บท 27: Arrival of the Straw Hats (I)

Three Years Later – Vivi's POV

Vivi could only sigh as she stared at the strange group of people in front of her.

If these people were her last hope to save Alabasta, then she truly feared for her kingdom's fate. Honestly, who could blame her? At the moment, they were trying to catch a sea king—with a fishing hook.

"Luffy, we're never going to catch anything," Usopp grumbled.

"Why?" Luffy asked, genuinely curious.

"Because you ate the bait!" Usopp snapped.

"Oh, sorry about that. Wasn't even that tasty," Luffy chuckled.

"Why would you eat something meant for fish?" Usopp groaned.

"Food's food, right?"

"Aghh! What am I going to do with you?" Usopp said, exasperated.

"Don't worry; I used a bigger bait this time! We'll catch a sea king for sure," Luffy announced confidently.

'What would be a bigger bait?' Vivi thought. Then an ominous premonition came to her, 'Where's Karoo?'

Frantically scanning the deck, she saw Karoo dangling from the end of the fishing hook. "Karoo!" she screamed, rushing to rescue her poor companion. After some chaotic shenanigans, she finally managed to pull Karoo back on board. Just as she was about to give Luffy and Usopp a stern talking-to, Nami's voice called out from above.

"Hey! We're coming up on our next destination—Little Garden! And it looks like there's a river that'll take us right inside."

As they navigated the river path, a giant bird swooped down and nearly swallowed Sanji whole. It was clear: Miss All Sunday hadn't been exaggerating; this island was no joke. Naturally, Luffy decided he wanted to explore, despite the dangers.

After thinking it over, Vivi decided she'd rather roam the island than sit around on the ship all day. Besides, Nami and Usopp were staying to watch the ship, and Zoro and Sanji had already gone hunting. Venturing out a bit shouldn't be too much trouble… or so she thought. That hope shattered as she stumbled upon a scene where a gigantic dinosaur was sliced clean in half by an even larger giant.

'Why do I keep ending up in these situations?' Vivi internally groaned.

Mr. 3 POV:

Inside a luxurious candle house deep in Little Garden's jungle, Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek lounged as they heard a knock at the door. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine entered, looking both smug and slightly disdainful. Mr. 3 eyed them with thinly veiled irritation; he loathed working with these two, with their Devil Fruit-reliant arrogance. To Mr. 3, a true criminal used intellect to complete their mission, not brute strength.

"Hello there, Mr. 5."

"Ha! What an extravagant power you have, building an improvised house in the middle of a jungle. The mission is still ours, though. Don't interfere." Mr.5 sneered.

"We'll never goof up like that again," Ms. Valentine grumbled.

Mr. 3 smirked. "You misunderstand, Mr. 5, Miss Valentine. The issue here is that you're still too weak."

Just as they opened their mouths to protest, Mr. 3 raised his hand to silence them.

"Now, now. No need to get worked up. In fact, I'd like to thank you for bringing me to this island." He tossed a pair of wanted posters in front of them, each with a picture of a giant. Mr. 5's eyes widened as he read the bounty.

"Two hundred million berries?! But they're... giants."

Mr. 3's smile twisted into a sinister grin.

"Superb criminals execute their crimes by using their superb brains."

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, a sharp knock on the door interrupted them. The agents tensed, exchanging wary glances. No one should've known they were here. So, who could be at the door?

"Who's there? How did you find us?" Mr. 5 demanded.

A voice called from outside. "Well, you and your partner weren't exactly quiet. Also, the dinosaur you hunted was actually my prey. So, let's just say you're having a bit of bad luck. Now, would you mind letting me in?"

Mr. 3 chuckled. "Why would we do that? My wax is as hard as metal when it dries. You can't just break it down."

In response, they heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being unsheathed. SHIIIING!

'Vertical Katana Draw!'

In an instant, the front wall of the candle house split clean in two, and debris scattered across the room. The Baroque Works agents stared in shock at the figure stepping over the rubble. His piercing green eyes glinted dangerously as he surveyed them.

"Apologies, but I can't allow you to interfere with the giants' duel," he said calmly.

Before they could even catch a clear glimpse of his face, he moved with blinding speed, reappearing behind them next to Miss Goldenweek, who was now lying unconscious on the ground.

"She would've been too annoying to deal with," he said flatly, his voice calm and unhurried as he turned back toward the remaining three agents, who stared at him, paralyzed with fear.

"Now then," he continued, his eyes gleaming with anticipation, "Let's take care of you three. Consider yourselves a gift for our new guests."