The moon shone brightly, its cool light spilling over the quiet town. The streets...
"What princess? I never said anything like that." Igaram gritted his teeth and glared at Lina and the others, unwilling to accept it.
"You two bastards!"
A loud shout suddenly rang out in the distance. The group looked over to see Luffy, furious and bristling with anger. "They invited us to dinner, and you knocked them all out!"
"Sanji and Zoro just joined the crew, so I'll let it slide, but why didn't you stop them, Lina?!"
Lina's face instantly darkened. "..."
"S-so slow on the uptake!" Igaram lay sprawled on the ground, speechless as he looked at the captain with a thirty-million-Berry bounty on his head.
Even an outsider couldn't stand to watch.
"Bastards! Today I'll teach you the rules of this ship!" Luffy clenched his fists in fury and charged over in his sandals, slapping along with every step.
"The rules of this ship..." Lina gave Luffy, who clearly had no idea what he was getting into, a helpless look. "Who's the one who doesn't know the rules?"
Wham! Wham!
"You idiot!" Nami punched Luffy twice with a vicious look, and he quieted right down.
Looking at Luffy, who was now curled up on the ground clutching his head, Lina and the others could only manage awkward smiles.
The rules of this ship were Nami, that wicked woman!
A tyrant who was meek and mild with outsiders, but quick to throw punches at her own crew.
"Enough. Back to business." Lina lit a cigarette and crouched down in front of Igaram. "The princess you just mentioned—is that her?"
Lina pointed to Vivi, who was lying unconscious nearby, then said, "Tell us everything. Otherwise, we'll toss you into the sea to feed the fish right now."
"Wait!" Igaram cried out in a hurry. "There's nothing to gain from killing us! I want to hire you for a job. If you pull it off, you'll get a generous reward!"
"Oh?" Nami perked up at once. She tugged at her shorts, crouched down, and eyed him with interest. "Let's hear it."
Igaram gritted his teeth and thought for a moment before explaining the job.
Lina and the others listened quietly.
Pirates naturally spent most of their time pillaging, killing, and looting, but many of them also took on all sorts of jobs, just like mercenaries.
They accepted legal and illegal jobs alike. This was one of the main sources of income for many pirates. Sometimes, work from nobles and royals paid far better than a robbery. After all, what noble family didn't have a few dirty secrets?
"The princess of Alabasta?!"
Everyone except Lina was clearly shocked by Igaram's explanation.
"Hey! That's a superpowerful country!"
"And if I remember right, the country's in the middle of a civil war, isn't it?"
Nami had spoken up. She made a habit of reading the newspaper. "Why would the princess of a great nation be in a place like this?"
"That's none of your concern. Knowing too much might put you in danger..."
"So our job is just to take you back to Alabasta, right?"
Lina walked over to Vivi, who was lying in the street. "How long will it take for the Log Pose here to set?"
"Just one day," Igaram replied.
"Luffy, what do you say? We'll take the job, then?" Nami rubbed her hands together.
"The princess of a superpowerful country, huh? Let's set the fee at one billion!"
"What?!" Igaram cried out. "Wait! I can't make a decision about that much money. You'll have to discuss it with the royal family after you take the princess home."
Standing beside Vivi, Lina knew the state of the desert kingdom's finances. Cobra had already sold off everything of value to provide relief for his people.
The king himself was living on meager fare. There was no way he could pay a billion.
"Sure!" Luffy called out for some reason, grinning as he said, "We'll take the job!"
Lina crouched down, grabbed Vivi by her sky-blue hair, lifted her head, and patted her cheek. "Hey, wake up, you little punk."
Vivi slowly opened her eyes. She had no idea what was going on and glared angrily at Lina. "Damn you!"
"Come on, don't look so indignant."
Lina and the others briefly explained the situation to Vivi, and soon the group dispersed.
The Straw Hats went back to the Going Merry to sleep, leaving Vivi and Igaram where they were.
"Are you sure this is all right, Igaram?" Vivi looked worried.
Igaram had changed completely from before, regaining the composure and calm expected of a captain of the royal guard. "You've seen how strong they are, Princess. More importantly..."
He paused as he looked at the people sprawled all over the place, then continued, "After all that fighting, they didn't kill a single person. Even though we were their opponents, they still remembered the kindness of a meal. I trust their character."
"I see. I understand, Igaram. I trust you. We'll set off with them tomorrow?" Vivi pushed herself up from the ground.
Igaram calmly corrected her. "No. You'll go with them, Princess. I'll take another route."
"Why?!"
"I just saw an agent of misfortune..."
Igaram's expression darkened. "Word of what happened here will reach the boss soon. I'll leave tonight and go ahead of you, drawing their fire away from you."
"Wait! Igar—"
"Don't say another word, Princess!"
Igaram cut her off resolutely, then continued more gently. "The situation in the country is dire. You should know what matters most right now."
"I..."
Vivi pressed her lips together, a trace of reluctance on her face. "...I understand."
At noon the next day, the sun hung overhead beneath a cloudless sky. The Going Merry sat in a quiet harbor.
A few majestic undead eagles perched on the ship's crow's nest. As usual, Lina and Zoro were lifting weights together behind the common room.
"Time to set sail, everyone!" Luffy lay over the Going Merry's figurehead, hugging the sheep's head.
The undead crew weighed anchor and steered the Going Merry slowly out of the harbor.
Everyone on board went about their usual business. The only difference was that the ship now had a new passenger—and an emergency food supply.
"Are you sure this'll be all right?" Vivi held on to Karoo with her left hand, feeling a little out of place.
It was as though nobody even cared that a princess had joined the ship. She was the key figure in their job, so how had she ended up feeling invisible?
Except to Sanji...
"Lunch is ready, everyone!" Sanji called as he came out of the kitchen, then hurried over to fuss over Vivi.
"Coming!" Luffy immediately raced up to the second deck.
Lina put down her workout equipment and headed to the dining room with Zoro.
The group quickly gathered around the table. Compared to the others, who were eating heartily, Vivi and Karoo seemed rather uneasy in the corner.
"Nami, is our next stop Little Garden?" Lina asked. She couldn't remember whether they had to stop anywhere else before Little Garden.
After entering the Grand Line, Lina had become even more eager to meet the Red Ogre and Blue Ogre.
"Yeah, Little Garden's right," Nami replied. She had checked their route before setting sail.
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Little Garden?! It sounds like a great place! Heh heh."
"It ought to be beautiful," Nami said, sounding eager too.
Lina knew that Nami's excitement wouldn't last long.
Elbaf is famous throughout the New World. It'd be strange if the leaders of the Giant Soldier Pirates didn't have Haki.
At that moment, in Rainbase, Alabasta.
Inside a luxurious room, a man stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, a cigar clenched between his teeth.
Click, click. The sharp sound of high heels echoed through the empty room.
"You're back, Miss All Sunday." The man spoke in a low voice, turning to look at the black-haired woman who had just entered.
"One of our bases near the entrance to the Grand Line was destroyed. This is the report sent back by the agent of misfortune."
As she spoke, the black-haired woman placed two photographs on the table. One showed Vivi; the other showed Luffy.
"The man Mr. 5 captured was Igaram in disguise. The real Princess Vivi has already left with the Straw Hat Pirates."
"And then?" The man's low voice sounded again.
"Their next stop is Little Garden. The two partner teams, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, and Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek, have already headed there."
"And if they fail again this time?" The man's tone was clearly displeased.
"I sent Mr. 2 as well. He'll take care of the rest—and execute those useless fools while he's at it."
"As expected of Miss All Sunday. You're always so efficient." Crocodile's lips curled as he spoke in a low voice.
Before you continue