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Just as the henchman prepared to strike, he froze in shock—the wounded man lying before him had suddenly opened his eyes.
"God—damn! You scared the life out of me! I was going to put you down nice and easy, but since you're awake, don't blame me for making it hurt!" The lackey, rattled by Jack's sudden awakening, swung his sword in a fit of anger.
"Really? Killing me like this the moment I wake up? That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Jack yawned as he casually caught the blade with one hand, showing no sign of concern.
In truth, he had already regained consciousness when the ship arrived at Whiskey Peak. However, his internal injuries were severe, and he had been focusing his chakra on recovery.
Though his battle with Dragon had seemed intense, Jack knew the revolutionary leader hadn't been fighting at full strength. His injuries weren't just from direct attacks but rather from exhausting his chakra, which ultimately led to his collapse.
"Hmm… this place looks familiar," Jack mused as he effortlessly dealt with the two lackeys despite not being fully recovered.
Surveying his surroundings, his gaze landed on the ship's details. "Wait… isn't this the Merry? That means Luffy must have saved me. Then this must be Whiskey Peak…" His expression darkened. "That idiot! He passed by Twin Capes and didn't even think to have a doctor check me? I could've woken up much sooner!"
Grumbling, Jack stepped onto the deck, his eyes scanning the town.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Whiskey Peak, Nami—who had been quietly helping herself to the bounty hunters' hidden treasure—suddenly stumbled upon Zoro in the midst of a fierce battle.
"I didn't expect you to see through it so quickly," Zoro remarked, glancing at Nami in surprise.
"As if I'd believe a town would welcome pirates with open arms! That was suspicious from the start," Nami huffed, crossing her arms.
"Fair enough. Let's wrap this up—I need to get some sleep," Zoro said with a smirk, surveying the bounty hunters sprawled across the ground. At least half of them were already taken down.
"Suit yourself. I'm off to find their treasure," Nami replied with a wave, disappearing into a nearby building.
Moments later, she returned, looking slightly perplexed. "Hey, don't you feel like we've forgotten something? I have this nagging feeling that there's something we haven't done yet."
Zoro frowned. "Forgotten? Like what?"
"Eh, whatever. Treasure first! Just hurry up and finish here!" With that, Nami darted off again, completely dismissing her concern.
Neither of them spared a thought for Jack, who was still recovering in the ship's cabin.
"That woman, seriously..." Zoro muttered under his breath, shaking his head before drawing his three swords and resuming the fight.
Meanwhile, back at the party place, Luffy abruptly sat up from his nap, feeling the urgent need to relieve himself. As he stepped outside, he stumbled upon the "kind-hearted citizens" lying unconscious on the ground.
When he pieced together what had happened, his face darkened with fury. In his mind, it was unacceptable—these generous townsfolk had offered them food, and Zoro had attacked them just because the meal wasn't to his liking?
Fuming, Luffy clenched his fists. "I won't let this slide. I'll make sure justice is served!"
Meanwhile, after taking down all the bounty hunters, Zoro sat casually, sipping his drink. Yet, an odd sensation crept over him.
At the far end of the port, two figures emerged—a blonde woman holding an umbrella and a man sporting an afro and sunglasses.
It was Mr. 5 and his partner, Ms. Valentine.
"You guys must be joking, right?" Mr. 5 sneered, looking down at Igaram, who lay on the ground, bloodied and struggling to move.
"What? Did you come here just to mock us?" Igaram gritted his teeth, glaring up at them.
Ms. Valentine let out a loud, mocking laugh. "Hahaha, of course not! We're here on official business!"
"Are you here to back us up? That swordsman is ridiculously strong!" Mr. 9 groaned as he forced himself into a sitting position.
Mr. 5 scoffed, crossing his arms. "Backup? Don't lump us in with small fry like you. We have far more important matters to handle." His voice turned sharp. "There's been an infiltration—spies from a certain kingdom have been meddling in our organization."
Igaram's expression darkened as he lowered his head. He knew at that moment—they had been exposed.
Up on the rooftop, Zoro watched the tense standoff unfold, taking another sip of his drink. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he muttered to himself, "Ah... that's right. I completely forgot about Luffy."
"The missing princess of Alabasta—that would be you, wouldn't it?" Mr. 5 tilted his head, his gaze locking onto Princess Vivi, who was already beginning to panic.
"Damn it! I won't let you lay a finger on her! Go to hell!!"
Igaram, battered and bruised, forced himself to his feet and launched a desperate attack at Mr. 5.
BOOM!
A massive explosion engulfed Mr. 5, smoke and fire billowing into the night.
"Run! Now! Hurry!" Igaram shouted, his voice desperate.
"Igaram!" Vivi called out, her voice laced with worry, but she didn't move to escape.
"Hah! It's useless!" Ms. Valentine cackled from above, suddenly descending from the sky. With a swift kick. She dispatched Vivi. Her ponytail unwrapping, sending strands flying.
As Vivi staggered back, her eyes darted to Igaram—only to see him sent flying. Her heart pounded as she turned back to the flames, where a figure emerged, completely unharmed.
Mr. 5 stepped forward, brushing soot off his shoulder. "The traitors in question—Igaram, captain of Alabasta's Royal Guard, and Princess Nefertari Vivi." His tone turned cold. "By the authority of Baroque Works, I'll be eliminating both of you."
"What?! You're a real princess?" Mr. 9's eyes widened in shock as he turned to Vivi.
