One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

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Whiskey Peak.

"Welcome, Pirates!"

"Brave warriors of the sea!"

"Welcome to Whiskey Peak!"

Suddenly, a welcoming crowd appeared on both sides of the Going Merry, cheering and clapping enthusiastically. The unexpected sight left Nami and the others somewhat confused. Both Nami and Nojiko remained cautiously alert, while Ace smiled warmly at the crowd, pretending not to notice anything suspicious.

To a newcomer, Whiskey Peak might seem like an island that welcomes pirates with open arms. But Ace knew better. This town was merely a branch of Crocodile's Baroque Works, a base for bounty hunters that targeted pirates fresh to the Grand Line.

Still, since they wanted to play this little act, Ace decided to go along with it for the time being.

"Welcome, warriors of the sea, DO, RE MI~!"

"Ahem!"

"Welcome to Whiskey Peak! I am the mayor of this town."

A large, curly-haired man, who seemed to have the habit of singing instead of speaking, introduced himself with a smile. Ace's lips curled slightly in amusement.

This man was none other than Mr. 8, real name Igaram, captain of Alabasta's royal guard. He and Vivi were working undercover within Baroque Works.

"In our town, we warmly welcome any pirate bold enough to brave the seas! Join us for a grand celebration!" Igaram exclaimed with a hopeful grin.

"Wait a minute! We still need to record the island's magnetic field—how long will that take?" Nami asked, raising a practical concern.

"Forget such trivial matters, FA, SO, LA—it's time to party!" Igaram interrupted, spreading his arms wide with enthusiasm.

Ace laughed, cutting Nami off before she could protest further. "A party, huh? Sounds good to me! Let's go, everyone!"

Ace followed Igaram toward the town, eager for a change after days of simple meals at Twin Capes. Kaya, smiling sweetly, clung to Ace's side, gazing around in awe at the lively atmosphere.

"This is so exciting, wow!" she said with a soft giggle.

"Enjoy the adventure, Kaya!" Ace responded warmly, giving her a tight hug.

Nami and Nojiko exchanged glances, then smiled. As long as Ace was with them, they had nothing to worry about, no matter what this welcoming party was truly about. They decided to enjoy the moment and join the festivities.

Even Tashigi, usually more reserved, was pulled into the excitement by the other women.

"Here! Our town's specialty wine—let's see how much you can handle!" Igaram called out, raising a glass of the local drink made from grapes.

"Oh? Drinking challenge, huh? I love it!" Ace laughed, downing a glass in one go. "Not bad at all," he said, licking his lips and nodding in approval. His eyes then shifted to the banquet table overflowing with food.

Ace's immense appetite startled the bounty hunters, including Igaram, but they forced themselves to keep smiling. Little did they know that for every bite he took now, they would soon wish he'd spit it all back out twice over.

Upon hearing that the winner of the drinking contest would receive 100,000 beli, Nami eagerly dragged Nojiko into the competition. The party grew livelier by the minute.

Kaya, after just two drinks, leaned against Ace, her cheeks flushed as she mumbled sweetly to him. Tashigi, who didn't want to drink, was also convinced by Ace to join in, and soon she, too, was resting against his other side.

As the sky darkened and the banquet's raucous energy began to settle, Ace, having eaten and drank enough to outlast five chefs, fell asleep in a chair. Nami and Nojiko dozed off, each clinging to one of his legs, while Kaya slept soundly in his arms.

"Boom!"

Igaram quietly closed the door and gazed at the sky. "The cactus peaks look even more beautiful under the moonlight tonight," he mused aloud.

"You really sound like a poet, Igaram—no, I should say Mr. 8," Mr. 9 teased from the rooftop.

"Is that you?" Igaram turned, a brief glint of relief crossing his face when he saw Vivi safe and sound, before quickly masking his emotions with a stern expression.

"What happened to them?" Vivi asked.

"They've fallen... straight to hell," Igaram replied with a grim look.

"Why put on such a show for them? That captain of theirs ate so much, we barely have any food left! He seems like a weakling, surrounded by girls. We should've just killed them at the port!" a powerful voice scoffed from the shadows.

"Miss Monday," Mr. 9 greeted as a towering woman emerged from the darkness.

"Killed them? The leader's bounty is only 35,000 beli. He's nothing," Igaram confidently stated, waving a wanted poster.

"35,000 beli?!" Vivi and the others gasped, gathering around Igaram to take a look. But when they saw the poster, cold sweat broke out across their faces.

"Hey, Mr. 8... are you sure you read that bounty correctly?" Mr. 9 stammered, his voice shaking.

"Huh? What's the problem?" Igaram asked, flipping the wanted poster to double-check.

The moment he did, his pupils constricted, and sweat began to trickle down his face.

"Th-this isn't 35,000, it's 85 million beli!!" Mr. 9 cried out in terror.

Igaram, Vivi, Mr. 9, and Miss Monday huddled together, staring at the wanted poster in shock.

"85 million beli?!"

Vivi swallowed hard, her mind racing. Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, had a bounty of only 80 million before he became a Warlord. Though Warlords were no longer hunted, and their bounties froze, this was still an astonishingly high amount.

That man has an 85 million beli bounty?! Vivi thought, recalling Ace's calm demeanor.

"Mr. 8, are we really going to take on someone at this level? Maybe we should reconsider... let's just let them go peacefully in the morning!" Mr. 9 pleaded, his voice quivering.

"Calm down! They're all drunk. We'll handle it," Igaram growled.

