One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

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Ace glanced at Nami, his face darkening slightly as she rushed over, her eyes practically turning into beli symbols.

"Nami, have you gathered up all the treasures from these bounty hunters?" Ace asked, somewhat helplessly.

"Hehe, these guys are so poor! I thought they'd be rich, considering how many of them there are, but..." Nami stuck out her tongue playfully, responding to Ace's question.

Having experienced the Arlong incident, Nami was naturally cautious, even when drinking. After Ace had left earlier, she had gotten up to search for the group's treasures.

Now, Nami turned her attention to Igaram and Vivi, her eyes gleaming with interest.

"I heard it all—you said she's a princess, right? And a princess must be really rich! How about we make a deal? We'll escort you back home, and in exchange, you give us a billion beli!"

Nami's eyes sparkled, filled with anticipation.

"A billion..." Igaram and Vivi exchanged wry smiles.

"Huh? What's wrong? As a princess, aren't you worth at least a billion beli?" Nami asked, suddenly anxious. She saw Vivi as an easy jackpot.

"I'm really sorry... Perhaps you're not familiar with Alabasta. It used to be a prosperous kingdom, but now..." Igaram's face darkened.

"Our country has been suffering from drought for nearly a year. With no rain, civil unrest has broken out in the desert. That's when we discovered that Baroque Works, this criminal organization, was behind it all, inciting the people. So, we infiltrated them..." Vivi continued, her voice heavy with sorrow.

After hearing their story, Nami felt a pang of sympathy. Having spent her life stealing from pirate crews to survive, she understood how difficult and dangerous it was for a girl like Vivi to infiltrate a criminal organization, especially for the sake of her homeland. 

Nami couldn't help but recall her own village, Cocoyashi.

However, she was still reluctant to give up the idea of a reward completely. Her face showed clear signs of inner conflict.

"Has everything been settled, Captain?" came Nojiko's voice. She was holding a rifle, with both Tashigi and Kaya—drunk and fast asleep—slung over her shoulders.

"Just in time," Ace said with a smile, taking Tashigi and Kaya from Nojiko's arms. His eyes then landed on the "Unluckies," who had returned without anyone noticing. 

The sea otter, Mr. 13, was busy sketching. After a while, he held up several portraits, proudly showing them to everyone.

"Oh? Not bad, the drawings are pretty good," Ace said with a grin.

The sketches captured each of the girls beautifully. Ace, who hadn't expected such talent, found it amusing.

"Quack!" The unlucky pair took the portraits and flew off immediately.

"Wait, what?! Are we being targeted?!" Nami shrieked, grabbing Vivi by the collar and shaking her violently, teeth bared in frustration.

"S-Sorry!" Vivi apologized, tears in her eyes.

"Ace! Why didn't you take out that otter?!" Nami yelled after calming down.

"Well, I thought it was kind of interesting," Ace replied with a laugh.

"Ugh! Why does this always happen to me?! The moment we set foot in the Grand Line, we're already being targeted!" Nami wailed before suddenly remembering something. "By the way, Ace, who's this BOSS of the organization you mentioned? Crocodile, right?"

She had been too focused on the money earlier to ask.

"Crocodile is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a pirate whose plundering is sanctioned by the government. Though he no longer has a bounty, before becoming a Warlord, his bounty was 80 million beli," Vivi explained, her voice filled with gravity. Just mentioning his name made her feel uneasy.

"Shichibukai?! 80 million beli?! That's four times Arlong's bounty! Ace, it's twice your bounty!" Nami exclaimed, feeling overwhelmed.

"Huh? No, Ace-san's bounty is 85 million beli," Igaram corrected, taking out Ace's latest wanted poster.

"!!!" 

Both Nami and Nojiko froze, quickly grabbing the bounty poster from Vivi.

"Fire Emperor, Portgas D. Ace, wanted dead or alive: 85 million beli?!!!" Nami read aloud, her voice trembling by the end.

"Oh? Looks like my bounty went up after the Loguetown incident. 'Fire Emperor,' huh? Not a bad title~" Ace laughed, holding the poster.

