Seeing the captain of the Marine Sixteenth Branch, Princess Vivi was so overwhelmed, tears nearly sprang to her eyes.
Did they have any idea what she'd been through yesterday?
Shortly after landing, she'd run straight into a terrifying Cold Wave. Before she and Karoo could even react, the temperature had plummeted, and thick snow started falling.
When she tried to find an inn to shelter, she realized she hadn't brought a single Berry for the mission. She'd been too excited, rushing to the East Blue without thinking.
Trapped in the suddenly freezing weather, all she could do was huddle with Karoo, shivering. As they walked, she desperately searched for a kind soul who would offer shelter, or at least a corner where they could hide from the bitter cold.
But she never expected...
The people on this island were incredibly wary. As soon as they heard she wasn't from the Conomi Archipelago, they slammed their doors shut, refusing to let her in.
Even when she finally found a place that looked like a luxurious hotel and resort, Romance Dawn. they wouldn't open the door either.
They told her that currently, the Conomi Archipelago wasn't taking outsiders, especially not someone who had just landed and hadn't gotten the... 'Conomi Islands Access Permit' from the Security Department yet.
She'd heard that in an emergency, you absolutely needed that permit. Normally it wasn't necessary, but if you planned to stay for a long time, it was required.
But right now, neither she nor Karoo had one, and they didn't even know where to get it.
In the end, they could only find a wall that offered a little protection from the wind and huddled there, clinging to Karoo for warmth.
The result... it snowed heavily all night long.
She and Karoo, one person and one giant duck, were stiff as boards from the cold. Just when she thought she might be seeing her mother's face...
Dawn broke! And then, a lazy-looking guy showed up at Romance Dawn and found them. When he heard they were looking for the Sixteenth Branch Captain, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he claimed he knew the Captain very well and could take them there.
And that's how they ended up here.
Karoo was taken somewhere to rest, and she was led here by that guy.
It was just... the Marine Sixteenth Branch Captain was a bit lazy. He didn't finally get up until almost noon, and he even walked out of the room with a beautiful woman.
'What a degenerate Marine Captain!' Princess Vivi looked at Captain Dante, understanding that this was the 'degenerate East Blue Captain' whispered about in Baroque Works, rumored to have met the President and be working with him.
Remembering her mission and her plan, she didn't dare hesitate. She quickly bowed. "Captain Dante, I am a Baroque Works trainee. I came here under the President's orders to ask for your assistance, Captain Dante!"
As the words left her mouth, before the President's supposed partner across from her could say anything, the guy who'd brought her here... Kuzan, who had somehow already slumped onto the sofa looking completely unmotivated, let out a low whistle. "Baroque Works, huh?" he drawled lazily. "I think I've heard of them. A pretty famous secret crime syndicate on the Grand Line."
"..."
Catching the meaningful look and hearing the lazy tone, Captain Dante sighed helplessly. Before Vivi could say another word, he cut her off, speaking directly and sternly to Kuzan. "I need to report! The Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile, has violated the Shichibukai Management Regulations set by the World Government by attacking the affiliated country, the Alabasta Kingdom, in secret!"
Yes, he had a sort of "collaboration" with Baroque Works, but that was just him asking them to help him buy Seastone in the New World black market a few years back.
As for Sir Crocodile... they weren't exactly buddies! He'd only met him once years ago when he was cruising the Grand Line looking for opportunities and stopped by Alabasta for the scenery. Seeing Dante's strength and Marine status, Crocodile had wanted to team up, but Dante, being a truly righteous Marine, had sternly refused.
Speaking of which, Baroque Works had collected a fair bit of Seastone for him over the years. He'd always just taken the goods without paying, and Crocodile, hoping to win him over, hadn't pushed it, just letting the tab run up.
He'd originally planned to just ignore the debt once Crocodile inevitably fell, then make a tidy profit.
But now... why had she come knocking? Was she here to collect the debt for Crocodile? So, after thinking it over, Dante realized he had to cut his losses now! He felt like he could probably have wracked up way more debt based on his 'relationship' with Crocodile, but he'd regretfully have to abandon that plan for now.
"According to intelligence gathered by the Marine Sixteenth Branch," he continued, "the mysterious President of Baroque Works is none other than the hero of the Alabasta Kingdom, the Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile. However, this man has betrayed the World Government's trust and is operating covertly within the Alabasta Kingdom, planning to incite civil unrest to achieve his goal of usurping the throne!"
As his words finished, the entire room fell silent.
Kuzan, who had been settling in to enjoy Dante's 'show,' immediately looked... abit more attention. He didn't believe a word of this kid's nonsense.
