Revenge for His Grandson

"Then are you Marines just going to stand by and watch as a World Government member nation is destroyed and occupied by criminal forces? If that's the case, what right do you have to call yourselves justice? And how can you justify all the enormous sums Alabasta has paid to the World Government over the years?!"

The fury in Vivi's heart turned into boundless courage. Before the greater cause of her nation, she could no longer care about maintaining the image of a princess. She slammed the table and shouted.

Her anger stemmed not only from Noki's refusal to help her country, but also from the resentment of having just been slapped.

As the princess of Alabasta, a superpower in the first half of the Grand Line, Vivi was not as delicate as ordinary noble princesses, but she still found such humiliation hard to bear.

Noki looked at her calmly and said unhurriedly, "Your Highness, please calm down first. What I mean is that we cannot act right now, not that we will ignore this forever.

"Based on what you just told me, Baroque Works' primary target is the Kingdom of Alabasta. If we take action against Baroque Works, it will inevitably involve your country's internal affairs.

"Therefore, I need to return to headquarters and report this matter to my superiors. Only after receiving authorization can I offer assistance."

"I see. I'm sorry, I misunderstood you." Realizing she had been too impulsive, Vivi lowered her head and sincerely bowed to Noki in apology.

"It's fine."

Noki continued, "If Your Highness trusts me, I can promise you that I will wipe out Baroque Works and resolve Alabasta's crisis."

As a Marine, he deeply loathed pirates who harmed and oppressed civilians.

In order to seize the Kingdom of Alabasta, Crocodile had Baroque Works' lackeys use Dancing Powder to steal the rain, causing countless innocent people to die in the drought and plunging an originally harmonious society into riots. He was clearly among those Noki hated.

Sooner or later, he would kill every last one of them.

Vivi bowed deeply again. "Thank you. On behalf of Alabasta's royal family, I offer you our gratitude."

"There'll be plenty of time to thank me after I destroy Baroque Works."

To destroy Baroque Works, he would inevitably have to defeat their boss, Crocodile.

However, that bastard was protected by his status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

If Noki did not first find a way to strip him of that position, killing him rashly would certainly cause a series of problems.

Noki was a smart man. He had no intention of inviting trouble over something like this. The Seven Warlords of the Sea involved the World Government and the Five Elders. Even with his extensive connections in the Marines, they were not people he could offend casually.

The World Government always cared greatly about its image. If the Marines casually defeated one of the Seven Warlords they had chosen, then loudly publicized all his crimes, it would be nothing less than a slap in their face. The World Government would never allow that to happen.

"Your Highness, since you trust me, please return to Alabasta's royal capital. It is far too dangerous for you to wander about alone outside. We will escort you back to Alabasta."

"But I want to remain in Baroque Works and gather intelligence. That way, I can provide some help to the Marines..." Vivi said hesitantly.

Noki shook his head. "The Marines' intelligence organization is far more efficient than you. Taking such risks is not worth it."

"Then... all right. Sorry for the trouble."

Vivi felt that he made sense. If the Marines had stated earlier that they would help them, she never would have risked infiltrating Baroque Works.

Noki stared at the bright red handprint on Vivi's cheek. "I failed to keep my subordinate under control and allowed Your Highness to be hurt. I hope you can forgive us."

"It's fine, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

Vivi felt that trading one slap for peace in her kingdom was more than worthwhile. Besides, she had been posing as a pirate at the time, so she could not blame anyone for hitting her.

Wanting to build a good relationship with Noki, Vivi blinked and timidly asked, "May I ask your name?"

"Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral Cudilia Noci."

Vivi nodded softly and tested the waters. "Then... can I call you Sister Noki?"

Noki's face immediately darkened. His expression sank, and after leaving behind a furious, "Of course not!" he turned and stormed out of the room.

Vivi looked blankly at Ain. "Did I say something wrong?"

Ain gave an awkward smile. "Noki is just a little pretty. He's actually a man."

"Ah!" Vivi's face instantly flushed red.

From the very beginning, she had assumed Noki was a flat-chested woman.

Could there really be a man that beautiful?

Princess Vivi was a great beauty herself, but when it came to looks alone, she admitted that she was a full level beneath Noki.

