Mr. 6? / Instinct as a Bug

It was only after spending time with Arthur, getting to know his character and the kind of person he was, and gradually being won over by his charm, with the night he tore down the curtain serving as an added ingredient, and the breaking of Arlong's pirate crew's [corrupted text] heart.

The process had been short, but extremely complicated.

If Arthur hadn't known the story and understood Nami's character, and, most importantly, had the looks and bearing... let alone a month, he wouldn't have won her over in a lifetime.

The same saying still held true: looks were justice.

"There's an important person on that island. He might have something we need."

"An Eternal Pose?" Nami understood immediately. Her eyes lit up.

"That's right..."

Arthur was talking about Igaram, the captain of the Alabasta Kingdom's royal guard. To protect Princess Vivi and investigate the secrets of Baroque Works, he had infiltrated the organization with her as an undercover agent. He was on this island now.

There was a very good chance he had an Eternal Pose leading to Alabasta.

Arthur knew that the next island on this route was Little Garden, where a Log Pose took a year to store its magnetic field.

Even though Mr. 3 might already be there, and he was certain to have an Eternal Pose, Arthur still didn't want to go.

The original story had left too deep an impression on him. Arthur clearly remembered that Nami had been bitten by a poisonous insect there and suffered a persistent high fever. If not for Dr. Kureha and Chopper on Drum Island, she might even have died of the illness.

Whenever Arthur pictured Nami tormented by illness, looking so miserable, he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

Arthur didn't know whether this world had a force that corrected the plot, but he didn't dare take the gamble.

Arthur had already made up his mind. If Igaram didn't have an Eternal Pose, he would wait on this island for Luffy to arrive, then ask Nico Robin for one. If she refused, he would take it by force.

The small cabin sailboat sailed straight toward Whiskey Peak, passed through a thin layer of mist, and soon entered the harbor.

They reached the island without any trouble and weren't given the same treatment as Luffy. The bounty hunters acted like ordinary townspeople, paying Arthur and Nami no attention.

Nami, however, was accustomed to the dark side of the sea. She noticed quite a few gazes watching them, tinged with malice.

It was hidden so deeply that ordinary people would never have noticed.

At that moment, Nami believed Arthur completely, and wariness appeared deep in her eyes.

At that moment, Nami believed Arthur completely, and wariness appeared deep in her eyes.

"Go bring all the money. Act as if nothing has happened," Arthur said softly, stroking Nami's orange hair.

"Mm." Nami nodded and turned into the cabin, while Arthur began dropping anchor.

A little later, Nami came out carrying two black cases. The two stepped ashore and headed for town.

Not long after they left, several figures emerged from the mist and quietly approached the sailboat, then began ransacking it.

Arthur sensed their actions with his Observation Haki.

Even Nami had noticed those malicious gazes, let alone Arthur, who possessed Instinct (A) and Observation Haki. He had sensed the sentries watching from a great distance.

No crowd had gathered, probably because the sentries had seen that Arthur's vessel was only an ordinary small cabin sailboat, and there was no pirate [corrupted text] on its mast, making it unlikely they were pirates.

They were probably ordinary people who had come to the island to buy supplies.

So the sentries hadn't notified their accomplices in town. Instead, they had secretly waited for Arthur and Nami to leave, then slipped aboard to search for anything valuable.

Realizing this was why Arthur had told Nami to bring all their money.

These bounty hunters, who had tried to hunt Laboon because of the food shortage, would probably carry off all the ingredients.

The food didn't matter. Sea beasts in the Grand Line were as numerous as fish crossing a river; for Arthur, food was practically everywhere.

I hope they know better than to go too far. Otherwise, they can't blame me for showing no mercy, Arthur thought briefly.

The two walked down a path and soon reached the town.

As befitted a place driven into a food crisis by poverty, the town looked extremely run-down, and a heavy atmosphere hung over it.

There were few people on the streets, and none of them looked like decent folk.

When Arthur and Nami appeared, their bright, fine clothes and their bearing were completely out of place. One look was enough to tell they had come from outside.

At once, the eyes of some people who noticed them lit up.

"Handsome sir, beautiful miss, is there anything I can help you with?" A man hurried over, rubbing his hands with an eager smile.

Both Arthur and Nami noticed him secretly eyeing the two cases in Nami's hands.

