"" Ezekiel Nefertari, I will never allow anyone to intimidate my sister!"
Ezekiel had no way of tracking 80 million mobile phone users simultaneously. It was only a day later that he noticed Igaram and Vivi were in a dangerous situation.
By habit, he checked Igaram's location and saw that he seemed to be locked in some dungeon, with no trace of Vivi nearby. Overhearing nearby conversations, he learned what had happened.
After being discovered, Vivi mysteriously disappeared.
Ezekiel immediately began searching but found no trace of Vivi. He promptly notified Zephyr and asked him to deploy the Royal Fleet to rescue Igaram and find clues about Vivi. Additionally, he informed Nami and asked her to pay attention to the movements of certain powerful individuals using the Ocean Chart.
Through monitoring, he discovered that neither Doffy nor anyone else appeared to be taking any active measures.
A pirate ship with the Jolly Roger on the flag slowly appeared before the shoreline of Alabasta.
"That's... Big Mom's pirate ship!"
"One of the Four Emperors is approaching!" someone said in horror."Are you crazy? This area is under the protection of the Sea Kings, they couldn't have broken through!" someone else said indifferently.No ship with a pirate flag can enter this marine area, so pirates only infiltrate Alabasta using disguise, and pirates of the Four Emperors' caliber are unlikely to manage such stealth.
And indeed, a terrifying monster erupted from the seabed along the shoreline. A massive splash flung the pirate ship far to the side.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the Sea Kings hesitated to attack the ship.
"You bastard! Let me go!" Vivi desperately struggled as Katakuri held her wrist.
People on the shore were shocked that the Sea Kings didn't attack the pirate ship. They frantically fled to the city in a panic, so by the time the two of them reached the shore, no one was there.
Katakuri didn't respond to her. He calmly surveyed the empty street before finally releasing Vivi and saying indifferently:
"You are free."
Vivi remained standing in place. After a whole day of interaction, this man turned out to be far less terrifying than she had imagined, and she no longer felt as much fear toward Katakuri.
"What do you mean? Are you crazy?"
She didn't understand and even caught up with Katakuri to make sure she had indeed heard him correctly.
He let her go when they arrived in Alabasta?!
Is he relying on his own strength against this country?
Katakuri ignored the anxious woman. At that moment, a woman ran out of the mirror glass in front of them. She had a witch-like face, a long nose, and an ugly scar—this was Charlotte Brûlée, with her Mirror Fruit ability!
"Brother Katakuri!" Charlotte Brûlée burst into tears as soon as she saw Katakuri and desperately rushed to him, as if she had suddenly found support.
"Return first," Katakuri said.
"Brother! Let's leave together! We won't be able to escape when they arrive!" Brûlée was terrified, referring to Issho and Ezekiel . She grabbed Katakuri's hand and tried to pull him away.
"They're already here," Katakuri said coldly, looking ahead.
A terrifying force of gravity descended, causing Katakuri's body to sink into the ground, and he saw Ezekiel and the blind warrior emerging from the mirror.
"Charlotte Katakuri," Ezekiel said, observing the situation.
Katakuri looked at Ezekiel and said nothing, his expression slightly cold and intimidating. His fists were clenched tightly, as if ready to explode with rage at any moment. Meanwhile, Issho smiled and slowly sheathed his sword.
Boom!
The pressure intensified again.
"Brother..." Vivi approached Ezekiel and cast a complex look at Katakuri. "This man... he's actually strange, what's he planning?"
"Vivi, go home, and..." Ezekiel smiled and patted her shoulder. "Leave everything to me."
Vivi hesitated for a moment but decided to obey her brother's command. She entered the Mirror World, surrounded by numerous soldiers assigned to her, but she glanced back at Katakuri.
Katakuri was staring intently at Ezekiel , while Issho smiled and furrowed his brow, understanding the situation before him.
Now that Ezekiel had returned Charlotte Brûlée, Issho was convinced that His Majesty Wil already understood the nature of this man.
Katakuri had captured Vivi but hadn't handed her over to the Charlotte Family, because Katakuri knew that due to his mother's nature, even if they returned Brûlée, they might still kill Vivi. Or they could enter Alabasta, threatening Vivi, and things would not go well for Brûlée.
There was only one way to retrieve Charlotte Brûlée—return Vivi to Alabasta himself.
He placed his bet on Ezekiel as the true King!
"I will return your sister to you if you return mine to me! This is a one-time deal! Ezekiel Nefertari, King ruling over more than 220 million people, do you possess royal dignity?!"
Katakuri's life was on the line. If Ezekiel lacked dignity, Katakuri would undoubtedly die, and Brûlée would not be saved. If the gamble succeeded, they both could leave peacefully.
Of course, Ezekiel understood these thoughts of Katakuri, or else he wouldn't have released Charlotte Brûlée.
Neither of them spoke another word, but they looked each other in the eye and had clearly reached an agreement.
You, Katakuri, dared to make a bet with me where your fate is at stake, and I, Ezekiel , will naturally meet you halfway and willingly let go of Charlotte Brûlée!
But Issho was wary of such a deal.
If they release someone with the Mirror Fruit ability, then Big Mom could reach Alabasta anywhere through Charlotte Brûlée. Just imagine, could Alabasta withstand it? This isn't even about strength, but simply about uncontrollable spontaneity.
So, Issho continued to intensify the gravity.
But suddenly, a hand grabbed Fujitora by the elbow, and Ezekiel slowly spoke:
"Issho let them go."
Issho let out a long sigh and finally sheathed his sword.
As soon as the gravitational force decreased, Katakuri and Ezekiel looked at each other once more, and then, without saying a word, Katakuri grabbed Brûlée and headed toward the ship. The Sea Kings made way for them. This was the Will of the King.
"Is this really the right thing to do?" asked Issho.
"Since he risked his life to test me as a King, how could I ignore his challenge?" Ezekiel smiled.
"Then we'll just trust him," said Fujitora.
We can only hope that Katakuri possesses the same will and dignity as Ezekiel !
And it's not only Katakuri who is gambling, but Ezekiel too.
He bets that the other side will release his sister!
Another bet that the opponent won't return to the Big Mom Pirates!
And indeed, in less than three days, two pieces of news spread across the sea:
"Katakuri from Big Mom's Pirate Crew exchanged Princess Vivi for Charlotte Brûlée!"
"Katakuri did not return to the Big Mom Pirates!Charlotte Brûlée was indeed taken by Katakuri, but he did not return to Big Mom.
When Vivi heard this news, she rushed to Ezekiel . Ezekiel was attending to official duties. Issho was napping on the side, looking calm and serene.
"Brother, why did that guy do such a thing? It's too strange," Vivi asked.
Ezekiel smiled and did not answer his sister. In this ocean, there are too many strange things. And there are things that are extremely valuable and unbreakable