Did this human really want to take his owner away? And ask if he wanted to go too?
Karu took three seconds to think and then nodded vigorously.
Wherever his owner goes, he will go!
Just then, Robin and the others arrived with the prisoners.
"Luffy."
Luffy turned around and looked at the prisoners for a moment.
Mr. 1; Miss Doublefinger.
Mr. 2.
Mr. 3; Miss Golden Week.
Mr. 5; Miss Valentine.
Mr. 9.
A total of eight people—five men and three women.
When the eight saw Luffy, they were a little scared.
They had read the newspaper and knew that the person in front of them was now one of the Shichibukai.
When they first received the mission, they never imagined that their target would be such a formidable character.
Luffy said calmly, "Mr. 0 of Baroque Works, also known as the former Shichibukai Crocodile, has already been sent to prison."
"How do you plan to deal with us, Straw Hat Luffy?" Mr. 1 asked calmly.
His loyal subordinate, Bartolomeo, immediately punched him and said, "Watch your tone, prisoner. Show Luffy-sama some respect!"
Mr. 3 intervened and said, "Lord Luffy, you don't plan on sending us to prison too, do you?"
What's the benefit of sending you all to prison? It's just a small reward.
The navy won't kill you, since each of you is a Devil Fruit user.
The end result will certainly be Impel Down, and who knows—maybe two months later, Blackbeard will cause chaos there, and you'll all break out again.
"I'll give you two choices."
Luffy laughed lightly and held up two fingers.
"The first option is to be thrown into the sea and fed to the fish."
"The second option is to ask Vivi for forgiveness, join my crew, and become members of my second division."
Nobody considered the first option.
As for the second... seeking Princess Vivi's forgiveness?
Is that even possible?
These people had done countless bad things in the past. If they could be forgiven, Vivi would have to be a saint!
"What if we're not forgiven?" Miss Valentine asked, trembling.
"Then, of course, I'll send you to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish," Luffy said matter-of-factly.
This wasn't a threat.
He wasn't short on fighters. He was just giving Vivi the power to decide.
If Vivi could really forgive this group, they would join her team.
If she couldn't forgive them, they'd be thrown into the sea.
Handing them over to the navy for rewards was out of the question. If they were turned in, they wouldn't die—and they might even cause trouble for him later.
In short, there were only two choices:
Kill them or recruit them.
It was Vivi's decision!
Time flew, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
In the palace dressing room...
"Princess Vivi, you've grown up. You look exactly like Lady Titi did back then."
"Really? I've only seen what my mother looked like in photos."
"It's almost time for your coming-of-age ceremony. The Queen would be very happy to see you now."
The head maid in charge of caring for Vivi said this with a warm smile.
She had watched Vivi grow up—Vivi was almost like a daughter to her.
"Actually, the ceremony was supposed to be held when you were 14, but it was postponed for a while…"
"Don't worry. Alabasta will recover soon!"
"We have to thank Mr. Luffy. Without him, I really don't know what would've happened to this country."
"Yes. Luffy is a very kind person," Vivi said, her face lighting up with a bright smile at the mention of his name.
As someone who had lived through it all, the head maid naturally saw what was happening and laughed along.
At that moment, Igaram's voice came from outside the door.
He had returned to Alabasta five days earlier, and by then, everything was already resolved.
He now stood outside the dressing room.
"Princess Vivi, the speech will be at 10 o'clock. A large number of people have already gathered in the palace square."
"I understand, Igaram. I'll be there soon."
"There's no need to rush. This is your coming-of-age ceremony. You should present your best self to the people."
"Yes!"
In front of the palace square, thousands of people filled the space.
Countless citizens waited anxiously at the palace entrance.
Above the entrance, a platform had been built into the city wall. In just a few minutes, the princess of Alabasta would appear.
Everyone was buzzing with excitement.
On top of a building directly facing the podium…
The Straw Hat crew stood or sat, smiling as they waited for Vivi.
