Vivi abruptly lifted her head when she heard those words, her face filled with pure disbelief.
She couldn't understand it at all—how could these people be so unfazed in the face of something this shocking, chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened?
However, the moment her eyes landed on the newspaper's description of the Straw Hat crew, Vivi instantly understood…
Why Red was so certain they could defeat Crocodile.
With the power of just three people, they had destroyed an entire Marine fleet!
Was that really something humans could do!?
Subconsciously, Vivi turned her gaze toward Red again.
At that very moment, Red also looked over.
Their eyes met.
After a brief silence, Vivi spoke once more, cautiously asking:
"So… if we go with the plan you mentioned, what exactly do we need to pay?"
"Simple!"
Red tapped the tabletop lightly and smiled.
"We don't understand the situation in the Kingdom of Alabasta very well."
"So I hope you can provide us with the fastest route to reach Crocodile's location—Rainbase."
"And you'll also need to handle food, clothing, lodging, and transportation issues along the way."
"After we set sail, you'll need to supply us with a large amount of sailing resources, including but not limited to Den Den Mushi, Log Poses, gunpowder, and other necessities."
"..."
"..."
"Huh?!"
Vivi froze, letting out a confused murmur.
"And then?"
"And then?" Red replied with a smile. "What else would there be?"
"No, I mean—"
Vivi grew even more bewildered and pressed on:
"You mean… all those supplies…"
"Are just for the few of you!? For just this one ship!?"
"Of course!" Red answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "We only have one ship, after all."
"Don't worry about Laboon—he can dive down and hunt for food on his own."
"You only need to prepare supplies for us."
"I…"
At that moment, Vivi was completely stunned.
She had expected Red to demand vast sums of money, priceless treasures, or even noble titles or land.
But instead, this was all he asked for!?
Sailing supplies?
Even if they filled the ship to the brim, how much could it really carry?
This wasn't a transaction at all—it was practically…
A charitable act!
"Why?" Vivi asked immediately, unable to comprehend.
Red simply patted Luffy beside him.
"Why ask so many 'whys'?"
"If you really think about it…"
"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is a strong contender for the title of Pirate King—and the perfect stepping stone for us to make a name for ourselves!"
"We've been looking for someone like him!"
"Since we were going to fight sooner or later anyway…"
"We might as well earn your gratitude and supplies to make our journey smoother."
"Isn't that a win-win?"
"Right, Luffy?"
"That's right!"
Luffy laughed with blazing enthusiasm.
"If I want to become the Pirate King, I have to fight strong opponents like them!"
"I'm not giving up the Pirate King's seat to anyone!"
He had already been itching to battle even more powerful foes.
Of course, only half of what Red said was true.
Not all Warlords were their enemies.
But Crocodile was undoubtedly someone they had to defeat.
Put kindly, it was to save the people of Alabasta from misery.
Put bluntly, Nico Robin—the one destined to be intertwined with the Straw Hats' fate—was still firmly trapped in the Sand Crocodile's grasp.
Red hadn't told Luffy any of this yet, but the gears of fate had already begun to turn on their own.
And conveniently, Red wanted to take this chance to thoroughly test the machine's capabilities!
"You guys…"
Tears welled up in Vivi's eyes.
At that moment, she truly felt the goodwill of Red and the Straw Hat crew.
"Hey, hey—don't get emotional just yet."
Seeing this, Red hurriedly cut her off.
He wasn't good at comforting crying women—that was Nami and Sanji's job.
Besides, his real goal hadn't even been revealed yet.
Red suddenly spoke:
"Why don't you hear my final proposal, Princess Vivi?"
"Please, go ahead!"
Without realizing it, Vivi even used honorifics when addressing Red.
Though it sounded a bit strange, Red didn't bother correcting her and continued:
"As the saying goes—give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
"The root of Alabasta's problems was never just the Warlord Crocodile."
"It's because your royal power is too weak—there are no top-tier combatants!"
"A vast kingdom reduced to this state by a single pirate—even if he is a Warlord!"
