After their farewell to Crocus, the Going Merry ascended rapidly into the sky, its course set for Whisky Peak. Below them, the Twin Cape and the colossal, now-hopeful form of Laboon shrunk into insignificance.
Inside the ship, in a spare room that felt suddenly very small, Vivi found herself facing a tribunal. She stood before Leo and the entirety of his female crew, her posture the very picture of despair.
After a quick explanation from Makino, Kaya and Nami were brought up to speed on the would-be thief they had acquired.
"You've got some nerve, trying to steal from the Going Merry!" Nami planted her hands on her hips, fixing Vivi with a stern, intimidating glare. "Talk! Do you have any other accomplices?!"
Trembling, Vivi pointed a shaky finger at Leo. "H-he... threw him into the sea."
The women exchanged glances. They didn't need to guess; it had to have been a man.
"He was an agent of Baroque Works. His death is no loss," Leo stated with a dismissive wave. In his mind, those who followed Crocodile in his evil schemes were scum, deserving of their fate. (He'd tweaked his plans; Crocodile was now marked for death).
"And you?!" Nami continued her 'interrogation,' turning her sharp gaze back to Vivi. "Who are you? Another Baroque Works agent?"
Vivi shook her head so vigorously it was a blur, immediately denying it. "N-no... I'm not! My name is Vivi. I'm the princess of Alabasta. Please, don't kill me." Her voice trembled, on the verge of breaking into sobs.
"A princess?! A king's daughter?!" Nami's eyes seemed to morph into Beli signs. "Then you must be incredibly rich?!"
Her entire demeanor shifted. Money changed everything. A failed theft attempt was nothing. A simple compensation of, say, ten million Berries, and this whole mess could be swept under the rug.
Hearing the implied negotiation in Nami's tone, Vivi nodded eagerly. "I can compensate you for your losses!" Then she paused, realizing they hadn't actually lost anything. She'd been caught before taking a single carrot. "I mean... if you let me go, I can give you money."
Nami's face instantly blossomed into a sweet, calculating smile. She rubbed her hands together and leaned in. "Dearest Princess Vivi... just how much do you think your life is worth?"
"O-one... one million Berries?" Vivi ventured softly, her voice barely a whisper.
"One million?!" Nami's expression frosted over instantly. "A king's daughter, and you're only worth one million?!" Was she trying to insult them?!
"But I... I only have one million left," Vivi whispered, tears of genuine委屈 welling in her eyes. In the old days of Alabasta, even ten million would have been easy, but now...
"Nami, stop scaring her. Vivi seems very timid," Tashigi finally interjected, having watched the scene play out. But she was puzzled. "If you have a million Berries, why were you trying to steal food?"
Vivi bit her lower lip, her gaze shifting to Leo. She knew he was the captain, the one who truly held the power of life and death over her.
"Captain," she pleaded, her voice small, "I really will pay. If you think one million is too little... two million. I'll give you two million Berries." When she said 'two million,' it was through gritted teeth. For the current state of Alabasta, scraping together two million beyond essential expenses would be a severe strain.
Leo chuckled and shook his head.
"Princess Vivi, with Alabasta plagued by internal strife and external threats, are you sure you can even produce two million?" He let the question hang in the air. "And I don't recall agreeing to a price. I was thinking more along the lines of... five million Berries."
"Five million?!" Vivi's heart plummeted. If they had to pay five million, Alabasta would be finished.
"Captain," Nami chimed in, perfectly playing her part, "what should we do with Vivi if she can't pay the five million?"
Leo stroked his chin, his eyes sweeping over Vivi appraisingly, as if deep in thought. "Sell her. I hear kingdom princesses are highly sought after at slave auctions. A beautiful princess like Vivi would surely fetch a high price. Five million Berries? Easy."
"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Nami clapped her hands in feigned delight.
Kaya and the other women watched the back-and-forth with resigned shakes of their heads. Such a wicked sense of humor. They were going to scare the poor girl to death.
Vivi, taking it all completely seriously, was already picturing it: herself trapped in a cage, bruised and helpless, while wealthy merchants of various races bid on her.
"No... please, don't," Vivi begged, her voice shaking uncontrollably.
Leo decided she'd had enough. Any more and her spirit might genuinely break.
"Vivi," he said, his tone shifting to something more straightforward. "I can forget the five million. But from this moment on, you're joining my crew. Become a member of the Leo Pirates, and we're family. Who cares about money? It's vulgar."
"Join your crew?!" Vivi stared at him, but then shook her head with renewed determination. "I can't. There's something I have to do. I can't leave here. What if... what if I join after I finish my business?!"
She didn't dare refuse him outright, hoping to compromise.
"You mean investigating the conspiracy of Baroque Works? No need. It's Crocodile's doing. Join my crew, and your problems become my problems. I'll take care of Crocodile for you."
Hearing him state the truth so casually, Vivi's body jolted as if struck. "How... how do you know all this?!"
"I have a mole inside Baroque Works. You probably know her. The Vice President, Miss All Sunday," Leo fabricated smoothly.
"It's her?!" Vivi's jaw dropped in astonishment. The image of that mature, intelligent woman flashed in her mind.
"Wait... Who is Crocodile?!" Nami interjected, her face a mask of confusion. "Since when do you have someone in Baroque Works?!" One moment she was part of the scheme, the next she was completely lost.
Leo chose to answer only part of it. "Crocodile, like Mihawk, is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
The title landed heavily in the room. A Warlord was behind the suffering in Alabasta? The situation was far more dire than any of them, except Leo, had imagined.
He turned his attention back to Vivi, his gaze steady and devoid of its earlier mockery. "The choice is simple, Princess. You can try to face a Warlord and his entire organization alone, with a million Berries to your name and no allies. Or, you can accept my offer. Join my crew. Your kingdom's enemy becomes my enemy. Your fight becomes our fight. So, what will it be?"
Vivi looked from Leo's confident face to the circle of powerful women around her. They had healed a legendary whale without asking for anything in return. They were terrifying, yes, but they also possessed a strength and unity she desperately needed. The image of the slave auction faded, replaced by a glimmer of something she hadn't felt in a long time: hope.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, her shoulders slumping in exhausted resignation, but also in relief. The fight was out of her. For now.
"Alright," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I... I'll join your crew."
A wide grin spread across Leo's face. "Smart choice." He looked around at his crew. "Everyone, welcome our new navigational consultant and royal liaison, Princess Vivi."
Nami immediately looped her arm through Vivi's, her earlier menace replaced by a sisterly camaraderie. "Don't look so glum! You're part of the family now. And don't worry about the money... we'll work something out." She winked.
Vivi managed a weak, uncertain smile, utterly bewildered by the sudden shift in atmosphere. She was now a pirate. Her father would never believe it. But as she looked at the formidable group surrounding her, a strange sense of calm settled over her. For the first time since she'd begun her desperate mission, she wasn't alone.
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T/N :
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