As expected of a bounty hunter, he had an exceptional nose for money.

Pretending not to know the truth about the place, Arthur smiled and said, "We've just arrived in town. Could you take me to see your mayor? We have some business to discuss with him."

As if to echo Arthur's words, Nami raised the cases in her hands at just the right moment and gave a meaningful smile.

Business!!

The man's eyes lit up with delight at the word. If there was business, didn't that mean income for the town?

"No problem... no problem... please follow me."

Without considering the flaws in what Arthur had said, the man led the way like a servant attending to an important guest, his intelligence leaving much to be desired.

Arthur and Nami exchanged a glance and smiled before following him.

Chapter 20: Mr. 6?

Following the man under the discreet gazes of the people around them, the three arrived in front of a house.

The house was just as run-down. Its doors and windows were nailed tightly shut, without the slightest gap, as though something inside couldn't bear the light of day.

Knock, knock, knock—

"Mr. Mayor, two guests who have come from far away wish to see you." The man knocked gently on the door and called out in a low voice.

"Please... cough, cough, ma—ma—ma—please come in." Almost immediately, an awkward but otherwise unstrange voice came from inside the house.

Creak—

Given permission, the man pushed the door open and led Arthur and Nami inside.

With the doors and windows nailed shut, the room was rather dim, but they could still make out the general scene inside.

The first impression it gave was—bare.

There were a few wooden tables and chairs, but not even a sofa. Wanted posters covered the walls, making it feel less like the mayor's house and more like a den of thugs, filled with a seedy air.

Even the mayor's house was in this state. It was easy to imagine just how poor Whiskey Peak was.

There were also three people in the house.

Arthur casually glanced around before focusing on the three of them.

At their head was a tall man with long, curly hair, wearing a suit that clashed with the atmosphere of the room and holding a saxophone. He was Igaram, the mayor of Whiskey Peak and captain of the Alabasta Kingdom's royal guard.

Behind him were a man and a woman. The man was dressed like a prince, with two tufts of facial hair trimmed into the shape of the Arabic numeral 9. He had none of a prince's bearing. He was Mr. 9, an intermediate agent of Baroque Works.

The woman wore blue-and-white ring-patterned clothes. Her long blue hair was tied in a ponytail, her skin was fair, and her face was beautiful and cute. She was Nefertari Vivi, princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, ruled by one of the twenty kings who had jointly founded the World Government eight hundred years ago.

Her bloodline was in no way inferior to that of the Celestial Dragons. She was a true descendant of the creators.

"Decker, these people are..."

As Arthur studied them, the long-haired Igaram and the other two were also sizing up Arthur and Nami.

At that moment, the powerful effect of his innate skill Instinct (A) came into play. Arthur clearly caught the flash of surprise in Igaram's eyes.

A small part of that surprise was admiration for Arthur's bearing. As captain of the Alabasta Kingdom's royal guard, Igaram had accompanied King Cobra to the Reverie and seen all kinds of noble kings and Celestial Dragons. Although Arthur had inherited King Arthur's sanctity and nobility, that alone wouldn't have caused Igaram to lose control of his emotions.

Arthur sensed that Igaram's emotions had shifted most strongly when he saw his face.

"As expected of a kingdom's guard captain. Impressive." Arthur recalled how Igaram had immediately called the man by name. He even remembered an obscure nobody like him. Clearly, Igaram's intelligence-gathering ability and memory were quite good.

"Mr. Mayor, these two guests have come from far away to discuss some business with you." The man lowered himself and explained with a broad smile, as if telling Igaram that two fat sheep had arrived.

"Cough, cough... ma—ma—ma—I understand. You may leave first." Igaram coughed lightly, then suddenly turned to the man beside him. "Mr. 9, you too. Step outside for a moment."

"Uh... understood."

Mr. 9 paused in surprise, then glanced at Arthur and Nami. Realization immediately dawned on him, and he quickly nodded.

He and his partner, Miss Wednesday, had been in the house discussing how to resolve the town's food crisis with Igaram. He hadn't expected two fat sheep to show up so soon.

Watching Igaram's actions, Nami and Vivi, standing behind the two men, both showed a trace of puzzlement.

This made Arthur even more certain that Igaram had recognized him.

