Just as everyone on the Going Merry was preparing to continue sailing inland along the river, five Baroque Works ships gave chase from behind. Those were the fleets of the Baroque Works Billion-Fold agents.
The Billion-Fold agents pursuing them were the same ones Luffy and Ace had encountered in Nanohana. They shouted at Luffy and the others on the Going Merry, "Fire Fist Ace! Straw Hat Luffy! There's no escape from us!"
"Witness the power of Baroque Works' Billion-Fold agents!"
"Look, the Trick-Eye Hunter with the thirty-million Berry bounty is on that ship too! We'll take his head as well!"
"Take down these three, and our standing in the organization is sure to rise!"
The Billion-Fold agents pursuing them in their ships were already preparing to open fire on the Going Merry.
"Let's take care of them quickly."
Tom saw the Billion-Fold agents shouting loudly, declaring they would claim their heads. Just as he was about to pull out the fishing rod from his arm-sleeve device, Ace spoke up. "Let me handle them."
With that, Ace leaped down from the ship's railing onto his small yellow boat.
"What's he planning to do?"
"There are five enemy ships. Isn't his boat too small?"
"Small as it is, it's actually pretty fast."
"Let's see for ourselves. The strength of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander."
As Nami, Usopp, Tom, and Zoro spoke, Ace had already set off on his small boat toward the Baroque Works ships.
Ace's boat was powered by fire. When flames ignited at his feet, the boat would move forward on its own.
"He's coming alone? He's asking for death!"
"There are fifty of us Billion-Fold agents here! We'll take him down easily!"
"And we have five ships! He's a Devil Fruit user, which means he's a helpless swimmer. All we have to do is blast him into the sea!"
The Baroque Works Billion-Fold agents were overjoyed to see Ace approaching alone. They began firing cannons at him.
Boom! Bang!
As the Billion-Fold agents opened fire, Ace suddenly leaped high into the air from his small boat. Evading the incoming cannonballs, his lower body transformed into blazing crimson flames as he flew over the enemy ships.
His small boat, meanwhile, sank into the sea after he jumped, passing beneath the waves and emerging on the flank of the Baroque Works fleet.
As Ace descended from above, his boat surfaced from the sea at the perfect moment.
The moment Ace landed on his boat, flames ignited on his right fist. From his current angle, the five Baroque Works ships were lined up perfectly.
Then Ace's blazing fist punched forward. "Fire Fist!"
Before the Baroque Works Billion-Fold agents could react, their five ships were reduced to wreckage by the wave of flames from Ace's punch.
The massive fireball that erupted from Ace's fist tore through the first ship, then continued without pause toward the second, third, and beyond. The flames, infused with tremendous force, destroyed all five enemy ships in one continuous strike.
In an instant, the sea was ablaze. With a single punch, Ace had annihilated the enemy, ships and all. The shattered remains of the vessels floated scattered across the water, still burning.
"So strong. One punch with that much power."
"So this is the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander, standing at the top of the world. Truly formidable."
Tom and Zoro watched Ace destroy the enemy with what seemed like an effortless punch. While taking down the Billion-Fold agents on those five ships wouldn't have been especially difficult for them either, doing it as easily and casually as Ace—wiping out both the men and their ships in one blow—was beyond them.
"Weren't you saying earlier you wanted to hit him?"
Nami glanced at Ace sailing back and whispered to Tom beside her.
"Yeah. Good thing he didn't hit me instead."
Tom answered, feeling fortunate.
"But one day, I'll be able to do that too. One punch to rule them all."
Tom stroked his chin, speaking seriously.
"What do you mean?"
Usopp was curious about Tom's words.
"Like this."
As Tom spoke, he threw a punch at the air. "Take that!"
Then came a crack. The ship's railing in front of Tom broke clean off.
Seeing the Going Merry's railing smashed by Tom's punch, Usopp's eyes nearly popped out. "You idiot! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Sorry, I accidentally broke the ship. Looks like I've still got a long way to go. Need more practice."
Tom scratched his head apologetically. He had been impressed by how Ace infused his flames with tremendous force, delivering such devastating power. He wondered if, by improving and strengthening the Fish-Man Karate "True Punch" he had learned, he might one day be able to destroy five ships with a single punch as well.
But compared to Ace's punch, what Tom had just done was negligible.
"You think you can just mess around? Stop damaging the Going Merry!"
Usopp couldn't take it anymore and immediately started wrestling with Tom.
Meanwhile, when Smoker and Tashigi returned to the port with their soldiers, they discovered that the Baroque Works agent they had captured, Mr. 11, had been shot dead.
It turned out that after Mr. 11 was captured by Smoker, he had been tied to the ship's mast.
But earlier, Smoker had assembled all the Marines on the ship to pursue Luffy and the others. Several Baroque Works Billion-Fold agents, seeing the warship empty, had come aboard to investigate. That was when they found Mr. 11, who had fallen into Marine hands.