"Calm down? We're talking about an 85 million beli pirate! That's Shichibukai territory! Do you think this kind of monster won't kill us in our sleep?!" Mr. 9 whimpered, nearly in tears.

At that moment, they couldn't shake the fear that the 85 million beli monster would wake up any second and eliminate them all in one fell swoop.

"Oh my God! Did we really come back on the same ship with people like this?!"

"Shichibukai bounties are given before they become Warlords, and those bounties sometimes reflect the threat they pose to the government, not necessarily their actual strength!" Igaram said solemnly, though even he didn't fully believe his own words.

He glanced at the wanted poster the Marines had issued for Ace. The title given to this pirate was Fire Emperor, Portgas D. Ace. 

Dear Lord! Who are we dealing with?!

"That's enough whining, Mr. 9! No matter how high his bounty is, he's drunk right now. If we capture him and hand him over to the government, we'll get the full 85 million beli!" Miss Monday said in a deep voice.

"I don't care, do what you want! Just make sure we find more food!" Mr. 9 shouted at Miss Monday as their argument escalated.

At that moment, Igaram gave Vivi a subtle look. She followed him to a quiet corner.

"What's wrong, Mr. 8?" Vivi asked, at first loudly, before lowering her voice to a whisper. "What is it, Igaram?"

"Mr. 9's too scared. Whether we act or not is up to us now," Igaram said in a similarly raised voice before speaking more quietly.

"Princess Vivi, I'm glad you're safe. Based on your intel, I followed that woman... and I think I found out..." Igaram's face was drenched in cold sweat.

"Is it really him?" Vivi asked, her pupils shrinking in shock.

"No! I can't confirm it yet. But I saw a letter she wrote addressed to him..." Igaram's face darkened with foreboding.

"Crocodile…?" Vivi whispered, biting her lip as she struggled to say the name.

"Oh? So Crocodile is the one behind all this?" came a voice, catching Vivi and Igaram off guard, sending them into a panic.

"Who—its you?!" Mr. 9 and Miss Monday rushed over upon hearing the name. The shock in their voices grew as they realized who had spoken. It was Ace, now casually sitting on the roof with a carefree expression.

"Wha-what?!"

Mr. 9 and Miss Monday stared at Ace in horror—the pirate with the 85 million beli bounty had woken up!

In contrast, Vivi and Igaram were consumed by despair. Ace noticed the hopelessness on their faces, and a small smile played on his lips. It seemed they had only found traces of Crocodile's involvement through Robin, but hadn't fully confirmed it yet.

Well then, Ace thought, I'll confirm it for them.

His smile deepened. With his Observation Haki, Ace had already sensed two unluckies spies on a rooftop reporting directly to Crocodile.

"Bang! Bang!"

At that moment, the bounty hunters from Baroque Works burst out from various rooms, shouting at the top of their lungs. But before they could act, Ace raised his eyes slightly, unleashing a powerful, thick purple-black wave.

"Boom!"

The terrifying force swept through the room, knocking out everyone except Vivi, Igaram, and the two spies.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Under Vivi and Igaram's shocked gazes, all the bounty hunters present, including the formidable Mr. 9 and Miss Monday, collapsed instantly.

"This...this..." Igaram stood frozen, staring at the scene in disbelief. Ace had merely glanced their way, and hundreds of bounty hunters, including powerful agents like Mr. 9 and Miss Monday, were down in seconds!

Is this the power of a pirate with an 85 million beli bounty? Igaram thought, raising his head to look at Ace, who stood silhouetted in the moonlight, almost godlike.

"Whoosh!"

Ace leaped off the roof and landed in front of Igaram. Without hesitation, Igaram knelt before him.

"Please... help us!" Igaram pleaded desperately. "I know this is sudden, but we need your help!"

"Igaram..." Vivi said softly, biting her lip.

"Whether or not the boss behind the scenes is really Crocodile, the fact that we've uncovered this much means the organization will send assassins after us," Igaram said, despairing as he pointed to the spies who had just flown off after writing down their report.

"It's Crocodile," Ace said casually, with a slight smile.

"!!!" Vivi and Igaram both whipped their heads around to look at Ace in disbelief.

"I have a technique called Haki. It allows me to sense people's simple thoughts. When I mentioned that your boss was Crocodile, those two over there confirmed it in their hearts." Ace pointed toward the spies who had fled.

His explanation was perfect and left no room for doubt. Observation Haki, after all, was known to sense people's emotional states.

"So it really is him..." Vivi muttered, her face pale with despair. Neither she nor Igaram doubted Ace. After all, what reason did a pirate with an 85 million beli bounty have to lie? And hadn't he just knocked out hundreds of bounty hunters with a single look?

"You didn't knock us out. You must have something in mind," Igaram said, raising his head, understanding that someone with such power and restraint must have a reason for sparing them.

"Well, I'm interested in this whole situation, but you'll have to tell me everything first," Ace responded, not surprised by Igaram's words, smiling slightly.

"Alright, there's nothing more to hide. I am Igaram, Captain of Alabasta's Royal Guard. And this is Princess Vivi, heir to the Alabasta throne. We've infiltrated an organization called Baroque Works..." Igaram took a deep breath and began explaining the whole situation.

There was no point in lying. After all, Ace had the ability to read thoughts.

"Please, can you escort Princess Vivi back to Alabasta? The kingdom will reward you handsomely for your help!" Igaram pleaded loudly as he knelt before Ace once more.

"Handsome reward?!" A voice interrupted them, and Nami came running over, her eyes sparkling with beli signs.

Ace couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth at the sight.