Chapter 160: I See the Potential of a Right-Hand Man in You!
Ralph calmly nodded and patted Mr. 3 on the shoulder:
"Well done, my dear employees. Everything went smoothly, I hope?"
"Smoothly! Too smoothly!"
Mr. 3 pulled out an exquisite Eternal Pose from his chest and presented it with both hands.
"Just as you brilliantly predicted, after receiving our 'report on eliminating the Straw Hat crew and Princess Vivi,' the organization ordered us to head to Alabasta immediately to regroup. This is the Eternal Pose pointing to Alabasta!"
Ralph took the pose, a satisfied curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
The Straw Hat crew and Vivi were completely dumbfounded.
Those who believed Ralph's lies were stunned.
They thought reclaiming his Baroque Works would be an arduous struggle for Ralph, but was it really this simple?
As for those who didn't believe Ralph's lies...
They were even more bewildered!
These agents were actually calling Ralph "boss"!
Could everything he said be true?
The mysterious boss of Baroque Works, after failing to seize power, was severely injured, lost his memory, and ended up drifting in the East Blue.
He was rescued by the naive and innocent Straw Hat Girl and fell in love at first sight.
The future plot would involve the male protagonist, with his overpowering skills, helping the girl achieve her dreams.
What "domineering CEO falls for me," what "prince turns into a frog"!
Nami declared that ever since she was young, she had studied professional books on nautical charts and measurements and hated these kinds of romance stories the most!
But the scene before her eyes was just too similar!
How on earth did Ralph pull this off?
Actually, it was quite simple.
The reason these four agents cooperated so readily wasn't just because Ralph had beaten them into submission. More importantly, Ralph had analyzed the stakes for them.
The gap in strength meant they were destined to fail in their mission to assassinate Princess Vivi.
In Baroque Works, failing a mission meant severe punishment, even death.
Rather than facing such a tragic fate, it was better to trust Ralph this once.
Even though it seemed absurd for someone so young to claim he was the former boss of Baroque Works...
So far, none of the intelligence he had provided had been wrong.
Moreover, all four of them had been somewhat persuaded by Ralph.
To Mr. 5, Ralph revealed his deeply buried dream of becoming a firefighter:
"What you truly desire isn't destruction, but salvation, right?"
To Miss Valentine, the power and mystery Ralph displayed completely captivated her.
As for Miss Goldenweek, this clever little girl didn't seem to care much about who the boss was and just tacitly joined in.
And to Mr. 3, Ralph's promise was:
I see in you the potential of an emperor's right-hand man!
Once I reclaim Baroque Works, I will appoint you as vice president.
All affairs will be entrusted to you, and all agents will be under your command.
Our goal isn't just a small Alabasta, but the entire world.
To build a true utopia, an ideal world.
Grow bigger, grow stronger, and achieve even greater glory!
What kind of person was Mr. 3?
In the original story, he was one of the smartest characters. How could he easily believe such empty promises?
But the pie was just too tempting.
So tempting that the moment Mr. 3 heard it, his mind started planning the future of Baroque Works.
Thus, they chose to directly detain the "Unluckies" who came to deliver the Eternal Pose.
Sea Otter Mr. 13 and Vulture Miss Friday were bound and delivered to Ralph.
"Why not just feed them false information and let them go back?"
Ralph asked.
Mr. 3 adjusted his glasses, "The Unluckies have been supervising agent missions for years and are extremely strict about details. You can't fool them with just a few words. The safest method is to make them 'temporarily lose contact.'"
"Good! Excellent! Leave them to me!"
Ralph nodded in satisfaction, "As expected of Mr. 3, truly meticulous and precise as wax. I feel at ease leaving the workshop to you."
He patted Mr. 3 on the shoulder.
In that moment, Mr. 3 felt a surge of emotion, as if "wandering half a life, finally meeting a wise master," his eyes even growing slightly moist.
Ralph handed the Eternal Pose to Vivi: "Here, a direct route to Alabasta."
Vivi took the pose, her hands trembling.
