Its Strong Point Is... (Thanks to Alliance Leader Chengsheng Xidatuo for the tip!!!)
Looking at the bits of meat and ice shards scattered on the ground, Vivi felt a mix of emotions.
In fact, Vivi had two choices when she was first surrounded by the enemy.
One option was to use the Den Den Mushi, a special device used by the Alabasta royal family, to call Igaram to bring people to rescue him.
The other was to dial the emergency number Ma Qiao had left for him on his "cell phone"—110.
For some inexplicable reason, Vivi chose the latter.
Perhaps subconsciously, I had already come to regard the older man as a more reliable person?
But...
"Sorry..."
Vivi's eyes were red and her heart was filled with regret.
She hated herself for dragging innocent people into events involving the Celestial Dragons, and for not turning and running away immediately upon discovering Saint Charlos's mark...
Let's stop here!
Vivi stretched out her arms, blocking Ma Qiao's path, and forcefully held back tears of regret. "This has nothing to do with you. I'll find a way to get that guy's forgiveness..."
Vivi's appearance is exactly the same as when she stood in front of Neptune at the Reverie years later. (As shown in the picture)
"How... stupid..."
There are just too many idiots in the world of One Piece suffering from childishness.
And one of them was his lovely student.
But because she's so cute, I can forgive her.
A fool like Kozuki Oden is simply unforgivable.
"Oden's story is well-written; its strength lies in his surrender..."
Ma Qiao said something Vivi couldn't understand at all, then raised his Sett.
State!
Ma Qiao was ultimately not as straightforward as King Luffy.
That guy really went all out when he punched Vivi; he hit her right in the face and even sent her flying.
Ma Qiao simply gave his adorable student a playful flick on the forehead, a gesture of teacherly affection.
Of course, this love seems a bit profound...
Vivi clutched the large bump on her head, tears streaming down her face from the pain.
The tragic atmosphere she had painstakingly created for herself was completely destroyed.
"Hey old man, what are you doing! That hurts!"
"Because my foolish disciple has forgotten everything I taught him!"
"Huh? What are you teaching?"
Vivi looked somewhat bewildered.
Ma Qiao said irritably, "Didn't I teach you? When navigating the high seas, caution and prudence are paramount; you must proceed with utmost care in everything you do..."
"But... but you killed a Celestial Dragons's slave-catching officer, offending the dignity of the Celestial Dragons. Is that considered being cautious?"
"Nonsense! Who saw me offend the Celestial Dragons? Did you see them?"
"I... of course I won't tell anyone, but..."
"Ashes cannot speak."
Ma Qiao stopped talking to the foolish students and turned to teach the young princess a lesson in what a real life-or-death struggle was!
This is a life-or-death struggle, not some childish pirate game, not King Luffy who beats people up and then gets himself wanted all over the world...
You killed the boss!
"He's Saint Charlos's most trusted supplier!"
"You bunch of reckless idiots! We work for the Celestial Dragons, you're all dead!"
Seeing their leader instantly killed, the slave traders screamed and fled in terror toward the ship.
However, before they could even get close to the slave ship, corpses were thrown off the deck one after another.
Garen's towering figure appeared at the bow of the ship, his Roots-themed cape fluttering behind him, his gaze looking down at a swarm of vermin.
"Damn it, someone has already infiltrated the slave ship!"
"Rode Vanf, Bin Lowell... they're all dead!"
"Anyone who brought Den Den Mushi, call Sabaody right now!"
The vendors frantically pulled out their Den Den Mushi), but no matter how they dialed, there was no signal.
Ma Qiao smiled and tossed the special Den Den Mushi into his hand, "You human Human Traffickers have professional equipment, so how could we gangsters not have it?"
In the original comics, the Supernovas "Gangster" Capone Becky once used a Den Den Mushi to block the signal throughout Whole Cake Chateau.
Ma Qiao had long coveted such useful equipment and purchased seedlings for Teemo to cultivate.