'Not related to Baroque Works? Don't be ridiculous!' This guy kept pirates around and had managed to mess up the entire East Blue pirate scene so badly it'd take them years to recover. Of course, he'd be in cahoots with a crime syndicate from the Grand Line.
But Kuzan never would have thought... this kid would sell out his 'partner' without a second thought! Kuzan started to question if this guy was reliable at all, and if entrusting Robin to him had been the right call.
And Princess Vivi on the side...
What was happening? The mysterious President's partner had just directly sold them out? Wait, no!
'The mysterious President is the hero of the Alabasta Kingdom, Sir Crocodile?! And his plan was to take over her kingdom?!' Vivi suddenly realized her objective of infiltrating Baroque Works had not only been achieved but she'd stumbled onto even deeper intelligence. It was just... this information came too fast, so fast she couldn't process it immediately.
'And the Shichibukai... what should Alabasta do?' She blinked, looking at the man who was supposedly Crocodile's partner, her mouth slightly open, unsure what to say.
Seeing Vivi's struggle, Dante offered a calm, composed smile to the brave and strong princess. He righteously pointed at Kuzan, who was still sprawled on the sofa. "This is a Marine Headquarters Admiral. He's a truly righteous Marine Admiral, I say most righteous of them all! who despises evil and is always happy to lend a hand. I, on the other hand, am genuinely not familiar with Sir Crocodile. Of course, if you need any help, you can always ask him!"
Indeed.
At Dante's words, Vivi's eyes widened. Hearing 'Marine Admiral,' excitement immediately bloomed on her face. As the princess of a major country on the Grand Line, she naturally understood the significance of an Admiral. She never expected to be lucky enough to meet one here!
After thanking Dante, she turned to Kuzan, who looked completely bewildered, and pleaded, "Marine Admiral, please, you must save Alabasta!"
'No, weren't you here for this bastard? Why are you coming to me? And isn't this girl a Baroque Works trainee?'
'Why does she need to save Alabasta?' Kuzan scratched his head, a headache brewing. He had a feeling this was going to be a troublesome situation. He was just supposed to be here to watch this kid make a fool of himself!
He opened his mouth, about to say something, when...
"This is the princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, and also the heir to the throne!" Dante announced, looking at Kuzan with a hint of malicious glee, enjoying the surprised and curious looks around the room, especially Vivi's utterly disbelieving gaze. He quickly cleared his throat and added vaguely, "I have... special intelligence sources."
Saying that, he settled onto the soft sofa himself, picked up the steaming hot tea Robin had poured for him, and took a leisurely sip. He looked at Kuzan and smiled. "Admiral Kuzan, I'm sure you wouldn't want to see a World Government affiliated country overthrown by a pirate, would you?"
'Still trying to dump trouble on me? Keep dreaming! Just go back to the Grand Line already!'
At that moment, he had finished listening to Princess Vivi's story and understood the situation in Alabasta. Just as he thought, it was troublesome! Maybe he shouldn't have gone to Romance Dawn to rest. Maybe he should have gone straight back to Headquarters.
Looking at Vivi's expectant eyes, Kuzan rubbed his forehead, his head aching. Then, he resumed his lazy demeanor, slumping back onto the sofa. He let out a whistle and drawled leisurely, "Sorry, Princess. According to the Shichibukai Management Regulations, without receiving direct orders, the Marines can't just arbitrarily enter a Shichibukai's territory."
"Unless you have evidence, and from what you've said, you don't have any. So, while I sympathize deeply with your plight, but I cannot help you."
'Though, as a Marine Admiral, going into a Shichibukai's territory without permission doesn't actually matter...' He already had a better idea.
Looking at Princess Vivi, whose face had fallen back into disappointment and despair, Kuzan gestured towards Captain Dante beside him. "Perhaps you could ask Captain Dante here for help. He supposedly has nothing to do with the Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile. And seeing as you're so beautiful, I'm sure he'll be quite eager to assist."
'What 'beautiful'? What kind of man does he take me for?!' Dante looked speechlessly at Kuzan, who was now dragging him into this, then at Princess Vivi, whose eyes had lit up with hope again.
He let out another helpless sigh. "As a righteous Marine, I'm very willing to help, but I'm also a Marine. The Shichibukai's authority impacts me too. What's more, I'm the Sixteenth Branch Base Commander. According to the requirements for a Base Commander, I can't enforce laws across regions without orders from Marine Headquarters, and crossing into..."
Before he could finish, just as Vivi was about to sink back into disappointment, Kuzan's lazy voice cut in again.
He whistled. "It's fine," he drawled leisurely. "He doesn't follow the rules anyway! Violating Marine Headquarters regulations is practically a hobby for him."
'Kuzan... he's doing it on purpose, isn't he?!' Dante grumbled.
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