It completely overturned her understanding of the world.

Ain brought over the Den Den Mushi from the ship. "Your Highness, please use this to contact the ministers of Alabasta. To avoid unnecessary problems, we can only take you as far as the port. Please have the royal guard escort you for the rest of the journey."

"Okay, okay..."

The Marine Headquarters warship was equipped with Eternal Poses leading to many World Government member nations, including one pointing to Alabasta.

The warship changed course midway.

Since they were already in waters near Alabasta, it took only one day to deliver Princess Vivi to Nanohana, the southern port city.

The one sent by the royal guard to receive her was Jaca the Jackal, known as Alabasta's guardian deity.

"Your Highness, you've finally returned. His Majesty was frantic when he heard you had run away."

When the man in black robes saw the princess disembark from the warship, he hurried forward to greet her.

"Uncle Jaca, I'm fine."

Jaca noticed a large handprint on Vivi's flawless white face, and his anger immediately exploded. "Who hit you? Tell this subordinate his name! No matter where he runs, I won't be able to vent my fury unless I kill him!"

Normally, they practically held the princess in the palms of their hands, terrified that she might get hurt. Yet someone had dared to slap the princess?! They clearly had a death wish.

Bartolomeo stood on the warship with his hands in his pockets, not taking Jaca's words seriously at all. As long as Senior Noki and Senior Ain did not tell him otherwise, he would not listen to anyone.

Having the "invincible" Barrier-Barrier Fruit meant he could be as arrogant as he wanted!

Afraid that Jaca would clash with the Marines, Vivi deliberately made up a harmless lie. "It was pirates who hit me. Thankfully, the Marines saved me, allowing me to escape. The pirates who struck me have already been completely eliminated by Rear Admiral Noki."

Vivi ran over to Noki and introduced him to Jaca. "This is Rear Admiral Noki. He is a very capable ma... male Marine!"

Jaca was stunned by Noki's appearance. He proactively extended his hand and said warmly, "Rear Admiral, on behalf of Alabasta's royal family, I offer you our thanks."

"It is my duty. There is no need for such formality."

Noki gave Vivi a deep look. "Now that the princess has been safely returned, I still have official duties to attend to, so I will not stay any longer."

"Please wait."

Jaca ordered his men to bring over several large crates. "These are some vegetables and fruits. It is only a small token of our appreciation. I hope you will accept them."

Noki nodded and had several Marines carry the cargo aboard. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I heard that one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile, is in your kingdom. He is not as simple as he appears. You must remain vigilant around him and do not let appearances deceive you."

"What do you mean?" Jaca felt that there was more behind Noki's words.

"That is all I can say for now."

After saying that, Noki returned to the warship with the Marines and set sail once more.

Jaca watched the ship gradually vanish into the distance, then turned to Vivi. "Princess, what he just said..."

Vivi sighed softly. "I don't know the specifics either. I only spoke with him a few times, and this was the first time I heard him mention it. But I'm certain that following his advice can't be wrong."

It was all her fault for calling Noki "sister" back then. Ever since that, Noki had ignored her completely. Otherwise, she might have learned more information.

Thinking back carefully afterward, Vivi recalled that when Noki listened to her describe Baroque Works, he had looked deeply troubled, as though he had already known everything she was telling him.

Could it be that the Marines had long since set their sights on Baroque Works, but had not acted because of some reason?

"I see..."

Noki was not in any rush over Alabasta's situation.

By his calculations, Crocodile had only just begun using Dancing Powder to harm the Nefertari royal family. There were still more than two years before he truly put his plan to seize the kingdom into action.

Noki needed to find reasons and evidence to remove Crocodile from his position during those two years. For someone who knew the plot, that would not be difficult.

His most urgent priority was still returning to headquarters to train with Garp. With enough strength, everything else would be easy to handle.

He was still not strong enough, after all!

After another stretch of sailing, Noki's warship passed through the towering Gate of Justice and finally returned to the familiar Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

"So this is the legendary Marine Headquarters! It's so impressive!"

When had Dezaya and the other Marines ever seen such a grand and majestic sight?

Their mouths hung open in astonishment, like country folk from ancient times entering a city for the first time.

