[If we hit 1000 PS before the end of this week, I will drop 5 extra bonus chapters.]
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On a small boat beside Twin Cape.
"Mr. 9, if we stay here, will we really get anything?"
Miss Wednesday, with her long blue ponytail, looked a little unsure. She was actually Princess Vivi, currently undercover within Baroque Works.
However, their current goal wasn't to hunt whales, but to rob passing pirate ships.
"Be patient. With the bounty hunter, Caelan, there, pirates are bound to show up."
Mr. 9 spoke with great confidence.
Under Caelan's pressure, pirates across the entire East Blue had continued fleeing, heading toward the Grand Line.
Especially over the last two months, Caelan had slaughtered his way all the way to Loguetown.
The pirates of the East Blue had collectively fled to the Grand Line, trying to escape Caelan's clutches.
"Even if most of them die on Reverse Mountain, the survivors will still be a huge fortune for us!"
Mr. 9's eyes lit up as he thought of the spoils from the past two months.
Without Caelan, their branch in Whiskey Peak would have had to rely on hunting for a living.
But ever since Caelan gained fame, many pirates had been driven into the Grand Line.
They had been living quite well by robbing these pirates.
"Look, here comes one, and it's a big catch!"
Mr. 9 pointed at the Wind Rider, looking very excited.
"That ship looks way too good. I'm afraid the people on board aren't ones we can handle."
Vivi felt uneasy.
This ship was much better than the ones they had encountered before.
Even Baroque Works rarely had ships of this quality.
"What are you afraid of? They're just a bunch of worthless pirates forced into the Grand Line. How could they possibly be a threat to us?"
Mr. 9 was full of confidence.
After dealing with so many pirates who had escaped from the East Blue, he no longer took these people seriously.
In his eyes, the Wind Rider ahead was just another fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
"Newcomers who have just entered the Grand Line shouldn't be sailing such a fine ship."
Mr. 9 steered their boat closer to the Wind Rider.
The first thing he wanted to do was to teach these newcomers a lesson about the cruelty of the Grand Line.
But Vivi had a feeling that things weren't going to be that simple.
The flag on the ship wasn't a skull. Instead, it was a broad, giant sword.
It looked vaguely familiar, like she had seen it somewhere before.
"What are you standing around for? Let's board them!"
Mr. 9, already starting to climb onto the Wind Rider, waved to Vivi.
Vivi could only suppress the unease in her heart and follow him.
…
"So this is the Grand Line? Getting robbed the moment we arrive, that's pretty rough."
Looking at Mr. 9 lying on the ground and Vivi shivering nearby, Nami couldn't help but sigh.
There were pirates waiting to rob them before their journey had even properly begun.
"But these two pirates are really dumb."
"The first battle on the Grand Line is seriously disappointing."
Tashigi's face showed clear disappointment.
Such an opponent wasn't even worth getting excited over.
"H-How could this happen… how could this happen…"
Mr. 9, sporting a huge bump on his head, looked completely dazed, his body limp and broken.
As soon as he boarded the Wind Rider, Tashigi had struck him on the head with the scabbard, leaving that big lump.
When he tried to resist, Caelan had pinned him to the deck with his sword, leaving him unable to even stand.
Mr. 9 was completely crushed.
This was nothing like what he had imagined. How could pirates be this strong right after entering the Grand Line?
Vivi, still trembling on the side, quietly looked at Caelan holding his massive sword.
"Y-You… You're the legendary Caelan Alaric!"
That face matched exactly with the one in the newspaper.
In that moment, she finally understood.
No wonder the giant sword on the flag had looked so familiar. It was clearly the same weapon she'd seen in the newspaper photo of Caelan.
"W-What?! It's him?!"
"It's over… it's all over now!"
Mr. 9, still sprawled on the ground, was completely in despair.
He had been thinking about how to escape, but now he realized there was no chance.
"I'm sorry! We were wrong! Please forgive us!"
Mr. 9 struggled to get up and knelt before Caelan, begging for mercy.
Vivi also knelt down, pleading with Caelan.
Years of undercover experience had long since hardened her. She knelt naturally, without any of a princess's reserve.
"What should we do with them? Turn them in for a bounty?"
Nami was eager to act.
Though these two were pathetic, they'd still be pretty adorable if they could be exchanged for some Berries.
"Please, don't do that!"
Mr. 9 and Vivi clasped their hands together and begged Nami for mercy.
If they were caught by the Marines, Mr. 9 would likely be imprisoned for life, never seeing the light of day again.
Vivi wouldn't be jailed, but her true identity would be exposed, and Baroque Works' plans would be ruined.
"I'm sorry. This is all our fault."
"Please let us go! We will never do this again!"
Both of them had their own reasons not to be caught and sobbed bitterly before Caelan and the others.
"It looks like the Marines don't even have a bounty on them."
Tashigi flipped through the bounty posters but didn't find any for Mr. 9 or Vivi.
"Yes, yes! We're worthless nobodies! Please just let us go!"
Mr. 9 and Vivi looked gratefully at Tashigi, thinking she was like an angel.
"What? They're just a couple of losers who don't even have a bounty?"
"So useless! Why not just toss them into the sea and let them fend for themselves?"
Nami was visibly disappointed.
She had hoped to make some good money, but it turned out these two weren't even worth a single Berry.
In that case, might as well throw them overboard. After all, they were pirates who tried to rob them—definitely not good people.
"Damn it! How can someone so beautiful be so vicious?!"
Mr. 9 and Vivi glared at Nami, furious.
How could such cruel words come out of the mouth of a woman so pretty under the sunny sky?
If they were thrown into the sea, they wouldn't be able to swim back to Whiskey Peak. They'd surely die.
"You're wrong. They aren't just ordinary pirates."
"They're agents of Baroque Works. Crocodile's subordinates."
Caelan stared at the two kneeling before him as he revealed their identities.
"Crocodile… one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?!"
Nami and Tashigi were stunned.
How could these two nobodies be connected to someone as big as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?
This was really troublesome. Anything connected to the Seven Warlords was bound to be complicated.
Mr. 9 and Vivi froze, shocked by Caelan's words.
Vivi had just received news about these matters recently. How did someone from East Blue like Caelan know so much?
Mr. 9 wanted to deny it. He didn't even personally know the Seven Warlords of the Sea, nor did he want to use their name to get out of trouble.
No one dared to casually use the name of a Warlord. Doing so would lead to a fate worse than death.
"Do you have a grudge against Crocodile?"
Vivi looked at Caelan, with little hope shining in her eyes.
She had realized that the man standing before her might be her only chance to save Alabasta.
Mr. 9 widened his eyes, completely dumbfounded.
Could it be… Crocodile really is my boss?
He looked at Vivi, suddenly feeling that his partner was a complete stranger.
(To be continued.)
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