However, rather than rescuing Mr. 11, those Billion-Fold agents killed him. In their eyes, aside from the five high-ranking officers Mr. 1 through Mr. 5, the remaining agents were no stronger than the Billion-Folds themselves. Eager to advance, they had no qualms about eliminating a fellow organization member.
This showed just how ruthless internal competition within Baroque Works could be. One slip, and your own comrades might be the ones to end you.
"Captain Smoker, we found no trace of the Straw Hat crew in the surrounding waters."
Tashigi, holding her sword, gave a crisp military salute to Smoker, who sat by the ruins.
"They must have sailed away elsewhere by now."
Smoker, two cigars clamped between his teeth, asked Tashigi, "What do you make of Alabasta's Princess Vivi being with them?"
"Princess Nefeltari Vivi being with the Straw Hats... she must be a hostage. Kidnapping a princess, they must have some scheme."
Tashigi adjusted her glasses and offered her guess.
"Vivi's actions suggest she's more like their crewmate."
Smoker's assessment was more perceptive than the often-clueless Tashigi's.
"A princess as their crewmate?"
Tashigi was baffled. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't understand why a country's princess would be mixed up with pirates.
"It seems something major is about to happen in this country."
Just as Smoker said this, a Marine soldier came running over. "Captain Smoker, Captain Hina from Headquarters has contacted us. She says she has something important to discuss."
"Hina?"
Smoker took the Den Den Mushi from the soldier and waved him away. "What does she want here?"
"Is that Smoker? This is Hina. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Hina's voice soon came through the Den Den Mushi in Smoker's hand.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Smoker seemed uninterested in catching up with Hina and got straight to the point.
"You encountered the Straw Hats earlier, didn't you?"
Hina knew Smoker's temperament well and cut to business as well.
"What of it?"
Smoker retorted.
"Do not harm the Trick-Eye Hunter!"
Hina's voice suddenly became very serious.
"What did you say?"
Smoker hadn't expected that Hina, an old acquaintance, would contact him to discuss this. He frowned. "You and I are both Headquarters Captains. You have no right to order me around."
"I know you've always hated pirates. But the higher-ups want the Trick-Eye Hunter alive. That's why I'm here—to capture him alive."
Hina continued through the Den Den Mushi. "If you do as you always do, acting recklessly, and something happens to the Trick-Eye Hunter, the higher-ups won't..."
"Did Fleet Admiral Sengoku personally assign you this mission?"
Smoker knew Hina was genuinely concerned about him. His tone softened somewhat.
"No. It came from someone above Fleet Admiral Sengoku. My mission wasn't routed through him—I was dispatched directly."
Hina's words made Smoker's frown deepen. Just as he was about to speak, Hina continued, "Listen to me, Smoker. If you really go after the Trick-Eye Hunter, even if you let him escape, don't kill him. This man is important to the World Government. If his death is linked to you, even your friendship with Admiral Aokiji might not save you."
"What are those old men plotting?"
Smoker's grip on the Den Den Mushi tightened slightly.
"I don't know the details. But I do know this: to capture the Trick-Eye Hunter alive, the higher-ups have even postponed Spandam's proposal from Enies Lobby to seize the sole survivor of the Ohara incident twenty years ago in order to obtain an ancient weapon."
Hina's fair face was grave as she spoke these words.
"You're saying the Trick-Eye Hunter is more important than an ancient weapon?"
Smoker knew exactly what the ancient weapons were—ultimate weapons with the power to destroy the world. Yet the higher-ups had set aside the chance to obtain one, all for the sake of this one man. How could he not be shocked?
But there was one thing Smoker couldn't understand. "If the Trick-Eye Hunter really is that important, why send only a Headquarters Captain to pursue him?"
"Smoker, are you looking down on Hina? Hina is very displeased."
Hina continued, "I can't answer your question. I don't understand it myself. But I've told you what I know. The rest is up to you."
With that, Hina ended the call. She had said what she needed to. Whether Smoker listened was no longer her concern.
"Captain Smoker, what should we do? Should we really leave the Trick-Eye Hunter alone?"
Tashigi had overheard the entire conversation. She had always believed the Marines were meant to fight pirates. Now, the World Government's higher-ups were instructing them to hold back. She found it hard to accept.
"Fool. Don't let little things confuse you. The justice you believe in is in your own heart. Act according to your convictions."
Smoker stood up and spoke to Tashigi. "Next time I see the Trick-Eye Hunter, I won't hold back. Neither he nor Straw Hat Luffy will escape me! That's why we came to the Grand Line."
"But if the higher-ups find fault..."
Before Tashigi could finish, Smoker cut her off. "Ignore those old men. They can eat shit!"
"But the Straw Hats have vanished. Where should we look for them?"
Tashigi, having heard Smoker's crude words, found her resolve strengthening once more.
"Don't worry. I know where the Straw Hats are going."
Smoker gazed at the vast, endless sea ahead. "Their target is Crocodile."
