The moon shone brightly, its cold light spilling over the quiet town and its streets.
"What princess? I never said that." Igaram gritted his teeth and glared unwillingly at Reiner and the others.
"You two bastards!"
A shout suddenly rang out in the distance. They looked over to see Luffy with his hair practically standing on end. "They treated us to food, and you guys actually beat them all up!"
"It's one thing that Sanji and Zoro had just joined the crew, but why didn't you stop them, Reiner?!"
Reiner's face instantly darkened. "..."
"So dense!" Igaram lay on the ground, speechless as he looked at this captain with a thirty-million-berry bounty.
Even an outsider couldn't stand to watch anymore.
"Bastards! Today, I'll show you the rules of this ship!" Luffy clenched his fists furiously and charged over in his slippers with a slap-slap-slap.
"The rules of this ship?" Reiner looked helplessly at the fool who had no idea what was good for him. "Who exactly is the one who doesn't understand the rules?"
Duang! Duang!
"You idiot!" Nami viciously landed two punches, and Luffy immediately behaved himself.
Watching Luffy clutch his head as he lay on the ground, Reiner and the others could only smile awkwardly.
The rule of this ship was Nami, that vicious woman!
A ship tyrant who acted meekly toward outsiders but threw heavy punches at her own people.
"Alright, back to business." Reiner lit a cigarette, crouched down, and said to Igaram, "The princess you shouted about just now was her, right?"
As he spoke, Reiner pointed at Vivi, who was lying unconscious in the distance, then added, "Explain everything properly, or we'll throw you into the sea to feed the fish right now."
"Wait!" Igaram hurriedly shouted. "Killing us won't do you any good! I want to hire you for a mission. If you succeed, you'll definitely receive a generous reward!"
"Mm-hm~" Nami perked up at once. Tugging at her shorts, she crouched down and examined him with interest. "Let's hear it."
Grinding his teeth, Igaram thought for a while before beginning to explain the commission.
Reiner and the others listened quietly.
Pirates naturally spent much of their time burning, killing, and looting, but most pirates also accepted all kinds of commissioned jobs, much like mercenaries.
There were legal and illegal commissions alike. This was also one of many pirates' important sources of income. Sometimes, taking a job from royalty or nobility earned money far faster than robbery. What noble family didn't have a few shameful secrets?
"The princess of Alabasta?!"
After hearing Igaram out, everyone except Reiner was clearly shocked.
"Hey! That's a superpower!"
"And wasn't that country caught up in war?"
Nami spoke up. She usually read the newspapers. "Why would the princess of such a major country be in a place like this?"
"You don't need to worry about that. Knowing too much will only harm you."
"So our mission is simply to escort you to Alabasta, right?"
Reiner walked over to Vivi, who was lying in the street. "How long will it take for the Log Pose here to set?"
"One day will be enough," Igaram replied.
"What do you say, Luffy? Let's take this job." Nami rubbed her hands together.
"A princess from a superpower! Let's set the commission fee at one billion berries!"
"What?!" Igaram cried out. "Wait! I can't make a decision over that kind of money. You'll have to discuss it with the royal family after you escort the princess back."
Standing beside Vivi, Reiner knew the Sand Kingdom's financial situation. Cobra had long since sold off every valuable possession to provide relief for his people.
The king himself lived on the plainest meals. How could he possibly come up with one billion berries?
"Alright!" Luffy suddenly shouted for no apparent reason, then grinned. "We'll take this job!"
Reiner crouched down, grabbed a fistful of Vivi's sky-blue hair, lifted her head, and patted her cheek. "Hey, wake up, little delinquent."
Vivi slowly opened her eyes. Still unaware of what had happened, she glared furiously at Reiner. "Damn it!"
"Alright, stop looking so righteously indignant."
Reiner and the others briefly explained the situation to Vivi, and before long, the group dispersed.
