Arriving at the warehouse with some refreshments, Marie sat down in front of the four captives.
"Traitor! How dare you show your face here!" Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine glared at Marie with anger.
Marie ignored them and quietly poured tea for the four of them. They didn't refuse and drank it in silence.
However, the Seastone cuffs on their wrists had drained their strength, leaving them weak.
Marie spoke calmly. "Mr. 3, the boss is definitely going to lose. That means we're out of a job. I've decided to stay with the Straw Hats, and I also pleaded on your behalf. I don't know... do you plan to stay?"
Mr. 2, Mr. 5, and Miss Valentine were all shocked.
"You're that sure?!" They found it hard to believe. Crocodile was a Shichibukai—it wasn't easy to just defeat someone of that level.
However, after hearing the rumors that Straw Hat Luffy had fought a Marine Admiral on equal ground, it suddenly didn't seem impossible.
Mr. 3 was deeply moved. He hadn't expected Marie to stand up for him.
He quickly responded, "The Straw Hats are strong. If they're willing to accept me, I have no reason to refuse!"
But Marie shook her head. "I did plead for you, but the captain didn't agree. He only said that if you prove you're a good person, he might consider it. As for the rest of you, the captain will let you go once everything is settled."
Hearing that, Mr. 2, Mr. 5, and Miss Valentine all sighed in relief.
They had never been fully loyal to Baroque Works, so now that they knew their lives weren't in danger, they were overjoyed. They even felt grateful to Marie, thinking she had saved them.
Mr. 3 quickly asked, "Then what should I do?"
Marie shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I should ask Mr. Carl. He's the teacher of the entire Straw Hat crew and highly respected. He might have an answer."
Marie wasn't too concerned about whether Mr. 3 would join or not.
She just liked his Darjeeling tea—so if the captain didn't accept him, it didn't really matter. He was already guaranteed to be let go, so she had done her part.
At that moment, a noise came from the deck.
Marie stepped out of the warehouse and saw Carl, Zoro, and Usopp arriving. Carl looked completely worn out, his clothes in a mess.
Carl patted Marie's hat with a smile. "Marie, Akainu has been driven away, so we're safe now. Also, Crocodile has been defeated by Luffy—so you're officially unemployed! Hahaha!"
Marie wasn't surprised about Crocodile's defeat.
But Akainu, a Marine Admiral, being beaten away? That truly shocked her.
Still, she calmly nibbled on her biscuit, nodded, and said, "Then I'll officially join the Straw Hats. By the way, Mr. Carl, if Mr. 3 wants to earn the captain's approval, what should he do?"
Carl paused for a moment, recalling Mr. 3's abilities—especially his wax powers, which worked like a master key. Keeping him around could be useful.
So he replied, "Luffy likes interesting and cool things—like armor."
Marie nodded, already forming an idea.
She sipped some of Mr. 3's Darjeeling tea. Otherwise, biscuits always felt too dry.
At that moment, Usopp ran over excitedly. "Marie! What's up with those turtles?! They seem to be getting along with Momoo now!"
Marie explained, "They're Kung Fu Manatees. Some people tried to mess with the Merry earlier, and I didn't want any trouble, so I befriended them and had them team up with Momoo to protect the ship."
"Kung Fu Manatees? That sounds awesome!"
Usopp immediately ran off to interact with them but ended up provoking them instead.
So, Usopp and the Kung Fu Manatees started sparring, and before long, he somehow ended up recruiting them as his disciples. Overjoyed, he began eagerly teaching them boxing techniques.
Carl also found the Kung Fu Manatees interesting but figured they already had enough animals on board. Besides, the crew was about to expand significantly, and he wouldn't be able to train too many at once.
After some rest, a figure suddenly landed on the deck.
Zoro and Usopp instinctively prepared for battle, but Carl stopped them.
The newcomer introduced himself. "I am Bell, adjutant of the Alabasta Royal Guard. Straw Hats, thank you for helping our kingdom. The king wishes to host a banquet in your honor. Please follow me to the palace."
Carl nodded. "We'll head to the palace. Bell, you should return to your duties. The kingdom just came out of a crisis—there's a lot of work to be done."
Bell bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Carl, for understanding. I'll take my leave now. We look forward to welcoming you at the palace."
With that, Bell flew off.
Zoro and Usopp let out a breath, relieved they hadn't encountered another enemy.
Carl turned to Marie. "Let's go to the palace. No need to stay and guard the ship—Marine won't come after us now. Do you want to come along?"
Marie shook her head firmly. "I used to be an agent of Baroque Works. It would be embarrassing to go there."
But Carl simply picked her up. "Too bad! Now that you're on the Straw Hats' ship, you're a part of the crew. We're not leaving you behind. Don't worry about the captives—Momoo and the Kung Fu Manatees will watch them. Besides, the palace probably has delicious refreshments."
As soon as Marie heard about the refreshments, she immediately calmed down.
So, Carl used his Little Black Sword to fly Zoro, Usopp, and Marie to the palace.
Momoo, meanwhile, had to stay behind. Since it couldn't enter the desert, it would just have to wait for them to return and make it up to him later.
Albana wasn't far, so the group arrived quickly.
When King Cobra heard of their arrival, he personally came to greet them, accompanied by Igaram, Chaka, and Bell. He welcomed them warmly, with Vivi standing beside him.
"Thank you for helping my daughter and Alabasta! We will host a grand banquet—please enjoy yourselves to your heart's content!" Cobra said gratefully.
Carl waved his hand dismissively. "No need to be so formal, Your Majesty. We are Vivi's friends."
Hearing this, Cobra and the others smiled warmly.
Before long, the rest of the Straw Hats arrived as well.
Everyone was shocked to learn that Carl had defeated Akainu. But when they thought about it, it actually wasn't that surprising.
After all, Carl had already fought Kizaru in Loguetown and even killed the Golden Lion.
Taking down a Marine Admiral? It was just another natural step.
Luffy, already familiar with Carl's strength, wasn't surprised at all. He only cared about one thing:
"MEAT!"
As soon as Luffy heard there was a banquet, he couldn't sit still, constantly making a fuss.
Finally, Nami sighed and played her trump card.
"Marie! Do your thing!"
Marie pulled out her palette and painted a soft green color onto Luffy's clothes.
In an instant, Luffy calmly sat down, sipped tea like an old man, and stopped making noise.
The world fell into blissful silence.
Nami smirked. It seemed she had unlocked a new use for Marie's power.
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