"Crocodile is a government-sanctioned pirate, a Warlord of the Sea. Why would the Straw Hats target him?"
Tashigi still couldn't understand Luffy and his crew's objective.
"You know I've always hated the Warlords. Especially that one."
Smoker's expression darkened as he spoke, as if recalling something unpleasant.
"But, in terms of allegiance, Crocodile is on the side of the government and the Marines."
Tashigi said to Smoker.
"That man has always been a cunning pirate. There's no way he'd genuinely follow the World Government."
Smoker turned to face her. "Remember this: a pirate is always a pirate! Wherever Crocodile is, the Straw Hats will appear. So when we get there, everything will become clear. And this time, we won't let them escape!"
Back on the Going Merry, Tom and Usopp were repairing the ship's railing while Luffy and the others drank, saying they were celebrating Ace joining their crew.
Although Ace had made it clear he wouldn't join the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy and the others happily drank cup after cup.
Clearly, they were just finding any excuse to raise their glasses and celebrate.
While Usopp went to get some lumber, Luffy, still drinking, asked Tom, "Where did you end up going earlier?"
"I ended up in some small town. I saw Crocodile there."
Tom set down his small hammer, took the cup Nami offered him, and took a sip.
"Why didn't you call me?"
Luffy immediately asked, leaving Tom speechless.
"What?! You saw Crocodile?"
"You didn't get into trouble with him, did you?"
Vivi and Nami cut in before Luffy could ask more.
"The moment I saw him, I challenged him."
Tom answered honestly, leaving Nami and Vivi stunned. "Are you an idiot? He's a Warlord of the Sea! You should have run!"
"Stinky fisherman. What happened then?"
Sanji refilled Ace's cup and asked Tom.
Tom glanced at Nami and Vivi, then continued, "Then I punched Crocodile and sent him flying."
Just then, Usopp came back carrying a plank of wood. Hearing Tom's words, he slipped and, unfortunately, fell through the still-unrepaired railing into the water.
Chopper, who had just taken a drink, saw Usopp plunge into the sea and spat out the liquor still in his mouth. "Oh no! Usopp fell in!"
"He's so clumsy. Can't even carry a plank without falling. Hahahaha!"
As Tom finished speaking, Nami unceremoniously smacked him on the head. "This is your fault! Don't just say things that shock people out of nowhere!"
"What happened next?"
Vivi asked Tom urgently.
"Some things came up, so I ran."
Tom decided not to mention being chased out of town by the people.
"So you didn't really get to fight him properly."
Zoro concluded.
"From what I know, Crocodile's been famous for nearly twenty years. He's no ordinary opponent. If you're going to make an enemy of him, don't let your guard down."
Ace, sitting aside drinking, offered his perspective.
"Honestly, even though I punched Crocodile, it didn't feel right. Like I didn't really hurt him at all."
Tom spoke seriously. "If I'd gotten a few more hits in, I might have figured out why."
"You're lucky to be alive. He's a Warlord of the Sea. Next time you see him, don't be so reckless."
No sooner had Nami finished than Luffy stood up and declared loudly, "Who cares? When I see him, I'll punch him flying!"
"Everyone, the place we're heading next is Yuba. But before that, we have to cross the desert. This journey may be harder than you can imagine. I don't know what's ahead. One wrong step, and we could lose our lives in this scorching land. To be honest, I don't know if bringing you all there is the right choice."
Vivi had noticed earlier that Tom seemed to be holding something back when talking about Crocodile, which made her even more uneasy. Looking at Luffy and the others, her delicate face full of determination, she spoke deliberately. "I want to bring peace back to this country. So I want to ask for your help again."
"Please... all of you, help me with everything you've got. I'm begging you."
Vivi bowed her head solemnly to Luffy and the others. When she had arrived in Nanohana earlier, seeing that life there was relatively stable—though it was only a small coastal city on the edge of the kingdom, mostly unaffected by the rebellion—she had still felt some relief. At least the first sight of her people when she returned to her homeland showed them safe.
"You finally said it. We've been waiting."
"We intended to help from the start."
"There are risks crossing the desert, but I'm still interested."
"I'm curious about the desert too."
"That's right! We'll go to Yuba and punch Crocodile flying!"
Nami, Zoro, Tom, Chopper, and Luffy all responded with enthusiasm. Though Luffy still seemed unclear that they weren't going to Yuba specifically to find Crocodile, but to stop the rebel army.
"Miss Vivi, even if we don't know what's ahead, it's just like being at sea. There'll be all kinds of dangers waiting for us, right?"
Sanji, who had just fished Usopp out of the water, returned to the ship. Hearing Vivi's words, his eyes turned to hearts. "Don't worry! No matter what danger comes, this prince will protect you and Miss Nami!"
"Yeah, Vivi! We..."
Usopp, on Sanji's back, gave Vivi a thumbs up. But before he could finish, Sanji's lovesick swaying sent him tumbling into the water once more.
"Waaah! Usopp fell in again!"
Chopper shouted once more...
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T/N :
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