The Straw Hat Crew returned to the Going Merry to continue sleeping, leaving only Vivi and Igaram behind.
"Will this really be alright, Igaram?" Vivi showed a trace of concern.
Igaram's previous expression vanished, replaced by the calm composure expected of a captain of the royal guard. "Your Highness, you saw their strength for yourself. More importantly..."
Looking at the people lying scattered all over the ground, he paused before continuing, "After fighting this long, they didn't kill a single person. Even though we were enemies, they still remembered the kindness of a meal. I believe in their character."
"Is that so? I understand, Igaram. I trust you. Tomorrow, we'll set off with them?" Vivi slowly pushed herself up with both hands.
However, Igaram calmly objected. "No. Your Highness, you should go with them. I'll leave by another route."
"Why?!"
"I saw Unluckies just now."
Igaram's expression darkened. "What happened here will soon reach the boss. I'll leave overnight and go on ahead to draw their attention away from you."
"Wait! Iga—"
"Say no more, Your Highness!"
Igaram cut her off firmly, then slowly said, "The country's situation is dire. You know what must be done first."
"I..."
Vivi pressed her lips together, a hint of unwillingness in her eyes. "...I understand."
At noon the next day, the sun hung high in a cloudless sky, and the Going Merry was docked in the calm harbor.
Several imposing Undead Hawks perched atop the crow's nest. As usual, Reiner worked out with Zoro behind the living quarters.
"Get ready to set sail, everyone!" Luffy lay atop the Going Merry's figurehead, hugging the sheep's head.
The undead raised the anchor and operated the Going Merry as it slowly left the harbor.
Everyone aboard went about their usual business. The only difference was that there was now one extra person and one emergency food supply aboard.
"Is this really alright?" Vivi rested her left hand on Karoo, unable to shake the strange feeling.
It was as though no one cared that a princess had come aboard. She was clearly the key person in this commission, so why did she feel completely invisible here?
Except to Sanji.
"Food's ready, everyone!" Sanji called as he emerged from the kitchen, then immediately went over to fawn over Vivi again.
"Coming, coming!" Luffy rushed up to the second floor.
Reiner also put down his training equipment and headed to the dining room in the living quarters with Zoro.
Before long, everyone had gathered around the table. Compared to the others devouring their food, Vivi and Karoo, seated at the corner of the table, seemed far more reserved.
"Nami, is our next stop Little Garden?" Reiner couldn't help asking. He couldn't remember whether they would visit anywhere else before Little Garden.
After entering the Grand Line, Reiner had become even more eager to meet the Blue Ogre and the Red Ogre.
"Yeah, Little Garden is right." Nami had checked their sailing route before setting out.
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Little Garden?! That sounds like an awesome place, hehehe!"
"It should be beautiful." Nami was looking forward to it as well.
Reiner knew Nami's anticipation wouldn't last very long.
Elbaf is a famous country in the New World. If the leaders of the Giant Warrior Pirates didn't know Haki, that would make no sense. Reiner wondered inwardly.
Meanwhile, in Rain Dinners, Alabasta.
Inside a luxurious room, a man stood before an enormous floor-to-ceiling window with a cigar clenched between his teeth.
Click, click. The crisp sound of high heels echoed through the empty room.
"You're back, Miss All Sunday." The man spoke in a deep voice and turned to look at the black-haired woman who had entered.
"One of our bases at the entrance to the Grand Line was destroyed. This is the intelligence sent back by the Unlucky Messenger."
As she spoke, the black-haired woman placed two photographs on the table. One depicted Vivi, and the other Luffy.
"The person Mr. 5 captured was Igaram in disguise. The real Princess Vivi has already left with the Straw Hat Crew."
"And then?" the man's deep voice sounded again.
"Their next stop is Little Garden. Mr. 5 and Mr. 3, along with their respective partners, have already headed there."
"And if they fail again this time?" The man's tone was clearly displeased.
"I also sent Mr. 2. He'll clean things up 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