Three solutions!?
At Red's words, Vivi froze, a flash of shock and doubt crossing her eyes.
This was a problem that had plagued the Nefertari royal family for many years—one they had been unable to resolve no matter what they tried. Yet coming from Red's mouth, it sounded almost trivial.
"Y-you're not lying to me… are you?"
Vivi asked cautiously.
At that moment, she felt like someone who had fallen into the water—suddenly seeing a rope appear before her, yet fearing that the rope might actually be a venomous snake in disguise.
Facing her doubt, however, Red merely smiled calmly and leaned back.
"Lying to you?" he said lightly. "I don't really see the need for that."
As he spoke, his gaze met hers directly.
"Tell me—what is there about you now that's even worth deceiving?"
"Your position as princess, which could disappear at any moment?"
"Or this body of yours, which—admittedly—does have some appeal?"
"Come on."
"You're about to lose everything. What exactly could I possibly scam from you?"
"I…!"
Under Red's gaze, a flush instantly spread across Vivi's cheeks.
It was hard to tell whether it was anger, embarrassment, or a mixture of both.
But she knew he was right.
She truly was on the verge of losing everything.
Realizing that, Vivi finally let go of her pride. She looked at Red sincerely.
"Perhaps… you're right."
"But I still hope you truly have the ability to save my country."
"Hahaha~"
"You can rest assured, Princess Vivi."
"For us, this is a win-win collaboration."
Red returned her sincerity with a smile of his own.
Though that sincerity… looked just a little too calculated.
Yet perhaps out of desperation, or perhaps because she had no better option, Vivi ultimately chose to believe Red—to believe the Straw Hats.
"All right," she said.
"I want to hear what your three solutions are, and what our kingdom—what we—would need to pay."
The corner of Red's mouth curled upward. Seeing Vivi accept the negotiation, he stopped holding back.
"Before that, let me ask you something first," he said."Do you know why Crocodile—a member of the Seven Warlords—would go to such lengths to plunge your country into chaos? And why he chose Alabasta in the first place?"
"T-this…" Vivi hesitated briefly. But during her time undercover in Baroque Works, they had obtained information related to this.
"An ideal kingdom!" she replied through clenched teeth."That's the slogan he spread within Baroque Works!"
"But…!"
Her slender hand, resting on her pale thigh, suddenly clenched into a fist.
Lowering her head, Vivi suppressed the fury in her heart.
"That so-called ideal kingdom is nothing more than a colossal lie he fabricated to achieve his goals!"
"Crocodile's true objective… is to seize control of the Alabasta Kingdom!!!"
"A coup d'état?" Red took a sip of his juice, unsurprised."How cliché."
But then he immediately refuted her conclusion with a smile.
"Unfortunately, your guess is wrong, Princess Vivi."
"Huh!?" Vivi looked up, confusion filling her eyes.
Red's smile grew calmer, as though everything were already within his grasp.
"An ideal kingdom isn't a lie Crocodile invented just to steal a nation."
"On the contrary…"
"Usurping a country is merely one means for him to achieve his ideal kingdom!!!"
"That ideal kingdom is a dream and ambition he'd pursue even at the cost of everything!"
"So let me give you a warning—never underestimate the obsession pirates have with their ambitions."
"Right, Luffy?"
Red suddenly turned his head to look at Monkey D. Luffy beside him.
"Yeah!" Luffy nodded with a grin."That's what makes someone a pirate!"
Usopp frowned at that."But… destroying a country's stability just to achieve a dream—that guy's way too awful, isn't he?"
Coming from a peaceful village, Usopp simply couldn't understand the mindset of the ambitious.
Sanji, however, lit a cigarette and deliberately walked to the kitchen window, letting the smoke drift outside as he murmured softly:
"It can't be helped. That's how this world works."
Born into the Germa Kingdom, he understood this all too well.
Ever since he could remember, Germa's armies had waged wars in other countries and regions—for nothing more than payment.
To those in power, everything was just a tool to achieve their goals.
Including human lives.
"Hmph—damn pirates, every last one of them," Smoker snorted, deliberately averting his gaze from the Straw Hats and looking away.
"In any case," Red continued, "Crocodile has been planning this for years. What he wants is definitely more than a simple regime change."
"And that's where my first solution comes in."
With a faint smile, Red suddenly reached out and dragged the stunned Smoker over, then said to Vivi:
"You can expose Crocodile's crimes to the Marines and have them step in to resolve this crisis for you."
"H-hey!" Smoker struggled slightly, clearly unwilling to be dragged so close to pirates.
"Oh, right!" Nami suddenly clapped her hands, surprised."If the enemy's a pirate, why not just have the Marines deal with him directly?"
"That's impossible…"
Vivi shook her head in despair, her eyes dimming.
"If the Marines could help, Alabasta's problems would've been solved long ago."
"Crocodile is one of the Seven Warlords under the World Government."
"As long as there's no concrete evidence that he's harming a member nation of the World Government, they won't take action."
"Heh, the Marines…"
Zoro, who never missed a chance to mock Smoker, immediately shot him a look of disdain.
Yet this time, Smoker merely took a deep drag of his cigar, letting the ember glow red, and said nothing in response.
Instead, it was Red who suddenly interrupted Vivi.
"Who says the Marines wouldn't act!?"
He once again wore that confident smile Vivi couldn't quite comprehend.
"There is a way to make the Marines—and even the World Government—mobilize immediately, Princess Vivi."
"Just as I said… Crocodile's true objective was never just a country."
"What he wants… is the forbidden relic hidden beneath your royal palace—the Poneglyph!!!"
"Y-you… how do you know that!?"
"What are you!?"
Vivi's eyes widened in terror as she demanded answers.
That secret had been guarded by the Nefertari family for hundreds of years.
Even Vivi herself had only learned of it shortly after coming of age.
Yet Red showed no intention of answering her question and simply continued:
"As one of the Twenty Royal Families, you know how sensitive the World Government is about Poneglyphs."
"As long as you report this to them, they'll immediately dispatch forces to arrest Crocodile. The unrest in your kingdom will be greatly eased."
"N-no—impossible!"
Vivi jumped to her feet in agitation.
"That's a secret the Nefertari family has protected for eight hundred years… we absolutely—absolutely can't—"
But halfway through her protest, she froze.
Because she realized something.
If Crocodile's true goal really was the Poneglyph, then wouldn't exposing that instantly resolve Alabasta's crisis!?
The World Government would never ignore something like that.
And even if it weren't truly Crocodile's objective… she could fabricate the evidence.
Yes, doing so would undo eight hundred years of her family's efforts.
But…
Were the lives of millions—tens of millions—of Alabasta's people really worth less than a single stone etched with secrets!?
Red's words were like a door thrown open before her, jolting her awake.
Perhaps other clans guarding Poneglyphs would sacrifice everything to preserve them.
But Vivi was different.
Influenced by her father, King Cobra, she believed one thing above all else—
The people come first!!!
"I…"
Enlightenment dawning, Vivi slowly sank back into her chair.
But before she could fully process this plan to save her country, Red grinned.
"Of course!"
"If you don't want the World Government discovering the Poneglyph you've been hiding…"
"Then why not listen to my other two solutions?"
"I promise—you'll be even more interested in those."
"..."
Vivi fell silent for a moment.
In the end, she calmly nodded and looked at Red with anticipation.
This time—
She believed him completely.
Believed that he truly had a way to save her country!!!
Special thanks to all supporters and readers for your tremendous support!
(End of Chapter)