"It's over! Now we'll have bounty hunters and the Marines after us! 85 million beli...!" Nami muttered, drawing circles on the ground in despair.

"So? We've been targeted by the Marines for a while now, right?" Nojiko said, looking at Nami with a smirk.

"So, Ace-san, what's your plan?" Igaram asked nervously, kneeling on the ground.

"Vivi, did I tell you?" Ace said, ignoring Igaram and turning to Vivi instead.

"Tell me what?" Vivi asked, confused.

"I told you back at the Twin Capes that we were destined to meet. So, for this mission, my crew and I will take it on. Going up against a Warlord like Crocodile... sounds fun," Ace replied with a confident smile.

"H-Hey, Ace! That's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" Nami tugged on Ace's sleeve, her voice pleading.

"Nope. It's going to be interesting. The first Warlord I take down on the Grand Line—it'll be Crocodile," Ace said, a fierce grin on his face.

Nojiko didn't say anything. She simply kept cleaning her rifle, knowing her job was to carry out her captain's orders. And she was ready to fight alongside him which is more fun!

Nami's face was filled with despair.

Meanwhile, Vivi and Igaram exchanged a look of silent understanding. Ace, a man with an 85 million beli bounty, wasn't even fazed by the thought of going up against a Shichibukai like Crocodile.

So this is what it means to be a pirate of his caliber...

"Princess Vivi, I leave her in your care! Ace-san, I don't know why, but I feel like we can trust you completely," Igaram said, smiling as he looked at Ace's crew—a group led by a pirate with an 85 million bounty and four seemingly harmless girls.

Despite the circumstances, it didn't feel like a typical pirate crew at all.

"Even though Ace agreed to help, you still owe me a reward, Vivi," Nami said, pulling Vivi into a side hug, her eyes still fixated on her potential payment.

"I-I do have some private money... About 500,000 beli. If that's alright..." Vivi stammered, prepared to retrieve the money.

"Oh, don't worry about it for now. Just give it to me once the job is done," Nami replied with an unexpected grin.

Vivi was taken aback by the sudden kindness, feeling a lump form in her throat. She nodded gratefully, fighting back tears.

After making some quick preparations, everyone set off for the port of Whiskey Peak.

——

"Hey, Igaram, your outfit is... unique." Ace chuckled as he eyed Igaram, who was clumsily dressed as Vivi, holding several dummy figures in his hands.

"I'm here to play the part of Princess Vivi and return to Alabasta. Once the Baroque Works realizes we know their secret, they'll send assassins right away," Igaram explained, his voice determined.

"Princess Vivi, may I have the Eternal Pose to Alabasta?" Igaram asked, reaching out.

Vivi bit her lip, fighting back tears, but still handed over the Eternal Pose.

"Eternal Pose?" Nami asked, intrigued.

"Yes, unlike regular Log Poses that record the magnetic fields of islands one by one, the Eternal Pose permanently records the magnetic field of a single location. This one is for Alabasta," Igaram explained with a smile.

"Igaram..." Vivi whispered, her voice thick with emotion, her eyes welling up with tears. She knew he was risking his life to give her a chance to escape.

"Don't worry, Igaram. Go with peace of mind," Ace said, placing a reassuring hand on Vivi's shoulder as he watched Igaram depart.

"Vivi, I'll protect you," Ace added.

"!!!" 

Vivi stiffened slightly at his touch but then relaxed. Though a bit flustered, she felt a wave of safety wash over her.

"I leave everything in your hands, Princess Vivi. We will meet again in Alabasta." Igaram gave a small, confident smile.

"Mm!" Vivi nodded, her resolve renewed.

As Igaram's ship sailed away, Ace turned to Nami. "Alright, time to prepare for our departure. Has the Log Pose recorded the next island?"

"It's been set for a while now," Nami confirmed, then suddenly pointed to Ace's hand, which was still resting on Vivi's shoulder. "But how long do you plan on holding her?!"

"!!!" 

Vivi's face instantly turned a deep shade of red.

