During the six years since Yang Cheng had left Cocoyasi Island, he had been active on the seas as a bounty hunter.
But as the saying went, no one sailed the seas without taking a few cuts.
Once, while hunting down a wanted pirate, Yang Cheng had let his guard down and suffered injuries because his opponent's Devil Fruit ability was so bizarre.
The rapid healing ability of his monster counterpart in the One-Punch Man world could heal his injuries, but it could not neutralize poison.
For that reason, after sailing to the nearest island and forcing himself to reach a town despite the poison coursing through him, Yang Cheng had finally run out of strength and collapsed unconscious.
The island he had reached back then was Alabasta.
When he regained consciousness, the doctor who had saved him told Yang Cheng that Princess Vivi had ordered people to rescue him.
Judging by the timing, Vivi should have been around ten years old then.
At the time, Vivi had never met Yang Cheng before.
But she happened to be visiting Yuba, and when she saw Yang Cheng lying unconscious by the road, she had her accompanying guards rescue him and find a doctor to treat the poison in his body.
Since Yang Cheng's clothing did not look like that of an Alabasta native, the guards had kept Vivi from having much contact with him for her own safety.
Several years had passed, and to Vivi, she had probably just saved a passerby without giving it much thought.
It was perfectly normal that she had not recognized Yang Cheng now.
But now that Yang Cheng had brought up the incident, the corresponding fragments of memory naturally surfaced in Vivi's mind.
A look of surprise appeared on her face. "You were the person who collapsed unconscious in Yuba?"
"It looks like you remember now, Princess Vivi."
Hearing their conversation, Miss Valentine and Igaram both froze.
Neither had expected Yang Cheng and Vivi to share a connection like that.
"Yang Cheng, did you join Baroque Works for Princess Vivi right from the start?"
After learning that Princess Vivi had once saved Yang Cheng, Miss Valentine voiced the biggest question on her mind.
Miss Valentine had always found it puzzling. With Yang Cheng's strength and potential, he could have made a name for himself even if he worked alone or headed to the New World.
Yet he had chosen to join Baroque Works and lounged around like a complete slacker, showing no ambition whatsoever and content to remain Mr. 5.
"You could say that was part of the reason. After all, even if I did nothing, someone else would save Alabasta sooner or later."
"Who? Who can save Alabasta? Please, won't you tell me?"
Alabasta had not seen rain for a year, and a Rebel Army had also emerged within the country. It was beset by troubles on every side.
Vivi deeply loved this country and its people, so when she heard Yang Cheng say that someone could save it, she pressed him with a pleading look.
"They're a pretty interesting bunch. But right now, they probably haven't even set sail yet."
The moment Yang Cheng finished speaking, the excitement on Vivi's face faded into disappointment. She felt that he was simply trying to comfort her.
He was neither a fortune-teller nor a prophet. Who could say for certain what would happen in the future?
And how far away was that future? A few years? More than a decade?
Could Alabasta really hold out until then?
"The boss behind Baroque Works is actually Crocodile. First, he drove away the pirates who landed in this country, presenting himself as a 'hero' and winning the people's trust.
"Then he used a banned substance called 'dance powder' to cause a drought in Alabasta.
"After that, he pinned the blame on your father, Cobra, stirring up public resentment and escalating the conflict between the Rebel Army and the royal family. In the end, he would swoop in and reap the rewards.
"You could say his goal in doing all this was to seize the kingdom of Alabasta, but that wouldn't be entirely accurate.
"He didn't set his sights on Alabasta because it was a major power, but because of something hidden within this country."
After Yang Cheng's revelations, not only Vivi and Igaram but even Miss Valentine was dumbfounded.
As one of the Frontier Agents, she knew that their secret boss was Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai, but she knew nowhere near as much as Yang Cheng had just revealed.
After all, Crocodile was an extremely self-centered man who trusted no one.
To him, the members of Baroque Works were nothing more than tools. Utterly confident in his own strength, he had once declared that he did not need subordinates at all; he alone was enough.
"Crocodile, dance powder... now that we know this, we can ask the Navy to..."
"You want the Navy to step in and solve Alabasta's problems?
"If that's what you're thinking, I'd advise you to give up on it now.
"Crocodile isn't some ordinary pirate. He's one of the Shichibukai officially recognized by the World Government.
"A pirate recognized by the World Government plotting to seize Alabasta? If they admitted something like that, wouldn't they be slapping themselves in the face?
"Besides, thinking you can bring down Crocodile with nothing but your side of the story is seriously underestimating him."
"Believe it or not, the moment you go to the Navy, you'll land straight on Baroque Works' kill list.
"Give it another three to five days, and you might just get captured and fed to the crocodiles."
Would Crocodile really be unaware of Princess Vivi's little attempt to infiltrate Baroque Works? He simply had not bothered to concern himself with small fry like Vivi and her companions.
After all, in Crocodile's eyes, the only person who could possibly know the location of the ancient weapon Pluton was the king, Cobra.
As for Princess Vivi, she was merely a brat playing at being a hero. He did not consider her worth his attention.
"Wait, Yang Cheng, you just said Princess Vivi has been under the boss's surveillance all along. Then didn't we just..."
Miss Valentine picked up on a crucial point in what Yang Cheng had just said, and by the time she realized what it meant,
she spotted a sea otter nearby displaying portraits of her and Yang Cheng before hopping onto a vulture and fleeing.
Mr. 13 and Miss Friday, collectively known as the "Unluckies," were primarily responsible for carrying out punishments and relaying intelligence for Baroque Works.
"Miss Valentine, I'm afraid you've ended up on the organization's blacklist along with me.
"But you really can't blame me for this. I didn't want to drag you into it, but you just had to be so curious about Princess Vivi."
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