"Ma—ma—ma—should I address you as Mr. 6, or the Wind Sword Knight?" Sure enough, Igaram's words confirmed Arthur's Instinct.

"Mr. 6..."

At Igaram's words, Vivi's pupils contracted, and surprise flashed in her eyes as she looked at Arthur.

This man was actually the foremost intermediate agent of Baroque Works!

The Wind Sword Knight—wasn't that the famous bounty hunter from the East Blue?

He was also a member of Baroque Works?

Vivi looked at Arthur: his upper body was clad in a pure white garment with a long coat-like cape, as though a cape and robe had been sewn together; he wore pure white trousers, white boots, and pure white gloves. With his short blond hair, handsome face, and sacred, noble bearing, he was instantly recognizable as a knight. A trace of indignation flashed in her eyes.

Arthur was undoubtedly the most perfect knight Vivi had ever seen, and the more perfect he seemed, the more dissatisfied she was with him.

Why would someone with such bearing serve a Shichibukai like Crocodile?

Arthur didn't know what Vivi was thinking, but Instinct (A) still picked up the fluctuation in her emotions. He glanced at her, then returned his gaze to Igaram and said calmly, "It seems your intelligence, or your position, isn't particularly noteworthy in Baroque Works. I'm not this Mr. 6 you mentioned, much less a member of your organization. The invitation that vulture gave me did mention that number, but I turned it down."

"Is that so? I see!" Igaram was a little surprised, but when he thought of Arthur's reputation in the East Blue, he no longer found it strange.

He knew far more about Arthur than Vivi did. Someone like him truly wouldn't join such an evil organization.

After hearing Arthur's words, the way Vivi looked at him changed instantly as well.

That's more like it. How could an upright knight possibly associate with evil?

Nami, who had been watching the pair all along, saw their expressions change repeatedly and thought they were both very strange, as though they were hiding some secret.

If Arthur had known what Nami was thinking, he would surely have been amazed.

She was sensitive not only to wind and weather, but her sixth sense was also this strong. If she awakened Observation Haki in the future, how powerful would she be?

Chapter 21: Instinct as a Bug

"Since you aren't Mr. 6, Sir Knight, may I ask what brings you to me?" Hearing Arthur's denial, Igaram breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost thought that his and Princess Vivi's identities had been exposed, and that the rumored Mr. 6 had been ordered to deal with them.

Seeing that they hadn't been exposed and that this famous East Blue bounty hunter wasn't an enemy, Igaram no longer looked at Arthur warily. A faint smile appeared on his face as he spoke.

Sir Knight?!

Hearing the title, Arthur raised an eyebrow and looked at Igaram with even greater appreciation.

No wonder Cobra had sent Igaram to protect Vivi. Not only was he quite capable in strength, his ability to handle matters was outstanding as well.

Wind Sword Knight was what the East Blue called Arthur.

Those who recognized Arthur, including Nami at first, all called him Lord Wind Sword.

Igaram was the first person to address him as a knight. The title was a compliment meant to improve Arthur's opinion of him, but it was also an indirect way of reminding Arthur what it meant to be a knight.

If Arthur was a knight and possessed a knight's spirit, then he should inherit uprightness.

An upright person would never do anything that violated the code of chivalry. Once such a person became a friend, they were someone one could trust more than anyone else.

That was why Arthur saw Igaram in a new light.

As expected, anime was anime, but this was the real world.

Igaram, who had shown flashes of brilliance in the original story, displayed even more of the emotional intelligence and intellect that had made him a high-ranking official of the Alabasta Kingdom in reality.

"I'd like to make a deal with you. You're members of Baroque Works, so do you have an Eternal Pose leading to Alabasta?" Pretending not to know their identities, Arthur gave Nami a look and said, "As a fellow bounty hunter, I know it's not a very lucrative profession. Everything I saw in town on the way here told me that you're very poor right now."

Nami opened one of the cases. It was filled with stacks of banknotes, no less than ten million Beli in all.

Arthur took out a stack of banknotes and tapped it, then said to Igaram, "If you have an Eternal Pose, I'm willing to buy it for two million Beli. That's an astronomical price. What do you say?"

A Log Pose cost no more than a hundred thousand Beli, and an Eternal Pose two hundred thousand at most.