She looked at the small glass sphere with its gently swaying needle, then lifted her gaze to Ralph, this man who created miracles, and then at the former enemies standing respectfully nearby. For a moment, she was speechless.
With this, they could skip a year of waiting and head straight to Alabasta!
They could save thousands of lives!
"Tha... thank you..."
Vivi smiled and gave Ralph a hug.
Sanji's jealous eyes blazed with fire, about to step forward and pull them apart, but was knocked flying by Lufia!
Lufia leaned in, curiously looking at the pose:
"So with this, we can go to Vivi's country? That's great! Let's go, let's go!"
"Truly... an incredible crew of Pirates."
A deep voice came from behind.
Everyone turned to see Dorry and Brogy, who had somehow arrived at the shore.
The two giants stood like small hills under the sunlight.
"You brought news of our homeland. As friends, how could we not see you off?"
Brogy laughed heartily.
Dorry pointed toward the depths of the sea:
"Friends, listen well! Once you set sail, go straight ahead! No matter what happens, keep moving straight forward!!"
Lufia and Usopp almost simultaneously straightened their backs and responded loudly:
"We'll go straight ahead!"
This was the trust shared only among warriors.
No need to explain the reasons, no need to clarify the consequences—just the words "go straight ahead" and an unwavering response.
The others, though not fully understanding the meaning, were all moved by this pure trust.
It was like the hunting contest in the jungle earlier—"You win this round."
No reason needed, just a challenge;
No explanation needed, just belief.
Watching this scene, something long forgotten stirred within Ralph's heart.
Go straight ahead...
Back when he was just a boy, he seemed to have felt this way too.
Making plans with playmates to reach a secret base, agreeing to "go straight ahead no matter what," then actually climbing over walls, pushing through thickets, all the way...
But he had forgotten it long ago.
"All hands! Board the ship! Set sail!"
At Lufia's command, the Straw Hat crew quickly boarded the Going Merry.
The Going Merry raised its sails and headed toward the sunlit sea.
Straight ahead.
Until—
The sea surface ahead suddenly bulged.
Not a wave, but something massive, slowly rising.
The seawater parted, sunlight reflecting off it with a red gleam.
Then, it opened its mouth.
A mouth so huge it could swallow a small island.
"That... that is..."
Usopp's voice trembled.
It was a goldfish, but of an unimaginably colossal size, comparable to the whale Laboon they had seen at Reverse Mountain.
As its mouth opened, it resembled a bottomless abyss, slowly closing in on the Going Merry.
"It's a goldfish! A giant goldfish!"
Usopp screamed, "I—I read about it in a storybook! A giant goldfish that... that devours islands! Sailors think they're landing on an island, but they're actually landing on..."
He couldn't finish.
Because the Going Merry had already been swallowed by darkness.
The goldfish's massive jaws snapped shut, plunging the cabin into pitch blackness.
Nami gripped the railing tightly, Vivi's face turned pale, and Sanji lit a lighter, its faint flame illuminating everyone's tense expressions.
Only Lufia remained standing at the bow, her eyes shining with an astonishing intensity.
"Full speed ahead!"
She shouted, her voice echoing in the enclosed space, "Uncle Dorry said, full speed ahead!"
"...Full speed ahead!"
Usopp was too terrified to open his eyes, but he still yelled out.
Somewhere in Ralph's heart, something seemed to stir.
He took a deep breath and joined in loudly:
"Full speed ahead!!"
The voices of the three echoed through the dark belly of the fish.
Then—
"BOOM!!"
A deafening roar erupted from outside.
Ahead appeared.
A massive, circular hole.
A gigantic circular cavity over hundreds of meters in diameter, piercing straight through the goldfish's entire head.
Through that hole, they could see sunlight, the sky, and the open sea beyond.
And on the other side of the hole, the two giants stood with their battle-axe and longsword crossed before them, the aftershocks of their strike still spreading enormous ripples across the sea.
"Longleg Tribe—"
Brogy's voice carried across the water:
"—the giants' ultimate combined attack! A farewell gift for our friends!"
The Going Merry soared out through the circular hole, bathed once more in sunlight.
Full speed ahead!
The path ahead was clear and unobstructed!