Ahead lay the vibrant and mysterious city of Arabasta, and beyond, far beyond the distant horizon, the uncertain and unknown waters that would take them to Whiskey Peak Island. Vivi, despite the disguise and the palpable danger she sensed, walked with a light step and a spark of contained excitement in her childish posture.
Sung Lee, for his part, advanced with a firm and determined step, his mind already prepared for the challenges that awaited them on the island of bounty hunters. In his travel bag, along with basic provisions and a simplified sea chart, he carried something much more powerful than any physical weapon: his strategic intelligence and his unyielding will. But despite their determination, a slight shadow of unease hovered over their young hearts.
The scent of sand and suspicion followed in their footsteps.Upon reaching the entrance to the outer gardens, Sung Lee pretended to hesitate, consulting a falsified map that Vivi had skillfully drawn.
"Are you sure it's this way, Vivi? I think we're lost."
Vivi, following the script perfectly, feigned uncertainty. "I don't know, Sung Lee. I think so... but this place seems like a maze. Maybe we should look for another route."
While they pretended to debate indecisively, they slowly entered the hedge maze. Sung Lee remained alert, straining his senses to the maximum. He could feel the spy stealthily approaching, taking advantage of the growing darkness and the confusion of the maze to close the distance. The moment of confrontation was rapidly approaching.
Suddenly, at a narrow crossroads between the hedges, a figure emerged from the darkness, blocking their path. He was a tall and slender man, dressed completely in black, his face hidden behind a dark mask and a wide-brimmed hat. In his hand, he wielded a short, sharp sword that gleamed faintly in the light of the rising moon.
"Well, well", the spy said in a deep voice distorted by the mask, with a tone of false surprise. "It seems the mice have fallen into the trap. Where did you think you were going so discreetly at this hour?"
Vivi feigned terror, hiding behind Sung Lee and letting out a small, stifled cry. Sung Lee, however, remained calm, observing the spy, analyzing his posture, his tone of voice, every detail that could reveal his identity.
"Depends on who's asking", Sung Lee replied serenely, stepping forward and placing himself between Vivi and the spy.
"But I think the right question is: who are you and why are you following us?"
The spy let out a dry, dismissive laugh. "You ask too many questions for a simple kid, don't you? It doesn't matter who I am. All that matters is that your little spy game is over. And that I have orders to silence you before you cause more problems."
With surprising speed, the spy lunged at Sung Lee, brandishing his short sword with murderous intent. But Sung Lee was already prepared. His Observation Haki, now fully awakened, allowed him to anticipate the attacker's movements with millimeter clarity. He saw the trajectory of the sword before it moved, and predicted the angle of attack, and the force of the blow.
Instead of trying to block the sword head-on (something that would be absurd given his physical inferiority), Sung Lee dodged the attack with unexpected agility, moving sideways with feline speed. The sword grazed his hood but missed its mark. In the same evasive movement, Sung Lee used the momentum of the spy's failed attack to get even closer, placing himself beside him, out of the sword's reach.
Then, with a quick and precise movement learned from the palace guards, Sung Lee executed a simple but effective disarming technique. Using his body weight and the speed of his turn, he forcefully struck the spy's wrist with the edge of his hand, right on the key nerve point.
A muffled groan escaped from the spy's mask as the sword fell to the ground with a dull thud. The spy's arm was momentarily disabled by Sung Lee's precise blow. Taking advantage of the momentary advantage, Sung Lee pounced on the spy before he could react, tackling him to the ground with a swift and surprising takedown.
Before the spy could recover, Sung Lee was already on top of him, immobilizing him with his light but well-positioned weight. Quickly, he ripped the mask off his head, revealing the surprised and furious face of... a young man, with hard features and a prominent scar on his cheek. A vaguely familiar face.
Vivi cautiously approached, watching the scene with wide eyes.
"Do you know him, Sung Lee? Who is he?"
Sung Lee narrowed his eyes, finally recognizing the man beneath him. "I think so. He's... One of the royal guards. One of those who watch the surroundings of the palace. But... why would he be spying on us? And why attack us? Unless..."
Realization struck Sung Lee like lightning. He wasn't just a spy sent out of curiosity. He was an assassin, sent to silence them. And if a royal guard was involved... the conspiracy could be much deeper and more dangerous than they imagined.
"We have to interrogate him", Sung Lee said with determination, firmly holding the immobilized spy.
"We have to know who sent him and what he knows about Baroque Works and Whiskey Peak. The night is not over, Vivi. And tonight, we are going to get answers."