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worm novel 200 . xyz '
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"Remember this from now on. Don't trust the words of pirates!"
Lius directed these words at Vivi.
He rested his hand on the girl's shoulder. Although his grip lacked overwhelming force, it left the princess completely unable to resist. He looked just like a captor escorting a hostage.
Vivi opened her mouth in pure shock. Intense astonishment and disbelief washed over her face.
However, she could not utter a single word.
"Nami, Ace, get ready to enter the royal castle!"
Keeping Vivi pinned by the shoulder, Lius swept his gaze over the other two with a faint smile.
"Hmph, so we really are going to create chaos like this?" Ace pushed up his cowboy hat with his fingers.
"If Crocodile finds out we beat him to the punch, he will definitely blow his top!"
Nami smiled slyly. She turned to blink at Vivi. "I'm sorry, but we reworked our plan while you were asleep. You will just have to endure this."
"Everything will be over once you wake up!"
Nami brought down a swift hand chop upon finishing her sentence.
Plagued by confusion and bewilderment, Vivi instantly lost consciousness. Lius caught her limp body in his arms.
Lowering his head to check on the sleeping girl, Lius eventually withdrew his gaze and stared toward the royal castle gates at the end of the street. "Since we have already kidnapped the princess, taking the entire royal family hostage shouldn't be considered too excessive, right?"
He adjusted his hold on the unconscious royal after speaking.
With Nami on his right and Ace on his left, the trio walked shoulder to shoulder straight toward the royal castle.
At this moment.
Their earlier commotion had already drawn the attention of the surrounding rebel army. The soldiers began casting their gazes over one after another.
Seeing the trio's attire, the soldiers initially mistook them for tourists.
But if they were tourists, why would they suddenly start fighting?
The rebel soldiers felt understandably confused.
That confusion vanished as Lius and his companions drew closer, snapping the crowd to full attention.
"Who are these people?"
"I think they are the pirates that appeared in the recent newspapers!"
"Pirates?"
"Yes, the pirates who kidnapped Princess Vivi!"
"Swordsman Lius and Fire Fist Ace, how could these two guys appear here!"
"No, didn't you see? The one that guy is carrying is Princess Vivi!?"
"It's Princess Vivi..."
Prompted by that final earth-shattering scream, the rebels scattered across the nearby streets finally snapped to their senses.
This reaction differed greatly from how they treated King Cobra's reputation.
Kind since childhood, Vivi had grown up in the eyes of the citizens as an innocent, pure spirit.
It was an undeniable truth.
If the people of this country were given a choice, they would absolutely elect Vivi to rule over them as their monarch.
Kind, innocent, and adorable!!
This was how the people viewed their princess.
Even now, while fighting to overthrow Cobra's rule, not a single person had ever considered harming the young girl.
"Pirate, put down Princess Vivi!"
A rebel soldier marched forward right then, blocking the path in front of Lius and his crew.
"Oh? Aren't you trying to overthrow this country? We are currently helping you!"
Lius maintained an indifferent gaze. "If we use the princess as a hostage to demand the king come out and accept his death, I believe the odds of success are quite high!" he said with a chuckle.
He did not speak loudly.
Yet his voice carried far across the square, ringing crystal clear in the ears of the rebel soldiers.
For a time, the rebels blocking the area all stood completely stunned.
However, some individuals remained unaffected.
"This is a matter concerning our own country. We are simply fighting because we cannot survive, not out of malice like you pirates."
Another rebel armed with a long spear stepped forward to join the blockade.
"That's right! Even if it is a war, we will not let Princess Vivi get involved!"
"How could you pirates understand our pain!"
"Kidnapping Princess Vivi is equivalent to turning our entire country into your enemy!"
"Put down the princess, or we won't hold back!"
This vocal opposition naturally inspired more people to follow suit.
Looking perfectly righteous, the rebel soldiers stepped up one by one to stand in defiance against Lius and his two companions.
Despite their shabby clothes and dirt-streaked faces, these men displayed an unyielding and resolute spirit.
However.
"What a pity. It seems we are enemies!"
Lius offered a faint smile at the rebel blockade.
He made his move the moment he finished speaking.
Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body. Carrying the terrifying momentum of a lion swallowing the four seas, the invisible force violently blasted outward to sweep across the entire area.
......
Not far from the Royal Capital.
Inside a carriage on the back of a giant sea turtle.
"What did you say? They have already entered the royal castle?"
Biting down on his cigar, Crocodile suddenly widened his eyes to glare at the tanned beauty sitting opposite him.
This was the absolute worst news he had heard in years.
"Not only have they entered the royal castle, but word is now spreading throughout the Royal Capital that the Lius Pirates have kidnapped the entire royal family of Alabasta!"
"They pretended to agree to the princess's request just to target the national treasury. Once they arrived at the royal castle, they finally revealed their true nature"
Robin looked incredibly solemn. "From deceiving the public at the start to bearing their fangs now, I suspect..."
Crocodile's expression drastically shifted before she could even finish her sentence.
"Are they also after Pluton?"
Seething murderous intent flashed through Crocodile's eyes. "If that really is the case, those two brats have been using us from the very beginning!" he snarled through gritted teeth.
"Creating chaos to leave the royal guards depleted, then finally using the princess as a hostage to hijack the entire royal family and obtain the ancient weapon Pluton!"
Robin filled in the missing pieces of the puzzle.
This analysis nearly pushed the Warlord into a complete frenzy.
"No, wait. Since they have shouldered the crime of usurping the nation, our plan has to change!"
Showing the true composure of a ruthless mastermind, Crocodile quickly reined in his temper. An arrogant smirk slowly spread across his face. "And I should make my grand entrance as a hero to save this country from its dire crisis!"
"Kuahaha, the ancient weapon still belongs to me!!"
Watching him roar with endless laughter, Robin remained seated opposite him while a strange gleam flickered deep in her eyes.
.......
Meanwhile, in another location just a short distance from the Royal Capital.
A Marine unit consisting of over a hundred soldiers trudged forward with great difficulty through the swirling desert sandstorm.
"What did you say? Lius and those pirates actually hijacked the entire royal family?"
Momousagi's face flushed with fury upon hearing the news from the Royal Capital.
"How bold. Are they trying to usurp the entire country?" Hina asked, feeling equally astounded.
"Where did this intel come from?"
Garp asked from the side, looking bewildered.
........
Rebel camp.
Having just received fresh bandages from a doctor, the injured Igaram sat obediently off to the side while under the strict watch of several rebel guards.
"This is exactly what happened. We have all been deceived. The entire country is being played with in the palms of these pirates!"
"Now, they want us to kill each other just to scheme for the future of this country!"
"Once the war begins, everyone will be doomed!"
Igaram ground his teeth in frustration, keeping his head lowered as he spoke.
In his mind, however, he could only replay the exact words Lius had spoken to him just a few days ago.
The only way to stop the civil war!
Is to transform the internal conflict into an external threat!
And pirates served as the most perfect external threat for this country.......
Both his crew and Crocodile of the Seven Warlords were pirates after all!!!