"Even if you defeat Crocodile today, another ill-intentioned enemy will target you tomorrow."
"So instead of living in fear and praying not to be bullied by the strong…"
"Why not do everything you can to become strong yourselves?"
"So, Princess Vivi—are you willing to work with me and turn the Kingdom of Alabasta into…"
"A kingdom of Pokémon!"
...
...
A gentle sea breeze filled the sails, increasing the Going Merry's speed.
Just moments ago, the Straw Hat crew had experienced their first disaster since entering the Grand Line!
Its name—
Nature's Wrath!!!
Vivi had been talking with the Straw Hats inside the cabin when Mr. 9 suddenly began shouting outside, interrupting their conversation.
Red and the others rushed out of the cabin.
They were greeted by a clear sky that had somehow begun raining massive hailstones.
Frigid air swept across the Going Merry.
After that came howling winds, towering waves, and torrential rain in rapid succession.
Thankfully, Luffy and the others were already quite strong, and with Red's Surf, they managed to survive without serious danger.
If Laboon hadn't happened to dive deep to feed, they could have hidden inside him to avoid the brutal weather entirely.
The next few hours of sailing were unexpectedly smooth.
Soon, they arrived at their first island after entering the Grand Line—
Whiskey Peak!
"Hey—everyone!! I can see land!!!"
Luffy, who had been slumped at the bow, suddenly sprang to life and shouted excitedly.
Completely forgetting how he'd acted just as recklessly during the storm and fallen into the sea.
It had taken Red's Surf to haul him back out of the raging waters.
In an instant, the busy Straw Hats gathered together.
Through the dense sea fog, they could clearly see an island covered in enormous cacti.
"Whiskey Peak, huh?"
Looking at her Log Pose, Nami asked Vivi:
"If we stay here for half a day, the Log Pose will finish recording, right?"
"Y-yes,"
Vivi nodded blankly, still shaken by her recent experiences.
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats—landing on an island in the Grand Line for the very first time—stared ahead with excitement.
After working like a slave for half the day, Mr. 9 quietly sidled over to Vivi and whispered:
"Hey, Miss Wednesday… what exactly did you talk about with them?"
"And what's with your outfit? Why did you change?!"
"Well…"
Vivi was about to answer—
When Red's voice suddenly rang out from ahead:
"Usopp! Take down that vulture!"
"There's a bomb on it—don't let it damage the Going Merry!"
"What!?"
Usopp froze.
But in the next second, muscle memory kicked in. He immediately pulled out his slingshot and ammo.
Following the direction Red pointed to, he immediately noticed a bizarre pair flying toward them in the sky.
A vulture gliding through the air with a gift box in its beak—
And a sea otter in a polka-dotted bodysuit, hammering away at a fuse!
They were none other than officers of Baroque Works—
Mr. 13 and his partner, Miss Friday!
Among Baroque Works, they were also known as the "Unlucky Duo."
They specialized in eliminating failed operatives and traitors.
Anyone who encountered them was practically already a dead man!
"That's them!?"
Unaware of their true identities, Usopp murmured to himself—but his slingshot was already aimed.
Fire!
"Take this!!"
Whoosh!!!
A black projectile shot forth like lightning, streaking toward the Unlucky Duo in the sky.
The next instant—
BOOOOOOM!!!
A terrifying explosion erupted midair. The shockwave whipped up massive waves that crashed toward the Going Merry.
On deck, Smoker and Mr. 9 stared in disbelief at the blast—an explosion powerful enough to annihilate a ship—both of them visibly trembling.
Shrouded in smoke, the Unlucky Duo didn't even get a single line out before plunging straight into the sea.
"Hehehe~!"
Usopp sniffed proudly and grinned.
"Looks like the completion rate is pretty high!"
After countless days and nights of research, he had finally developed a gunpowder formula even stronger than a Buggy Bomb.
A pellet no bigger than a lead bullet could unleash the same power as a standard Buggy Bomb.
It was revolutionary progress!
Since the inspiration came from Buggy Bombs, Usopp officially named it—
The Usoppgy Bomb!
(End of Chapter)