"Ain, please take them around and help them familiarize themselves with headquarters. I'll report to Admiral Kuzan first."

"Okay. I'll come find you tonight," Ain replied with a nod.

Noki leaped off the warship and headed straight for headquarters' grand, towering fortress.

Garp's and Kuzan's offices were on the same floor.

Thus, when Noki reached the top floor, he unexpectedly ran into Garp.

"Yo, brat Noki, you're back."

Garp walked over with a grin and patted him on the shoulder. "You did well on that mission. I was just thinking about praising you in person."

"Rather than praise, Vice Admiral Garp, I'd prefer to start training as soon as possible and learn your superb fist techniques."

"No problem. I've got everything ready. As long as you want to, we can start training today." Garp grinned broadly, flashing a row of white teeth.

Noki felt that something was off, but he could not put his finger on what it was. "It's still early. Once I finish reporting to Admiral Kuzan, we can begin."

"Good, good, good. Just come directly to my office then. I'll be waiting."

Garp strode away in high spirits.

Noki knocked twice. After hearing "Come in" from inside, he pushed open the door and entered the room.

The first thing he saw was still Kuzan's slovenly appearance, though beside him stood a mature, striking woman wearing black-rimmed glasses.

Noki knew her. Ayaka, Kuzan's civilian secretary, often handled all sorts of miscellaneous work for the habitually lazy Kuzan, much like Ain did at Noki's side.

That was why Noki had advised Aokiji that if he tried just a little harder, he could escape being single.

Now, it seemed Kuzan had not entirely ignored his advice. At the very least, the two of them had barely spoken outside of work before, whereas now they seemed able to chat a little.

"Noki, you're back."

Ayaka picked up a thick stack of documents and smiled. "Admiral Kuzan, I'll be leaving first."

"Mm."

Kuzan propped his chin on one hand and nodded silently.

After Ayaka left.

Kuzan finally spoke. "Noki, you did well in the East Blue. According to headquarters' statistics, during the time you were stationed in Loguetown, crime throughout the East Blue dropped drastically. Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku praised you verbally."

"I merely brought a little more peace to the sea with the weakest pirates. It's nothing worth mentioning. By the way, you specifically told me in the transfer order to return quickly. Do you have a new assignment for me?"

"Yeah. A World Noble is planning to tour a country somewhere on the Grand Line. The exact date has not been set, but it will be sometime soon.

"They may have heard about your achievements and specifically requested that you serve as their guard. That's why I had you return early."

"Escorting a Celestial Dragon?"

Noki looked deeply troubled. "Can't you refuse it for me? You know I hate this sort of thing the most."

"Kuzan said, "A-la-la, I tried to refuse for you, but their determination is particularly strong this time. They insist on having you, and there's nothing I can do. Just treat it like a vacation. There are very few people in the first half of the Grand Line who would dare attack a Celestial Dragon. You probably won't run into any."

"Really?"

As far as Noki knew, the things least likely to go wrong were always the ones that went wrong.

Besides, he did not dislike protecting Celestial Dragons because he feared powerful enemies. He simply could not stand their behavior.

If a Celestial Dragon harmed common people right in front of him, he could not guarantee that he would restrain the blade in his hand.

Kuzan saw his concern. "Relax. You'll only be responsible for ensuring safety during the voyage. Generally speaking, you won't have many opportunities to meet the Celestial Dragons face-to-face. The ones protecting them at close range are all agents from the CP Organization."

"All right, then. I don't have the power to refuse anyway, so I can only accept."

Noki chatted with Kuzan for a while longer about trivial things that had happened at headquarters during the year he had been away.

From Kuzan, he learned:

Momonga had found a new girlfriend.

Vice Admiral Tokikake had confessed to Gion several more times, only to be rejected as usual.

And so on...

Noki left Kuzan's office and headed straight for Garp.

Garp agreed readily and, without another word, took him to the training grounds.

Seeing Garp clench his fists until his bones cracked, Noki suddenly realized that something was terribly wrong.

That stance was not for teaching someone. It was clearly for beating someone up!

Could Garp still hold a grudge over him beating Ace and want to use teaching as an excuse to avenge his grandson?!