Avenging His Grandson

"Are you Marines really going to stand by and watch a World Government member nation be destroyed and occupied by criminal forces? If so, what right do you have to call yourselves justice? And how can you possibly justify all the enormous sums Alabasta has paid to the World Government over the years?!"

The rage in Vivi's heart turned into boundless courage. Faced with a matter concerning her nation's survival, she no longer cared about maintaining a princess's image. 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 been slapped earlier.

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

Noki looked at her calmly and said unhurriedly, "Your Highness, please calm down first. I only meant that we cannot act 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 move against Baroque Works, it will inevitably involve your country's internal affairs.

"So, I must first 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 bowed sincerely to apologize to Noki.

"It's fine."

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

As a Marine, he loathed pirates who slaughtered and exploited civilians.

In order to seize the Kingdom of Alabasta, Crocodile had his Baroque Works lackeys use Dancing Powder to steal the rain, causing countless innocent people to die in the drought and plunging what had once been a harmonious society into riots. He was clearly the kind of person Noki despised.

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

Vivi bowed deeply once more. "Thank you. On behalf of Alabasta's royal family, I offer you my gratitude."

"It won't be too late to thank me after I destroy Baroque Works."

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

However, that guy was protected by his status as a Shichibukai.

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

Noki was a smart man. He did not want to invite trouble over something like this. After all, the Shichibukai 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 about appearances. If the Marines casually defeated one of the Shichibukai they had chosen and widely publicized all his crimes, it would be tantamount to slapping them in the face. The World Government would never allow that to happen.

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

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

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

"Then... all right. Sorry to trouble you."

Vivi felt that he had a point. 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. "My subordinates were not properly disciplined and injured Your Highness. I hope you can forgive us."

"It's fine, it's fine. Please don't worry about it."

Vivi felt that trading a slap for the peace of her kingdom was more than worth it. 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 asked timidly, "May I ask your name?"

"Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral Cudilia Noci."

Vivi nodded lightly and tested the waters. "Then may I call you Sister Noki?"

Noki's face immediately darkened. With a stormy expression, he left behind a furious, "Of course not!" before turning and storming out of the room.

Vivi looked at Ain blankly. "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 beginning, she had assumed Noki was a flat-chested woman.

Could there really be a man that beautiful?

Princess Vivi herself was a great beauty, but purely in terms of appearance, she admitted that she fell far short of Noki.

This completely overturned her understanding of the world.

Ain brought over the ship's Den Den Mushi. "Your Highness, please use this to contact Alabasta's ministers. To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, we can only escort you to the docks. For the rest of the journey, please have the kingdom's royal guard protect you."

"All right, all right..."

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

The warship changed direction midway through the journey.

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 who came from the royal guard to receive her was Chaka, known as Alabasta's guardian deity.

"Your Highness, you've finally returned. His Majesty was beside himself with worry 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."

When Jaca noticed the large handprint on Vivi's flawless, pale cheek, his anger immediately flared. "Who hit you? Tell your subordinate his name. No matter where he runs, if I don't kill him, I'll never vent this rage!"

They normally wanted to hold the princess in the palms of their hands, terrified that she might be hurt, yet someone had actually dared to slap her?! That person clearly had a death wish.

Bartolomeo stood on the warship with his hands in his pockets, paying no attention whatsoever to Jaca's words. As long as neither Senior Noki nor Senior Ain said anything, he would not listen to anyone else.

With the "invincible" Barrier-Barrier Fruit, he could be as arrogant as he pleased!

Afraid that Jaca would come into conflict with the Marines, Vivi deliberately made up a well-meaning lie. "A pirate hit me. Fortunately, the Marines saved me, allowing me to escape. The pirate who hit me has already been completely wiped out by Rear Admiral Noki."

Vivi ran to Noki's side and introduced him to Jaca. "This is Rear Admiral Noki. He's a very formidable male... male Marine!"

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

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

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

"Please wait."

Jaca ordered his men to carry over several large crates. "These are some vegetables and fruits, 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 Shichibukai Crocodile is in your kingdom. He is not as simple as he appears on the surface. You must remain vigilant around him and do not let outward appearances deceive you."

"What do you mean?" Jaca felt that there was something more to his words.

"For now, that is all I can say."

Having said that, Noki led the Marines back onto the warship, and they set sail once more.

As Jaca watched the ship gradually disappear into the distance, he turned toward Vivi. "Princess, what he said just now..."

Vivi sighed softly. "I don't know the details either. I only exchanged a few words with him, and this is the first time I've heard him say such things. But one thing is certain: it can't be wrong to do as he says."

It was all because she had foolishly called Noki "sister" back then. After that, Noki had ignored her completely. Otherwise, she might have been able to obtain more information.

Thinking back carefully afterward, Vivi realized that when she described Baroque Works, Noki had seemed deeply preoccupied, as if he had already known everything she was saying.

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

"I see..."

For the time being, Noki was in no hurry over Alabasta's affairs.

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 carried out his plan to seize the kingdom.

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

His most urgent task was still returning to headquarters and training with Garp. With strength, everything else would be easier 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 others ever seen such a grand and majestic sight?

They were all so astonished that their mouths hung open, like country bumpkins from ancient times entering a city for the first time.

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

"All right. I'll come find you tonight, then." Ain nodded.

Noki leaped off the warship and headed straight for the towering fortress of headquarters.

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

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

"Yo, Noki, you're back."

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

"Compared to praise, Vice Admiral Garp, I'd rather begin training as soon as possible and learn your exceptional fist techniques."

"No problem. I've got everything prepared. As long as you want to, we can start training today." Garp flashed a dazzling smile, baring his white teeth.

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

"Good, good, good. Come straight to my office when the time comes. I'll be waiting."

Garp strode away in high spirits.

Noki knocked twice. After hearing a voice inside say, "Come in," he pushed open the door and entered.

What greeted him was still Kuzan's sloppy appearance, but beside him stood a mature woman of outstanding beauty wearing black-rimmed glasses.

Noki knew her. She was Ayaka, Kuzan's clerical secretary. She often handled all kinds of miscellaneous matters for the notoriously lazy Kuzan, much like Ain did at Noki's side.

That was why Noki had advised Aokiji that he only needed to put in a little effort to escape being single.

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

"Noki's back."

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

"Mm."

Kuzan rested his chin on one hand and nodded silently.

Only after Ayaka left did Kuzan speak. "Noki, you did well in the East Blue. According to headquarters' statistics, during your time stationed in Loguetown, crime throughout the East Blue dropped by a significant margin. Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku praised you verbally."

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

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

"They may have heard about your accomplishments, because they specifically requested that you handle the escort duty. That's why I had you return early."

"Escorting a Celestial Dragon?"

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

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

"Really?"

As far as Noki knew, the things least likely to go wrong always ended up going wrong.

Besides, his reluctance to protect Celestial Dragons was not because he feared powerful enemies, but because he could not stand their behavior.

If a Celestial Dragon committed atrocities against civilians right in front of him, he could not guarantee that he would restrain the sword in his hand.

Kuzan saw his concern. "Don't worry. You only need to ensure their safety during the voyage. Generally speaking, you will have very few chances to meet a Celestial Dragon face-to-face. The ones protecting them at close range are all CP Organization agents."

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

Noki chatted with Kuzan for a little longer about trivial matters 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, brought him to the training grounds.

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

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

Could it be that Garp still held a grudge because he had beaten Ace and wanted to use training as an excuse to avenge his grandson?!