An endless sea.
Chopper, newly joined to the crew, stared at the water with wide eyed curiosity, while Monkey D. Luffy fished beside him.
"I'm so hungry…"
"There's not a single ingredient left…"
He'd been fishing for ages, and still hadn't caught a thing.
Vivi and Nami stood by the railing, gazing into the distance where the log pose needle pointed, toward Alabasta.
…
"What's wrong, Vivi? You look kind of pale."
Nami could be violent sometimes, but when it came to girls, especially someone like Vivi who'd watched her country fall into chaos, she had plenty of sympathy.
Seeing Vivi alone at the rail, anxiously staring out over the sea, Nami couldn't help but ask.
"I just feel like… even if I rush back to Alabasta, with my strength… there's no way I can defeat Baroque Works."
Unlike the original timeline's quiet, sneaky "steal the country" approach, the Seven Warlords of the Sea had become a truly powerful faction in this world.
So Crocodile didn't bother hiding his ambition.
On this sea, aside from the clueless common folk at the bottom, most people with any standing already knew exactly what Crocodile was scheming.
If Crocodile weren't worried that taking the country by force would ignite massive civilian resistance, the Alabasta royal family would've collapsed long ago.
"It'll be fine. You've seen our crew, right?" Nami said proudly, because she'd witnessed Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji's fighting power with her own eyes.
"We'll help you. We'll take Alabasta back."
Maybe Nami's words stirred something in him, because Sanji immediately put on a confident smile, flicked his bangs, and posed like he had to show off for Vivi.
"Vivi chan, you can trust us."
Zoro didn't say a word. He simply wrapped his hand around his sword hilt, eyes razor sharp.
His meaning was the same.
Even Luffy, starving and sluggish, still bared his teeth in a grin.
"Yeah! I'm gonna send that guy called Crocodile flying!!"
"And me too! A mere Crocodile… Captain Usopp just has to wiggle a finger…"
With the whole crew supporting her, Vivi felt a little better. She forced out a thin smile, but only a little.
"But even if you beat Crocodile… it still won't matter, right? Because that guy is…"
"A Warlord of the Sea!"
"A what kind of 'turtle lord'? Can you eat it?!!"
Luffy was so hungry he was practically hallucinating, only for Nami to bonk him so hard a huge bump rose on his head.
"It's the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
The moment those words landed, Sanji and Zoro's expressions changed. Their eyes turned heavy and serious.
"Nani? What's that?" asked Chopper, the innocent country bumpkin who'd never seen the outside world before.
He looked adorably confused.
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea are… a highly dangerous group on this sea…"
In the end it was Sanji, face dark, who explained it to those who didn't know. He slowly lit a cigarette.
"They're pirates officially recognized by the World Government, a force meant to intimidate the entire sea. Seven pirates with enough fame and strength to be chosen."
"The 'Hawk Eyes' Dracule Mihawk we met at the Baratie is one of them."
"Nani!!"
Chopper was still lost, but Usopp and Luffy, who'd seen that nightmare firsthand, went stiff.
Especially Usopp.
His long nose drooped like a soggy noodle, and fear flooded his face.
"So we're supposed to fight enemies like Hawk Eyes?!"
Just remembering those hawk sharp eyes and that black blade made his soul leave his body.
"Oh no… I've caught a disease where I pass out the moment I step on land! Looks like I can't help Princess Vivi this time…"
He flopped onto the deck and went limp.
No one bothered with Usopp. They just fell into grim silence.
But Luffy clearly refused to give up.
"I don't believe it! There's no way everyone in that group is like Hawk Eyes! We can definitely beat him!!"
Vivi, moved but still worried, shook her head and pressed her lips together.
"Even if you beat him… it might still be impossible."
"Because he's backed by… Black Spear. Honestly, Father has wanted to give up more times than I can count."
The instant Vivi said that…
"Wait. You said… Black Spear?" Zoro suddenly looked up, stunned.
The rest of the crew reacted the same way, except Chopper.
Vivi froze at their synchronized reactions.
"Yes. When I was little, I saw that great figure at a banquet. He's the ruler behind the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the king of the previous era on this sea…"
"Hahahahaha!!"
Luffy burst into laughter.
Sanji, Zoro, and the others all looked like they'd just let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding.
"I thought the terrifying big shot behind the Warlords was going to be someone hopeless… so it's Master?!"
"Father too, seriously. He shows up everywhere."
"Hahaha, yeah! If it's Uncle Ozz, then beating Crocodile won't be a problem at all!!"
Only Nami looked a little awkward when she heard that name.
But for some reason, the moment they learned the "offending big shot" was Ozz, they all relaxed.
Maybe it was because Ozz had always seemed so gentle around them that they'd formed a comforting illusion.
An illusion that the distance between them, a bunch of brand new rookies weaker than New World fodder, and Ozz… wasn't that far at all.
And Ozz's personality was the best in the world at giving people "surprises."
That was why, later on, when the Straw Hats caused trouble at Black Spear's main base on the Sabaody Archipelago, they finally understood the true gap between themselves and a "King."
A gap so absolute it crushed hope.
No father son bond. No master disciple bond. No "he's an elder" bond.
Just pure, merciless bullying from above.
And for now…
Whether it was the Straw Hats, or Baroque Works led by Crocodile in Alabasta…
Both sides confidently believed that win or lose, Ozz would be on their side.
But what they couldn't imagine was…
Ozz…
Was famous for stabbing people in the back.
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