Vivi clenched her fists, glaring at Mr. 5. "Don't underestimate me." She knew there was no escape now.
Mr. 9, blood trickling down his face, wiped it away and took a step forward, positioning himself between Vivi and their enemies. "I don't know what's really going on here... but we've been partners this long. That's gotta count for something. Let's go."
"Mr. 9!" Vivi gasped, caught off guard by his unexpected act of defiance. She hadn't imagined he would stand up to protect her.
"Enough talk! Get out of here! Perseverance Bat!"
With a fierce determination, Mr. 9 curled himself into a tight ball and rolled straight toward Mr. 5 like a human cannonball.
"Tch. Blind loyalty only leads to disaster." Mr. 5 casually dug into his nose, flicking something in Mr. 9's direction. "Empty dreams."
BOOM!
The moment the projectile made contact, an explosion erupted, sending Mr. 9 crashing to the ground.
But in that split second, Vivi seized her chance—leaping onto Karoo, her trusted duck, and bolting from the battlefield.
"Whoa, whoa—hold up. Did that guy just blow someone up… with boogers?" From his perch, Zoro raised an eyebrow, watching the scene unfold.
"P-please… Save our princess…"
At some point, the badly wounded Igaram had crawled over to Zoro, clutching at his leg in desperation.
"Oi, let go! What are you doing?" Zoro looked down, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
"If you escort the princess safely to Alabasta… you will receive a huge reward!" Igaram pleaded, gripping Zoro's leg like it was his last hope.
Before Zoro could even respond, Nami appeared out of nowhere, her eyes practically sparkling. "A huge reward, you say?" She leaned in with a sly smile. "How about… one billion Beli?"
Nami had an uncanny ability to sense money—wherever there was the slightest whiff of wealth, she was sure to appear.
"One billion Beli?!" Igaram's eyes widened in shock. Even in the wealthy desert kingdom of Alabasta, that was no small sum.
"That's right!" Nami folded her arms confidently. "If you had that kind of money, your princess wouldn't have to die! Besides, you've seen how strong he is." She gestured toward Zoro.
Igaram hesitated, visibly uneasy. "I... I'm just the captain of the royal guard. I don't have the authority to handle that kind of money. How about you save the princess first and negotiate with her directly?"
Zoro let out an exasperated sigh. "Oi, don't drag me into your schemes!"
Nami, unfazed, gave him a sly smile. "What's the problem? My money is mine, but my contracts... well, those are everyone's contracts! Seems fair to me." She blinked innocently.
Zoro shot her a flat look. "That logic makes zero sense."
Meanwhile, Igaram, still clutching at his injuries, was growing increasingly desperate. "Enough arguing! Every second you waste, the princess gets closer to death! Can you please go after her first and talk later?"
"Zoro, GO!" Nami commanded, jabbing a finger in Vivi's direction.
"I'm not going. I hate being bossed around." Zoro flatly refused.
Nami's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oh? Then what about the 300,000 berries you owe me?"
Zoro frowned. "Since when do I owe you that much money?"
"When you were broke in Loguetown and borrowed 100,000 Beli from me to buy a sword," Nami said smugly. "We agreed you'd pay me back three times the amount, remember?"
Zoro's brows twitched. "But the sword was a gift from the shop owner. I never spent a single Beli, so I returned the money that same day! That doesn't count!"
Nami crossed her arms. "Of course it does! I never thought you'd be the type to break a promise, Zoro. How disappointing." She sighed dramatically.
Zoro's expression darkened. He knew exactly what she was doing, but there was no winning against her. With a frustrated grunt, he turned and took off in the direction Vivi had fled.
"You're going to die a miserable death, you witch!" he shouted over his shoulder.
Nami grinned, waving him off. "Yeah, yeah, I'll see you in hell!"
Igaram stood frozen in shock. Watching their exchange, he suddenly realized a terrifying truth—perhaps the real power behind this pirate crew wasn't the fearsome swordsman or even their captain… but the seemingly harmless girl standing before him.
By the time Zoro caught up to Vivi, Mr. 5, who had been pursuing her, was closing in. Just as Zoro managed to fend him off and secure Vivi's safety, Luffy arrived on the scene, searching for him as well.
"Oh, Luffy, are you here to lend a hand?" Zoro asked with a smirk. "These guys are just small fry—I don't need help with them. Or wait... don't tell me you went and borrowed money from Nami too?"
Luffy, however, was fuming. "Zoro! I'll never forgive you! Let's settle this right now!" He shouted, fists clenched in rage.
Zoro blinked, bewildered. "Huh?"
"You slaughtered the villagers in town, didn't you? The same people who gave us all that delicious food! And you cut them down without leaving a single one alive! I won't stand for that—I'm going to send you flying!" Luffy roared, his fury unchecked.
Zoro wasn't the only one dumbfounded. Even Vivi furrowed her brows and muttered, "This guy's a little slow, huh? Is it really okay for someone like him to be captain?"
Zoro exhaled sharply. "Luffy, listen—those people were actually—"
But before he could explain, Luffy lunged. Forced to dodge a flurry of attacks, Zoro quickly realized that Luffy was serious. His patience began to wear thin, and irritation flickered across his face.
Meanwhile, the two high-ranking Baroque Works agents Zoro had been holding back saw their chance. With Luffy and Zoro now fighting each other, they seized the opportunity, rushing toward Vivi with the intent to eliminate her first.
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AN: Check out my P@treon For +30 extra chapters starting at 5$.
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