"Ah! Vivi's coming out!" Usopp exclaimed.
They saw a girl with long aquamarine hair, wearing a simple dress, exuding a youthful charm, slowly step into view.
Vivi, now on the podium, scanned the crowd and soon spotted the Straw Hat crew right in front.
She saw Luffy, smiled slightly, and her eyes curved into crescent moons.
"Princess Vivi! The Jewel of Alabasta!"
The crowd erupted in applause.
Vivi took the microphone, and her joyful voice echoed across the square, transmitted throughout the country by Den Den Mushi.
"A while ago, I went on an adventure!"
After her first sentence, everyone quieted down.
"It was a journey through the dark sea, during days of despair."
"After leaving this country…"
"I realized how vast the sea is!"
"There are so many amazing and vibrant islands!"
"And incredible creatures…"
"And fantastic landscapes!"
"The music played by the waves…"
"Sometimes peaceful and harmonious…"
"Embracing my problems…"
"Gently turning them into flowing water."
"Sometimes turbulent and wild…"
"Healing my fragile soul…"
"Mocking my cowardice."
Vivi's voice was rich with memories. Her speech had no script, no technique—only emotion.
"In the dark storm…"
"On that hungry day…"
"I found two small boats…"
"And those who ride the wind and break the waves."
"They gently touched my back and said…"
'Can't you see that light?'
"This is a small boat that will never get lost, even in the dark."
"Dancing on one giant wave after another…"
"They are not afraid of the sea…"
"Even sailing against the wind…"
"With the bow always pointing forward."
"Then he pointed ahead and said to me…"
'Kindly, you need this to be a good princess.'
"All I could say was: I'm sorry…"
"He smiled and touched my hair again."
'That's hope.'
"Though history may call it an illusion…"
"But for me…"
"That's the truth."
Vivi smiled, tears streaming down her cheeks, her shining eyes fixed on the Straw Hats.
"Today I still have to say… I'm sorry…"
She couldn't finish her words.
Because a figure interrupted the moving moment.
Luffy appeared on the stage.
Vivi looked stunned and instinctively shouted:
"Luffy?!"
There was a commotion in the square.
Luffy pulled Vivi close and took the microphone from her hand, smiling.
"Hey, hey, people of Alabasta! Good morning! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, one of the Shichibukai, and the new 'hero' who helped you defeat that old Crocodile."
"To be honest, you're all a bunch of idiots, being fooled by Crocodile."
"Everything that happened in this country—dance powder? Rebel army? Murders? War?—was all planned by him."
"Don't doubt me. He did it all."
"Of course, you don't need to thank me—and I don't want your thanks either."
"I just want to teach you one thing: pirates are pirates. Before, a despicable Shichibukai came here and tried to take your country."
"Today, another Shichibukai is here…"
"…to take your princess!"
"Hahahaha!"
Luffy laughed, threw the microphone aside, and picked up Vivi, jumping over the heads of the crowd.
"Goodbye, people of Alabasta!"
"Goodbye, King Cobra!"
"I'm taking your daughter!"
Everything happened so suddenly and shockingly…
Everyone's minds were left in a state of stunned silence.
Vivi was no exception—being held in Luffy's arms, she had a completely dumbfounded expression.
"W-Wait, Mr. Luffy!"
"GUYS! IT'S TIME TO SAIL!"
Luffy shouted to his crew.
"Oh!"
(End of Chapter)
Give me some power stones there you go~😉
Do you want to know why I didn't post anything here for so long?The reason was something completely stupid.I formatted my phone and my PC because somehow they got a virus and some unemployed person with nothing to do kept hacking some of my accounts... The problem is that I forgot to save the password for my email linked to this account in my notebook... Literally today I remembered that my old phone, which hasn't been on since last year, still had that account saved, all I needed to do was recharge its battery, turn it on, and then change the email password.