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Chapter 73: Luffy's Double Standards
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, Luffy's eyes shot wide open, and he stared at Ganyu in disbelief. After confirming her expression was serious and she wasn't joking in the slightest, he tilted his head and thought for a moment. Then, he clapped his hands as if in sudden realization.
"Oh! So, those people were bad guys?"
Hearing this, Zoro, who had been playing dead on the ground, couldn't stand it anymore. He shot up from the ground with a "swoosh," a cross-shaped vein popping on his forehead, and roared at Luffy: "You idiot, why do you immediately believe they're bad guys just because she said one thing?!"
He was about to explode with anger. He had just tried to explain, but this bastard wouldn't listen to a single word and insisted on fighting him to the death. But this woman comes over, says one thing, and he's completely convinced?
Luffy was stunned by the yelling. He then looked at Zoro with a strange expression, as if to say "Isn't this obvious?" and said, "Because Ganyu would never lie to me."
"So you're saying I would lie to you?!" Zoro's anger was almost tangible.
"Hmm..." Luffy crossed his arms and actually started to think seriously, drawing out the sound.
"What do you mean, 'Hmm'?! You bastard, believe it or not, I'll cut you down right now!!"
...
A long time passed. The battlefield was simply cleaned up, and the lingering smoke gradually dissipated. Miss Valentine had disappeared after being sent flying, but the frozen Mr. 5 still stood silently in the center of the town, ignored by everyone.
Aside from Sanji and Usopp, who were still sleeping in the cabin, the present members of the Straw Hat crew, along with Princess Vivi and the others, gathered in the relatively intact square in the center of the town to discuss their next steps.
"Oh, so that's how it was. Zoro only cut down bounty hunters."
Luffy sat cross-legged on the ground, finally understanding the whole story from Ganyu and Zoro. He looked at Igaram, whose face was wrapped in bandages, his gaze wary.
"Old man, you threw us a banquet last night because you wanted our bounty money, too, huh?"
"I... I'm terribly sorry..."
Igaram lowered his head in shame. His original plan was to trade these pirates' heads for bounty money, but he hadn't expected that not only would his entire group be wiped out, but Princess Vivi's life would also be saved by them.
"It's fine!" Luffy suddenly seemed to remember something and waved his hand generously, a bright smile on his face. "Let's just call it even for the banquet yesterday! The meat was delicious! I had a great time!"
Igaram and the others were all stunned when they saw this pure and open-hearted smile, and their hearts were deeply touched. This guy was surprisingly magnanimous. He was completely different from the other pirates they had met.
If it was him, maybe he could really...
At this thought, Igaram made up his mind. He suddenly bowed deeply to Luffy, his forehead almost touching the ground, his voice earnest: "Mr. Straw Hat! If... if you could safely escort Her Highness Princess Vivi back to Alabasta, our entire nation of Alabasta will be endlessly grateful to you!"
Luffy blinked in confusion, not answering immediately. He didn't understand.
But this thoughtful silence was misinterpreted by Vivi and Igaram. They thought he felt the reward wasn't enough and was hesitating.
Vivi hurriedly said: "We are willing to give you all the treasure that Whiskey Peak has accumulated over the years! Besides that, after I return to the country safely, my father will definitely reward you generously!"
"Quick, go get all the treasure in town!"
Seeing several people accept the order and turn to run, Nami and Ganyu instinctively looked at each other, both seeing the awkwardness in the other's eyes.
The treasure in the town had already been quietly looted by the two of them last night.
When they did it, how could they have known they would be offered the treasure voluntarily? This didn't happen in the original story, did it?
"Wait a minute!" To prevent the situation from becoming unmanageable later, Nami called out to the townspeople who were about to leave. She deliberately put on a serious expression and asked in a low voice, "Uh... we can put the treasure aside for now. First, tell us, who exactly is chasing you?"
"What?! Old man, you're being hunted?!" Luffy finally reacted, shouting in shock.
"Idiot! You still don't understand the situation at all?!" Nami punched him on the head.
Luffy held his head and shook it blankly.
Ganyu, who was standing nearby, couldn't watch anymore. She pulled him over by the ear. In simple and clear language, she explained Princess Vivi's identity, the threat of Baroque Works, and their current predicament.
Meanwhile. Under Nami's persistent questioning, Igaram finally gritted his teeth and revealed the true identity of the boss behind Baroque Works.
The Shichibukai, "Sir Crocodile"!
"What! Crocodile? A Shichibukai is hunting you?"
Nami's face turned pale.
The Shichibukai, along with the Marine Headquarters and the Four Emperors, were known as the three great powers of the Grand Line. Crocodile, also known as "Sir Crocodile," was a Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit user. His bounty before joining the Shichibukai was 81,000,000 Beri.
But this 81 million was far from his true strength. His power was enough to secure a place even in the New World. He was lurking in Alabasta with the true goal of obtaining "Pluton," one of the three ancient weapons said to be hidden in the country, possessing the power to destroy the world.
Of course, at this moment, neither Vivi, Igaram, nor the Straw Hat crew knew these core secrets about the ancient weapons. All they knew was Crocodile's plot to overthrow the government of Alabasta.
...
Some time later.
"Damn it! Why didn't you tell me sooner there was an adventure!"
"Mr. Fish-Cake-Roll! When do we leave?!"
Hearing that he would be protecting a princess and exploring a desert country, Luffy was immediately excited. This was exactly the kind of adventure he wanted. He completely ignored Nami's warnings nearby about "A Shichibukai is dangerous" and "We haven't settled the reward," and eagerly agreed.
As for Ganyu and Zoro, they naturally had no objections. The former knew this was following a certain "predetermined trajectory," while the latter was eager to fight a strong opponent like a Shichibukai.
...
The sky brightened completely, and the morning sun scattered over the town that had just experienced chaos.
After some discussion, they decided to split into two ships and head to Alabasta from two directions. One ship, with Igaram disguised as Vivi, would act as a decoy to draw the enemy's main fire.
The other route would be Vivi herself, traveling on the Straw Hat Pirates' ship, the Going Merry. They would rely on the Log Pose and follow the normal route, island by island, to Alabasta.
"What's going on? Why are we leaving in such a hurry?"
"Let's stay one more night! It's rare to find such a happy town!"
"Exactly, why not take it easy and stay a few more days? Aren't we pirates?"
On the deck. Sanji and Usopp, who had slept soundly all night and were refreshed, woke up to find everyone already packed and ready to set sail, their faces full of confusion.
Thump! Thump!
Nami, at the end of her patience, landed two punches, silencing them.
She rubbed her temples, spread out the nautical chart in her hand, and analyzed the next island's situation with Ganyu. "The next island isn't far from here, but... it's strange. The information on the chart about this island is very brief. It's almost a blank space."