Vivi is in danger, and the reason why Ma Qiao didn't appear immediately was to make full preparations and eliminate any possibility of exposing himself!
He didn't want to end up on the Celestial Dragons' blacklist before he had fully grown his power Root Division influence.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Ashe, like a graceful nightingale, stood atop a treetop and unleashed a rain of arrows.
Garen, wielding Phage, spun rapidly, mowing down the lives of these minions.
Ma Qiao, with Vivi's mouth slightly agape the entire time, coldly watched as the Slave Traders was completely annihilated.
Human Traffickers must die!
"Those buyers too!"
Hearing Ma Qiao's soft murmur, Vivi looked up, smiled, and snuggled closer into his arms.
Soon, all fifty-odd Human Traffickers, including the thawed ice sculpture fragments, had turned into corpses and were piled together.
Ma Qiao pulled an ordinary-looking apple from his pocket, his face showing undisguised disappointment.
"Do you want an apple?" Ma Qiao asked Vivi, who looked like a little quail in his arms.
"No, no!"
She hadn't realized anything because of the tension, but now that she'd come to her senses and faced with the mangled corpse, Vivi almost vomited. She had no appetite for an apple.
"That's a real shame... Let me tell you a secret, Death loves to eat apples..."
Ma Qiao shook his head, took a bite, and the crisp, juicy apple flowed freely down his tongue, instantly improving his mood.
Of course, Ma Qiao didn't bring the apple with him just to eat it.
This is an experiment.
In the original storyline, Teach and his crew successfully finished off Whitebeard during the Paramount War and stole his Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
How exactly this was done remains a mystery to this day.
The widely circulated belief is that placing a fruit next to a Devil Fruit user about to be executed will grant them a new Devil Fruit after their death.
Unfortunately, Ma Qiao's experiment was unsuccessful.
Perhaps because the type of fruit was wrong, Ma Qiao remembered that the Smooth-Smooth Fruit in the encyclopedia looked like something that resembled a pig's brain. (See picture)
It's also possible that other additional conditions were not met.
Or perhaps, this theory is simply wrong.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
This was merely an added bonus, and Ma Qiao wasn't particularly attached to it.
"Uncle, should we burn them? Burn them... burn them..."
Vivi tried hard to recall what she had learned in class, and a phrase came to mind. "Crushed to ashes?"
"That's right, but not here!"
Ma Qiao shook his head. "This isn't just about one or two people. Once it starts burning, the smell... tsk tsk, some people in town might even think we're having a picnic and barbecue..."
Vivi felt nauseous, but she knew that what Ma Qiao said was true.
Although it's separated from Whiskey Peak by mountains, it's still on an island, so the risk of exposure is high.
"So... sink them to the bottom of the sea?"
Vivi thought hard and began to apply what she had learned to other situations.
"No."
Ma Qiao shook his head. "Even if we tie them with ropes, we can't rule out the possibility that they'll float to the surface and be discovered later."
"What should we do then?"
Vivi scratched her head, "We can't just bury it, can we?"
"We still have to disperse the dust..."
Ma Qiao shook his head and looked at the distant sea. "We just need to find a different place."
Vivi didn't even realize what she was feeling when she agreed to change into those clothes with the older man...
This is so weird...
By this time, Ma Qiao had already changed into a "Uncle Ying" outfit, while Garen wore a bald hood, a tattered robe, and held a string of prayer beads.
And Vivi...
She was dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit, and carried a bow on her back. (See picture)
There's no way around it; whether it's the existence of the Revive-Revive Fruit) or the foreshadowing of the underworld and demons in the Wano Country arc, it all clearly indicates that ghosts and the afterlife exist in this world.
And Ma Qiao, unable to pinpoint which powerful figure was in charge of this world, could only resort to the timeless wisdom of his ancestors—
I believe it to some extent...
After all, who knows what abilities Imu possesses? What if he's some kind of deity reincarnated?
The ending of Naruto devolved into a chaotic mess of alien god clans and their ethical conflicts, a scenario that Ma Qiao vividly remembers...
We still need to be careful!