"Oh? Haha, sorry, didn't mean to," Ace said, pretending to just notice, though his hand lingered a moment longer than necessary. "Just trying to keep Vivi feeling secure."

Then, a deafening explosion rocked the air. Igaram's ship was engulfed in flames, splintering into the sky.

"Igaram!!!" 

Vivi's mouth opened in a silent scream, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"The assassins are already here?!" Nami shielded Vivi.

With a sharp click, Nojiko loaded her gun and moved to protect Kaya and Tashigi, who were still passed out from drinking.

"What a bold move," Ace muttered as his Haki sensed a presence. His eyes locked onto a figure in the distance.

In a flash, Ace vanished from sight, leaving behind a trail of air waves that rippled through the sky. He used his incredible mastery to execute Soru and Geppo, techniques he had learned from Garp.

"Ace!" Nami and Nojiko exclaimed, shocked.

Before they could react, Ace reappeared, holding a woman with a shocked expression in his arms.

"Miss All-Sunday!" Vivi growled through clenched teeth as she recognized the woman.

"Is she part of Baroque Works too? Whose partner is she?" Nami asked, already aware of the organization's structure thanks to Vivi.

"She's the boss's partner and the Vice-President of Baroque Works," Vivi said bitterly. "It was by following her that Igaram and I found clues about the mastermind behind the organization."

Robin, having regained her composure, smiled calmly. "That was intentional. Did you really think Mr. 8 had the strength to find the letter I sent? And it's not a codename you need to worry about, but the name of the boss himself."

"You destroyed Igaram's ship, didn't you?" Vivi accused, her eyes full of tears.

"Yes, that was my doing," Robin admitted freely, her gaze shifting toward Ace. "It's quite uncomfortable. Could you ease your grip? With your strength, surely you're not worried about me escaping."

Ace smiled. "Of course," he said, releasing her. "But I must say, you're even more powerful than I anticipated. I didn't expect my trap for Mr. 8 to end up with me in your hands."

Despite her capture, Robin smiled, unfazed. "You seem surprisingly calm. Have you made peace with life and death?" Ace asked.

Robin remained silent, maintaining her enigmatic smile.

"Even if I were to kill you right now, and you never got the chance to read the Poneglyphs you're after... would you still remain so composed? Nico Robin, the 'Devil Child' of Ohara, with a bounty of 79 million beli."

Robin's eyes widened as her expression shifted.

"79 million?!?" Nami exclaimed, shocked.

Vivi, too, looked stunned.

"You!" Robin stared sharply at Ace.

"You still remember what happened to Ohara?" she asked, bitterness in her voice. "But how do you know that I seek the Poneglyphs?"

"Ohara was destroyed because of the Poneglyphs, wasn't it?" Ace responded calmly.

Robin's face darkened, as memories of the tragedy at Ohara flashed through her mind. The nightmare of Buster Call haunted her.

"Will you let me live if I tell you all information of Baroque Works?" Robin asked after a moment.

"I couldn't care less about that. Crocodile isn't worth my effort to collect information," Ace replied, a sly smile forming on his lips. "What I'm truly interested in..."

Ace's eyes drifted over Robin, causing her to tighten her cloak defensively.

"Hey! She's the enemy!" Nami shouted. "What are you thinking? Though she is beautiful and has an incredible figure..."

"I'm not that hungry!" Ace sighed, rolling his eyes. "That's not what I mean."

Robin stared at him, bewildered.

"I'm interested in the Void Century."

Robin was stunned, her expression unreadable.

"You... know about the Void Century?" she asked, her voice trembling as her emotions spiraled out of control.

"And Y-You're saying you want to uncover the history of the Void Century?! Do you have any idea what that means? Do you even know the burden that entails?!"

Robin, usually calm and collected, was now yelling hysterically. The weight of the taboo history, the price her home had paid, was overwhelming.

For a long time, Robin struggled to regain her composure, her breath heavy.

"I can handle it," Ace said softly.

Robin's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I said, I can handle it. Now, will you help me uncover the history of the Void Century, Nico Robin?" Ace asked with a confident smile.